» Questionable: Redshirt junior Sam linebacker Lerentee McCray (shoulder), redshirt freshman offensive tackle Chaz Green (ankle), redshirt freshman defensive tackle Leon Orr (shoulder)
» Inactive: Redshirt senior guard/center Dan Wenger (ankle), redshirt junior cornerback Jeremy Brown (knee), freshman CB Marcus Roberson (neck)

PLAYERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

FLORIDA
» Redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley (#12)…who has completed 59.1 percent of his passes (107-of-181) this season for 1,479 yards and six touchdowns but also threw three interceptions including one returned for a score. Brantley had missed 10 quarters of action after injuring his ankle against Alabama but returned with limited health and mobility against Georgia.
» Redshirt senior RB Chris Rainey (#1)…who has 993 yards of total offense this season with five touchdowns (including a punt block return). Rainey is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 14.6 yards per reception and leads Florida in rushing and receiving this season. He became the first player in school history to have a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same game, achieved the school and SEC record for career punt blocks (five), and is the active leader in that category nationally. He also rushed for 100 yards or more in three-straight games, the first UF player to do so since Fred Taylor last accomplished that feat 14 years ago.
» Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Andre Debose (#4)…who jumped to second on the Gators’ receiving list with mirror image 65-yard touchdowns against Alabama and LSU. Fans have been waiting for Debose to emerge for some time, and his 272 receiving yards are the second-best on the team through its first 10 games. Additionally, his 22.7 yards per catch is the highest average in the SEC and second nationally.
» Redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed (#11)…who had a season-high five receptions for 62 yards last week and has caught 12 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown over the last three games. Reed is starting to emerge as a reliable receiving option for Brantley and Florida.
» Sophomore safety Matt Elam (#22)…who is the most valuable member of Florida’s secondary. He is second on the team in tackles (61) and at one point created turnovers in three-straight games (fumble-INT-INT). His 12 tackles against LSU a month ago marked a career high, and his 7.5 tackles for loss this season are a team-high.
» Defensive tackles sophomore Dominique Easley (#2) and redshirt senior Jaye Howard (#6)…who have solidified the interior of the Gators’ strongest unit. Howard is the team’s most experienced player on defense (27 starts), while Easley may be its most dynamic off the snap, with a first-step raved about by teammates and coaches alike. Howard and Easley have combined for 12.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
» Linebackers junior Jon Bostic (#52) and redshirt sophomore will linebacker Jelani Jenkins (#3)…who are 1-3 on the team in tackles. Bostic (77) and Jenkins (50) have each excelled in different areas for Florida. The former has six tackles for a loss and three sacks while the latter has one sack and five pass breakups on the year.
» Redshirt junior kicker Caleb Sturigs (#19)…who has returned for Florida after missing eight games one year ago with an injured back. He is 19-for-21 in field goal attempts on the season (long: 55) and is perfect with 21 extra points, leading the Gators with 78 points scored this season. Sturgis is third in the nation with 19 field goals made but missed a game three weeks ago (leg).

FURMAN
» QB Chris Forcier…who has passed for 2,099 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season and leads the FCS in passing efficiency with a 180.9 rating. He is completing 65.4 percent of his passes in 2011 and hopes to top former Gators QB Ingle Martin for most touchdown passes in a season in school history (22).
» RB Jerodis Williams…who has rushed for 922 yards with seven touchdowns this season. He is attempting to become the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2003.
» TE Colin Anderson…who is the team’s leading pass catcher with 668 yards and seven scores on 38 receptions. He is a big target and great outlet for Forcier.
» LB Kadarron Anderson…who has registered 111 tackles (5.5 for loss) with two sacks and a forced fumble in 2011 but may miss the game after spraining his knee against Elon last week. Anderson has started 32-straight games for Furman.

Florida’s two speedsters – running backs redshirt senior Chris Rainey and senior Jeff Demps – have at most three games remaining in the orange and blue. Once they are off the team, the Gators’ offense is going to have to be reshaped, but Weis said Tuesday that he is not overly concerned with their replacements picking everything up.

