The Georgia Southern Eagles, in their final game at the FCS level before joining the FBS ranks next year, showed they're ready to make the move with a 26-20 upset win over Florida in the Swamp. And Florida coach Will Muschamp, who told fans to "get a grip" after last week's loss to Vanderbilt, will need a grip of his own this week as fan backlash for one of the most embarrassing losses in school history begins to percolate.
You can see the last-minute futility of the Gators offense here:
The Eagles rushed for 429 yards, and none passing, with their triple-option offense, gashing the UF defensive front seven -- the team's strength earlier in the season -- with all three of its weapons: the fullback dive, the quarterback keeper, and the option pitch.
As for Florida's NFL prospects, sophomore linebacker Dante Fowler played well with two tackles for loss among eight stops. But the Gators' vaunted cornerbacks could not effectively close the edge when Georgia Southern pitched the option outside, and its precision cutblocking wiped out the UF front seven. The Eagles sprang rushes of 66, 53 and 45 yards in putting two backs above the 100-yard mark.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread.*