Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain lauds team’s resilience

Following No. 13 Florida’s 35-28 loss at No. 5 LSU, Gators coach Jim McElwain stood outside the tunnel in Tiger Stadium and embraced each player as they ran off the field.

Although UF (6-1, 4-1 SEC) saw its win streak end at six, McElwain was proud of his team’s effort, overcoming two 14-point deficits and a litany of distractions earlier in the week.

“This Gator football team is a good football team, too,” McElwain said afterward. “Don’t forget. They handled themselves in a great way. They got down, gave up the late one at the half and then battled back and tied it up.”

Florida has two weeks to prepare for Georgia, and a win over the Bulldogs (5-2, 3-2 SEC) on Halloween would essentially clinch the Eastern Division title.

At Colorado State, McElwain was 2-1 coming off an idle date.

MIDSEASON ACCOLADES

ESPN.com and CBSSports.com named cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III a first-team All-American in its midseason selections Tuesday. The junior is a coveted 2016 NFL Draft prospect and leads Florida with three interceptions.

Hargreaves arguably hasn’t been the best cornerback on his own team, though. Former five-star prospect Jalen Tabor, now a sophomore, has two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns, and ranks second in the conference in passes defended (eight).

Meanwhile, junior punter Johnny Townsend was named to ESPN.com’s midseason All-SEC team.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain lauds team’s resilience."