“What they all know is they all know the system. They all know the verbiage. They all know the terminology. They all know how to get lined up. They all know how to motion. Now that allows you to do just about anything. Most playbooks, especially with guys who have been doing this for a while, are quite expansive. And then you try to find out who you have and direct it in certain directions,” he said.

One player who may play a big role in his junior season is newly positioned RB Trey Burton, someone who has been in at halfback, fullback, quarterback and wide receiver.

“We’re going to get to this offseason and settle him in at one position, give him a chance,” Weis said. “For example, when Rainey and Demps are gone, rather than play him at fullback, play him at halfback and give him the chance to be the guy at halfback. We’ll have to wait and see how that goes. There isn’t one guy who wants to be a jack of all trades and master of none. They want to find a home and be the guy where they have an opportunity to help the team however we see best.”

PLAYER EVALUATIONS

Redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed: “Jordan’s arrow has been pointed up for over a month now. [...] On and off the field, every day Jordan with us has been pointing up. It makes it easier now because now you can coach him harder. I always coach people hard to start off with, but you can squeeze them more because when they have some success they’re willing to take even harder criticism and that makes them better. The harder you get on them without them going in the tank, the better off they play. Jordan has got a very high ceiling that hasn’t even come close to being reached yet.”

Redshirt freshman guard Ian Silberman: “I only worry about the guys that are really out there repping right now. He’s not getting a lot of reps right now. If he were playing well enough, he would be in there. I’m not trying to be sarcastic, that’s very matter-of-fact. Frank [Verducci] does a diligent study on those linemen. If he thought he deserved to be in the first seven-or-eight guys, he’d be in the first seven-or-eight guys.”

Wide receivers: “I’m not happy with the production at a lot of positions, receiver being one of them. It’s tough to be happy with the production. Am I happy with the effort? Am I happy with their blocking? Yeah, but am I happy with the production that we’re getting? No. Join the club.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» On his frustrations with the offense: “I’m frustrated on a number of things. It starts off by not scoring enough points. That’s really the bottom line. In a game like South Carolina, you get in the red zone three times and you only come up with one touchdown. That’s just not good enough. They get down there and they score two touchdowns and that’s the difference in the ball game. Sometimes in the Southeastern Conference you’re going to win games in the teens. Not every game is going to be in the 20s, 30s and 40s. That’s the frustrating thing, getting down on the two-yard-line and ending up having to settle for three, getting down on the five-yard-line and ending up having to settle for three. Those types of things are frustrating, yes.”

» On using a cane during the South Carolina game: “What has happened is my knees are great but my left hip is killing me. I can either take a lot of drugs and walk fine – it’s one thing if you take it at 9 at night like a painkiller – but then it affects you during the day. You really can’t do [your job on drugs]. People will probably wonder if I took them anyway.”

» Weis said the pistol set was installed because of redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley’s limited mobility due to his ankle but added that it will not disappear from the playbook when he is fully healthy. “I like it,” he said before noting that “there’s things that you lose not being underneath center.” Elements of the pistol have given the Gators an added dimension. “It’s something you don’t throw away,” he continued. “You’re not going to run your whole offense from it but there are elements you can go ahead and utilize.”

Florida held USC playmaking wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey to 17 yards on two receptions but was soft against the run, allowing running back Brandon Wilds to exploit them all game to the tune of 120 yards on 29 carries.

Gators redshirt senior QB John Brantley was sacked and fumbled the ball on the second play of the game, but UF’s defense held the Gamecocks.

Two possessions later after an interception by freshman safety De’Ante Saunders, three-straight runs including a 19-yard scamper by redshirt senior RB Chris Rainey took Florida down to South Carolina’s two-yard-line.

The Gators lost five yards before redshirt junior kicker Caleb Sturgis connected on a 21-yard field goal for the first points of the game.

USC answered immediately with a drive of their own but missed a 40-yard field goal. They scored on their next possession, running the ball nine times on an 11-play drive ending with Shaw’s first touchdown of the afternoon.

