Unlike the Gator’s 38-10 upset over Ole Miss, and the 27-3 defeat over Georgia, the Nov. 7 win against Vanderbilt was not so pretty. In fact, the Gators showed very little promise of sealing the SEC East title until the fourth quarter. Florida (9-1) finally got a kick through the goal posts with about three minutes left in the game after Commodores running back Ralph Webb, a Gainesville native, ran for a 74-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, putting Vanderbilt ahead 7-6.
New Florida kicker addition Austin Hardin had players, coaches, and fans biting their nails as he set up for the 43-yard SEC Championship clinching kick.
“I had 100 percent confidence in Austin making that kick,” said quarterback Treon Harris.
“I put a towel over my head,” said DL Alex McCalister. The homecoming game audience boomed with cheers as the kick flew into the net.
While proud of his team’s accomplishments, head coach of the Florida Gators Jim McElwain knows it was a bumpy road to get where they are.
“Let’s face it... we stole one,” said McElwain. “Calvin [Long, McElwain’s escort from the Florida Highway Patrol] is probably going to arrest me on the way out the door. I don’t blame him.”
Even though the game was not attractive in it of itself, the outcome is. The now eighth ranked Florida Gators will compete in the 2015 SEC Championship for the first time since 2009.
The big game is set for Dec. 5 in Atlanta against -- we don’t know who, yet. It all depends on the upcoming Saturday. Ole Miss could possibly come back into the mix after beating LSU this weekend in Oxford, Miss. However, Alabama is heavily forecasted to meet the Gators in Atlanta. Unless the Auburn Tigers pull a major upset against Alabama in the Iron Bowl, the field is set for the 2015 SEC Championship Game as Alabama is only one win away from taking the West.
While the next couple weeks revolve around rivalries, NCAA college football rankings, and bowl positioning, one thing is for sure. Despite Florida’s second sloppy win of the season against the FAU Owls, the Gators have wrapped up the SEC East title and will be heading to Atlanta after one more home game against the notorious FSU Seminoles.
Coach McElwain chooses to focus on upcoming practices and preparing for the SEC Championship game rather than dwell on the messy 7-6 win over Vanderbilt, and barely beating huge underdog FAU this past Saturday.
“When you’re on a championship run, sometimes there are games like this -- and champions figure out ways to win them,” said McElwain. “It was a group of guys who gave everything they had for this university and the state of Florida to win that ballgame. That tells something about who they are.”
