college football

LSWho? Why I Love Jim McElwain (and GMail)

Brian

Due to the unique circumstances that led to the postponement of the Florida versus LSU game, some of the narrative centered on the idea that the Gators and Jim McElwain were “scared” of the Tigers. That somehow they would do anything to remove LSU from the schedule in favor of taking an easier path through the SEC. That Jeremy Foley, one of the highest-regarded athletic directors in the country, would duck Florida’s permanent SEC West rival as one of his last decisions before retiring.

Yet, as far-fetched as it sounded at the time, that was still a big part of the conversation in the days before the game.

Somehow, Florida was able to overcome all of that fear and all of those injuries to execute a 4th down goal line stand for the ages.

Fear, and perceived disrespect, are powerful motivators.

Two things that stood out to me were: I loved Mac’s decision to put it all on that 4th down play. Earlier, it looked like he might try to preserve as much of the clock as possible, but Florida isn’t exactly a quick-strike offense. Instead, he leaned on the defense once more, and they came through again.

The second thing was that the late game push up front from the offensive line was impressive. After seeing inconsistent play there throughout much of Mac’s first year, primarily due to injuries, it was great to see running backs picking up big chunks of yards. Yes, not having to contend with Kendell Beckwith was probably a factor, but if anyone understands the importance of “next man up” it’s the Florida Gators.

I don’t anyone would argue that the SEC East has been down the past two seasons, but you still have to win games and that’s exactly what McElwain has done. Securing back-to-back SEC Championship Game berths is a great way to start your tenure at the University of Florida.

To close this out, I was searching through GMail the other day looking for an old GChat regarding McElwain’s hiring when I came across something even more interesting.

Apparently, back in April of 2012 (that’s 2 years and 8 months before being hired by Florida) I sent an e-mail to the Solid Verbal (love those guys, give them a listen) regarding Jim McElwain. Here’s an excerpt:

In your opinion, which newly hired head coach(I believe there are 28 of them for 2012) will prove to have the most positive impact on their program a number of years into the future? Obviously we have the big name coaches like Urban Meyer, RichRod, Mike Leach, etc. that should have some type of positive impact, but I was thinking more about some of the “lesser known” guys that might have less talent to work with in the beginning but long term could really build a competitive program. My picks would be Larry Fedora & Jim McElwain. I believe both of those coaches are good enough to bring in a decent level of talent, and make their respective programs competitive(at least within the “tier” that their program resides). Thoughts?

At that point, McElwain had just gone from offensive coordinator at Alabama to head coach at Colorado State. Three years after that he won the Mountain West’s coach of the year award. A little less than two years after that he beat LSU to take Florida back to Atlanta for the second year in a row.

Maybe I should be consulting college football programs on their head coach hiring?

In all seriousness, I love what Coach McElwain has done with the program so far and hope he continues on this upward trajectory.

The Swamp: Only Gators and Occasionally Other Opponents Get Out Alive

Brian

BenHillGriffinThis past Saturday, Will Muschamp lost his sixth home game as head football coach for the University of Florida. That brings his record in The Swamp to 18 wins and six losses. What was once an intimidating place for opponents under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer has returned to Zookian levels.

For comparison, Steve Spurrier lost five home games total in his 12 years at Florida. With the fifth one coming in his second to last game as head coach for the Gators. All of his home losses also came against ranked teams:

#1 Florida State
#6 Auburn
#21 Alabama
#1 Florida State
#5 Tennessee

Urban Meyer? He also lost just five home games during his six year tenure as head football coach at Florida. Though, not all of his losses were against ranked teams like Spurrier:

Auburn
Ole Miss
#12 LSU
Mississippi State
#22 South Carolina

Obviously, we know that up to this point Muschamp’s career hasn’t followed the same arc as Spurrier or Meyer. What about Ron Zook? How did he fare in The Swamp? Read more →

Is Will Muschamp Done In Gainesville?

Brian
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/antciardiello/

Courtesy SAM_5582 via Flickr.

Let me start by saying that I really wanted Will Muschamp to succeed as the head football coach at the university of Florida. That probably seems silly to a lot of people because most fans would want any newly hired coach to be successful. However, Muschamp wasn’t exactly the “homerun hire” many expected athletic director Jeremy Foley to make after Urban Meyer’s exit. As a fan of hard-nosed defense, I was excited to see what Muschamp could do with the type of talent available in the Sunshine State. The 2012 season showed a glimpse of exactly what Muschamp’s defenses are capable of. Unfortunately, it’s the other side of the ball that’s probably going to do him in.

Muschamp inherited a roster that included incumbent starter John Brantley, and brought in new recruits Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. The Gators did finish 2011 with a winning record and a bowl win over Ohio State, but they were ranked 105th in total offense. The passing offense managed to average just 185.7 yards per game while the rush offense averaged 143 yards per game.

The anemic passing game carried over to 2012, which saw Florida average just 146.3 yards per game through the air. Thankfully, the rush offense averaged 187.69 yards, and the defense finished at, or near, the top of many statistical categories.

The 2013 season was mostly lost due to a rash of injuries on both sides of the ball. Though, that loss to FCS Georgia Southern certainly hasn’t helped Muschamp’s cause.

Now, we’re three games into the 2014 season, and Muschamp’s seat is hotter than ever. The offense looked more than capable against an overmatched Eastern Michigan team. Then it took a while to get going against a Kentucky team that may or may not be much better than last year. Versus Alabama? The offense put up 200 total yards, 93 through the air and 107 on the ground. What started out as a promising 2014 has deteriorated into a quarterback controversy and a defense that looks like it might be the worst Muschamp has ever fielded.

So can Muschamp calm a restless fanbase and cool the smoldering inferno he currently sits upon?

Read more →