On "Special Treat Wednesday"’, Florida coach Jim McElwain said his team finished practice with a level of focus that was "pretty darn good."
With the Gators facing an opportunity to clinch the Southeastern Conference East on Saturday with a win over Vanderbilt, coupled with the university’s Homecoming, McElwain said he’s noticed a heightened sense of energy on the practice field.
"It seems like forever since we’ve been home, and I know we’re excited to get into The Swamp and feel the electricity of our people," McElwain said. "I thought our work against each other was really good this week."
With Wednesday’s practice having the peculiar "special treat" prefix attached to it, McElwain elaborated on why, exactly, the Gators have dubbed the midweek session as such.
"Our wives and families bake cookies during the first part of the week and they’re there at the end of the practice," McElwain explained. "They look forward to it. It’s a little slice of home and it’s an opportunity for our families to interact with the players and it’s something we did at the last place I was at.
"It was good for the families to get out and actually be able to see their dads and wives to see their husbands because pretty much they don’t see them. It’s just that one little opportunity again to kind of show some family and get the family around."
But it wasn’t all goodies and gumdrops, McElwain assured.
The Gators spent practice focusing on third-down situations, also known as the money-down, with an emphasis on red-zone decision making.
The Commodores, led by coach Derek Mason, are one of the SEC’s most improved teams on the defensive end, giving up just 18.5 points per game this season.
When asked about the coaching gig at Vanderbilt, a program that has consistently seen limited success in the SEC, McElwain had high praise for Mason and the job he’s done in just his second season since coming over from Stanford.
"I look at it as what he’s done since he’s taken over and how hard these guys play, with the focus throughout every game," McElwain said. "That’s a credit to him and what he’s done to elevate how they think. They’ve got good players in a lot of spots."
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
UF coach Jim McElwain watches on during warm-ups prior to Florida's 27-3 win against Georgia on Oct. 31, 2015, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
