The crushing failure against Miami stunned the Gators, but they are not ready to rule their season a lost cause.
Florida committed five turnovers in Saturday’s 21-16 loss at Sun Life Stadium, then slid from No. 12 to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll as the Hurricanes jumped into the rankings at No. 15. While UF’s chances of playing in the BCS title game took a major hit, players believe they still have a shot.
“The opportunity is still there for us,” linebacker Michael Taylor said. “Everything we want is still there for us for the taking. We’re in the SEC. If we run the table in the SEC, we have a really good chance.”
He acknowledged, however, that “losing one game in college football is very critical, especially to a team that’s right in our state.”
The Gators (1-1) get this week off before diving into their SEC schedule at home against Tennessee (2-0) on Sept. 21. They will play eight straight conference games, including a trip to No. 8 LSU on Oct. 12 and November battles with No. 9 Georgia and No. 13 South Carolina.
Those challenging matchups offer Florida a path to win its way back into contention for a BCS berth. If the Gators capture the SEC Eastern Division and earn a trip to the conference title game in Atlanta, they might overcome the early-season loss to Miami.
Alabama played in and won the past two national championship games despite losing in the regular season. In 15 years of the BCS, 12 teams have reached the title game with at least one smudge on their record.
“We have the whole SEC schedule ahead of us, and we have to continue to play as hard as we can,” Florida receiver Trey Burton said. “Our biggest goal is to get to Atlanta, and we all know whoever wins Atlanta goes to the national championship. We know we can still reach our goals.”
The Gators have grown accustomed to adversity in coach Will Muschamp’s two-plus seasons in charge. They stumbled to a 7-6 record in his first year before rallying to go 11-2 last season.
During the remarkable 2012 turnaround, Florida suffered a setback against Georgia in an ugly game that was strikingly similar to the one it lost to Miami. The Gators committed six turnovers that day to fall 17-9, their first defeat after starting the season 7-0.
They rebounded from the Georgia game to win their next four, including a 37-26 victory at Florida State, and reach the Sugar Bowl.
That experience gave Muschamp confidence in his team’s ability to move forward from Saturday’s fiasco.
“They’ll be fine,” he said. “We’ve got a good group in there, good character in that locker room.”
There are several issues he must address during the off week, starting with poor decisions and ball security by quarterback Jeff Driskel.
On the plus side, he completed 70.9 percent of his passes and averaged 222 yards over the first two games to go with a pair of touchdown passes. As a runner, he is averaging 5.5 yards per carry (not counting sacks) and has a TD.
However, two interceptions and a fumble came out of Driskel’s hands against the Hurricanes following a week in which he fumbled twice against Toledo. He also was sacked twice in each game.
He would benefit tremendously from a healthy offensive line, a unit that has not been intact since July. Right guard Jon Halapio has yet to fully practice since tearing a pectoral muscle while weightlifting before training camp, and tackle Chaz Green is out for the season with a torn labrum.
Left tackle D.J. Humphries sprained the MCL in his left knee during the opener and exited at halftime of the Miami game. Tyler Moore, a guard or tackle, injured his left ankle against the Hurricanes and left the stadium on crutches with his foot in a protective boot.
Center Jonotthan Harrison and guard Max Garcia each missed time Saturday but finished the game and are expected to be fine for the Tennessee game.
The Gators are eager to cleanse the bitter aftertaste of this loss, but with so many corrections to make and wounds to heal, the off week is timely.
“You’d like to go play tomorrow, to be honest with you, if you’re a competitor,” Muschamp said minutes after the Miami game. “But we certainly need a little time to get these guys back and get some guys healthy as we move into the SEC.”
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