For Will Muschamp, his time is almost up.
In just four days, his time as Florida’s head football coach will be over.
But Muschamp’s mindset isn’t focused on that just yet.
UF (6-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) heads to Tallahassee to face No. 3 FSU (11-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Saturday.
That’s all Muschamp cares about at this point.
And that’s all he wants his players to focus on as well.
"Just play the game," Muschamp said. "Talking’s not going to help you make a play, that’s for sure. There will be high emotions. They need to manage that. They can’t let it overtake them, especially early in the game getting very emotional."
But for the players, the ones who have been coached under Muschamp for the last four years, they want to send their coach out on a high note.
"Let’s go get a W. That’s the outlook," linebacker Mike Taylor said. "Every time you are going to play a team, no matter who you’re playing … we’re going to look to go get a victory. We know what we can do and what we have to make possible this week."
For Taylor, Nov. 24, 2012, is still fresh on his mind.
It was the last time Florida traveled to Doak Campbell Stadium.
It was the last time the Gators defeated the Seminoles — a 37-26 road win in a game that pitted two top-10 teams against each other.
And it was the last time FSU lost a game — a span of 27 contests.
Taylor, who had limited playing time in that contest two years ago, remembers the night well, down to Florida’s uniforms — its white top, orange bottom combination.
"So let’s go do it again," Taylor said.
Florida State may have a 27-game win streak, but the Seminoles have been anything but dominant in 2014, at least from a relative perspective.
In the first 16 games of the win streak — from defeating Georgia Tech in the 2012 ACC Championship to winning the 2013 national title against Auburn — Florida State had an average margin of victory of 36.25 points. Just two of those 16 games were decided by six points or fewer.
Fast forward to the 2014 season, and the Seminoles’ margin of victory is just 13.3 points per contest.
They won five of their 11 contests this season by six points or fewer and trailed at halftime in seven matches this year.
"They’ve done a really nice job and I think a little bit of being in the position they’re in, everybody is taking their shot," Muschamp said.
"And everybody comes out excited in the first half and everybody usually gives you a different wrinkle in those situations and they are trying to do something a little different."
Muschamp attributes the Seminoles’ success, in part, to quarterback Jameis Winston.
The redshirt sophomore and 2013 Heisman winner has been FSU’s starting quarterback since the start of the 2013 campaign.
He has played in every game except for Florida State’s 23-17 overtime win against Clemson because of a suspension for shouting obscenities in a public area on FSU’s campus.
In the last two years, Winston has amassed 7,182 passing yards, 59 passing touchdowns and just 23 interceptions.
In the last five games, Winston has led the Seminoles to four second-half comebacks.
"With (Winston) on the field you’ve got to stay aggressive," Muschamp said. "There are situations in how you possibly could end the game.
"You’ve got to go try and win the game when he is on the field. That’s the bottom line."
The Gators know they need to execute early and consistently if they want a chance at pulling off the upset.
"You want to get momentum going against a good team like that right away," said junior defensive lineman Jon Bullard.
"You can’t start slow. You can’t end slow like we do sometimes. We have to put it all together and play 60 minutes."
And Bullard, who is second on Florida’s roster with 11 quarterback hurries, said he is confident the Gators and their 11th-ranked defense will bring the pressure to Winston.
"He’s going to see a pretty good defense Saturday," Bullard said.
Added Taylor: "We know we have to go out there and execute next week and try to ruin whatever little Cinderella thing they want to do. Or Shrek, whatever it is."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Mike Taylor makes a tackle during Florida's win against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
