Florida coach Jim McElwain was the most deserving choice for SEC Coach of the Year following the dramatic improvement he oversaw in Gainesville this season that stunned nearly all college football observers.

The Gators won the SEC East and played for the conference championship for the first time since 2009 despite a suspect offensive line, an unreliable kicking game and the loss of quarterback Will Grier to a year-long suspension. Their limitations caught up with them toward the end of the regular season and in the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama, but it was a remarkable regular season nonetheless for Florida.

Here’s a look at the five defining moments of the Gators season.

1. Beating Kentucky 14-9 on Sept. 19: This was one of those swing games that could have sent the season either way. McElwain brought an inexperienced bunch to Lexington for the first SEC road game for many of them and beat an experienced Wildcats team that had come in determined to end a 28-game losing streak to the Gators. A big defensive stand not only preserved the victory and moved Florida to 3-0 for the first time since 2012, but provided a young team the needed confidence that comes with winning on the road.

Kelvin Taylor scored the winning points on a touchdown — one week after McElwain admonished him on the sideline following a TD celebration against ECU.

2. The 28-27 come-from-behind victory over Tennessee on Sept. 26: The host Gators looked dead in the water after falling behind by 13 points early in the fourth quarter but rallied for an improbable win when freshman wide receiver Antonio Callaway scored from 63 yards out to cap the Florida’s 11th consecutive win over the Vols.

3. The 38-10 beatdown of Ole Miss on Oct. 3: Not many people outside of Gainesville gave the Gators a chance against the third-ranked Rebels and their high-powered offense. But a stingy Florida defense suffocated the Rebels attack all afternoon, while Grier tossed four touchdowns in the first half alone to power the offensive barrage.

4. Beating South Carolina 24-14 on Nov. 7: It wasn’t pretty, but visiting Florida did enough to outlast the Gamecocks and clinch the SEC East crown and punch their ticket to Atlanta for the first time since 2009.

5. Losing 29-15 to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 5: Gators fans and coaches were happy to be back in Atlanta, but disappointed with the outcome. The loss was further proof of the work ahead still to be done and the immediate upgrades needed at quarterback, kicker and along the offensive line if Florida is to compete at the level of programs like Alabama. The Gators will remember that feeling and will work hard in the offseason to see to it that it doesn’t happen again.