Muschamp return is a reminder of how bad things were
It is said that timing is everything in life.
On the heels of his worst loss as the Florida head coach – a 31-10 drubbing at the hands of an average Arkansas team - fortune is certainly smiling on Jim McElwain. Though Christmas is still more than a month away, he gets the gift of hosting Will Muschamp and the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend.
Talk about perfect timing!
In Muschamp the Gator Nation gets to see a living, breathing reminder of just how bad it can get in Gainesville.
As bad as the Florida faithful have to feel about the blowout loss to Arkansas and the pathetic play of the offense, they have to feel equally as good that Muschamp is no longer at the helm of Florida football.
Recall this list of Muschamp era lowlights printed on Inside the Gators at the time of his firing - which by the way came a year too late.
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* Argument for and against each of the three quarterback candidates
* Notebook: Several Gators out of action Saturday
* Discussion: Injured shoulder or saving face?
* Former Florida Player Feedback: Church's 10 Observations
* 3-2-1: Florida's linebacker depth takes hit in loss at Arkansas
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Yes, a portion of the fan base is unhappy with Florida's offensive production and see very little difference (other than wins and what could be a second straight East crown) with how the team is playing under McElwain as compared to Muschamp.
After his second consecutive win over Georgia – a team Muschamp was 1-3 against – in his postgame press conference McElwain became defensive about the way Florida was winning.
In short, the Gators rely on a top-rated defense to carry a so-so offense.
Coach Mac basically replied that he was doing what it takes to win with the players he has.
It may not be pretty, but there is a method to his madness.
Though he inherited a loaded defense, the same can't be said for the offensive side of the ball.
There is a reason for that.
Muschamp - much to his own detriment, and that of the Florida football program - recruited as though he was still a coordinator stockpiling parts for his defense rather than a head coach seeking roster balance.
He would oversign at defensive back while practically ignoring the offensive line.
In essence he dug a hole that McElwain is trying to climb out of still.
For example, in his first spring McElwain had to deal with having only six scholarship offensive linemen.
Now there are 14. However, they are young and inexperienced.
Four of the five starters along the line this weekend will be freshmen or sophomores. As you might expect of young linemen in the SEC, they are taking their lumps right now, but rest assured brighter days are on the horizon.
McElwain is basically playing the hand he was dealt.
He is working with what he has – trying to win in the present while building for the future.
Contrast that to when Muschamp took over at Florida when he was often accused of attempting to fit square pegs into round holes. Though he inherited a team of players recruited to be part of a spread offense, he immediately attempted to transform Florida into a pro-style offense. He took players such as Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey and basically neutered them. Muschamp was left better tools, but he squandered them while trying to make them fit his mold.
That isn't even the most perplexing part of his program building.
After two years of recruiting to build a pro-style offense, he inexplicably then decided to switch up and play a more spread offensive style – once again not having the right personnel for what he wanted to do.
It wasn't pretty and there was no method to his madness.
There is a reason Muschamp won 57% of his games and was on the hot-seat from the start and McElwain has won 73% of his games and is looked to as the coach who is turning the program around.
Here we are in just the second year of the McElwain rebuild and eight of Florida's 11 starters on offense are freshmen or sophomores. There are only two holdovers who were recruited by Muschamp: left tackle David Sharpe and slot receiver Brandon Powell.
Florida has a talented stable of running backs and wide receivers and a solid group of young offensive linemen.
Don't get me wrong, the Steve Spurrier days aren't on the immediate horizon, but the Gators are seriously just one halfway decent quarterback away from being a top 25 type of offense.
If - and that is a big if - either Austin Appleby, Feleipe Franks or Kyle Trask can lead Florida to a couple of more wins this year - and there isn't a complete and total exodus on defense to go with a strong finish in recruiting - the future is still much brighter in Gainesville than it ever was under the previous coaching staff.
As unhappy as you might be about the loss to Arkansas and the play of the offense, take some time to remember what life was like as a Florida football fan in the Muschamp years.
Timing, and in this case time itself, really is everything
If you take the time to think about the future and what McElwain is doing to put the pieces in place there's less of a chance that you will let a loss cause you to lose sight of the fact that time is actually on Florida's side here.
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