The Gamecocks tacked on another touchdown just a few minutes later after recovering a fumble from Florida senior RB Jeff Demps on UF’s 46-yard-line. South Carolina ran the ball 10 consecutive times until Shaw dove into the end zone for his second score, giving USC an 11-point lead at the break.

The Gators once again stalled inside the five-yard-line on their first possession of the second half. After Florida drove the ball 59 yards, a false start by junior tackle Xavier Nixon on 3rd and 2 pushed UF back and resulted in Sturgis eventually hitting a 24-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game.

Taking over again with 12:14 left in the contest, the Gators handed the rock to Rainey, who ran 47 yards down the field before being caught from behind at the Gamecocks’ two-yard-line. Freshman QB Jacoby Brissett entered to run the offense from under center and pushed forward for the touchdown before being forced into an interception on the two-point conversion attempt.

South Carolina responded quickly as Shaw connected on a 46-yard pass to WR Ace Sanders, but Florida’s defense held and forced a 28-yard field goal.

The Gators failed to move the ball much on their next possession, punting to the Gamecocks, which ran the clock down before handing the ball back to UF deep in their own territory with just 42 seconds remaining.

Brantley finished 13/21 for 119 yards, and Rainey led Florida with 17 carries for 132 yards. Redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed was the Gators’ leading pass catcher with five receptions for 62 yards.

Florida will return home to face Furman on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a game that will air live on pay-per-view. A victory will make the Gators bowl eligible heading into their regular season-ending rivalry game with Florida State on Nov. 26.

Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka

FLORIDA
» Probable: Redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley (arm), redshirt senior running back Chris Rainey (ankle), redshirt sophomore Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins (concussion), redshirt freshman tackle Chaz Green (ankle)
» Questionable: Redshirt junior Sam linebacker Lerentee McCray (shoulder)
» Inactive: Redshirt junior cornerback Jeremy Brown (knee)

PLAYERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

FLORIDA
» Redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley (#12)…who has completed 58.8 percent of his passes (94-of-160) this season for 1,360 yards and six touchdowns but also threw three interceptions including one returned for a score. Brantley had missed 10 quarters of action after injuring his ankle against Alabama but returned with limited health and mobility against Georgia.
» Redshirt senior RB Chris Rainey (#1)…who has 831 yards of total offense this season with five touchdowns (including a punt block return). Rainey is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 15.3 yards per reception and leads Florida in rushing and receiving this season. He became the first player in school history to have a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same game, achieved the school and SEC record for career punt blocks (five), and is the active leader in that category nationally. He also rushed for 100 yards or more in three-straight games, the first UF player to do so since Fred Taylor last accomplished that feat 14 years ago.
» Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Andre Debose (#4)…who jumped to second on the Gators’ receiving list with mirror image 65-yard touchdowns against Alabama and LSU. Fans have been waiting for Debose to emerge for some time, and his 272 receiving yards are the second-best on the team through its first nine games. Additionally, his 22.7 yards per catch is the highest average in the SEC and second nationally.
» Redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed (#11)…who had four receptions for a career-high 69 yards two weeks ago against Georgia. He also caught just the second receiving touchdown of his career that Saturday – his first this season.
» Sophomore safety Matt Elam (#22)…who is the most valuable member of Florida’s secondary in only his second year. He is tied for second on the team in tackles (53) and at one point created turnovers in three-straight games (fumble-INT-INT). His 12 tackles against LSU three weeks ago marked a career high, and his 6.5 tackles for loss this season is second-best on the team.
» Defensive tackles sophomore Dominique Easley (#2) and redshirt senior Jaye Howard (#6)…who have solidified the interior of one of the Gators’ strongest units. Howard is the team’s most experienced player on defense (26 starts), while Easley may be its most dynamic off the snap, with a first-step raved about by teammates and coaches alike. Howard and Easley have combined for 11.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks through nine games.
» Linebackers junior Jon Bostic (#52) and redshirt sophomore will linebacker Jelani Jenkins (#3)…who are 1-3 on the team in tackles. Bostic (65) and Jenkins (46) have each excelled in different areas for Florida. The former has six tackles for a loss and three sacks while the latter has one sack and five pass breakups on the year.
» Redshirt junior kicker Caleb Sturigs (#19)…who has returned for Florida after missing eight games one year ago with an injured back. He is 17-for-19 in field goal attempts on the season (long: 55) and is perfect with 21 extra points, leading the Gators with 72 points scored this season. Sturgis is second in the nation with 17 field goals made but missed a game two weeks ago (leg).

