UF and OSU battle to avoid losing season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a year in which the term “winning” gained fame thanks to actor Charlie Sheen’s colorful rumblings, the Gators fit right in by reeling off four consecutive wins to open head coach Will Muschamp’s first season.

They were cruising along and hanging with No. 2-ranked Alabama late in the first half when fifth-year senior quarterback John Brantley suffered a serious ankle injury that cost him two games and any momentum the Gators had gained from their fast start. Florida struggled down the stretch to win two of its final eight regular-season games.

A few hundred miles north in Columbus, Ohio, there was little momentum to be had, leaving only a tradition-rich program engulfed in an off-the-field controversy that cost popular coach Jim Tressel his job.

Florida and Ohio State, two programs that have known only winning for most of the past three decades — the Gators defeated the Buckeyes in the BCS national championship game five years ago — face off Monday afternoon in the Gator Bowl to much less fanfare.

But plenty remains at stake.

Both Florida and Ohio State enter with 6-6 records and the desire to avoid a rare — really rare in this case — losing season.

“Nobody wants to have a losing season,’’ Gators receiver Andre Debose said.

“It’s disappointing obviously,’’ Florida coach Will Muschamp said of the prospect. “It’s not something we want to have happen. I certainly know these players, and myself, and us as a staff don’t want to be saddled with that.

“Is that a motivating factor? Certainly. It should be.”

Ever since the bowl matchup was announced and former Gators coach Urban Meyer was named to replace Luke Fickell after the Gator Bowl, the game has received perhaps the most attention of any bowl game in history between a pair of teams with .500 records.

The Meyer factor certainly plays a huge role, but so does the history of the programs. Florida has finished with a winning record for 23 consecutive seasons and has 31 consecutive non-losing seasons. Ohio State hasn’t had a losing season since 1988, a streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons.

Something has to give on Monday afternoon at EverBank Field. That specter has helped fuel the Gators during their preparation for the Buckeyes. Florida held some of its most physical practices of the season over the past month, driven in part by the goal of avoiding becoming the first Florida team with a losing record since the 0-10-1 record of 1979 in Charley Pell’s first season.

“This is a building block right now for the future of our program,’’ Gators senior defensive tackle Jaye Howard said. “It’s going to be an important game. We have to go out and get this win, not just for our senior class, but for our program as a whole.’’

During a team meeting early in preparation for Monday’s game, Muschamp mentioned Florida’s winning history to his young team as a reminder.

With Brantley as healthy as he has been since being injured against Alabama, and a month to prepare for the Buckeyes and to continue to teach, Muschamp is pleased with the way the Gators have responded since a 21-7 home loss to Florida State in the regular-season finale.

“I’m really excited about our preparation for Ohio State,’’ Muschamp said. “The guys have done what we’ve asked of them and have been committed to doing it the right way. We’re not building a team, we’re building a program.’’

For Fickell, a former Ohio State defensive lineman who took over the Buckeyes on an interim basis when Tressel departed, this week has been an emotional one.

While Muschamp is working toward the future, Fickell knows his future as Ohio State’s coach ends sometime late Monday afternoon at EverBank Field. He has remained a positive presence for his team under the difficult circumstances.

“The season hasn’t turned out the way we had hoped, but that hasn’t affected the way we approach our jobs,’’ Fickell said. “It was a growing process for all of us.’’

With Meyer’s arrival boosting the outlook in Columbus, a roster loaded with freshmen and sophomores provides Florida fans with something to rally around. The Gators opened the season with the fewest scholarship seniors on the roster in 31 years, the season after their last losing campaign.

The situation today is not nearly as bleak as then, but it might provide Muschamp with another history lesson someday. The Gators went from 0-10-1 in 1979 to 8-4 in 1980, one of the biggest one-season turnarounds in major college football history.

One of the building blocks Muschamp is counting on next season is defensive tackle Omar Hunter, who is closing out his junior season with his best practices of the season, according to the coaches.

Win or lose Monday, Hunter sees a Gators team on the verge of returning to the top of the SEC real soon.

“There are ups and downs,’’ Hunter said. “Some programs have to start over. I think that’s what these two programs have done. Us with the new coach, and they are going through a coaching transition right now. Both of these programs are going to be back.

“We’ve just got to keep coming together. Guys have to grow up. Guys like myself have to step up and be better leaders, better than we were this year.’’

That is the kind of attitude Muschamp wants to hear. If the attitude equals production on the field, the Gators should have a winning record clinched long before future bowl games.

“Playing well and putting that uniform on — whether you are a senior for the last time or as we move forward with our young players — playing well and winning the game that ought to be your motivation too regardless of the external circumstances,’’ Muschamp said.