Florida Gators vs Georgia Bulldogs: In Defense of Coach Will Muschamp

Now or Never for Coach Boom

In the grocery store yesterday, I saw another guy wearing a Florida Gators shirt in the checkout line. I asked him what he thought our chances were against Georgia today. He replied that even if the Gators are able to win the game, the most important thing was to fire head coach Will Muschamp. This didn’t rest well with me.

While most of the Gator Nation seems to have abandoned Muschamp, both his players and his potential recruits are showing that that they are firmly behind “Coach Boom.” This augurs well for a team needing a win.

I may be the last one in Gator Nation not on the “Fire Muschamp” bandwagon.

Perhaps it’s because I’m hopefully optimistic or perhaps because I believe defense wins championships. But I think the root of my reluctance to join the calls for Muschamp’s firing is my natural hesitant to avoid the mob mentality in their calls for instant gratification. Good things sometimes happen quickly but great things take time.

Muschamp Has Shown Signs of Success

Just because Muschamp hasn’t produced the success on the field that many Gators are used to doesn’t mean that he can’t be successful. And if Muschamp is able to complete his mission, and create a winning team at Florida, it could be the kind of program that isn’t just successful, but dominate in a way that Steve Spurrier’s weak-on-defense and Urban Meyer’s undisciplined teams weren’t.

In 2012, the Gators under Will Muschamp finished the regular season 11-1, with the only loss being to SEC East champion Georgia. Yes, the Gators lost the Sugar Bowl to a Louisville team whose starting quarterback is now the starter for the Minnesota Vikings. This shows that Muschamp can be successful.

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Yes, the Offense is Struggling

This was supposed to be just the beginning, but then 2013 happened, when a team devastated with injuries fell apart after starting 4-1, only to lose their last 7 games. Then this season happened, including the ridiculous blowout loss to Missouri two weeks ago. But the Missouri loss, the LSU loss and other struggles of this Gator team can mostly be attributed to an offense that hasn’t executed. Interceptions, fumbles, dropped passes. All of these problems have plagued what is by all accounts an offense with considerable talent.

These offensive problems are ones that can be fixed, and certainly easier than fixing the defense, which after a meltdown at Alabama earlier this year is improving rapidly. In fact, despite giving up a school-record 645 yards offense to Alabama, the Gators still rank 12th nationally in total defense.

Recruiting Success

Muschamp is working on building a program that relies on tough defense and a powerful running game, which takes time and patient to develop. He is close to getting there. The growing pains have been hard and the results are uncertain. But what thing that isn’t questioned is that building a winning college football program takes recruits, both talented and plentiful.

Muschamp has already shown that he can bring top-tier recruits to Florida. In fact, several of the bright talents emerging in this Gator team are players Muschamp “flipped” from other schools, including cornerback Jalen Tabor, an Arizona recruit, and running back Brandon Powell, whom he convinced to attend Florida after originally committing to Miami.

The 2012 recruiting class was ranked second by ESPN and third by Rivals.com.  This follows a team that was left decimated by former coach Urban Meyer, who left behind an undisciplined team and few recruits for Muschamp to work with.

The Players Stand With Coach

And while most of the Gator Nation seems to have abandoned Muschamp, both his players and his potential recruits are showing that that they are firmly behind “Coach Boom.” This augurs well for a team needing a win.  Quotes from the locker room show this year’s team is resoundingly supportive of Muschamp, demonstrating that his team is disciplined and motivated.

They better be.  Even in this defense of Muschamp, I will acknowledge that he probably can’t, and maybe shouldn’t, keep his job if the Gators aren’t able to beat the Georgia Bulldogs today, even if it is a competitive loss. If the Gator players love Muschamp like they say, they will have to eliminate the mistakes that have plagued this team and put up their best performance of the year.

If they do, and can get a big win for the Gators, consider this blogger firmly in the “Keep Coach Muschamp” camp. It may be a lonely place, but if it puts me on the same side as the Boys in Orange and Blue who are on the field, then that’s good company to keep.

GO GATORS!