God must hate Florida football.
Or whoever controls the fate of the players that toil on the gridiron every Saturday is not much a fan of coach Will Muschamp.
With No. 2 Florida State heading to Gainesville, offensive coordinator Brent Pease had something up his sleeve for what ultimately became his Last Stand.
Pease expected to feature slot receiver Trey Burton 35 snaps at quarterback. The senior was half of Florida’s offensive game plan.
But on the fourth play of Florida’s second drive Saturday, a left shoulder injury had Burton watching the game like so many others have for the Gators this season — from the sidelines.
Granted, an offensive game plan featuring the Gators’ best receiver playing quarterback against the Seminoles didn’t seem feasible no matter how many misdirections were run, but it was the game plan and it was thrown out before Johnny Townsend attempted the second of six punts.
Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis on Sunday afternoon became bystanders of the no-good, very bad day that Florida relived every week.
Injuries decimated any shot of Pease lasting another year and the Gators performing any better than what they showed in 2013. Broken bones aren’t an excuse, but the various injuries broke Florida’s confidence. At some point, that “woe-is-me” mentality Muschamp railed against infiltrated the team. It’s human nature.
Former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and quarterback Jacoby Brissett stared at the Florida State sidelines following its celebration in The Swamp after handling Florida in 2011. Weis told Brissett to remember that game and that feeling of losing to the school up north.
The lasting image from Saturday wasn’t so much what happened after the game, but instead what didn’t happen during it. Jeff Driskel wasn’t taking snaps, and Dominique Easley wasn’t sacking Jameis Winston. Chaz Green wasn’t blocking for Driskel, and Matt Jones wasn’t carrying the football.
Throw in the fluky scooter accidents to Tyler Moore and Joey Ivie, and 2013 just wasn’t the Year of the Gator. As the great Vince Lombardi once said, “What the hell is going on out there?”
That question remained unanswered as 15 seniors were honored on Saturday. I, too, had a Senior Day of sorts with Saturday being the last Gators football game I cover for now. Thinking back, I hold onto Sexy Rexy letting it rip and the trials and tribulations of 2006 — crying after the Auburn loss and erupting after The Block. I also remember standing in section 407, row 24 and seat 18 watching Tim Tebow win his second national championship.
The Burton injury epitomized a year that never made sense. There were questionable play calls, inexplicable defensive collapses and an inherent need to shank field goals every game, as well as the injury bug that never went away.
Florida’s new offensive coordinator will be burdened by the fleeting images of yesteryear’s success, while tasked to move the program beyond the images of this forgettable season.
The same could be said for its embattled head coach.
In a year where “Roll Damn Tide” aren’t the final words of the college football season and where the unexplainable is happening at Jordan-Hare, the weirdest thing of all may be what’s not happening with the Gators: winning.
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter @adamDpincus.
UF coach Will Muschamp watches on during Florida's 37-7 loss to No. 2 FSU on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators earned commitments from two 2014 four-star recruits on Thursday.
