Florida looking to send Will Muschamp off with upset for the ages

Published Nov. 28, 2014 5:42 p.m. ET

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The scenes from that night here two years ago remain vivid.

Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison's devastating hit on Seminoles quarterback EJ Manuel and Florida's fumble recovery; 24 consecutive points in the fourth quarter; Jeff Driskel's touchdown pass to Quinton Dunbar; Matt Jones' touchdown run to ice the game.

Oh, and Will Muschamp's Gatorade bath.

When collected in a collage of images, they represent the peak of Muschamp's four seasons as Florida's head coach.

The Gators are 10-13 since their 37-26 win at Doak Campbell Stadium to cap an 11-1 regular season in 2012. The future was bright. And then an inexplicable rash of injuries, quarterback woes and too many losses dimmed the light.

The fallout: Muschamp will coach the Gators for the final time on Saturday when the Gators return to Doak Campbell Stadium to face the No. 1-ranked Seminoles.

Florida State hasn't lost since that chilly night. The Gators have won too little.

While the programs have taken opposite paths since, Florida can take a huge leap back toward relevance with a victory on Saturday.

No one says it will be easy. But few seem to think it impossible. Not in this game. Not in this rivalry.

"It's going to be emotional," Gators safety Keanu Neal said. "We love Coach Muschamp. He's a great coach, in my opinion. We're going to miss him for sure and we're going to lay it on the line for him."

The defending national champion Seminoles can think of no worse way than their 27-game win streak coming to an end. The Gators can think of no better way.

Muschamp has rebuilt Florida's program into a stable one behind the scenes. The next coach will inherit a roster with talent and potential.

A victory Saturday would prove that in a big way. Muschamp refused this week to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding his final game. His business-as-usual approach has ruled the locker room since it was announced Nov. 16 that he will step down after Saturday's game.

That was the approach he took two years ago when both teams were ranked in the top 10.

"We still got a lot of guys on the team that went up there," Muschamp said. "It was a great game. They had an outstanding football team, and we played well, got out to a fast start in the game. It's going to be critical for us there, take care of the football, we did that, we were able to run the ball, and I think that's something that we're going to need to be able to do."

The game plan worked to perfection then. The ending was perfect, too, from Florida's perspective.

While emotions will be on overload, Muschamp is keeping it real. The coach in him won't budge, last game or not.

"It doesn't really change for me," he said. "It's preparation -- it's a good football team. You turn on the tape and you don't get real emotional, I can tell you that."

Can the Gators recapture that magic one more time for Muschamp? It might not be the perfect ending he envisioned, but it would be one he would never forget.

For more on the 59th meeting between Florida and Florida State, here is The Opening Kickoff:

FIVE STORYLINES

-- The departure of Muschamp after this game is the dominant storyline for Florida. The Gators can give their coach the ultimate parting gift by beating FSU.

-- Florida State's 27-game win streak is the longest in college football since Miami reeled off 34 consecutive wins from 2000-03. Gators cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III spent time around those Miami teams as a boy. His father was Miami's linebackers coach during that span.

-- Love him or hate him, Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston wins. A lot. Winston is 24-0 as FSU's starter and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of those wins. Can the Gators be the first to topple the reigning Heisman winner?

-- Gators quarterback Treon Harris is expected to start after suffering a bone bruise on his knee in last week's win. Harris is 3-1 as Florida's starter and is familiar to FSU. He verbally committed to the Seminoles before flipping to the Gators on National Signing Day.

-- This game could have a huge impact on the national championship picture if Florida wins. Defending national champion Florida State would likely drop from the top four spots in the playoff race with a loss. Meanwhile, Florida would likely crack the Top 25 for the first time all season and add another memorable chapter to this rivalry.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

-- The Gators knocked off the Seminoles in 2012 behind a 140-yard rushing performance from Mike Gillislee and 81 yards by Matt Jones. Gillislee is gone, but Jones and sophomore Kelvin Taylor give the Gators a strong 1-2 punch in the backfield. Ask Georgia. Florida will need to establish the run game to win.

-- FSU receiver Rashad Greene is the best receiver Florida's defense has faced since Alabama's Amari Cooper. Greene has caught a pass in a school-record 40 consecutive games and must be accounted for every play the Seminoles run.

-- Gators receiver Demarcus Robinson leads the team with 703 yards and seven touchdowns. While Florida will need to establish the run, Robinson has the talent to be a difference maker if he makes the most of his opportunities.

