Fred Taylor watched his son struggle this season.
Kelvin Taylor — the prodigy of Florida’s fourth-leading rusher in program history — has not started the season the way he wanted to.
The sophomore running back’s numbers have been in a decline one year after starting four of the Gators’ final five contests and being named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team.
Heading into Florida’s annual meeting with Georgia in Jacksonville last Saturday, Taylor was coming off a four-game stint where he accumulated just 68 rushing yards.
"I constantly stay in Kelvin’s ear about being patient," Fred said in a phone interview on Tuesday. "I tell him, you know, ‘You’re in college. Things happen. You’re young.’ … He’s a good kid. He listens. We just hope he keeps growing and maturing."
But despite the lack of carries, despite the lack of playing time, Florida’s sophomore running back was never deterred.
"I’ve just been going to practice with the same mentality to just keep working hard and I know everything else will fall in place," Kelvin said Wednesday prior to the game. "I’m just ready to go."
When Saturday came, Kelvin was indeed ready.
He rushed for a career-high 197 yards and two touchdowns on just 25 carries as the Gators piled on 418 total yards on the ground and defeated the Bulldogs for the first time since 2010.
"I think what’s special, what made me feel great, was how he persevered through all the frustrations this season of wanting to play more," Fred said.
"So to see the outcome and what he, Matt (Jones), the offensive line, the whole entire offensive unit with that display that they put on in that fashion against that team — a team who thinks they’re tough — they were able to just manhandle them.
"Seeing them running the ball in that fashion, just smash mouth, that’s what had me on Cloud 9. It made it a great feeling to wake up as a Gator the next day."
Even though the Gators have seen their struggles in recent time — highlighted by a seven-game losing streak to end the 2013 season— Fred said he still likes the direction the program is heading under fourth-year head coach Will Muschamp.
"I think Will has been solid in a sense that he’s helping build and develop young men and that’s what you want," he said. "College is all about the experience and the opportunity. Those scholarships, they’re priceless. The free education, that’s priceless. And you have to work for it. It doesn’t come easy."
But while Fred is in support of Muschamp, he understands why Muschamp is under scrutiny.
"I think that he’s going to be judged like every other coach," Fred said.
"He’s going to be judged on his success and that is determined in sports by winning. And it hasn’t been pretty for him. So quite naturally, he’s been under some fire."
With the season coming to a close and the Gators still in contention for the SEC East crown, Fred said Florida should not count itself out just yet.
"That would be the ultimate surprise," he said. "But I think they have found their identity if they continue to do what they did a week ago. If that’s their identity going forward, and if they can sustain that, they’re going to be tough to reckon with because the defense has been playing solid all season."
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Kelvin Taylor celebrates during Florida's 38-20 win against Georgia on Saturday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
