Greg McGarity watched from behind the end zone as the final seconds evaporated in Florida’s stunning loss at Mississippi State.
This was bad, thought McGarity, then an associate athletic director at UF. Seven games into coach Ron Zook’s third season in 2004, the Gators had lost a 14th game and this was the worst of them—as 24-point favorites in Starkville. Before leaving Scott Field, McGarity turned to see his boss, athletic director Jeremy Foley, waving him over.
Still to this day, he remembers Foley’s words. As Mississippi State fans began pouring onto the field to celebrate the shocking result, Foley whispered to McGarity, “I got to make a move.