Gators Football Hits Rock Bottom
GAINESVILLE (CBSMiami) – Each season, at least one team will get decimated by the injury bug. This year it's Florida and if there's one thing the Gators have proven this year it's that the backups are not anywhere near ready to be playing in the Southeastern Conference.
Never was this on display more than against an average, at best, Football Championship Subdivision team, the Georgia Southern Eagles. Schools like Florida schedule Georgia Southern for a guaranteed victory and the Eagles take the game for a big pay day.
Sometimes though, like Saturday, David reaches up and slays Goliath and leaves a program and a fan base in complete disarray.
It wasn't just that Florida lost to Georgia Southern, 26-20; it's how the Gators lost. Georgia Southern ran up 429 yards of total offense, yet didn't complete a single pass against the mighty Gators. The Eagles ran the ball 54 times and averaged 7.9 yards per carry.
Even when Florida came from behind to tie the score in the fourth quarter; the Eagles simply marched right through the Gators' defense in just three minutes for the game winning touchdown.
The loss leaves Florida with a 4-7 record heading into the final game of the season against the second-ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Noles are averaging 55.2 points per game this season and are coming to play a defense that simply gave up against a FCS school.
In other words, the Gators are staring at a 4-8 season, which would be the school's worst season in recent memory. Florida's lost six games in a row for the first time since 1979 and the team is not going to play in a bowl game for the first time since 1991.
For a program that dominated the college football world just a few seasons ago, 2013 is rock-bottom.
But, fans hoping to see a head-coaching change are probably out of luck.
Athletic director Jeremy Foley has repeatedly said Gators head coach Will Muschamp is his coach and Sunday, the Orlando Sentinel reported Muschamp will be back with the Gators for at least one more season.
Muschamp would have been owed $9 million if he was fired this season, according to collegefootballtalk.com. Still, something has to change with the Gators' program, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
Florida currently ranks 111th in scoring offense, 83rd in rushing offense, 107th in passing offense, and 113th overall in total offense. To put the offensive woes in perspective, among the teams above Florida in offensive production are: Georgia State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Middle Tennessee State, and Buffalo.
Still, it's only one season and if the Gators need inspiration to how quickly things can turn around; all they have to do is look at the University of Missouri.
The Tigers were 5-7 last year as injuries devastated the roster, specifically along the offensive line. But just one year later, a healthy Mizzou team is on the brink of the SEC Championship game and ranked number five in the nation.