SOUTH CAROLINA
» QB Connor Shaw (#14)…who has started the last four games for the Gamecocks after beginning the season as a backup. Shaw threw four interceptions in his first start (vs. Kentucky) but has a 2-4 TD-INT ratio through the air over the last three games (though he has rushed for three scores).
» RB Brandon Wilds (#22)…who has stepped in as starting running back after Marcus Lattimore went down with an injury three weeks ago. Wilds averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 28 touches against Tennessee but struggled last week gaining just 21 yards on 10 carries at Arkansas.
»WR Alshon Jeffery (#1)…who is USC’s most dynamic healthy offensive weapon. Jeffery is the team’s leading receiver with highs in receptions (36), yards (487) and touchdowns (five). He is easily Shaw’s favorite target and is a tough match-up for any team. Jeffery needs just 15 yards to be the school’s all-time leading receiver.
» Defensive end Melvin Ingram (#6)….who has scored three times this season including two fumble recoveries and a 68-yard run on a fake punt. He also has 5.5 sacks on the season – fourth best in the SEC.

» On the Penn State story: “It’s obviously tragic. I don’t know all the facts; we’ve been working. If the allegations are true, my thoughts are with the victims and the victims’ families at this time.”

» On how the quality of college football teams have changed with freshmen wanting to play right away: “I don’t know that the quality of the game is a whole lot different. There are some teams right now a little ahead of the others. There are younger players playing – a lot of guys are coming out [early] now for the NFL and that sets you back a little bit as a program because you count on a guy to be here and then he’s not there. Generally if he’s leaving early, he’s a really good player. [...] All of the freshmen coming in because of recruiting now think they’re going to start as a freshman. They don’t want to go to a school that has an incumbent starter. Some of those things make your depth not as good as it’s been in past years where you’re a little paper thin at certain areas as far as positions are concerned.”

Many wondered why redshirt junior Sam Robey did not win the starting job in the preseason and how redshirt sophomore Jonotthan Harrison, who had not played the position in years, was able to supplant him. Now nine games in, it looks as if Robey may be regaining the job due to Harrison struggling with his snaps.

In addition to a few high snaps that Brantley has had to jump on this season, Harrison’s shotgun snaps have been a bit low, something that is messing up the timing of plays. “That’s why we made a change in the game because the timing of when the back gets the ball – whether its protection related or in the run game – it’s significant,” Weis said about pulling Harrison for Robey on Saturday.

Weis added that Robey has taken reps as the starter this week but did not mention whether or not Harrison has as well. “One thing we’re not going to do is just stand pat,” he said. “We’re going to make sure we put ourselves in the best position whether we’re underneath center or in the shotgun.”

Should Harrison lose his job, he could regain a starting guard job, possibly supplanting redshirt senior Dan Wenger who has been dealing with various injuries.

PLAYER EVALUATIONS

Freshman fullback Hunter Joyer: “For a young guy, his arrow is pointing way up. He’s still figuring it out, but he’s a football player. He’s got good football intelligence. He’s physical and he’s not even playing as physical as he can yet because he’s still feeling his way through.” Weis said he was in for more than 30 snaps during the game and will be a great player to run inside zones with and pound the ball in the future.

Senior running back Jeff Demps: “When he puts his foot in the ground and accelerates, he has that track explosion. There aren’t that many people that have explosion like that. Once he plants his foot in the ground, he can explode.”

