It is often said that around 90 percent of an iceberg’s mass is below the surface.
The same can be said of Florida’s season so far.
Despite everything the team has gone through publicly, many goals still remain attainable.
After two victories against Georgia and Vanderbilt, the hope is that the corner is turned for UF, that everything from here shows sevens and that things outside of their control fall into place.
If they do, the Gators could be in Atlanta for the Southeastern Conference Championship game.
And with exceptional play, Florida could also register a victory over a consensus College Football Playoff entrant in Florida State.
Former starting quarterback Jeff Driskel said the last two victories have been vindicating, after a rash of negativity following an embarrassing performance against Missouri.
"Yeah, there was a lot of negative press going around our program. That’s something you have to deal with playing at a big program like the University of Florida. I don’t think we let it get to us," Driskel said. "We didn’t read much into it, we just kept doing what we were doing. I think we were preparing well, even before the bye week. We just continued staying the course and made plays in these past two games as a team."
Florida is gunning for a third victory in a row this weekend against South Carolina, with a plan to "take back The Swamp" against former Gators coach Steve Spurrier, the man that coined the nickname for the stadium.
Current coach Will Muschamp has taken an extra step beyond preaching home field advantage though. To promote a fast start for the noon kickoff the grounds crew painted "12:01" in the north endzone of the Florida’s practice field, to keep the game time in their minds every time they score.
"It’s just kind of a reminder it’s an early game it’s an early turnaround after meeting in the hotel," cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III said. "He does it a lot, it’s not the first time he’s done it, we understand we’ve gotta get going early.
"It’s the same thing as any other team. Every game’s important you gotta try to win out especially us, we dropped a few in the beginning we felt like we could get back but other than that we just gotta win out."
Although the mission is still to win out, they’re taking it one game at a time, focusing on the next opponent. South Carolina is fifth in the conference in pass attempts and second in average yards gained through the air.
The Gamecocks are also fifth in total offense and are led by quarterback Dylan Thompson, who averages the second most yards passing per game in the SEC.
"He’s a great player, he can make plays," Hargreaves said. "Throwing the ball he has great receivers, it’s always tough to stop a good quarterback."
If Florida can’t prove up to the task of stopping the Gamecocks, a season will be sunk and Florida’s iceberg will have to endure a cold offseason up ahead.
Follow Richard Johnson on Twitter @RagjUF
Florida players celebrate following the Gators' 34-10 win against Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee.
