Florida’s early success under Jim McElwain carrying over to recruiting

Ohio State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) has won 22 straight overall and 29 consecutive regular-season Big Ten games – the latter accomplishment ties the conference record set by the Florida State teams in the ACC from 1992-95.

The defense kept UF in the game, then the offense and Hardin found a way to win it in the final minutes, making the Gators champions of the East.

1 Victory for Vanderbilt in its past 24 meetings with Florida.

Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason encourages his team during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, November 7, 2015, in Gainesville, Fla. Before the Missoula native joined family and friends to toast a division championship, McElwain wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

McElwain eventually would join the celebration, maybe even have a Coors Light or two.

Not many offensive clips from their four-turnover mess will make the 2015 highlight reel for the 11th-ranked Gators (8-1, 6-1 SEC), but for as bad as Florida’s schizophrenic offense was, the outcome was outstanding for a team that didn’t seem capable of being in this position.

Cook rushed for 194 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown on Florida State’s second play of the game but was thwarted on a fourth-and-1 with 6:30 left in the game at Clemson’s 39-yard line.

Even before Steve Spurrier announced his resignation, South Carolina’s season had been in a bit of a slump.

Good thing for Florida. It was an important win, but it wasn’t pretty.

Florida quarterback Treon Harris is a backyard baller. Florida’s football team slowly jogged to its band and student section, a few helmets held high. Over the next two weeks, Florida will face SC (90th nationally in total defense) and Florida Atlantic (87th nationally in total defense).

“I told you, did I not, how good they are?”

But tougher matchups likely await.

“This is just a prime example of how the rest of our games are going to be this season”, linebacker Jarrad Davis said.

Five-star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, five-star outside linebacker Lyndell “Mack” Wilson, five-star wide receiver Nate Craig-Meyers and four-star wide receivers Binjimen Victor and Tre Nixon are among the recruits believed to be considering Florida as their college destinations. Here’s what we saw and came across during Florida’s SEC East title-clinching 9-7 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during homecoming weekend.

“We stole this one”, Harris said.

He entered the game with one turnover this season, but he made two against Vanderbilt. After posting a season-low passer rating of 97, Harris wore an ice pack on his right forearm due to the beating he took.

It’s Wednesday morning which means the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night.

“My O-line can get better”, Harris said. “Everybody has to work hard”. But, it still provided enough drama to keep interest throughout the contest before the Gators captured the victory.

Fans have short memories, though.

The real issue now for Florida becomes dealing with expectations, which certainly died on the vine for most of these players during the Will Muschamp era. “I think that the success they’re having is really catching a lot of eyes and I think it’s going to continue to help them out as they go into December and January when recruiting really heats up”, Alderman says.