Freshman QB Jacoby Brissett: “On the play [that drew a pass interference call], which was a bootleg, I told him that they were bringing a lot of heat and to expect some pressure coming off the right edge and he might have to bail out a little bit to bide him some time. Fortunately he’s athletic enough to do that. He saw nothing shallow [...] and went to the deep route and they were all over Frankie. He made a couple plays with his athleticism in the game. [...] It doesn’t surprise me that he’s making those plays. He’s shown since the first game he was out there that he has pretty good composure.”

Redshirt freshman QB Tyler Murphy (possibly changing positions): “This is game 10. We’re just worrying about getting the team ready to play South Carolina. Those questions are ones that are answered in the offseason, they’re not answered in the middle of the season.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Redshirt senior RB Chris Rainey practiced in full on Tuesday and is expected to be active for Saturday’s game on the road against South Carolina.

» On the penalties decreasing last week: “The head coach made it a point of emphasis, which he has been every week. The players played with more discipline, and I think that’s the way you have to play. You have to play with more discipline. There’s going to be an occasional holding call, but line of scrimmage penalties – especially playing at home – are things you have to avoid and eliminate.”

» On the offensive production disparity between halves: “We only had the ball three possessions in the second half. Sometimes you have to take that into account. I always look at why drives work or why they falter. The more possessions you have, the more opportunities you have to go out there and score. So when you play a game like that and only get three possessions in the second half except kneel down, you have to make the most of them.”

Muschamp first provided his general thoughts about Saturday’s victory.

“You go back and look at the game and we were balanced on offense. Being able to run the ball helped us with our play actions down the field. It slows the defensive linemen down a good bit up front. We converted on third down about 50 percent and had some big plays. We were able to get some chuck plays. Defensively we really needed to stop the run game and for the most part we did a decent job of that. We have to finish the game better and cover better – on the back end especially. We had some breakdowns [in the secondary] and obviously had some pass rush issues with Rodgers being able to scramble, create and extend plays. Those are the things we’ve really talked to the kids about.”

He also spoke about Florida’s next opponent on Nov. 12, South Carolina.

“They’re very balanced on offense – 188 yards rushing per game, 180 passing. Offensively Alshon Jeffrey is an outstanding wide receiver. A guy that is 6’4″ or 6’5″ with great ball skills down the field. He’s a tremendous match-up issue in all situations. [...] Defensively Ellis Johnson does a great job. [The unit has] 27 turnovers this year and is led by Melvin Ingram, a guy from a fake punt against Georgia to sacking the quarterback to playing the runs well inside is a really good athlete, a big guy that plays hard with a great motor. I’m really impressed watching him on film. Defense and special teams for them have scored seven touchdowns, so that’s impressive.”

Muschamp also commented on USC head coach Steve Spurrier:

I got great respect for Coach Spurrier, first of all as a player winning the Heisman Trophy here in 1966 and then the job he did as a head coach here for 12 years was outstanding. You look at the championship run and establishing the tradition of what Florida football is as far as winning championships. [...] I think he changed the SEC as far as the passing game is concerned. When he took over in 1990, the SEC was a running league. It was a ground-and-pound league. He came to Florida and did a great job in the throwing game, changing the perception of the SEC to an offensive league but still remained balanced in everything he did.”

PISTOL SET GIVES GATORS A RUN GAME

Between Brantley’s ankle injury and the numerous other problems the Gators have had running the ball, employing the pistol set on Saturday helped get the run game going again and keep the Commodores’ defense honest. In fact, Florida ran at a near two-to-one clip, though UF was also successful through the air.

Muschamp said Monday that employing the pistol helped in protection and opening up throwing seams down the field while also allowing the Gators to call play actions and run the ball inside. He said Florida plans to keep using the set because it assists in keeping defenses off balance.

Brantley is expected to be back under center at South Carolina but calling some runs from the pistol could still be smart in order to keep the turns he has to make on his ankle to a minimum. Muschamp also explained that UF’s pistol set is not the same as the pistol offense first run at Nevada and now UCLA.

