Dan Mullen Names Head Coach He Was Never Able To Beat

The Florida Gators were the last team Dan Mullen coached in 2021. Mullen's best year with the program was 2018 when he won 10 games before winning 11 games the following season. Mullen also coached for the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 2009-17.

Mullen was on a recent " Cube Show " episode with ESPN's Cole Cubelic. Mullen talked about a particular SEC coach that the former Florida coach could never beat. Like many other coaches during that time, Mullen was not able to get over the hump that was Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

"...I'll start with this one," Mullen said. "Unfortunately, Nick is one of the few people I'm sure we played somebody once or twice that even through all these years, even though I had success, we still weren't able to beat him."

Saban caused problems for Mullen at Florida and Mississippi State. One of the best teams Mullen had in Starkville was with Dak Prescott in 2014. The Bulldogs got off to a 9-0 start that season and had to play Alabama. The Crimson Tide ended Mississippi State's undefeated season after winning 25-20 in Starkville.

Mullen reached the SEC Championship in 2020 and had to play Saban again. Kyle Trask and the Florida offense came up short against Alabama and lost 52-46. The Gators put up 462 total offensive yards in that game.

It is hard to find coaches who were victorious against Nick Saban during his time in Tuscaloosa. The former Saban assistants that beat the former Alabama head coach include former Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, and Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart.

Saban won six national titles with Alabama before retiring after last season's Rose Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines.

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