Florida Gators’ goal is to win out

After stunningly smoking then-No.9 Georgia 38-13 on Saturday, Florida — galvanized and confident — has a singular goal the rest of the season: To win out.

The Gators (4-3, 3-3 SEC) visit Vanderbilt on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network), aiming to duplicate their “us-against-the-world” performance and save embattled coach Will Muschamp’s job.

“Our mentality is ‘five straight.’ Let’s win out and get the best record as possible,” senior center Max Garcia said.

“We’re going on a positive slope now. We’re not worried about disappointing anyone. We’re going to compete with confidence because we’re all we have to play for, each other.”

Following such an inexplicable upset, Muschamp isn’t worried about a letdown, though, saying, “We don’t have anything to be overconfident about.”

He added, “We need to form some consistency in what we’re doing. … There’s no question we needed a win like that over a good football team. That ought to breed some confidence in what we’re trying to do.”

THIS AND THAT

The Florida-South Carolina showdown on Nov.15 will kick off at noon on the SEC Network. The Gamecocks return to The Swamp for the first time since a 44-11 loss in 2012. … Senior offensive guard Trenton Brown (knee bone bruise) and sophomore safety Keanu Neal (high-ankle sprain) will miss the Vanderbilt game. Both starters were injured in UF’s upset win over Georgia. Freshman defensive end Gerald Willis, who did not make the trip to Jacksonville, is questionable Saturday with an ankle injury. … Sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III was named one of 20 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player. UF’s preseason All-American leads the team with 10 pass breakups, while also notching an interception and forced fumble.

This story was originally published November 3, 2014 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Florida Gators’ goal is to win out."