“We were running from a set to be able to get to a downhill running game. What they run is a misdirection running game. It’s a different theory. What they run is a package; what we run is a set to be able to get to some downhill run game. What they do is a total package – they run a total offense that is called the pistol offense. We ran a set to get to our downhill running game. We ran it from a different set to enable John to run our downhill running game. We didn’t change what we were doing.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Muschamp on how the secondary needs to improve: “As far as playing the ball, we’re in situations and we’re in position. You got to play the football. When you’re in position to cover the receiver, you got to play the ball. We just need to finish some plays. [...] Those things are all correctable. Those are all things that we can work on. We’re going to spend a lot time today working on perimeter drill where we work on our eye control, covering and leveraging formations. They just need to improve, and I need to do a better job coaching from my spot.”

» Muschamp on how long he plans on coaching: “I love what I do. I’m very passionate about it. I enjoy coming to work every day regardless of the situation. I can’t picture myself not coaching.”

» Muschamp on if Spurrier called him when he took the Florida job: “I called him to tell him that our doors were always open unless we’re playing South Carolina.”

» Muschamp on redshirt junior DE Earl Okine: “He’s done a nice job. He’s done a better job preparing himself throughout the week as far as practice is concerned and that gives him other opportunities to play.”

» Muschamp on if he is seeing he team mature: “From a competitive standpoint and how we’re practicing, how we’re approaching things, as far as the team is concerned, I do think we’ve made some positive strides.”

» Muschamp on not walking on with the Gators: “Not that Florida missed anything [with me] as a player. I can tell you that.”

» Muschamp on the strides redshirt senior DT Jaye Howard has made: “I think Jaye has played really well. I thought he played well Saturday. He’s a guy that we really challenged him as far as playing hard every snap, giving great effort all the time. Jaye is very talented. He’s strong. He’s a very good athlete. He can bend his lower body, play blocks. A lot of Jaye needs to play hard all the time and do it all the time and be a guy that really shines. I’ve been really proud of his performance and how he’s played this year. I think he’s been very consistent this year.”

» Muschamp on how sophomore safety Matt Elam has stepped up: “He is communicating very well. He was not a very vocal player when I came in here from a standpoint of communicating. He was more worried about getting himself lined up and with what he was doing. He’s got a better understanding of what we’re doing schematically to understand what the other safety needs to do, what the nickel needs to do. He’s got very good playmaking skills and ability. He’s got natural instincts as a football player. He sees the play before it happens a lot. He anticipates the route breaking off. He anticipates where the runner is going to break. He anticipates where the ball is going.”

» Muschamp on freshman fullback Hunter Joyer: “Wow. He’s had an outstanding year. He’s going to be a heck of a football player for us. He’s smart, understands football. He gets it. It’s important to him. He’s very intelligent and tough. He’s a guy who we like giving the ball too as he gets a lot of positive yards after contact. He’s a really good blocker and picks up the game very well. I think he’s had an outstanding freshman season. He’s basically been the starter for us all year.”

» Muschamp on if he watched Alabama-LSU: “I got through about halftime and then fell asleep [out of exhaustion].”

Florida’s defense was strong most of the game but with a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Gators began playing soft. When UF went up 12 with just minutes to play, the secondary played even softer and allowed Vandy to drive 80 yards on five plays in 57 seconds, giving them an opportunity to try an onside kick and perhaps wind up winning the game. Muschamp was quite displeased with what he saw from that unit at the end of the game.

“When you get put in those situations – i.e. a two score game with 2:13 to go – you still play coverage. We were calling coverages we had been calling and had success with the whole game. Our guys felt like – just don’t get beat deep. That’s not what you can do in these situations,” he said. “It’s a great learning experience. Believe me, Monday morning at 6:00 a.m., we’re going to learn that you can’t play that way at the end of a game. You’ve got to continue to play the game.

