Nobody needed a new month like the Florida Gators.
Florida went 0-for-September and looked anemic in doing so, scoring just one offensive touchdown in each of its losses to South Florida, LSU and Miami.
On the first Saturday of October, however, the Gators were suddenly highly entertaining in a 29-21 upset of No. 9 Texas in the Swamp. Florida racked up 457 yards while holding the Longhorns to 341, with the Gators overwhelming their guests 159-52 in rushing yardage.
“That’s the football team we thought we had in the very beginning,” embattled Florida fourth-year coach Billy Napier said in a news conference afterward. “The challenge will be how we handle this. We’ve got to wake up in the morning and wash all this off. The same people who have been talking bad about you are going to be talking good about you, and can you handle that?
“The challenge in sports is to be consistent, process-oriented and be motivated by the right things. That was a good team we faced, but every team is going to be a challenge.”