Final Record: 11-1 overall, 7-1 SEC

One could write a novel on the miraculous turnaround the 7-6 ‘11 Gators had to the 11-1 ‘12 Gators. There were several reasons for that turnaround, but it all comes back to head coach Will Muschamp. Not many in Gator country even felt remotely positive going into this season, much less thought Florida could get back to elite levels.

Muschamp got rid of about 600 pounds of dead weight combined in Charlie Weis and John Brantley. He also made two significant hires in offensive coordinator Brent Pease and strength coach Jeff Dillman. Both, along with Muschamp, have had tremendous impacts on this team in year two.

Muschamp, along with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, guided the Gators’ defense to new heights. Some would make a case this was the best defense in the country, only lacking an elite pass rusher. Defensive linemen Shariff Floyd, Dominique Easley and others developed and flourished in the system. Linebackers Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins were good, but freshman three-star recruit Antonio Morrison arguably made the play of the year with his hit and forced fumble against FSU. All five of those players were great, but safety Matt Elam was better. The Gators’ defense finished 6th in total defense and 3rd in scoring defense in the country. This group forced 29 turnovers, after only forcing only 14 all of last season.

Offensively, Florida was frustrating to watch at times. They always seemed to play to the level of their opponent – see LSU, FSU, Jacksonville State and Louisiana-Lafayette. Sophomore starter Jeff Driskel was consistently collective and efficient, but he showed his youth as well, taking sacks rather than throwing the ball away. The offensive line was just brutal at times, but when they were healthy they could wear down a defensive line. Wide receivers were non-existent, and tight end Jordan Reed became the biggest playmaker. However, none were more important than first-year starter and senior Mike Gillislee. He lifted the Gators to the third best rushing offense in the SEC.

Florida won with defense, turnover margin and special teams. Punter Kyle Christy and kicker Caleb Sturgis were more valuable than anone on offense except Mike Gillislee. Emerging star and special teams extraordinaire Loucheiz Purifoy became the biggest weapon on the team not named Gillislee, Elam or Floyd.

The Gators ended the 2012 regular season with the best resume in college football, having beaten the #8, #9, #10 and #12 teams in the country. They lost the one game they couldn’t lose against Georgia, thanks in part to six turnovers.

Offensive Stud: Mike Gillislee, who became the first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004, carried Florida’s offense. Gillislee was the tough power back the Gators and Muschamp needed, posting five 100-yard performances. No more jitterbugs such as Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, but Gillislee became the consistent runner who could run between the tackles and take a screen pass to the house. He totaled 235 carries for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns, finishing third in the SEC in rushing yards. Because of his low mileage, Gillislee could be a serviceable back at the next level, too.

Defensive Stud: The three primary candidates for the defensive MVP are tackle Shariff Floyd, linebacker Jonathan Bostic and safety Matt Elam – but I’m going with Matt Elam. I think he’s the heart and soul of a talented defense and the best secondary in the country and will most likely head to the NFL after this season. He finished second on the team in tackles with 65, and he posted 10.0 tackles for loss. He also nabbed one sack and led the team with four interceptions. Muschamp loves run-stopping safeties, and he may have the best one in the country in Matt Elam.

Where To Next: Florida gears up to play Louisville in the Sugar Bowl, a bowl Georgia fans and several others don’t think Florida belongs in because they didn’t win their division. The Gators should finish with a top three recruiting class. Now, Muschamp and Florida will enter ‘13 with much higher expectations than they entered this season. We’ll see how the Gators handle the pressure of winning.

Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

I’m being overdramatic you say? Let’s jump into the Orange and Blue time machine for a minute here…

October 15, 2005, #11 Florida had just lost to #10 LSU 21-17 in gut wrenching fashion for their second loss of the season; they had lost 31-3 to #15 Alabama just two weeks earlier.  During his postgame press conference, first-year coach Urban Meyer, who was known for his innovative and high-scoring spread offense, struggled to hold back tears as he tried to explain why his team couldn’t put enough points on the board.

For the first time in a long time, Urban Meyer faced real adversity as a head football coach.  With the bye week on the horizon and the annual matchup with #4 Georgia looming, Meyer knew that he had the perfect opportunity to focus on his team and put up or shut up.

The Gators came out of that bye week and won four of their remaining five games; beating Georgia, #23 FSU, and #25 Iowa in the Outback Bowl along the way.  The Gators carried that momentum into the off-season, signed the #2 recruiting class in the nation, and went on to win two BCS titles over the next three years.

Fast forward back to 2011 and you may now see why I say that this may be the most important week in the program’s recent history.  This bye week could not have come at a better time for this coaching staff.  Fresh off of three losses in a row, this team is reeling.  This team is searching for leadership and an identity.  Will Muschamp needs to establish those leaders.  Charlie Weis and Dan Quinn need to establish this team’s offensive and defensive identity.

With the bye week last week, I’m hoping the Florida coaches were able to make progress in the following areas:

Establish a run game

Prior to the Auburn game, the coaching staff made it clear that there would be three running backs used, unfortunately that did not end up being the case.  With the quarterback situation still in flux, the staff needs to find a way to get its only proven playmakers the ball more.  Play to the running back’s strengths; give Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps the ball in space and let Mike Gillislee pound the ball between the tackles, not the other way around.  Even if John Brantley returns for the remainder of the season, getting the ground game going will be the most important thing the Gators can do offensively.

Identify playmakers in the defensive front seven

There are 14 players who regularly rotate in and out of the Gator front seven.  It doesn’t take a football genius to figure out who has made an impact this year and who hasn’t.  We’ve seen players like Jonathan Bostic and Lerentee McCray impress on the field game after game, and on the flipside, there have been players like former #1 recruit Ronald Powell who haven’t quite played up to their potential.  There may be some arguments, there may be some tears, and there may be some transfer threats, but now is the time to reward the players who have earned playing time and sit the ones who haven’t.

Send the special teams back to basic training

Four muffed punts don’t usually happen throughout the course of a season and they definitely don’t happen over the course of one game.  Well, that is, unless your play on the Florida Gators special teams unit. A week after giving up a fake punt touchdown at LSU (yes it was negated but let’s get real here) Florida’s special teams lost a winnable game at Auburn.  Chris Rainey’s controversial muffed punt in the 2^nd quarter set up Auburn’s first touchdown, Robert Clark’s miscue in the 4^th enabled Auburn, who was only ahead by one score, to seal the game with a late field goal.  The staff needs to use this extra time to put an emphasis on sound play in special teams, if they had before, the Gators may be in the SEC East driver’s seat.

Hit the recruiting trail hard

The cupboard certainly wasn’t left bare when Urban Meyer left, but the coaching staff is learning the hard way that this roster is clearly void of playmakers.  Wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive lineman are must-gets in this recruiting cycle for Charlie Weis to perfectly integrate his offense.  Defensive lineman and linebackers are going to be on the shopping list for Will Muschamp and Dan Quinn.  The staff has already put together a class that ranks 4^th in the latest ESPN recruiting rankings, but there are some spots left.   Having had an opportunity to identify where playmakers are needed, the coaching staff will need to find ways to fill those holes.