For Gators, Muschamp Bowl vs. South Carolina now a must-win
By Andrew Olson
Published:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two months ago, South Carolina looked like a guaranteed win for Florida. Two weeks ago, it became a must-win game for the Gators to make it to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. After Saturday’s loss at Arkansas, the South Carolina game has become a must-win game for the sake of the program.
The Gamecocks coming to The Swamp means the return of Will Muschamp, the predecessor to coach Jim McElwain. Muschamp coached at Florida from 2011-14, a four-year tenure best remembered in Gainesville for issues on offense. The defensive-minded head coach tried three offensive coordinators at Florida – Charlie Weis (2011), Brent Pease (2012-13) and Kurt Roper (2014) – but could never find a system that produced consistent production similar to that seen under his predecessor, Urban Meyer.
Upon Muschamp’s dismissal, former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley set out to find a replacement with head coaching experience and an offensive background. Foley settled on Jim McElwain for his experience as Alabama’s offensive coordinator (2008-11) and a quick turnaround of Colorado State as head coach (2012-14).
Heading into the home stretch of his second year, however, the McElwain offense is looking a lot like the Muschamp offense at Florida: Points are hard to come by and the most reliable weapon is the punter. In a twist no one saw coming, it will be Muschamp and the Gamecocks with more confidence in their quarterback Saturday.
South Carolina burned freshman Jake Bentley’s redshirt on Oct. 22 and hasn’t looked back. With Bentley as the signal-caller, the Gamecocks are 3-0, including an upset over Tennessee. It’s a small sample size, but Bentley has posted impressive numbers for a freshman (54-of-74, 622 yards, 6 TD). The freshman has notably helped the offense stretch the field.
https://twitter.com/PFF_Gordon/status/795264909332385793
Ever since Luke Del Rio came back from the knee injury he suffered against North Texas, his accuracy, footwork and arm strength have been suspect. Those issues are most notable, and most costly, on deep passes. The first time the Gators crossed the 50-yard line into Arkansas territory, Del Rio threw what amounted to an arm punt.
This interception was better than a great punt for @GatorsFB. pic.twitter.com/KKVQ8bIsMQ
— CBS Sports College Football ? (@CBSSportsCFB) November 5, 2016
If the Gators manage to beat South Carolina, they should give credit to Muschamp. While few expect to see the Florida offense drastically improve within a week, the Gators still have their talented defense, which Muschamp recruited. Bentley will be making his first road start, and he’ll have to do so in The Swamp against a defense stacked with future pros, including cornerbacks Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson, who will make those deep passes hard to come by.
The good news for the Gators is that they have been dominant at home. On average this season, the Gators only allow 35.8 rushing yards, 90 rushing yards and 7 points per game in The Swamp. The offense seems to come alive for the orange and blue crowd as well, averaging 480.3 yards per game, more than 200 yards better than the team’s road/neutral site average of 277.5 yards.
The Swamp’s end zones have also been easier to find, as the Gators average 35.3 points per game at home, nearly double the road number (18.8),
McElwain and his staff will have to hope the team can use the energy of the crowd to tap into that home dominance one more time. Due to Hurricane Matthew, Saturday is Senior Day in Gainesville. The Gators will not host Presbyterian on Nov. 19 and instead travel to Baton Rouge to play the LSU game that was originally scheduled for Oct. 8 in Gainesville.
The second-year coach needs the win for more than staying in the hunt to get back to Atlanta. He needs a win Saturday to prove that Foley made the right hire on Dec. 4, 2014 and that the program is moving in the right direction (or at least not moving in the wrong direction).
If the Gators can’t beat a first-year coach with a freshman quarterback at home, it’s hard to say they’ve made any progress since firing that same coach.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
