The formula is familiar by now.
The Florida Gators frequently live on the edge — the one their defense almost always gives them, that is — because, well, that’s usually the way it has to be.
And it was again Saturday afternoon in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when the Gators escaped with a 14-7 win against Missouri in a tractor pull of a college football game in The Swamp.
“I’m a realist,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “I believe in being honest. When it stinks, it stinks.”
Perhaps he was speaking more of last year’s 7-6 closing record of mediocrity than the specifics of the mess his team almost made of things against Missouri, but the assessment fit the performance. But the scent of any victory is sweet regardless of how the outcome is earned, and the Gators need not apologize for their methodology.
There’s also the undeniable fact that Florida is 8-1 overall with a completed Southeastern Conference regular-season worksheet of 7-1, which is good enough for the outright Eastern Division lead at the moment. The Gators would earn a spot in the conference title game were Georgia to lose at Auburn next weekend in what would be a monumental upset.
So, apologize?
“No,” said Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel. “When you have a defense that plays like our defense does, you just focus on not turning the ball over.”
Missouri’s only touchdown, by the way, came on a short-field drive after recovering a Florida fumble.
Oh, and the Gators handed out six turnovers in last weekend’s loss to Georgia, which gives the Bulldogs the Eastern Division potential tiebreaker against Florida.
You get Driskel’s point, in other words.
Florida was fortunate to get to halftime against Missouri facing nothing more than a 7-0 deficit considering its six possessions had ended thusly: punt, punt, punt, blocked field goal, fumble and punt. An interception by Jaylen Watkins set up the Gators at Missouri’s 19-yard line at one point, but the subsequent possession went thusly: a run to lose 5 yards, an incompletion, a delay of game penalty, an incompletion and the blocked field goal.
Florida’s offense contributed two big scoring plays in the second half — a 36-yard sweep run by tight end Omarius Hines in the middle of the third quarter and Driskel’s screen pass to running back Mike Gillislee, who popped it for a 45-yard touchdown.
But the defense did most of the heavy lifting, and grabbed three of its four interceptions after the break. The last one came in the end zone in the closing seconds.
Some of the statistics are startling.
Missouri had more than twice as many first downs (23-11) as Florida, and owned a lopsided edge (86-56) in number of plays. The Gators couldn’t stay on the field (two third-down conversions in 13 such situations).
“We need to continue to broaden what we’re doing,” Muschamp admitted of his tepid offense. “People in this league catch up very quickly with what you do. They get a good book on you. You’re not gonna fool them very long.”
OK, but, against Mizzou?
This is as good a place as any to review that three of the Tigers’ previous four losses in their initial SEC season have been by 41-20 to Georgia, 31-10 to South Carolina and 42-10 to Alabama.
“Everybody watches film,” Gators center Jon Harrison said.
True enough, but Missouri (4-5, 1-5) sure seemed to make good use of the study even though the Gators did rush for 173 yards.
Florida simply isn’t diversified offensively, and is downright inconsequential when it comes to trying to throw deep. (Driskel did have one long pass to Frankie Hammond that would have been a touchdown negated by penalty.)
But there’s a reason Muschamp has talked so often about how the Gators operate with a small margin for error. There’s a reason he keeps going back to themes of “effort, attitude and resolve” as he did again.
“I just don’t think they ever blink,” said Muschamp, who’s having a much better second season on the job than he had a first one. “Guys who continue to fight … continue to show their heart, their togetherness, their oneness. And that was a real question when I came in.”
If that was a not-so-veiled criticism of former Florida coach Urban Meyer, so be it.
Muschamp says he’s a realist, remember?
When he thinks something stinks, he says so.
This season doesn’t for the Gators, no matter how many of their games might have.
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