Finish Strong: Gators Vow to Get Back to Work and Snap Losing Streak
Sunday, October 30, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – They had their opportunities and they knew it. That made Saturday's 24-20 loss to Georgia sting even more.
Senior defensive tackle Jaye Howard has played on a national championship team in 2008 and a team that finished the regular season undefeated in 2009. He experienced the first turbulence of his career a year ago when the Gators finished 8-5.
Hoping that was nothing more than an anomaly for a program accustomed to winning at a dizzying rate the past few years, the reality of the Gators being 4-4 after the loss to Georgia was difficult for Howard to grasp.
“Everyone is taking it hard,'' Howard said. “I mean, it's four games in a row that we have lost.''
Howard acknowledged the frustration in the Gators' locker room. Heck, Howard wasn't even born the last time the Gators lost four consecutive games in 1988.
Still, Howard slipped on his fighter's gloves when asked whether the season is lost.
“The season is still not over. We can go out and win and get to a good bowl game,'' he said. “That's what we are playing for right now.''
While the Gators' annual quest of winning the SEC East faded to black with Saturday's loss, they vowed to do something they have been unable to do in the past two losses to Auburn and Georgia: finish strong.
More than one player mentioned that is the immediate goal after Saturday's defeat, Florida's first loss to Georgia since 2007 and only their fourth in the last 22 meetings.
“We are still a family,'' senior running back Jeff Demps said. “The good times and the bad times we've just got to stick together and pull through and finish strong.''
The Gators understand that's a goal easier said than done, especially for a team that continues to struggle with penalties (14 for 106 yards against Georgia), lack of a steady running game (64 yards Saturday) and consistent playmakers on offense and defense.
The Gators finally forced their first turnover in four games on Saturday when freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson picked off Aaron Murray's deflected screen pass at Georgia's 13. Instead of punching a touchdown down the Bulldogs' throat and seizing control, Florida sputtered and moved backward out of field-goal range.
“Those are very frustrating to deal with, but we had our opportunities in the last two ballgames,'' first-year Gators coach Will Muschamp said. “We've got to close it out and win those games. We didn't get it done.''
What's next? That was the most common question the Gators faced here late Saturday at EverBank Field.
In his first season, Muschamp inherited a team not much different than last season's 8-5 roster. While the Gators added talent in Muschamp's first recruiting class and installed new offensive and defensive systems with coordinators Charlie Weis and Dan Quinn, many of the key players are the same.
The results haven't been as positive as they had hoped even with a brutal October schedule that included games against No. 1-ranked LSU and No. 2 Alabama.
The loss of fifth-year senior quarterback in the Alabama game disrupted what continuity there was after a 4-0 start. While Brantley returned Saturday, the Gators' winning ways didn't due to an inability to -- here is that phrase again – finish strong.
Muschamp is confident that despite their current skid, this is a program not far from returning to the nation's elite.
“This year, we're not close,'' he said. “I think we're close [overall]. I think we've got to build our numbers back up, I think we've got to get better on the line of scrimmage. I think it's very difficult to run a power running game with what we want to try and do right now with who we have, and I like the guys we've got.
“It doesn't take anybody real educated to figure it out right now.''
The Gators twice took possession in Georgia territory in the fourth quarter and failed to score points, illustrating the Gators' woes at the finish line.
They also committed two fumbles that led to Georgia points. Add everything up and it equaled Florida's fourth consecutive SEC loss, something that hadn't happened in the same season since the infamous 0-10-1 season in Charley Pell's first year in 1979.
So, where do they go from here? Muschamp said there's only one place: back to work.
“We've got to evaluate where we are and figure out some different answers,'' he said. “We just had some critical mistakes at critical times. We had the ball late in the game to go win the game. That's what you want to be in. You have to make the plays in those situations to get it done.
“In the last two ballgames, the bottom line is that Auburn and Georgia made those plays and we didn't.''
The Gators say the effort is there but the execution and discipline come and go.
“We came out with a lot of juice,'' defensive tackle Omar Hunter said. “Guys are frustrated. We've just got to grow up and keep making progress as a team. We've got to learn how to finish games. We've got to clean up some of the undisciplined penalties and plays we're making.''
With the SEC East title no longer within grasp, a win over Vanderbilt on Saturday is what the Gators covet most. If they can do that, it will be a huge step in the right direction.
When asked if he ever imagined four consecutive losses in his first season, Muschamp revealed his view of the Gators' current predicament.
“No, I don't really think about losing a whole lot,'' Muschamp. “But obviously it has happened, so we've got to regroup and re-evaluate where we are and move forward. It's disappointing, and believe me, there is no one more disappointed or impatient as I am.''
