2013 Florida Gators football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
|year = 2013
|team = Florida Gators
|sport = football
|image = Florida Gators script logo.svg
|image_size=150
|conference = Southeastern Conference
|division = Eastern Division
|short_conf = SEC
|CoachRank =
|APRank =
|BCSRank =
|record = 4–8
|conf_record = 3–5
|head_coach = Will Muschamp
|hc_year= 3rd
|off_coach = Brent Pease
|oc_year= 2nd
|def_coach = D. J. Durkin
|dc_year= 1st as coordinator; 4th overall
|off_scheme = Pro-style
|def_scheme = Multiple 4–3
|stadium =Ben Hill Griffin Stadium{{cite web|last1=University of Florida Sports Information Department|title=Florida 2013 Media Guide|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/gatorzone.com/documents/2013/7/8/media_guide.pdf|website=floridagators.com|publisher=University Athletic Association, Inc.|access-date=15 March 2018}}
|champion =
|bowl =
|bowl_result =
|conf_champ=
|conf_champ_result=
}}
{{2013 Southeastern Conference football standings}}
The 2013 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida, campus, and the 2013 season was the Gators' third under head coach Will Muschamp. The Gators finished the season with a 4–8 overall win–loss record and finished 3–5 in the SEC and in fifth place in the SEC Eastern Division. The Gators suffered their first losing season since 1979 and did not play in a bowl game for the first time since 1990, when the program was on NCAA probation.
2013 recap
Following their success in 2012, the Gators were ranked No. 10 in both major polls coming into the 2013 season. They opened with a 24–6 home win over Toledo, then fell 21–16 to in-state rival Miami in a game in which the Gators gained almost twice as many yards as the Hurricanes but committed 5 turnovers, including a crucial late interception in the red zone.
The Gators next beat the SEC rival Tennessee Volunteers at home but lost starting quarterback Jeff Driskel for the rest of the season with a broken leg. Tyler Murphy finished the Tennessee game at quarterback and garnered praise for his play in consecutive wins over Kentucky and Arkansas, at which point the team's record was 4–1.
The offense was held to just two field goals in the next game, a 17–6 loss at No. 10 LSU. This contest would start several negative trends, as the Gators ended the season on a seven-game losing streak in which the offense struggled mightily while major injuries ended the season for a dozen starting players, including Tyler Murphy and defensive leader Dominique Easley.
For the first time since the winless 1979 team, the Gators finished the 2013 season with a losing record. Several other streaks were broken, including 22 consecutive seasons going to a bowl game and a 22-game win streak against Vanderbilt. With a November loss to Georgia Southern, Florida suffered its first-ever defeat to a lower division team[https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/333270057 GSU Recap] and its first loss to a current FCS team since the winless 1946 Gators lost to Villanova.[http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/florida-gators/2013-11-23/story/gators-dismal-season-turns-disastrous-loss-georgia GSU story] The Gator offense was ranked 112th nationally.{{Cite web |date=2013-12-01 |title=Florida fires embattled O-coordinator Pease |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/10063632/florida-gators-fire-embattled-brent-pease |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}
Despite calls from the fanbase to fire Will Muschamp for the team's performance, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley repeated several times that he would remain the Gators head coach through 2014. However, offensive coordinator Brent Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis were fired on the day after the season finale. Muschamp hired Kurt Roper as the new offensive coordinator.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2013/12/26/kurt-roper-florida-gators-offensive-coordinator/4206047/|title=Florida hires Kurt Roper as offensive coordinator|date=26 December 2013|work=USA TODAY}}
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 2013
| poll = AP
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = August 31
| w/l = w
| nonconf = y
| rank = 10
| opponent = Toledo
| site_stadium = Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
| site_cityst = Gainesville, FL
| tv = SECTV
| score = 24–6
| attend = 83,604
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 7
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| rank = 12
| opponent = Miami (FL)
| site_stadium = Sun Life Stadium
| site_cityst = Miami Gardens, FL
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = ESPN
| score = 16–21
| attend = 76,968
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 21
| w/l = w
| rank = 19
| opponent = Tennessee
| site_stadium = Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
| site_cityst = Gainesville, FL
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = CBS
| score = 31–17
| attend = 90,074
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 28
| w/l = w
| away = y
| rank = 20
| opponent = Kentucky
| gamename = rivalry
| site_stadium = Commonwealth Stadium
| site_cityst = Lexington, KY
