Saturday in Review: Week 12

For the Gator Nation, the Saturday of November 15, 2014 will forever live in infamy. On that day Will Muschamp lost the game that ended his career as head coach of the Florida Gators. What doomed him on that day, and really throughout his career, was under-performance on the offense side of the ball (though critical errors on special teams did not help). Muschamp will continue to coach the Gators through the Florida State game, giving him a chance to improve on his current 27-20 record at UF. Muschamp needs to win at least one of his two remaining games to make the Gators bowl-eligible and avoid the lowest winning percentage of any non-interim Florida head coach since Raymond Wolf (1946-49). Muschamp ended his career with a 17-15 record in the SEC. Against conference opponents that were not Kentucky or Tennessee, Muschamp was 9-15. A long list of notorious achievements were made under Muschamp-coached Florida teams, which will forever mark his career. Among these were ending a 22-year bowl-streak, losing for the first time ever to an FCS opponent, posting a losing record for the first time in 33 years, and losing twice to teams that gained less than 120 yards of offense. The highlight of Muschamp's career was undoubtedly the 2012 season, in which his Gators won eleven games (seven in the SEC), went undefeated at home, and finished ranked in the top 10. His Gators were always noted for superb defensive play and good discipline off-the-field. His good humor and work ethic made him well liked among fans and players, though this obviously could not overcome the disappointing on-field performance of the teams he coached.

Will Muschamp lost his final SEC game as head coach of the
Florida Gators. The Gators wasted an excellent performance
by their defense and several opportunities to put the game out
of reach for the Gamecocks. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Now to discuss the game itself. The Gators had every opportunity to win, but blew their chances through overly conservative play-calling in the second half and egregious special teams mistakes. South Carolina, coming off a bye week, came out hot on offense, jumping to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter. But then the Gator defense clamped down, essentially shutting down one of the SEC's most productive offenses for the rest of the game. A balanced offensive attack cut Carolina's lead to seven and then to nothing before the half ended. After halftime, Florida's offense became inexplicably conservative. Against the SEC's worst pass defense, the Gators only attempted 11 passes. South Carolina keyed in on the run, and was largely effective in limiting or stopping it. Eventually, the Gators broke the deadlock, scoring a touchdown and gaining a 17-10 lead just before the third quarter ended.

The Gators would go on to have several chances to score again and build an insurmountable lead during the fourth, but squandered each opportunity. There was a Treon Harris fumble. And a near-pick-six that was dropped in the end-zone. And a Treon Harris touchdown called back by a holding call. And a blocked chip-shot kick. Still, Florida had the ball with less than two minutes left and the seven-point lead. All they needed was a first down and they could run out the clock. Three running plays later and it was fourth down. Yet, with only 50 seconds left and no timeouts, South Carolina had little chance to score a game-tying touchdown against Florida's defense if the Gators could only get off a punt and give the Gamecocks a long field. Of course, the punt was blocked. Of course, the Gamecocks tied the game with 12 seconds left. Of course, Florida could not gain a first down in overtime and was forced to take a field goal. Of course, Carolina won it with a touchdown in overtime. Thus, a win by a Gator head coach ended the career of a head coach at Florida. Credit the Gamecocks for never giving up, even as it seemed ever more likely that they would lose. Muschamp will end his career losing no less than six of his final nine home games at The Swamp, a simply inexcusable record at home.

In other parts of Florida, UCF beat an overmatched Tulsa team and FIU scored a surprise win at home. Florida State rallied, once again, to beat Miami. This game played out, more or less, exactly like many of Florida State's other comebacks. Florida State's opponents were better than the Noles in the first half, but the Seminoles were better in the second and in the end. South Florida downed SMU with a go-ahead touchdown just before time expired, extending the Bulls' unlikely bowl hopes for at least seven days.

Alabama defeated Mississippi State with an impressive defensive performance in Tuscaloosa. The Tide now control their destiny in the SEC West, though the Bulldogs are still in the playoff picture even if Bama wins out. Mississippi State fans will surely be hoping for upsets that go against the other highly ranked teams as the season nears its end.

