5-1 Gators come to Jax controlling their own destiny

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By virtue of a win over Missouri last Saturday and Tennessee’s loss to Alabama, the University of Florida now controls its own destiny in the SEC East.

Win out, and they will be the Eastern division representative in the SEC Championship game. To win out, Florida will have to beat Georgia in Jacksonville, win at Arkansas, beat South Carolina in the swamp, and of course now win in Baton Rouge in the hurricane makeup game Nov. 19.

“You know what, we’re 5-1. Last time I checked, that’s leading the East. And our guys are excited about it. We’ve been given a breath of life, though some things that have transpired through it without our control. And now go take advantage of it, right? And here’s what’s fun, these young guys don’t know. They’re getting a lot of playing time and they’re going, 'I’m looking forward to practice,'” said Gators head coach Jim McElwain.

McElwain knows if the Gators are going to pile up some wins and get to Atlanta, quarterback Luke Del Rio will have to play better. He threw three interceptions against Missouri and it could have been worse.

"I think the biggest thing is don't try to do too much. He took the plan, he knew the plan and yet he got himself into trouble. I don't know, I like to refer to it sometimes when you're playing that position as seeing ghosts rather than just taking what's real and doing it. And I think he saw that when he watched the video. He was down on himself, and yet he shouldn't be that down.”

For now, getting the passing game on track and getting the offense going will be this team’s challenge. It’s a little bit easier when the team is 5-1 heading to Jacksonville.

Cox Media Group