Mississippi State hosting Florida: getting closure on Dan Mullen

When it comes to relationships that don’t go the distance, it’s important to get closure. Now, sometimes it takes a long time to get to that place, but in the case of Dan Mullen’s breakup with Mississippi State, this is it.

Whatever pent up feelings the Bulldogs have towards their former head coach, they can let ‘em out against the visiting Florida Gators on Saturday. There was a lot made of ‘it’s not that he left, it’s how he left,’ following his nine-year run of 69 wins which are the second most in MSU history.

First year Head Coach Joe Moorhead wasn’t around for all the baggage, but he is ready to meet the ex for the first time. “The emotional component that’s going to be attached to this game is relative to Coach Mullen and his staff being with these guys for an extended period of time. But ultimately at the end of the day, I’m not going to be on the field taking any snaps and neither are any of our assistants and neither are any of their coaches, they’re not going to play the game. The game is going to be played on the field between the white lines between 11 Mississippi State players and 11 Florida players and that’s how it’s going to be, so it’s not going to have a bearing or a factor in the outcome of the game once the ball gets kicked off.”

Coach Mullen said, “I think there will be a lot of passion on Saturday night. It’ll be a different feel. I’ve heard they flipped the locker rooms, so I’ll be in my same locker I’ve been in for nine years, same locker room so that’ll be a comfortable feeling for me. Staying at a different hotel than I stayed at over nine years, and now I get to go back I guess and see what it’s like to be on the other sideline of the tradition we created.”

Mullen was named both national and SEC coach of the year in 2014 while leading the Bulldogs to their first ever number 1 ranking in the AP poll and college football playoff era.

Mississippi State and Florida will get things kicked off at 5 p.m. Saturday from Starkvegas.