A night to forget: Gators get embarrassed in Cotton Bowl 55-20
Heisman finalist Trask goes without a touchdown for first time in his career as Oklahoma cruises to blowout win in Arlington.
By: Bossman Slim
Photo: Ty Russell, OU Athletics
All night on the broadcast, you could hear the PA announcements echoing throughout AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Cavernous Jerry World, home of the Dallas Cowboys, was close to empty. Just a hair over 17,000 were in the building, in a stadium that can host up to 105,000. But the most empty thing about this game wasn’t the stadium - it was the performance of the Florida Gators.
Ahead of the game, Florida linebacker James Houston IV taunted Oklahoma, in words that will now live in infamy, saying: "Oklahoma is a good matchup, but they're not on our level. They're not the SEC. They're not the Florida Gators. So we should put on a good show." They put on a great show to be sure, if you’re a fan of the Sooners or of watching an arrogant SEC team get boat raced. You cannot say those words and then come out and lay an egg the way the Gators did on Wednesday night.
The game started out disastrously for Trask and the Gators, and it hardly improved from there. Oklahoma struck first going up 7-0, then Trask threw a pick on the next three Gators possessions, the first one getting taken to the house for a pick-six. Before you blinked, Oklahoma was up 17-0. In their only show of grit and fight all night, Florida clawed their way back into the game, capitalizing on two Sooner turnovers and a punt, turning those changes in possession into points. It was 17-13 with 6:05 left in the half, and it looked like Florida had found some life and would make it a game. Narrator: it was not so. The Gators would not score another point for what seemed like years. 3:18 left in the 4th quarter, to be exact, when the game was well out of reach and the backups were in.
I’ll spare you all the details because it was just an OU pile-on. but Oklahoma played with fire. They played with heart. They executed well. They gashed the Gators all night and looked the part of a top 10 team. After last night, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Sooners jump into the top 5 to end the year, even possibly jumping Texas A&M, depending on how the Aggies game goes in the Orange Bowl. Like Ralphie defeating the bully in A Christmas Story, Oklahoma took the mouthy, SEC bully behind the woodshed and beat the ever-living tar out of him.
OU beats up the bully.
Many will expect us, as an SEC blog, to make excuses for Florida. And some good ones they have. Is this game different with Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney, and Trevon Grimes lined up for UF? Yes, it is. It’s probably one of the better Cotton Bowls in recent memory. I don’t think the Gators get stomped like they did last night. Trask and his receivers were off all night, to the point where Emory Jones saw significant time in critical moments of the game.
But you will not find us making excuses for the Gators here. Yes, missing all the production certainly had a palpable impact on Florida. But UF is littered with talent behind all of those guys. They played uninspired and lackadaisical. The Florida receivers dropped what seemed like a million balls. The historically feared Orange and Blue defense is downright terrible. You know what they looked like? A Big 12 defense. But last night, the roles were reversed. Oklahoma’s defense showed up, and their offense smoked that SEC defense. Even with the Gators at full strength, Oklahoma probably wins that game. Hell, they ran for a Cotton Bowl record 435 rushing yards and 684 total yards. That is a joke. The ultimate shame for an SEC team is hearing the opposing team’s fans chant “S-E-C! S-E-C!” with all the derision they can muster. UF got a healthy dose of that late in the game from Oklahoma fans.
Of course Ohio State fans chimed in. Their due is coming.
The Gators did not look like they wanted to be there - and that’s squarely on Dan Mullen. After the game, Mullen made some head-scratching comments that were all excuses. It would have been nice to see Mullen take some responsibility for his team’s poor effort. Were there big, glaring issues that the Gators would have needed to overcome to win the game? Yes - we all know the big names who opted-out, and apparently, Florida could have canceled due to roster numbers - but excuses help no one. It’s a troubling pattern with Mullen - making excuses for poor performances and losses, instead of taking responsibility. It’s something to watch in the coming years. That kind of excuse-making, spinning, and redirection after losses wore thin on Rocky Top with Butch Jones and eventually was part of what got him fired. It could wear thin on Dan Mullen if he keeps spitting out 8-4 seasons.
Oklahoma gets a big win to give Lincoln Riley his first bowl win and just lit a fuse under the hype train for next year. Spencer Rattler will be a Heisman favorite and the Sooners will likely start the year in the top 5. And it will be well deserved. Look for Oklahoma to be in the College Football Playoff conversation all of 2021. And if they make the 2021 playoff - I doubt it will be another blowout with the way their defense is built - so long as they can hang onto miracle worker Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch this offseason.
For Florida, they will be just fine on offense. Emory Jones is a star-in-waiting behind Kyle Trask, and the Gators will reload. The biggest question mark in Gainesville is the defense: how does it get fixed, and is Todd Grantham going to be around to fix it? Grantham is a well-respected defensive coordinator, but this year was tough to stomach. Gators fans are openly calling for his job, with good reason. I think Grantham can do the job and can fix the issues - but I don’t think he’ll get the chance. In a season that began with Playoff hopes and ended in an embarrassing loss in the Cotton Bowl to finish 8-4, somethings gotta give. Grantham will likely be out in the next few days.
After all, as anyone who watched Florida this season knows, if the Gators are to rebound in 2021 and compete for a coveted CFP spot, it starts on defense.