Saturday’s game gave coach Jim McElwain his foundation for building the Florida football program back to prominence.
In just five short games, McElwain has already made his mark in Gainesville.
The Gators’ 38-10 win against then-No. 3 Ole Miss is the type of victory that becomes the building block for a coaching regime.
Nobody gave UF a shot against a vaunted Rebels team that has one of the top defensive prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft in Robert Nkemdiche, and that went into Tuscaloosa two weeks ago and beat Nick Saban’s then-No. 2 Alabama team 43-37.
It was a program-changing win because not only did Florida beat Ole Miss — the Gators dismantled the Rebels.
In the process, UF made a statement to not just the rest of the Southeastern Conference, but the entire country.
"People doubted us before this game. I don’t know if they’re going to doubt us ever again after this game, but it doesn’t matter to me," linebacker Jarrad Davis said.
McElwain has built trust with the players on the team that is essential for any winning program.
And he’s built that trust with most of the players on the team being recruited by previous head coach Will Muschamp.
"What I’ll say about that is every single one of us is behind coach Mac and what he’s doing. He’s done a great job," quarterback Will Grier said.
"We love him and we’ve come together as a family — all the way around."
The win over the Rebels is one that goes beyond the win-loss column.
The perception around the program the last two years under Muschamp was one of pessimism after a disastrous 4-8 season in 2013 and a disappointing 7-5 season last year.
But right at this very moment, there is a lot of optimism and rightfully so.
The atmosphere was electric in Gainesville on Saturday and most importantly, recruits had a chance to see the type of impact McElwain has made on the program.
Senior defensive lineman Jon Bullard said the win will go a long way for the program.
"I think this was big for us, big for recruiting, big for everything," Bullard said.
"It’s just a big win and when you win big games that nobody expects you to of course you’re going to pull eyes from different areas and start getting a little bit more praise than we were."
It took McElwain until just his fifth game to lay the foundation for the rest of his coaching tenure, no matter how long it will last.
Now, with the Gators ranked 11th in the country — their highest ranking since August 2013 — the noise and the hype will pick up and the question will start to be asked: Is Florida a legit national contender now?
It's a question worth asking, but it's one without a definitive answer.
All Florida can do is continue winning ball games.
"Every opportunity you have in life, go take advantage of it," McElwain said.
"And sometimes it doesn’t always turn out the way you want it. But there’s no reason not to think you shouldn’t be successful."
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UF coach Jim McElwain speaks to ESPN's Holly Rowe following Florida's 38-10 win against Ole Miss on Sept. 3, 2015, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
