Prior to Saturday’s rivalry game between Florida and Florida State, Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley met with media to express his unwavering support for embattled coach Will Muschamp.
"I have total confidence in coach Muschamp," Foley said. "I've made that very, very clear. You know, gotta fix some things and you know when you have seasons like this, that's what you do. You evaluate, you analyze and you fix things. You don't panic.
"Obviously, it's not acceptable. It's not who we are. It's not what we're about. We're confident we can fix it."
Muschamp has been under fire this season for his underperforming Gators, but that feeling intensified after last week’s loss to FCS opponent Georgia Southern on the Gators’ home field.
[Photos: Week 14 college football highlights]
Florida is 4-7 heading into its season finale, a year after winning 11 games and playing in the Sugar Bowl. There have been a lot of reasons for the downturn, including losing several starters to season-ending injuries.
But Muschamp told ESPN’s College Football Game Day that he wasn’t using those factors as an excuse and said he told his players they needed to do some self-examination after the season and determine whether they wanted to commit to the team.
Foley said Muschamp’s demeanor, confidence and desire to right the ship played a big role in his decision to bring him back for the 2014 season.
"I see him being a leader," Foley said. "I don’t see him walking around right now with a deer-in-the-headlights, woe-is-me look. He just grinds and goes to work every day. He’s been a big-time football coach for a long time.
"He has a plan. You can tell when people in leadership roles and things aren’t going well how they react and learn all about them. When I’m around him, I feel even better."
- - - - - - -
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!Follow @YahooDrSaturday