Gators Boosted by Outback Bowl Win Heading Into Offseason

Gators head coach Jim McElwain gets doused by Gatorade following Monday's win in the Outback Bowl, his first bowl victory with the Gators. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Gators Boosted by Outback Bowl Win Heading Into Offseason

Monday, January 2, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter

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Florida showed it was prepared and ready to play with a 30-3 victory over Iowa on Monday.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

TAMPA, Fla. – It's not too difficult to imagine even the most enthusiastic Gator fan contemplating turning the game off and going outside to perhaps chop down a tree the way Monday's Outback Bowl started for Florida.

First drive, an Austin Appleby pass down the middle is deflected into the air and intercepted. Second drive, an Appleby pass is batted into the air and bounces into the arms of Iowa All-American cornerback Desmond King, who just happened to be down on the ground when the ball fell from the sky.

You had to wonder where this game was headed.

"It was really, really good for our offense not to panic early,'' Appleby said. "And I don't think we did. I'm really thrilled by the way nobody flinched."

Despite the ominous beginning, at the end of a hot January afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, second-year Gators coach Jim McElwain was all wet from a Gatorade bath. The No. 20 Gators (9-4) stormed back to beat No. 21 Iowa (8-5) and avoid another three-game losing streak to end the season.

Finishing strong was much of Florida's focus prior to the 30-3 victory over the Hawkeyes.

The Gators opened the McElwain era with 10 wins in his first 11 games. However, quarterback turnover, rampant injuries and elite competition changed the tone, starting with losses to Florida State, Alabama and a beating from Michigan a year ago in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

Florida faced the same scenario Monday coming off losses to Florida State and Alabama. Only difference, this time it was big-and-physical Iowa that stood in the way of a much-needed reversal of storyline.

In the end, the Gators were just better than the Hawkeyes and made more big plays.

35948 — Outback Bowl MVP Chauncey Gardner, No. 23, celebrates with teammates during Monday's Outback Bowl win. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Appleby rebounded from the shaky start to throw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, the defense turned in another goal-line stand, kicker Eddy Pineiro kicked three field goals and freshman safety Chauncey Gardner picked off a pair of C.J. Beathard passes, returning one for a 58-yard touchdown.

McElwain, who is 19-8 with a pair of SEC East Division titles in his first two seasons in Gainesville, was clearly pleased at what transpired amidst chatter among fans and media that Iowa cared more about the game than the Gators. The players, too.

"It felt great proving a lot of people wrong,'' sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett said.

"For us to give up two interceptions early in the game like that and hang in there, that says a lot for our resolve,'' McElwain said. "And then to be able to get a couple there late in the game, I think that was really good."

Perhaps most impressive is the way Florida's defense rose to the challenge and prevented Iowa's ground attack from taking charge. The Hawkeyes finished with only 226 yards of total offense – 171 coming on the ground – but the Gators kept both 1,000-yard rushers LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley out of the end zone.

They did it without injured linebackers Jarrad Davis, Alex Anzalone and David Reese, without injured safeties Nick Washington and Marcus Maye, and with a limited Bryan Cox at defensive end. Starting linebacker Kylan Johnson also was injured early in Monday's game.

Young players such as Gardner, named the game's MVP, and freshman linebacker Vosean Joseph (career-high seven tackles) and walk-on Cristian Garcia (five tackles) made the difference. The Gators hope they continue to make a difference in the future for a team that is set to lose plenty of talent off the country's No. 6-ranked defense.

"We answered a lot of questions,'' junior safety Marcell Harris said. "A lot of young guys stepped up. They've got great talent. We wanted to finish this season with a statement. We wanted to start 2017 out right. It's a new year."

35930 — UF quarterback Austin Appleby threw for 222 yards in his final college game. (Photo: Tim Casey)

The Gators enter the offseason with a jolt instead of a thud.

"You know, this was a – still is – a heck of a building process,'' McElwain said. "We're headed toward building it, but we're building it right."

Juniors Caleb Brantley, Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor are expected to announce their NFL Draft intentions soon, which will impact the rebuild if all three leave. Meanwhile, in his first and last bowl game, Appleby's departure opens the door for new questions at quarterback.

Will Luke Del Rio enter spring came as the projected starter, or will freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask move up the depth chart?

More than anything, McElwain knows he must stabilize the quarterback position for continued success. The Gators have used four different starting quarterbacks in his two seasons and need one to build around.

But before those questions are answered, the Gators bused home soaking in a victory.

"It hasn't hit me yet that I'm done being a Gator,'' Appleby said. "It was a roller-coaster of a year. It was an unbelievable year. It was a trying year, but it couldn't end any better. The Gator program is in very, very good hands with these young guys."

Senior defensive tackle Joey Ivie capped his college career with five tackles and one tackle for loss. Like Appleby, Ivie sees a program on the rise despite the constant criticism of the offense.

The reason: all the young players who produced in the clutch in their first bowl game.

"This bowl game is huge, not for the season, but for the guys coming back,'' Ivie said. "They set the tone for next year, and as of how they played, I don't think there is going to be much of a drop-off."