-- FSU sophomore defensive back Jalen Ramsey had a career game in the victory over Miami two weeks ago. Ramsey is dangerous every time the ball is in his vicinity, so the Gators must be careful throwing his way.

-- In what will be his final regular-season game for the Gators, junior defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr. and Co. need to pressure Winston to get him out of his comfort zone. Winston is lethal when he has time to pick apart the defense.

TALKING POINTS

GatorZone.com senior writers Scott Carter and Chris Harry discuss the Gators' trip to Tallahassee and what it will take for Florida to pull the upset:

HISTORY LESSON

Seems like yesterday, seems a lot longer than 10 years ago. But in 2004 when the Gators traveled to Tallahassee, a similar situation existed.

Ron Zook was on his way out after three seasons. Florida State was primed to celebrate a victory over the Gators, even honoring then-head coach Bobby Bowden that evening by naming the field at Doak Campbell Stadium after him in a pregame ceremony.

The Gators won 20-13 and the Gators carried Zook off Bobby Bowden Field. The Gators have had some unlikely victories over the years -- their 38-20 victory over Georgia four weeks ago ranks high on that list -- but perhaps none more than that one.

QUOTE FILE

-- "It may not be exactly what you want it to look like, and certainly all the experts are taking their shots, but they've still won 27, 28, 29 games in a row, and that's hard to do, that's really hard to do." -- Muschamp on FSU's 27-game win streak.

-- "We're undefeated. We finish every game. Everybody else in the country has not finished at least one game. We've finished every one of them." -- Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher on FSU's critics.

-- "You know Jeff did a good job [last week]. I really see his role being what it's been hopefully Treon goes out there and stays healthy and makes plays and we can go the distance with him." -- Gators offensive coordinator Kurt Roper on quarterbacks Treon Harris and Jeff Driskel.

-- "You just gotta go in there and play the game like we did with Georgia. It's a rivalry. We know it's a rivalry. We can't let our emotions get in front of us. We've got to go in and play sound football." -- Gators offensive lineman D.J. Humphries on facing FSU.

-- "Challenge his receivers. If we can knock out their routes and challenge their receivers then that gives our defensive line time to rush the quarterback and make plays." -- Gators defensive back Jabari Gorman on how to slow Winston.

10 QUICKHITTERS

-- Gators kickoff returner Andre Debose became 11th player in SEC history to reach 2,000 career kickoff return yards with 51 in win over Eastern Kentucky.

-- The Gators lead the all-time series against FSU 34-22-2, including 13-11-1 in Tallahassee.

-- Florida has committed just three turnovers in its last four games after turning the ball over 15 times in the four games prior.

-- FSU is averaging 28.8 points against the Gators in the last four meetings since Fisher took over the program, winning three of those games. During Florida's six-game win streak in the series from 2004-09, the Seminoles averaged only 11.8 points.

-- This is the first time either school is ranked No. 1 in this rivalry since Florida was No. 1 in 2009 and beat the Seminoles 37-10 in Gainesville. FSU was No. 2 when the teams met in 2013.

-- Freshman running back Dalvin Cook has eight runs of 20-plus yards for FSU and is averaging 18.6 yards per rush (12 for 224 yards) when the Seminoles trail.

-- Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison leads the team with 93 tackles and can become first UF player to reach 100 tackles in a season under Muschamp (Ahmad Black had 108 in 2010).

-- Harris (4 of 12, 162 yards, 2 TDs) and JeffDriskel (9 of 11, 164 yards, 3 TDs) averaged 25.08 yards per completion in the victory over Eastern Kentucky, Florida's top mark since 1996 vs. South Carolina (26.36).

-- Offensive lineman Tyler Moore, who has started the last four games, plans to enter the NFL Draft after the season according to reports. Moore"s 17 career starts (four came at Nebraska) rank third on the team.

-- Alabama's win last week clinched a seventh-consecutive 10-win season, which snapped a tie with Florida (1993-98) for most consecutive 10-win seasons in SEC history.

OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher previews the Florida-Florida State game and discusses several more topics during his press conference earlier this week:

BOTTOM LINE

In what has been a difficult final two weeks of the regular season, the Gators can send Muschamp out with his biggest victory by knocking off the No. 1-ranked Seminoles. It won't be easy, but expect Florida to give FSU all it can handle. The Gators will be pumped and if they can keep Winston in check and force him into a mistake or two, then this one should be close. Can the offense make enough plays? That could be the difference.

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