Florida Football: Win over Texas A&M Shows Will Muschamp Is Right for the Job

After last season's 7-6 campaign, culminating in the all-mediocre Gator Bowl, some questioned whether Florida head coach Will Muschamp was the right man for the job.

That question was answered on Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas.

It wasn't the prettiest game in the world, but Muschamp's Gators showed a lot of fight in their 20-17 win over Texas A&M.

Florida's stingy defense got punched in the mouth early by Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and the amped up Aggie offense, which jumped out to a 17-7 lead with 7:01 to play in the second quarter.

It wouldn't score again, as Florida's defense settled down, stayed disciplined and allowed just 49 second-half yards. That stingy defense allowed Jeff Driskel and running back Mike Gillislee to get into rhythm during the second half.

It wasn't rhythm that would make Earth, Wind & Fire take notice, but it'll do.

You win in the SEC by running the ball and playing defense, and the Gators did that quite well this Week 2 victory. 

These aren't the same Gators that ran up and down the field under former head coach Urban Meyer, but that doesn't mean they won't be as successful. 

Muschamp inherited a mess left over from Meyer, and while last season's mediocrity wasn't ideal, the rebuilding process does take time.

It's expedited when you're able to make the proper halftime adjustments on defense and control the tempo with a solid running game.

Muschamp's ability as a head coach is still relatively unknown, but he already solved his biggest problem by naming Gillislee his unquestioned starter at running back. 

Now he's gone on the road with an unproven quarterback, been punched in the mouth and successfully punched back.

That's the persona of Muschamp. It's also a good sign for the future of the Gators program.

Follow @BarrettSallee