GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- For the first time in a while, Florida coach Jim McElwain trudged to his postgame news conference Saturday night with dejection on his face and heavy frustration in his voice. Moments before, he watched his 10-win team get dragged through the Swamp during a 27-2 loss to arch-rival Florida State.
Even an improbable double-digit win total and a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game this couldn't lighten the mood for Florida's first-year coach after watching his regressing offense get shut down. If not for a safety in the fourth quarter, the Gators would have suffered their first shutout since 1988.