Brent Pease will take the fall for Florida’s first losing season since 1979.
Will Muschamp fired his offensive coordinator of two seasons on Sunday morning, the Associated Press first reported.
Offensive line coach Tim Davis was also fired Sunday, as first reported by CBS Sports.
“I have a lot of respect for coach Pease and coach Davis,” Muschamp said in a UF release.
“They are both good football coaches and even better people. There have been a lot of unfortunate circumstances this year, but that is part of the game sometimes.”
Pease, who was also quoted in the release, said: “I am grateful for the opportunity to come to the University of Florida and work with a bunch of great coaches, administrative staff and players. I know we came up short of our ultimate goal, but I will carry on knowing I gained valuable friendships and relationships during my time here.”
The firings come on the heels of Florida’s 37-7 loss to No. 2 Florida State on Saturday. Muschamp hinted during his postgame press conference that changes were imminent.
“We need to take a look at ourselves schematically with what we’re doing,” Muschamp said. “There have been some things that have happened that are very difficult to overcome, but schematically, there’s no question we need to take a look at ourselves.”
Athletics director Jeremy Foley also addressed the offense when meeting with reporters to reiterate his support of Muschamp prior to Saturday’s game.
“We’ve got to fix that side of the ball,” Foley said. “I’m not being disrespectful to anybody, but you look at some of the games we’ve lost, we haven’t scored many points. This year or last year or what have you, that has to get fixed. And that’s going to be Will’s responsibility as the head football coach.”
Pease, who was under contract through the 2015 season, said on Nov. 26 that he felt he earned the right to return to the Gators in 2014. When asked if he thought he would return, he replied, “I hope so.”
“You look at the first year and some of the situations and knowing the body of work and not just one, a game-to-game basis and situations we’ve been under. I hope any evaluations are looked at that way,” Pease said Nov. 26. “But, you know, I understand things, too. ... I know you’ve got to win and have success. If it’s not meant to be ... I came into this with friends, and I’m walking out of it with friends.”
In two seasons under Pease’s direction, UF struggled to do much of anything offensively. Florida ranks 114th in total offense this season with 316.7 yards per game — a downgrade from last season’s unit, which ranked 104th.
Numerous injuries to key offensive contributors, including quarterback Jeff Driskel, running back Matt Jones and three starting offensive linemen, helped sink Pease in the Gators’ lowest-scoring season (226 points) since 1986.
The Gators hired Pease in 2012, beating out Nick Saban and Alabama for the services of the six-year Boise State assistant coach.
Pease coached Broncos wide receivers for five seasons before serving as the offensive coordinator for coach Chris Petersen in 2011.
“A little bit more imagination with formations, shifts, motion to create issues for the defense,” Muschamp said in August 2012 of what Pease offered the Gators. “We are getting ready for something we don’t see a lot in our league.”
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan.
Brent Pease parts ways with Florida coach Will Muschamp prior to Florida’s 19-14 loss to South Carolina on Nov. 9 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Pease was fired Sunday afternoon.
