Florida Gators' Dan Mullen wants to have full crowd in 'The Swamp' vs. LSU Tigers

Florida football coach Dan Mullen, who said the Texas A&M crowd was a "major factor" in the fourth-ranked Gators' loss to the Aggies on the road Saturday, called on his administration afterward to allow for full attendance at next weekend's game in Gainesville, Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently lifted COVID-19 restrictions, allowing stadiums around the state to operate at total capacity if they wish.

Mullen said he "absolutely" wants to have a full crowd of about 90,000 fans when Florida hosts LSU next Saturday.

"I know our governor passed that rule, so certainly, hopefully, the university administration decides to let us pack The Swamp for LSU next week," he said. "One hundred percent because that crowd was a major factor in the game. So I certainly hope our university administration follows the governor."

He added, "We have 90,000 in The Swamp to give us that home-field advantage that Texas A&M had today."

When asked if he would allow a full house for LSU, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin told ESPN, "We continue to follow UF Health and campus safety guidelines."

Mullen's comments came moments after Florida's 41-38 loss to unranked Texas A&M.

Texas A&M, which had previously announced that it would operate Kyle Field at 25% capacity, had fans present for the game.

Mullen said it felt as if there were 50,000 fans in the Texas A&M student section on Saturday.

The attendance at Kyle Field on Saturday was listed at 24,709; capacity is 102,733.

"The section behind our bench, I didn't see an empty seat," he said.

The Florida defense struggled throughout the game, giving up 543 yards and 12 of 15 third-down conversions.

"We're going to have to reevaluate a lot of things defensively," Mullen said after the Gators fell to 2-1, all SEC games.

ESPN's Heather Dinich contributed to this report.