Muschamp looking to hand Gators a loss
GAINESVILLE — This week, Will Muschamp cashed another check from UF, his former employer.
On Saturday, Muschamp — $787,500 richer — looks to deliver some payback.
Florida arrives looking for a new head coach almost three years after it fired Muschamp the day after he lost to South Carolina, his future employer.
In two seasons in Columbia, Muschamp has returned the Gamecocks to respectability. Now his squad looks to add to the Gators’ misery.
A fifth consecutive loss is one thing, but losing to Muschamp would be something else.
“We’ve got to beat him,” UF defensive tackle Taven Bryan said. “Can’t lose to ’Champ, right?”
Bryan, a redshirt junior, owes his UF career to Muschamp, as do some of Bryan’s teammates. No one from the state of Wyoming had signed with the Gators until Bryan did in February 2014.
Fewer than 10 months later, Muschamp was gone with a modest 28-21 record during four seasons and a hefty buyout of $6.3 million to paid during the next four years.
Now a coach considered not good enough has an excellent chance to beat the program still paying him a king’s ransom.
The Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3 SEC) are seven-point favorites and solid in pretty much every area in which Gators (3-5, 3-4) struggle.
South Carolina is second in the 14-team SEC to unbeaten Alabama in turnover margin (plus-seven) and has recovered eight fumbles. UF, conversely, is the league’s only team without a fumble recovery and is 12th with a minus-five turnover margin.
Unlike Muschamp’s UF squads, who led the SEC in penalties his first three seasons, the 2017 Gamecocks average the fewest penalty yards in the league. Meanwhile, the Gators are next to last and have drawn 25 flags for 169 yards during the past two games, losses to Georgia and Missouri by a combined score of 87-23.
NO. 18 UCF VS. UCONN, NOON Spectrum Stadium ESPNU 78 degrees, 50 percent rain chance orlandosentinel.com/knights; @osknights on Twitter
“Listen, in football, if you physically get beat, all right, if you're not fast enough or athletically you're just not good enough, OK, we can accept those things,” UF interim coach Randy Shannon said. “That's called recruiting, getting strong in the weight room and building your speed. But if mental part of the game, that's unacceptable.”
What’s most incredible, though, is South Carolina’s situation at quarterback, the position that proved to be Muschamp’s undoing in Gainesville. He is building his program around sophomore Jake Bentley, who has poise, leadership and playmaking ability.
Bentley struggled during last week’s 24-10 loss at topranked Georgia — 42-7 winners against UF Oct. 28 in Jacksonville. Overall, Bentley has 14 touchdowns, six interceptions and completes 61.2
With three games left on the schedule, No. 18 UCF is inching closer toward the program’s first undefeated season. UConn is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, post its fourth win of the season and move closer to bowl eligibility.
The Knights recorded 615 yards of offense but barely walked away with a 31-24 victory over a chippy SMU team last weekend. Adrian Killins bailed the offense out with a 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Knights’ secondary turned in a key performance against SMU’s high-scoring receivers. Tre Neal and Nevelle Clark combined for 14 tackles.
The Huskies, led by coach Randy Edsall, return top running backs Arkeel Newsome and Nate Hopkins from injuries but must sit starting QB Bryant Shirreffs due to concussion protocol. Backup QB David Pindell will start in his place.
1. Will UCF start slow? It’s a noon game and the Knights are heavily favored. Those factors could be an energy killer for the Knights.
2. Could UCF pitch its first shutout? A statement victory could impress the College Football Playoff selection committee.
3. McKenzie Milton? The quarterback tossed two picks last week and will look to bounce back against UConn. percent of his passes.
A week after failing to generate even a quarterback pressure at Missouri, the Gators’ defensive front — the team’s strength all season — needs to bounce back.
“As a D-line, we’ve got to come out and we got to dominate this game,” tackle Khairi Clark said. “This game is really going to depend on us.”
Unlike the Gamecocks, the Gators continue their longstanding search for a difference-maker under center. UF quarterbacks have totaled as many touchdowns as interceptions (six each) this season.
Notre Dame graduate transfer Malik Zaire will get another shot after showing some promising moments during his first start for UF during a 45-16 loss at Missouri.
“He did a nice job,” Shannon said. “But now he’s got to do a great job this upcoming
UF AT SOUTH CAROLINA, NOON Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. CBS week.”
It might not be enough, but the Gators are not giving up, either.
While a bowl game is an increasingly distant possibility, it is a worthy goal for a team gutted by injuries, suspensions, inexperience and a coaching change.
“I mean, a bowl game is a reward for the season,” junior guard Tyler Jordan said. “With all the stuff that we've gone through this season, a reward would be nice."
A little revenge also would be nice for Muschamp.
The 46-year-old grew up in Gainesville and has said all the right thing leading up to his second meeting his former program.
“I’ll always have an affection for Florida,” he said.
But money cannot buy the sense of satisfaction Muschamp surely would feel following a South Carolina win. 55 degrees, no rain chance orlandosentinel.com/gators; @osgators on Twitter.
UF’s 6-6 tie with South Carolina in 1911 marks the Gators’ earliest meeting with a current SEC team. The Gamecocks are favored by seven points.
QB Malik Zaire will look to better capitalize on opportunities during his second start. The Gators settled for three field goals with him under center at Missouri. UF also must avoid killer penalties — a holding call negated a touchdown. UF’s defense has its own issues. The Gators did not record a QB pressure at Mizzou, and will look to unsettle South Carolina sophomore Jake Bentley.
The Gamecocks are 12th in the 14-team SEC in offense and eighth in defense. But coach Will Muschamp’s team is finding ways to win. South Carolina is second to Alabama in the SEC in turnover margin, at plus-seven, and averages the fewest penalty yards in the league, just 32.6 a game.
1. Red-zone touchdowns. South Carolina has an SEC-low 12 touchdowns once inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. UF has 13.
2. UF’s kickoffs. Eddy Piñeiro decided to kick to Missouri, which averaged 33 yards on three returns. No team had returned a kickoff on UF in 30 attempts prior to last week.
3. South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Jacksonville native is a tough matchup. He has 30 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns.