Muschamp: 'I Hold My Head Up Walking Out of Here'
Sunday, November 30, 2014 | Football, Scott Carter
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The words were flowing easily from Max Garcia's mouth when he paused and choked back tears.
A fifth-year senior who transferred to Florida from Maryland, Garcia found a home with the Gators. He found a family, too.
The leader of that family, Will Muschamp, roamed the sideline for the final time as Florida's head coach Saturday during a 24-19 loss here to No. 1-ranked Florida State.
The game turned out like so many others in Muschamp's four seasons. The Gators missed two field goals in the second half and, still with a chance to win, failed to complete a pass on their final drive as the Seminoles extended their school-record win streak to 28.
The end result: Florida's 14th loss in 24 games since beating FSU two years ago, the Seminoles' last loss.
"We've had our opportunities. You look at two other games where we had the game in hand and had our opportunities to get it done and we didn't get it done,'' Muschamp said. "It falls on my shoulders, and that's why they're going to be looking for a coach."
Still, none of that mattered as Garcia sat on a metal chair inside a small interview room deep inside the bowels of Doak Campbell Stadium.
Surrounded by reporters, Garcia tried his best to answer a question about what Muschamp told the team in the locker room after his final game. Like his coach, Garcia's time at Florida is almost over too.
"He just told us that he was so proud of how we worked,'' an emotional Garcia said. He then went silent to regain his composure.
In the end Muschamp's tenure at Florida will be remembered similarly to his final message to his players.
Muschamp worked hard. He wasn't flashy and neither were his blue-collar teams. But he worked tirelessly and his teams played tirelessly.
Always. His final game was a reminder of that.
Facing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and defending national champions Saturday, Florida controlled the first quarter and led 9-0. Following an interception by Brian Poole that gave the Gators possession at FSU's 9-yard line, Florida appeared on the verge of opening a 16-point lead.
Instead, tight end Tevin Westbrook was unable to catch a pass from quarterback Treon Harris and FSU linebacker Terrance Smith returned the interception 94 yards for a touchdown.
The momentum turned in a flash as FSU scored the game's next 21 points.
The Gators looked like a boxer on jelly legs. And then an FSU fumbled punt and touchdown pass from Harris to tight end Clay Burton in the final seconds of the first half gave the Gators life.
"His team played their tails off,'' FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said.
The Gators and Seminoles slugged it out the rest of the way.
"That's what rivalries are,'' Fisher said. "You never know what you're going to get."
FSU got Florida's best Saturday. And it wasn't good enough.
When it was over, after he had hugged his wife Carol and many of his players, Muschamp fulfilled another part of his job.
He met with the media to discuss his 21st loss in 49 games as Florida's coach.
In typical fashion, he tried to steer the conversation away from the emotions of the moment.
"I'm just upset about the loss. The other stuff, I've moved on,'' he said. "Carol and I are excited about the next step, I can assure you of that. Carol, Jackson, Whit and I are fired up about the next step and that's what we're looking forward to. I am extremely disappointed for our football team right now."
Muschamp also used the sense of humor that has helped him through the ups and downs of his UF tenure. He said he's not in a hurry to get another job.
But he'll have to wait to take a day off.
"I've got to do my TV show tomorrow,'' Muschamp quipped. "When you get fired, I'm not a very good negotiator. So I agreed to do that. That'll be a blast. I get to hang out with Mick [Hubert] tomorrow. That's part of the deal.
"I'm not a very good negotiator."
Muschamp was a lot of things to a lot of people at Florida. As he moves on, the focus shifts toward the future.
Soon, the Gators will have a new coach and a new game plan. But Muschamp's impact will still be felt. He made a difference, especially to the guys who put a huge scare into the Seminoles on Saturday.
"I really appreciate what he's meant to me, what he's meant to other guys in the locker room,'' Garcia said. "That's just something you can't take away."
As for how Muschamp would like to be remembered?
"Just a guy that did it the right way. I hold my head [up] walking out of here,'' he said. "We did things the right way. We didn't win enough games. I was asked to clean up a program. We did that."
That he did. Players like Garcia are living proof.