The Tennessee Volunteers appear bowl-bound after their 50-16 demolition of Kentucky. Georgia also obliterated their opponent, Auburn, keeping their SEC East title hopes strong but requiring a Missouri loss. Unfortunately, however, star halfback Todd Gurley suffered a season-ending injury during the game. Speaking of Missouri, the Tigers won a crucial match-up against Texas A&M in College Station. Mizzou must win both of its final two games, against Tennessee and Arkansas, to clinch a trip to Atlanta. Arkansas, meanwhile, ended a 17-game conference losing streak with their 17-0 win over LSU in Fayetteville. This win is long overdue for the Razorbacks, who have lost many close games against good opponents over that long streak. The Hogs held the Tigers to only 123 yard of offense, winning the Golden Boot for the first time since 2010.

Melvin Gordon and the Wisconsin offensive line set a new 
record for single-game rushing yards by an FBS player. Such a
rare achievement has granted credence to his Heisman
campaign. Ronald Martinez

Georgia Tech took care of business against Clemson, though they still need Duke to drop one of its two remaining games (against North Carolina or Wake Forest) to win the ACC Coastal. Duke's 17-16 loss to Virginia Tech puts them in a precarious position to win their division. TCU barely edged Kansas in a surprisingly close contest.

Up north, Wisconsin and their running back piled up on Nebraska, even though the snow did not. Melvin Gordon, the aforementioned back, compiled an incredible 408 rushing yard against the Huskers, good enough for a new FBS record. This outstanding accomplishment says much not only about the performance of Gordon (who only actually played three quarters), but also of his offensive line. This game has moved Gordon's name to the center of the Heisman discussion. Wisconsin now leads the Big Ten West, but still has to face Iowa and Minnesota, who are both tied for second.

Notre Dame lost in shocking fashion to Northwestern in South Bend. The overtime loss is Notre Dame's second consecutive loss, third loss overall, and first loss at home. The Irish have lost three of their last four and it may not be getting any easier; the Irish still have to play Louisville and USC before the end of the regular season. The Arizona Wildcats provided another thrilling finish, beating Washington on a field goal just as time ran out. After ending regulation tied 7-7, Utah outlasted Stanford in overtime. The Utes have now played three overtime games this season, the most of any FBS team. Arizona State fell to Oregon State, breaking the Pac-12 South race wide open. Four teams, USC, UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State, are now tied for leadership atop the division. The winner, who will face Oregon in the conference championship, will be the most battle-tested team in the Pac-12.

State of Florida:

• UCF (6-3) over Tulsa (2-8), 34-20 31-7
• Florida (5-4) over South Carolina (5-5), 38-30 23-20 (OT)
• Middle Tennessee (5-5) over FIU (4-7), 34-27 38-28
• #2 Florida State (10-0) over Miami (6-4), 41-38 30-26
• South Florida (4-6) over SMU (0-9), 24-17 14-13
• Florida Atlantic (3-7), BYE

Southeastern Conference:

• #4 Alabama (9-1) over #1 Mississippi State (9-1), 28-24 25-20
• Tennessee (5-5) over Kentucky (5-6), 42-31 50-16
• #16 Georgia (8-2) over #9 Auburn (7-3), 45-41 34-7
• Texas A&M (7-4) over Missouri (8-2), 28-21 34-27
• #20 LSU (7-4) over Arkansas (5-5), 31-27 17-0
• #10 Mississippi (8-2), BYE
• Vanderbilt (3-7), BYE

Top 25:

• #8 Ohio State (9-1) over Minnesota (7-3), 38-23 31-24
• #24 Georgia Tech (9-2) over #18 Clemson (7-3), 38-34 28-6
• #19 Duke (8-2) over Virginia Tech (5-5), 24-20 17-16
• #21 Marshall (10-0) over Rice (6-4), 35-17 41-14
• #5 TCU (9-1) over Kansas (3-7), 56-14 34-30
• #22 Wisconsin (8-2) over #11 Nebraska (8-2), 34-31 59-24
• #15 Notre Dame (7-3) over Northwestern (4-6), 38-17 43-40 (OT)
• #17 Arizona (8-2) over Washington (6-5), 31-17 27-26
• #25 Utah (7-3) over Stanford (5-5), 31-24 20-17 (OT)
• #12 Michigan State (8-2) over Maryland (6-4), 34-20 37-15
• #7 Arizona State (8-2) over Oregon State (5-5), 31-20 35-27
• #6 Baylor (8-1), BYE
• #23 Colorado State (9-1), BYE
• #13 Kansas State (7-2), BYE
• #3 Oregon (9-1), BYE
• #14 UCLA (8-2), BYE

Week 12 Record: 14-7 (67%)

Season Record: 159-65 (71%)