PHOTO: USA Today Sports
It seemed like any other afternoon in the Swamp as Florida broke out to a 10-0 lead against their FCS opponent, Georgia Southern. But it wouldn't be a normal day for the Gators as they struggled all day to stop the Eagles running game and could not get going offensively.
The result was a shocking 26-20 win for Georgia Southern in which the Eagles ran for 429 yards and beat the Gators in total offense 429-279 despite not completing a pass on the day.
With this loss, the Gators will miss a bowl game for the first time since 1990 when they were ineligible for bowl play.
A few weeks ago, we speculated on who's seat was hotter in the SEC…Will Muschamp or Dan Mullen? One week after getting a vote of confidence from Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, the answer to this question is without a doubt Muschamp.
The bigger question in the wake of this loss is if Muschamp will survive this disaster and coach Florida in 2014. The loss of Florida players to injuries has been well documented but losing to a Georgia Southern team that quite frankly was having an off-year (with loses to Samford, App State, Furman and Wofford) is not going to sit well with the fanbase, the boosters or the administration.
Originally, I thought Muschamp could survive by making Offensive Coordinator Brent Peace the scapegoat. After this stunning development, I don't see Muschamp being retained by Florida after the season. The lasting questions now could be…where will Muschamp land (a return to Georgia or reuniting with Nick Saban as Bama DC- if Todd Granthan is let go and Kirby Smart gets a head coaching gig) and who will try to turn this Gators program around?
