GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Despite trying three coordinators and five quarterbacks, Will Muschamp never figured out one side of the ball at Florida.
And it cost him his job.
The Gators parted ways with Muschamp on Sunday, one day after a gut-wrenching loss to South Carolina that summed up the former defensive coordinator's four-year tenure as head coach.
Muschamp's close-to-the-vest style proved to be too conservative and too unsuccessful for a school with three national champions, eight Southeastern Conference titles and sky-high expectations.
Muschamp, who cleaned up a troubled program and made Florida one of the best defensive teams in the SEC, will stick around for the final two regular-season games against Eastern Kentucky and Florida State. He is 27-20, including 17-15 in conference play, in three-plus seasons in Gainesville.
"Upon evaluation of our football program, we are not where the program needs to be and should be," athletic director Jeremy Foley said in a statement. "I've always said that our goal at the University of Florida is to compete for championships on a regular basis. ... I will be forever grateful to Will and his staff for their unwavering commitment to the University of Florida and the mission of our athletic program."
The decision came less than 24 hours after a 23-20 loss to South Carolina in overtime. It was Florida's sixth defeat in its last eight games in Gainesville.
The last two were debacles that sealed Muschamp's fate, making the guy nicknamed "Coach Boom" a bust at Florida.
"I was given every opportunity to get it done here and I simply didn't win enough games - that is the bottom line," Muschamp said in a statement. "I have no bitter feelings, but this is a business and I wish we would have produced better results on the field. We have a great group of players and a staff that is committed to this University and this football program. They have handled themselves with class and I expect them to continue to do so.
"As I've said many times, life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond."
The Gators didn't respond well enough, especially in their last two home games.