McElwain Pushes Gators to Remain on Discovery Mission
Monday, November 16, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Southeastern Conference portion of their schedule in the rearview mirror and a berth in the SEC Championship Game clinched, the No. 8-ranked Gators close out the regular season with a pair of nonconference games.
First, Florida Atlantic visits Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday as the Gators (9-1, 7-1) seek to win for the 10th time in 11 opportunities under first-year head coach Jim McElwain. The following week McElwain gets to experience his first Florida-Florida State game when the Seminoles visit.
On Monday, two days after he relaxed in the glow of a 24-14 win at South Carolina, McElwain dipped back into his bag of motivational tools to push his team toward the 2-8 Owls in the right frame of mind.
“We have so much work to do about who we are and the standard in which we choose to perform with,'' McElwain said. “You never arrive. As soon as you think you arrive, there's someone out there to beat your tail off.”
The Gators remain in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff, climbing three spots in this week's AP Top 25 after Baylor, Stanford and Utah lost. To reach the maximum 15 opportunities to win that McElwain spoke of in the preseason, the Gators have only one option: continue to win.
FAU enters Saturday's game as a heavy underdog. The Owls have lost five of their last six games, including a 24-17 home setback to Middle Tennessee on Saturday. FAU receiver Jenson Stoshak was almost to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown reception off a flea-flicker – and a potential game-tying score – when he mouthed off to a Middle Tennessee player prior to crossing the goal line.
The touchdown was negated by a taunting penalty and FAU never recovered.
Despite FAU's record, McElwain is stressing to the Gators they can't let up. He pointed out Monday there are 53 players on both teams' rosters who played together at various high schools, primarily in South Florida.
“There's a ton to prove for guys and they know how hard these guys will play and they've got some weapons,'' McElwain said. “The thing that strikes you when you watch the film is the overall team speed.”
Second-year FAU coach Charlie Partridge has a connection to UF's coaching staff. Florida associate head coach/linebackers coach Randy Shannon and Partridge served on Bret Bielema's staff at Arkansas together two seasons ago. Gators receivers coach Kerry Dixon was a FAU assistant from 2012-13.
FAU freshman quarterback Jason Driskel is a familiar name to Florida fans. Driskel is the younger brother of former Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel, who transferred to Louisiana Tech for his final year of eligibility. Driskel has split time with Owls senior Jaquez Johnson.
Florida sophomore cornerback Jalen Tabor is well aware of what's at stake.
“We know that every game is a playoff game from here on out,'' Tabor said. “We know what we've got to do to reach our goals. We've got our heads on straight. We know if we mess around with this game, and then Florida State, I mean, really doesn't matter. We're not going to reach our goal anyway. So we've got to take care of this team first."
McElwain labeled the Gators “a team in discovery” on Monday.
The Gators have an opportunity to match their win total from the last two seasons combined if they can defeat FAU and FSU to close the season. This is uncharted territory for all but a handful of players who were on Florida's 11-2 team in 2012.
“With coach Mac and his staff, they're doing an unbelievable job, just getting our minds right and just getting us to be prepared for everything week in and week out, and just the way they do it is unbelievable,'' said junior running back Kelvin Taylor. “They just know how to get their players to buy into what they're feeding them. I mean, those guys do a really good job and then another part comes from the players. Like I said, we've been here for a while and I've been here for two years, and now a third year, but just tired of losing.”
The Gators will be missing some key pieces on the defensive line Saturday. McElwain said Monday defensive end Alex McCalister (foot) and defensive end Jordan Sherit (hamstring) will be out. Both were injured in the win at South Carolina.
In addition, defensive tackle Joey Ivie (knee) is expected to miss his fourth game in the last five weeks.
The Gators overcame any defensive depth issues at South Carolina by dominating time of possession. The Gators had three scoring drives of 6:20 or longer. They also converted a season-high 11 third-down conversions in 19 attempts.
Meanwhile, the defense limited South Carolina to 201 total yards and is now ranked fifth nationally.
Next up, the Gators hope to discover what it's like at a higher elevation. They started the trek Monday at practice.
“I sure like where we're at, and we've got a few wins under our belt that mean absolutely nothing when you go into the next event,'' McElwain said. “This is, again, a team of guys that are still discovering a lot about not only themselves but about how you go about to continue being successful.”
Next test: Florida Atlantic, Saturday at noon.
