Everything Dan Mullen Said About His Return to Oxford for First Time Since 2016
Florida head coach Dan Mullen has some history in Oxford.
The now-Gator head coach will be making his first return visit to Vaught-Heminway Stadium on Saturday for the first time since he was the head coach at Mississippi State.
Here's everything Mullen said to media this week about his return to the Magnolia State and Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and playing Ole Miss:
Q: You have some history with Ole Miss. What are some of your favorite memories about those games?
Mullen: Oh wow, a bunch. You’re talking that the Mississippi State-Ole Miss game is one of the great rivalries in sports. So to be involved in that, such a huge, huge deal. So, yeah, I have five great memories and four terrible memories, I think of that game, of playing against them. Any time you win. I mean, holding that trophy up when you win that Egg Bowl trophy, something that’s really, really, really special.
Rivalries are one of the things, look at the rivalries, look the traditions. Those are the things that make college football so great and so special - the passion of the fans. And you have the in-state rivalries. You’re talking neighbor against neighbor. I have a bunch of good ones, I have a couple bad ones, too, in that game. It’s different now. Everyone’s like, you know, I don’t think I said Ole Miss for nine years, but now I say it. That was all just part of the rivalry.
It became a pretty big deal, you know what I mean, early on it was kind of, when I first got there, the teams were kind of fighting for their identity. Then all of the sudden when I was there, both teams became top-10, national programs. So I think that kind of also, I don’t know if it helped bring it to that level or the rivalry brought it to that level or the intensity got both teams to that level of playing. But it certainly became a big deal and it became a huge game.
Q: Why did you call them the school up north?
Mullen: I did not give them credit for that. We were the state university of Mississippi. And, you know, there was Southern Miss, I didn’t call them Northern Miss, you know. But I got people all worked up too. No, it’s just one of those things you do.
To be honest with you, it sparks the rivalry. It’s something about your kids. It was always something that made that game so different than every other game because that was your big rivalry game of the year. So it was always just little things we would do to make that game different and feel different and kind of stand alone in a uniqueness and being a big game in our rivalry. So that was just one of the things we did for them.
Q: You never had anyone simulate using the restroom?
Mullen: I saw that last year. That was a tough deal. It’s such a big game. I don’t know that was such an intense game, so, you know, in those deals and to see … that was a crazy ending to that game last year. I remember watching that one. I was a big proponent of that game being played on Thanksgiving, and then now I’m not there to play it.
So we get to go up to Oxford and play Ole Miss on a regular deal. I don’t know, I remember going to a high school once and the lady - hopefully Ole Miss they’re cheering, they like me now - I had a lady come up and say, ‘Coach I pray for you every day.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s so nice of you.’ She goes, “I’m an Ole Miss fan. I pray somebody comes hires and gets you heck out of this state as soon as possible.’ Just the intensity of the rivalry, so now I left so maybe they like me a little bit.
Q: What is it like to assimilate into a culture in Mississippi? Can Lane Kiffin do it? What does he bring to the program?
Mullen: I think this, I went to Mississippi as a northerner going into Mississippi, I think there were a lot of questions about me. I won a bunch of football games at Mississippi State, so they accepted me. My kids were local; they were born there, so they were ok.
Megan and I, we won a bunch of games so we got accepted, so they started to like us. I think one of the really unique things about coaching is you get to experience a bunch of different things. I’ve gotten to go to a lot of different places around the country, experience different cultures, experience different people.
I think Lane will do a great job. I think Lane’s a good coach, brings a lot of energy, brings confidence, and kind of a swagger to a team. I think that’s something that will be really good for Ole Miss, to have a guy like that at the helm and to help give that confidence. I know this, in Mississippi they love their football. They love their college football. They love their teams. I think Lane will do great because I loved living in Mississippi.
There are great people, great sense of community, great family values in the state. Have a lot of close friends that we made in our time there. If you ask a lot of guys on our coaching staff they’ll tell you it was their favorite place they ever lived. Some of our coaches, their kids are going back there to go to college. That just speaks highly of the sense of community.
I didn’t spend time in Oxford much, but in Starkville, the sense of community, the sense of people, and the quality of people that are in Mississippi, I can’t say enough. The best thing about the state of Mississippi are the people and the Mississippians are a great people. I really enjoyed the time there and I’m sure Lane will too. To be honest with you, I think he’ll have a great time too.”
Q: Well it is a football game week. What's your quick scouting report on Ole Miss?
Mullen: It’s tough. One of the things, you look at the talented players. They’ve got two really talented quarterbacks, great talent at running back, some guys on the edge, O-line has some guys kind of back up front on the O-line. Defensively, inside linebacker has a lot of experience and guys that can come off the edge and rush the passer. And guys that have played in the secondary. They have guys that have been out there, guys that have played.
One of the hard ones is when you have a whole new coaching staff. They’re looking at us and saying, ‘Hey, let’s get last year’s film.” Same offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, head coach, special teams coordinator’s all the same. Theirs, everybody’s brand new. So you’re kind of trying to mix and match what they’re going to do offensively, what they’re going to do defensively, what they’re going to do special teams wise.
Watching all these different other teams from where people have been in the past and then you’re trying to watch their personnel. It’s always tricky. I’m never a big fan of not watching the team you’re playing. Anytime you play a team with a new staff, that’s’ what you have to do.
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