A dark cloud is hanging over the Florida football program.
In two weeks, its leader, its head man, will be out of commission.
Questions are abundant.
Uncertainties are swirling.
But this Saturday, when Florida (5-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) takes on Eastern Kentucky (9-2, 6-2 Ohio Valley Conference) in its game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Gators look to provide a glimmer of brightness to a program that has been enveloped in darkness since Sunday afternoon.
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Florida’s season has not gone as expected.
Following a 4-8 outing in 2013, changes needed to be made.
Problems needed to be addressed.
Ties were hanging by a thread.
But after starting the year with a 3-1 record — with its lone loss coming against then-No. 3 and current No. 1 Alabama on the road — and the season looking as if it was heading in the right direction, the Gators have gone into a tailspin.
Back-to-back losses at home against LSU and Missouri put Florida at an even .500 record and head coach Will Muschamp on the hot seat.
And while Florida responded with an upset win against Georgia and a road victory against Vanderbilt, the final dagger in Muschamp’s tenure as Florida’s head man came last Saturday against South Carolina when playing conservatively with a 17-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter proved to be costly.
"I think we have tried to do the best of our ability to play to our strengths in some situations and hasn’t always been exactly what we all perceived that we wanted," Muschamp said. "But the reality is I felt like we do some things we need to do to be successful and we came up short in some situations, especially this year."
After taking their first lead of the game with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter, the Gators ran the ball on all but two offensive snaps for the rest of the game.
"Really our mentality got into after the Missouri game, is let’s not beat ourselves," offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said.
They gained 42 yards on 21 plays — a two-yard average.
"We really felt like we found our identity and had a chance with some good field position in the fourth quarter to make it a two score game within that mentality, if that makes sense," Roper said. "And we didn’t get it done."
Offensive ineptitude and a duo of blocked kicks ultimately did Florida — and Muschamp — in, as the Gators lost to the Gamecocks 23-20 in overtime and Muschamp lost his job less than 24 hours later.
"We didn’t win enough football games, that’s the bottom line," Muschamp said. "You’ve got to win games. We didn’t get that done. Very disappointed and frustrated that did not happen. Certainly had our opportunities, especially this year, keeping a healthy roster and having the opportunity to win football games, and we didn’t get it done."
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Senior Day is supposed to be an exciting time for a head coach.
This day, the seniors’ last home game of their collegiate career, is supposed to be a time of reflection before the players run off their home field for one last time.
But Muschamp probably didn’t think he would be leaving with them.
Saturday is Muschamp’s final game that he can call The Swamp home.
"It’s always an emotional day," Muschamp said. "Then couple with that knowing it will be my last game in The Swamp, it will certainly be emotional for me as far as those things are concerned. I’m just looking forward to it in a lot of ways, and certainly when it’s over I will be disappointed."
The Gators have lost their last three games at home and six of their last eight.
Muschamp does not want his second straight senior class to leave The Swamp with a loss.
"Senior Day is a huge day for our guys … (to) send them out on the right note," Muschamp said.
And his players want to send Muschamp out the right way, too.
"I feel like I have to win," senior offensive lineman Trenton Brown said. "All of us feel like we have to win to send all our seniors out of our last home game with a win and to send ‘Champ out with a win. It’s like his senior night, too."
Added senior tight end Tevin Westbrook: "Just a lot of emotion, it being the last time me running out of the tunnel. And to have ‘Champ there, knowing it’s his last game, it will definitely be an emotional game. But we’ll try not to let that get in the way of us this weekend because emotions tend to stir up the game sometimes."
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While Muschamp will no longer be employed at UF once December rolls around, he plans to make the most of the last two weeks he is here.
That starts this Saturday against Eastern Kentucky.
"In the season it’s game planning and getting ready for the next game," Muschamp said. "Obviously dealing with what we dealt with Sunday and Monday in the press conference, you just keep moving on."
While the Colonels are a Football Championship Subdivision team, they don’t look to be a pushover team on paper.
On offense, Eastern Kentucky is averaging 243.1 rushing yards per game and is led in the ground game by Kentucky transfer Dy’Shawn Mobley, who has 1,372 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.
Defensively, EKU has forced 30 turnovers and is holding opponents to a 38-percent third-down conversion rate.
Florida isn’t going to take Eastern Kentucky for granted.
"I don’t know if it’s just the 12th game or however you want to phrase it, but it’s consistency in performance, no matter who you’re playing," defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said. "If you’re playing the best team on your schedule or whoever they are. A conference team, a rival, this, that, it’s about playing consistently. That’s the challenge for our guys."
And Saturday’s matchup has implications that extend further than the emotional standpoint.
A win makes the Gators bowl eligible.
A loss puts them back at .500, which means a loss to Florida State on Nov. 29 would give Florida back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 1978 and 1979 seasons.
"I want to go out the right way," redshirt senior center Max Garcia said. "I feel like the younger guys are going to make sure we’re going to do that and obviously go out to Tallahassee and win that game also. We’re playing for each other, we’re playing for Muschamp, we’re playing for Gator Nation. Nothing has changed."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Florida head coach Will Muschamp turns away from a time-out talk with the Gators offense during Florida's 30-27 loss to LSU on Oct. 11 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Florida coach Will Muschamp speaks during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Monday, one day after it was announced that he would not return as UF's head coach next season.