“A lot of what I saw is very correctable, in my opinion. Any time you give up some yardage passing – it’s kind of like a sack on offense – everybody wants to point a finger on the offensive lineman. Fourth-and-12 we lose contain[ment] on the quarterback and he holds the ball for three days. That’s the defensive line’s issue. We’ve got to get a lot of things straightened out, some of our underneath coverage. The big emphasis this week, in my opinion going in, was to stop the run game and stop the quarterback runs. I felt like, for the most part, we did a decent job of that.”

He touched on the subject again later, saying that the mistakes that players in the secondary made were mostly due to youth and inexperience – not discipline.

“It has to do with exposure to the situation. To understand it’s a two score game that doesn’t mean it’s a pass skeleton. We still are trying to compete to get the ball off people and make plays,” Muschamp said. “I was thoroughly disappointed with how we [played]; we’re not coaching them to play soft. You let them just throw the ball down the field? That’s not what we’re trying to do.”

“We couldn’t cover a bucket of water on the last drive,” Muschamp joked.

DISCIPLINE ON PENALTIES IMPROVED BUT JUST A SMALL STEP

The most penalized team in the country heading into Saturday’s game, the Gators continued to search for ways to become more disciplined each week. Florida committed just three penalties against Vanderbilt, down from their near double-digit average per game this season.

“It’s been emphasized every week. It’s like all results – you can go out and beat your chest this week and say you must have done a good job coaching penalties. When I was at Texas two years ago, we led the country in turnovers. We don’t coach turnovers any different than we coach today,” Muschamp said.

“Was I a better coach coaching turnovers two years ago than I am now? I don’t think so. We just had some balls bounce our ways a couple times, we got a couple tipped passes, they put the ball on the ground a couple of times. We’ve emphasized discipline in our program. We talk about it all the time. We talk about focusing a little better. We talk about taking a guy out if he jumps offisdes or lines up offsides in situations. We’ve tried to do that in some situations. We’ve explored all of the options. Over a period of time hopefully it’s helped. This is one game. I’m not ready for one game to be ready to waive the flag that we’re disciplined now. We need to work on it day in and day out because we haven’t been consistent all year.”

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

Below are a number of questions that have been Tweeted, e-mailed or left in the comment section regarding the game with Muschamp’s respective response.

What has been the problem with the running game recently and how were you able to rectify that this week?
Muschamp said that the team only has 9-10 healthy scholarship offensive linemen active right now. Combining that with a number of injured running backs and it has been tough for the Gators to improve in that area each week. He also touted the newly installed pistol offense (QB in shotgun, RB lined up behind him) as a big help. “Being able to get in the pistol and run the ball a little bit downhill helped our team in this football game. Being able to create some of that downhill running game instead of all the lateral running game, which is sometimes tough in our league.”

Were you going to go for it on the fourth down play that Vanderbilt wound up jumping offsides on?
“We were going to go for it. We were going to win the game.”

Why has the offense been stalling in the second half?
“As much as anything, we didn’t get some stops defensively – that threw us out of our rhythm offensively. You affect each other, whether we think we do or not. [...] You complement each other in every game. I think we had some critical, critical times in the game where we could have made some stops defensively and we didn’t. We got to keep our guys in a rhythm offensively.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Muschamp on the five-point win: “We made it interesting there at the end; we shouldn’t have.”

» Muschamp on the offense stepping up this week: “Our game plan offensively was really good – to get to the line of scrimmage, see the pressures, bring the receiver in, block the edges, change the run game from one side to the other. We were very effective in doing that. You have to credit our offensive staff and Charlie; I thought they did a really good job with that.”

» Muschamp on the downfield passing opening up: “There’s no question – I’ve said it in our game against LSU and obviously in our game against Auburn – we struggle for a number of reasons to be able to throw the ball vertically down the field. When people in this league are able to outnumber you, you can’t get a hat-on-a-hat sometimes in the run game and you have a hard time running it. We’ve faced that. When John’s in there and you have the extra dimension of seeing coverage, taking it to the right spot, getting it to the right people, timing of the passing game, the timing of the offense, getting us in and out of the right protections, seeing the pressure coming off the edge, check the protection. We’re able to do a lot more of that because of a fifth-year senior and a guy who has played a lot of football for us. There is no question that John is a huge part of that.”