| tv = ESPNU
| score = 24–7
| attend = 62,076
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 5
| w/l = w
| rank = 18
| opponent = Arkansas
| site_stadium = Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
| site_cityst = Gainesville, FL
| tv = ESPN2
| score = 30–10
| attend = 90,043
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 12
| w/l = l
| away = y
| rank = 17
| opponent = LSU
| opprank = 10
| site_stadium = Tiger Stadium
| site_cityst = Baton Rouge, LA
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = CBS
| score = 6–17
| attend = 92,980
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 19
| w/l = l
| away = y
| rank = 22
| opponent = Missouri
| opprank = 14
| site_stadium = Faurot Field
| site_cityst = Columbia, MO
| tv = SECTV
| score = 17–36
| attend = 67,124
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 2
| w/l = l
| neutral = y
| rank =
| opponent = Georgia
| site_stadium = EverBank Field
| site_cityst = Jacksonville, FL
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = CBS
| score = 20–23
| attend = 84,693
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 9
| w/l = l
| homecoming = y
| rank =
| opponent = Vanderbilt
| site_stadium = Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
| site_cityst = Gainesville, FL
| score = 17–34
| attend = 88,004
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 16
| w/l = l
| away = y
| rank =
| opponent = South Carolina
| opprank = 11
| site_stadium = Williams-Brice Stadium
| site_cityst = Columbia, SC
| tv = ESPN2
| score = 14–19
| attend = 83,853
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 23
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| rank =
| opponent = Georgia Southern
| site_stadium = Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
| site_cityst = Gainesville, FL
| tv = PPV
| score = 20–26
| attend = 82,459
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 30
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| rank =
| opponent = Florida State
| opprank = 2
| site_stadium = Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
| site_cityst = Gainesville, FL
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = ESPN
| score = 7–37
| attend = 90,454
}}
}}
Rankings
{{See also|2013 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings}}
The Gators fell out of the AP Top 25 on October 20 for the first time since the final rankings of the 2011 season, when they won the Gator Bowl, following their third loss of the season to Missouri on October 19.
{{NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
| finalpollweek = 16 | harrisfirstweek = 7 | bcsfirstweek = 8
| AP_pre = 10
| coaches_pre = 10
| AP_1= 12
| coaches_1 = 9
| AP_2 = 18
| coaches_2 = 20
| AP_3 = 19
| coaches_3 = 18
| AP_4 = 20
| coaches_4 = 19
| AP_5= 18
| coaches_5 = 19
| AP_6 = 17
| coaches_6 = 17
| AP_7 = 22
| coaches_7 = 22
| harris_7 = 21
| AP_8 = RV
| coaches_8 = RV
| harris_8 = RV
| bcs_8 = NR
| AP_9 = RV
| coaches_9 = RV
| harris_9 = RV
| bcs_9 = NR
| AP_10 = NR
| coaches_10 = NR
| harris_10 = NR
| bcs_10 = NR
| AP_11 = NR
| coaches_11 = NR
| harris_11 = NR
| bcs_11 = NR
| AP_12 = NR
| coaches_12 = NR
| harris_12 = NR
| bcs_12 = NR
| AP_13 = NR
| coaches_13 = NR
| harris_13 = NR
| bcs_13 = NR
| AP_14 = NR
| coaches_14 = NR
| harris_14 = NR
| bcs_14 = NR
| AP_15 = NR
| coaches_15 = NR
| harris_15 = NR
| bcs_15 = NR
| AP_16 =NR
| coaches_16 =NR
}}
Roster
| class="toccolours" style="text-align: left;" |
| colspan="9" style="background-color: #0021A5; color: white; text-align: center;border:2px solid #FF4A00;" | 2013 Florida Gators roster |
| style="font-size: 95%;" valign="top" |
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Full backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|width="25"| |valign="top" style="font-size: 95%;"| Offensive line
Defensive Line (NT)(DT)
Defensive Line (DE)
|width="25"| |valign="top" style="font-size: 95%;"| Buck
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Safety
| style="width: 25px;" | | style="font-size: 95%;" valign="top" | Punters
Kickers
Long snappers
|
Coaching staff
| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Current responsibilities !! Joined staff | ||
| align="center" | Head coach | 2011 |
| align="center" | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks | 2012 |
| align="center" | Defensive coordinator/linebackers | 2010 |
| align="center" | Assistant head coach, outside linebackers/special teams | 2013 |
| align="center" | Wide receivers/recruiting coordinator | 2013 |
| align="center" | Assistant head coach/defensive line | 2013 |
| align="center" | Offensive line/running game coordinator | 2012 |
| align="center" | Defensive backs | 2011 |
| align="center" | Running backs | 2009 |
| align="center"
|Derek Lewis | Tight ends | 2011 |
| align="center" |
Players drafted into the NFL
{{see also|2014 NFL draft}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Florida Gators| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club}} | ||||
| 1 | 29 | Dominique Easley | DT | New England Patriots |
| 4 | 101 | Jaylen Watkins | CB | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 5 | 169 | Ronald Powell | OLB | New Orleans Saints |
| 6 | 179 | Jon Halapio | G | New England Patriots |