There’s no other way to say it. Florida was embarrassed last night by Missouri in The Swamp in a 42-13 rout.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from last night’s debacle.

  1. This season is over for Florida – With the loss last night, the Florida Gators’ chances of winning the much maligned SEC East are virtually out the door. They already have three conferences losses and frankly are two play clock controversies away from being winless in the SEC this season. The Gators may have enough left in the tank to rally and become bowl eligible, but at this point there’s a realistic chances Florida doesn’t make a bowl game for the second straight season. They have five games left on the schedule and will need to win at least three of them to make a bowl. Two wins are likely against Vanderbilt and Eastern Kentucky, but Georgia, Florida State and even South Carolina aren’t looking good at this point.
  2. Everyone should feel bad for the UF defense – Before I start, I understand the UF defense has had its share of struggles this season (see Kentucky, Alabama, LSU). But for the most part under Will Muschamp, the Gators defense has performed marvelously, and often they get left out to dry. Last night’s game was probably the most egregious offense against the defense. Missouri gained 97 total yards of offense and quarterback Maty Mauk threw for 20 yards. Yet, that was still not enough for Florida to win. This kind of game has been a theme throughout the Muschamp era and you begin to feel sorry for the defense. They constantly play their hearts out and play well, but it’s rarely enough.
  3. Where was Brandon Powell? – Staying just within last night’s game, I think one of the most obvious questions was the lack of playing time and involvement in the offense for freshman Brandon Powell. Here’s a guy who was easily the Gators’ most dynamic offensive weapon a week ago and the coaching staff spent the week talking him up. Muschamp said after the game he felt they had bigger in-game issues to address than who was playing at running back. Either way, Powell is a guy that has to get the ball in his hands during key moments in the game. Instead, he did all of his work in the garbage time near the end, finishing with 37 rushing yards on seven carries.
  4. Will Muschamp is likely done at UF – Barring some unforeseen circumstances that somehow alter the space-time continuum, Muschamp’s coaching performance against Missouri should have sealed his fate as a future “former Florida head coach.” The firing may not take place this week or the next week. Heck, it may not be until after the season, but Muschamp likely won’t be with the Gators next season. Athletic director Jeremy Foley said before the season it wasn’t about wins or losses, but rather that the program was heading in the right direction. After last night’s game, I believe it’s clear the direction in which the program is strongly heading in is the not the one Foley envisioned.
  5. Play Treon from here on out – It was obvious last night the coaching staff doesn’t trust Treon Harris a whole lot. The plays called when he was in the game were very limited and predictable, nothing too complicated for the true freshman. But after the display Jeff Driskel put on last night — 7-of-19 for 50 yards and two INTs — the Gators need to end the Driskel era and continue on with Harris. Driskel has significantly regressed during his time at Florida, and while that is also the fault of the coaching staff, it’s a clear sign that the Gators need to look elsewhere at quarterback. Harris won’t be the savior of the season and he’ll probably struggle, but at least it’s a physical action of looking toward the future and moving on from what’s amounted to an incredibly disappointing season under Driskel. Make the change. It’s for the best.