Florida Football: 3 takeaways from Gators’ dominant Peach Bowl win over Michigan

2. Florida’s future is bright with Dan Mullen

A week two loss to the Kentucky Wildcats—snapping a 31 year win streak, the longest in the country—portended bad things for Dan Mullen’s first year in the Swamp. However, Mullen quickly turned things around, finishing 9-3, including a couple head-turning wins against LSU and Mississippi State, where Mullen coached for nine years.

Given the job Mullen did at Florida with Tim Tebow and his work building Mississippi State into a scrappy contender in the SEC West, his hot start in Gainesville should come as no surprise. A nine-win season—especially in your first year and for a fanbase that has been greatly demoralized—is nothing to sneeze at.

But like Jim Harbaugh, Mullen was hired to win on the biggest stage. The Gators took a significant stride toward this goal with a dominant performance over Michigan in this year’s Peach Bowl.

Florida’s offense relies heavily on a spread-option rushing attack that ranks 27 nationally, with Lamical Perine and Jordan Scarlett accounting for more than 1,400 yards combined. Michigan’s vaunted defense made it difficult for the Gators to run early, daring quarterback Felipe Franks to beat them with his arm.

But it was Franks’ legs—and Mullen’s commitment to running the quarterback—that gave the Gators a much-needed spark. Late in the second quarter, Franks tore off a 31-yard scramble to set up the Gators in Michigan territory, before then calling his own number again for a touchdown to take the lead into the half.

The Wolverines never led again. Star defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson picked off Patterson on a deep throw to start the second half. And it was all Gators football from then on, with Scarlett and Perine and Kadarius Toney running all over the Wolverines.