Florida surrendered a school-record 42 points in the first half but bounced back over the final two quarters to notch a 70-52 victory over Samford and snap a three-game skid.
The Gators' rough start came less than a week after they fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Florida allowed 41 points per game over its losing streak.
"Calling a win disappointing is disrespectful to the game and our players," Florida head coach Dan Mullen said postgame, according to Zach Goodall of Sports Illustrated.
Mullen lit into his team in the first quarter when the contest was still scoreless, only to see his FCS opponent take a seven-point lead into halftime as a 36.5-point underdog.
At first I figured this Dan Mullen pep talk happened after Samford put up 35 in a quarter of a half of Florida’s defense…pic.twitter.com/NOPYpVkrIn
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 13, 2021
Samford wound up breaking the first-half record for points scored by an FCS team against an SEC opponent, according to Matt Martingale of Elias Sports. The Bulldogs also became the first non-FBS team to lead Florida at halftime since 1947, according to Martingale.
Florida had never previously surrendered more than 38 points in the first half and had never allowed more than 30 points in the first half at home.
The Gators paid Samford $525,000 to visit Gainesville.
