Early on in life, Jim McElwain owned a 1972 Ford Pinto.
It wasn’t anything special, a sweet-pea green sedan with an eight-track tape player that skipped from time to time.
"At that time, none of us knew they blew up," McElwain joked at his weekly Monday press conference.
"What did that say about my dad that he would take care of me and pay $375 for this thing? But it served its purpose."
Just like the Pinto that helped the young coach travel around his hometown of Missoula, Montana, McElwain is hoping the Gators continue to serve their purpose and avoid the potential explosion that could come at any minute.
With Florida back in the national spotlight following a 38-10 upset win over then-No. 3 Ole Miss on Saturday, UF’s first-year coach needs to make sure the Gators remain grounded as they continue the brutal schedule they still have to play.
"People (are) rubbing their bellies and making them feel good," McElwain said.
"Yeah, they should get their bellies rubbed. I mean, they’ve done a good job. And yet how do you handle it?"
One win does not define a season, and the Gators need to take note of that.
Just like the one-hit wonders of the music world, the hype around a big win fizzles quickly if you don’t follow it up.
McElwain decided to go back to the ‘60s to make his point, citing The Cyrkle’s 1966 hit "Red Rubber Ball."
The song reached as high as No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966 — the same year The Beatles released their album "Revolver."
While McElwain had a slew of songs to choose from to make his point, the chorus of the catchy, upbeat 2-minute, 15-second "Red Rubber Ball" describes everything he needed to say.
"Oh, I think it’s gonna be all right/Yeah, the worst is over now/The mornin’ sun is shinin’ like a red rubber ball."
Sounds pretty close to the situation UF sits in.
After the final two years of the Will Muschamp era — a 24-game stand where Florida went a combined 11-13 and 6-6 at home — McElwain has begun to right the ship.
The Gators are now 5-0 in McElwain’s first five games as a UF coach, a feat last accomplished by Steve Spurrier back in 1990.
They’re ranked No. 11 in the country, on the cusp of being a top-10 team for the first time since the start of the 2013 season.
They’re clicking in all phases of the game, the offense, defense and special teams all putting in the effort to close out a game.
"We know we have to remember how we were a couple years ago and just keep fighting and just keep practicing hard," safety Marcus Maye said.
"Just the whole message is don’t get complacent and don’t stop working."
But that tune has been sung before.
And unless Florida can continue its success for the next seven weeks and climb the charts, this season’s success risks being considered a one-hit wonder, none different than the songs that came blaring from McElwain’s eight-track tape player in his Ford Pinto.
"I don’t think we are," McElwain said, "but we’ll find out this week."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
UF coach Jim McElwain walks to the stadium before Florida's 38-10 win against Ole Miss on Oct. 3, 2015, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
