Poetic ending possible for Muschamp, Gators in Tallahassee
The four seasons for the Florida Gators under Will Muschamp have been rocky at best.
2012 was the anomaly, a season in which everything seemed to go right for the Gators, a team anchored by a strong running game and stingy defense.
The other three years weren’t so kind — Florida is a combined 17-18, including a 4-8 season in 2013.
It’s these kinds of numbers that forced Muschamp out of town, but his final game with the Gators has a chance to be something special, something poetic.
The exact situation occurred back in 2004 with the Gators when head coach Ron Zook headed into the UF-FSU game knowing it would be his last as Florida’s head coach. He found out a little earlier in the season than Muschamp, but it didn’t matter.The Gators marched into Doak Campbell Stadium and upset the No. 10 ranked Seminoles, 20-13.
Zook was carried off the field on the shoulders of his players, an image that’s still iconic in the rivalry series and the one most Florida fans remember of Zook, at least more than the losing.
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“It is what it is,” Muschamp said of the Zook comparisons. “I mean, that isn’t going to help us win the game. I can assure you of that. So we’ll prepare well and we’ll go up there and play well. That’s what we need to do.”
For Muschamp, that same opportunity presents itself this weekend and while he may not be thinking about it, everyone else is.
Gators OT DJ Humphries says Muschamp will get carried of field with win: “He ain’t got no choice. I’m too strong for him.”
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) November 25, 2014
On a personal level, everyone raved about Muschamp. The decision to dismiss Muschamp wasn’t an easy one for athletic director Jeremy Foley as evidenced by his words and expressions during the press conference. To the fans, Muschamp was always a very likable guy, someone they were rooting for to be successful, but it never came.
And now, he’s down to one final game to determine his legacy at the University of Florida. I doubt many will every forget the anemic offenses during his coaching career, but the lasting image Muschamp being carried off the field by his players will be the feel-good story Florida fans are searching for in what has been a disappointing 2014 season.
On a statistical level, the fact that Muschamp’s final game comes against FSU, the Gators’ biggest rival is intriguing because of FSU’s current success.
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The Seminoles are in the midst of a 27-game winning streak and a likely berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff. During this 27-game winning streak, FSU has beaten up on virtually every team, including the Gators, and captured a national title.
But who was the last coach to beat FSU?
You guessed it. Will Muschamp.
So not only can he go out as a winner against Florida’s most important rival, but he can be the bookends on one of the more impressive winning streaks in FSU history.
Saturday presents an unique opportunity for Muschamp. His fate may already be sealed thanks to a disappointing four years, but his ending is far from decided.
And it’s up to him and his team on what his final chapter looks like.