» Muschamp on removing redshirt sophomore center Jonotthan Harrison from the game in place of redshirt junior center Sam Robey: “We just need to be more consistent with our snaps, and we’ve had issues throughout the year so I felt like we needed to make the change. [...] We’ve had some inconsistencies before in practice. Our decisions are pretty calculated.”

» Muschamp on freshman QB Jacoby Brissett coming in: “I’ve said it all along – not just Jacoby, Jeff Driskel as well – we have the utmost confidence in both of those players that they’re going to be outstanding players.”

» Muschamp on Demps returning: “Every time he’s been healthy for us this year he’s been very productive. [...] He works hard every day, gives you everything he’s got. That’s what being a student-athlete is all about.”

» Muschamp said that over 20 former captains visited this past weekend for a special dinner and to celebrate homecoming.

» Muschamp on not ending a long home winning streak against Vanderbilt: “I don’t think a game in 1945 had anything to do with a game today.”

» Muschamp on if he wavered about trying the 55-yard field goal: “When you get to that 37-38 yard line, I’m kicking a field goal. There’s not a whole lot of kickers in the country you can say that about. [...] In normal situations you might have to get to the 25 to attempt a field goal. When you’re able to have a guy like Caleb, it certainly helps your football team.”

» Redshirt junior defensive end Earl Okine on seeing the field and playing well: “It took me a while to keep progressing. Every week and every day it’s been a grind. Coach Muschamp and Coach Dan Quinn have been pushing me the entire season, and that’s why I’m improving.”

» Okine on the mood of the locker room after the game: “Ecstatic. Ecstatic. Everybody was very happy, relieved, all of the above positive emotions.”

» Demps on getting back out on the field: “It was definitely a good feeling. The offensive line did a great job of opening holes all game, and the wide receivers did a great job on the perimeter blocking.”

» Demps on having just a few games left in his final year: “I’m going to play my last three games here and give it all I got. I enjoyed the whole ride. It’s been tough but anybody can win. When you lose it’s how you face adversity.”

» Demps on the team being close: “We’re definitely a tight group. Throughout the whole offseason, the summer and the spring, I wasn’t around much but when I was there were leaders stepping up all over the place. That really bonded everybody. Even though we’re having a tough season like we are, we have each other’s back. We were there when we started and we’re going to be there at the end.”

» Sophomore safety Matt Elam on the significance of the win: “We got our confidence back. After losing the whole month, a win is a great feeling.”

» Elam on correcting the penalties: “I know there’s been a lot of stuff about us being young and undisciplined. Coach Muschamp is very hard on that, trying to make us more disciplined.”

» Elam on if the win was a relief: “It was a relief we got our win. We got another win, man. It’s been a long time. We ain’t sing the fight song in a long time. It was a great feeling.”

» Elam if the team matured over the losing streak: “We learned. Everybody stuck together. We stuck together and we continued to fight. Everybody went out and practiced hard.”

» Elam on how the secondary will play in 2012: “No, we won’t have those problems.”

» Gillislee on seeing the field again:“I had to just continue doing what I was doing, get back healthy to 100 percent and go out there and produce. Our rushing yards were low the past few games, so we knew we had to go out there and prove a point that we could run the ball.”

» Brantley on picking up a win: “The month of October was rough for us. To get this first win – the first game of November against a good Vanderbilt team – was huge because we’ve got some good teams ahead of us.”

» Brantley on the pistol offense: “It’s easier to establish a downhill run game in that formation. We did a great job all week preparing. The o-line did a great job blocking. You noticed today that Gillislee and Jeff ran hard.”

» Brantley on the penalties being cut down: “It felt really good. We focused on that and focused on our mental discipline all week and it paid off.”

» Brantley on having just three regular season games left: “We had our captains dinner last night. They just kept stressing that we have three more times to run out of the tunnel. That set home on us. We’ve got to cherish these moments, go out there and play our hardest.”