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Gators begin long climb back up under McElwain

 
Tight end C’yontai Lewis celebrates his 12-yard TD pass from Will Grier in the second quarter as Florida scores its most points in a Gator coach’s debut.
Tight end C’yontai Lewis celebrates his 12-yard TD pass from Will Grier in the second quarter as Florida scores its most points in a Gator coach’s debut.
Published Sept. 6, 2015

GAINESVILLE — There are plenty of reasons not to get too giddy about Florida's 61-13 victory Saturday night to kick off the Jim McElwain era.

First, it came against a tomato can otherwise known as New Mexico State, which I wasn't aware had a football team until they showed up on UF's schedule. And, in case you forgot, Florida won last year's opener 65-0.

But considering what has gone on in Gainesville over the past few years, you can hardly blame Gator Nation for rocking the Swamp, letting out some pent-up frustration and dreaming that happy days are here again.

When we last left Gainesville, it wasn't so great to be a Florida Gator. All programs — even legendary ones such as Penn State and Texas — go through rough patches. Right now, it's the Gators' turn to climb out of the dark valley of mediocrity and back to the top of the hill in college football.

And the Gators believe they have just the man to shine a light and lead the way, a 51-year-old offensive guru from Missoula, Mont. From Pinellas County to Polk, from A1A to I-275, from the Panhandle to the Keys, Gator Nation is hoping McElwain can draw up enough plays to help Florida crawl out of its deepest hole since Galen Hall was pacing the sidelines back in the 1980s.

While Saturday's result against a chew toy such as New Mexico State hardly reveals how far the Gators have come and how far they need to go, the hope of McElwain surely beats the hype of the previous guy.

You remember him. Will Muschamp. In four seasons, Muschamp averaged seven victories and five losses a season. Five? It used to take Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer three seasons to lose that many games.

But that's what you get when you have a defensive coach in a college game that is all about offense. That's what you get when you have a first-time head coach at a big-boy program that demands experience and wisdom.

McElwain brings two things that Muschamp didn't: an offensive playbook and a resume that includes head coaching experience. Now all McElwain needs are playmakers to execute all the fancy plays he conjured up while he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama and the head coach at Colorado State.

Saturday was the first time we got a real look at McElwain's offense. So far, so good, even if it was against a bad team. No coach ever scored more points in his Florida debut. The Gators racked up more than 600 yards of offense.

"I wanted our guys to prove something to themselves," McElwain said.

Saturday also was the first time we got a preview of the dueling quarterback situation with sophomore Treon Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier.

You know the old saying: If you have two quarterbacks, that means you don't have one. Florida hasn't had a reliable quarterback since Tim Tebow, and that as much as anything is why the Gators have struggled so badly the past few years.

Both quarterbacks looked good Saturday. Harris was 14-of-19 for 215 yards and two scores. Grier was 15-of-17 for 164 yards and two scores and, surprisingly, ran for 43 yards. All in all, it's just what UF fans were hoping for from McElwain's passing game. The Gators threw for more yards in the first half (244) than they did in nine games last season.

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"I thought they both did a great job," McElwain said. "The whole team responded great to both of them. … Glad we have both of them."

At some point, you would think McElwain will have to determine which one gives his team the best chance to win. East Carolina comes to Gainesville next week and while the Pirates aren't exactly Alabama or Auburn, they are good enough to win at the Swamp if Florida doesn't have its act together.

After East Carolina, the SEC cranks up for real.

Despite Saturday's positive signs, there are going to be some stutter steps before McElwain gets this program up and running the way Gator fans want it. Muschamp claims he left the Gators' cupboard stocked with talent, but there are serious doubts, especially at the skilled positions.

McElwain's biggest challenge might be calming Florida's faithful when there are hiccups. Gator fans became spoiled under Spurrier and Meyer. They got used to SEC titles and national championships and Heisman Trophies. They got used to watching Florida play on CBS instead of the SEC Network. But that's the way it goes when you become a second-tier team in the conference full of heavyweights.

Saturday was a night of promise, a night to think that maybe good days aren't that far away. There's hope under McElwain. The QBs looked good. Several freshman made an impact. Even if it was against a lousy team, there's already a feeling (expectation?) that UF can eventually move back among the college elite, right alongside the Alabamas and Ohio States.

The thing is, it's going to take a minute or two. Wait until real teams line up on the other side. Right now, it's best to worry about East Carolina. But for right now, there's optimism that the Gators have the right guy in charge of the worrying.