Will Muschamp has had his share of highs and lows during his time as Florida’s head coach. Here are a few.
Five Highs:
Gator Bowl Victory to cap 2011 season: Muschamp finished his inaugural season at Florida with a 24-17 win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl. The victory came right before former Florida head coach Urban Meyer accepted the OSU head coaching job.
2012 Recruiting Class: The Muschamp Era seemed to be trending in the right direction, as he assembled the No. 3 recruiting class in the country in 2012. This class was his first true recruiting class during his tenor at Florida.
2012 LSU Upset: Florida upset then-No. 4 LSU at home 14-6. The Gators were down by six at halftime, and was carried by running back Mike Gillislee, who scored two touchdowns in the second half and finished with 146 yards on the ground.
2012 Florida State Win: Muschamp and UF capped the 2012 regular season with a 37-26 road victory over the Gators’ most hated rival, Florida State, in 2012. The Gators defense forced five turnovers and held the ‘Noles to 112 rushing yards.
2014 Georgia Upset: Muschamp looked to have saved his job three weeks ago with a 38-20 upset victory over the then-No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs. Florida rushed for 418 yards, which marked the second most rushing yards given up in Georgia football history.
Five Lows:
Sugar Bowl Blowout following 2012 season: After an exciting and improbable 11-1 year in 2012, Florida earned a BCS Bowl bid to the Sugar Bowl, where it would face Louisville. Although the Gators were highly favored, they were embarrassed in New Orleans and lost with a final score of 33-23.
2013 Georgia Southern Shocker: Florida’s embarrassing 26-20 loss to Georgia Southern at home was Florida’s first loss to an FCS school in program history. The Gators had won their previous seven games against FCS opponents by an average of 45 points.
2013 Vanderbilt Loss: Florida inexplicably lost to Vanderbilt at home, on Homecoming no less, last season. The loss marked Vanderbilt’s first win over Florida since 1945. That’s right, the World War II Era.
2014 Missouri Loss: Will Muschamp’s Florida Gators lost two consecutive Homecoming games with an embarrassing 42-13 loss to Missouri. The loss also took Florida’s chances of winning the SEC East out of their own hands.
2014 South Carolina Debacle: Florida seemingly had this one in the bag, but a blocked kick and a blocked punt late in the fourth quarter allowed South Carolina to tie things up and force the game into overtime. Florida would score a field goal on their possession, but Carolina’s touchdown in theirs put the nail in Muschamp’s coffin.
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Will Muschamp smiles during Florida's win against Georgia on Nov. 1 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
