Jim McElwain's No-Nonsense Approach to Penalties Will Help Florida Immediately

Penalties were so prevalent for Florida under Will Muschamp that yellow should have been added to the Gators' traditional orange-and-blue uniforms.

In Muschamp's first three seasons in Gainesville, Florida was the SEC's most penalized team in terms of yardage. If it hadn't been for Muschamp's new employer, Auburn, the Gators would've made it a four-peat last season.

But there's someone new in charge at Florida, and he is making it clear that he won't tolerate the repeated on-field errors of the past.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

According to Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel, Florida head coach Jim McElwain kicked an unnamed defensive lineman out of a scrimmage last Friday night for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Even though the personal foul came in a low-stakes scrimmage instead of a high-intensity SEC game, McElwain used the opportunity to send a strong message to his team.

"We’ve got some behavior that we've got to keep working on," McElwain said, per Thompson. "What are we? The most penalized team in the last five years, six years, whatever it is? I don't know where we sit."

"It's ridiculous."

Notice how McElwain didn't limit his scope of Florida's penalty problems to the Muschamp era. That's because Florida also had the second-most penalty yards in two of Urban Meyer's last three years with the program—including the 2008 national championship season.

Year	Penalties	Yards per Game	Rank in SEC
2008	102	59.9	2nd
2009	95	52.5	4th
2010	101	57.3	2nd
2011	100	59.5	1st
2012	105	68.8	1st
2013	89	59.3	1st
2014	80	59.2	2nd

A high amount of penalties is a deep-rooted issue in the Florida program, and McElwain is on a personal crusade against changing the way the Gators played under Muschamp and even Meyer.

"If they continue to do it, they can continue to do it somewhere else," McElwain said, per Thompson. "I've been around some really good coaches, obviously, and that’s something you don’t see by great football teams. That’s not how they act."

The depth chart situation McElwain inherited at Florida is what it is, for lack of a better phrase. The Gators have some gaps at the moment that could keep them from competing for championships early in McElwain's tenure.

But making an emphasis on lowering the number of penalties could lower the number of losses Florida has this season.

As Thompson wrote on Friday, late-game penalties directly contributed to a pair of defeats for last season's 7-5 team:

"

A defensive holding call against defensive back Brian Poole on 3rd-and-17 kept alive a drive by LSU that eventually led to a touchdown and 20-17 lead during UF's 30-27 loss last Oct. 11 in the Swamp.

A holding penalty on receiver Quinton Dunbar during the fourth quarter against South Carolina erased a 13-yard run by quarterback Treon Harris to the Gamecocks' 6-yard line. Leading 17-10, the Gators eventually settled for a field-goal attempt that was blocked en route to a 23-20 loss in overtime.

Muschamp was fired the next day.

"

Penalties continued to be an issue for the Gators after the announcement of Muschamp's firing. During the second quarter of Florida's regular-season finale against Florida State, defensive lineman Gerald Willis was called for a personal foul after a late shove on Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston.

Winston threw a short touchdown pass to Nick O'Leary several plays later to give Florida State a two-score lead. Willis, who transferred to Miami earlier this year after his dismissal from Florida, received heavy criticism from Muschamp after the game.

"If I was still head coach, he'd be kicked off the team," Muschamp said, per Adam Silverstein of Only Gators. "That's ridiculous."

Florida players have said McElwain put a big emphasis on penalties since his first meetings with his new team.

The head coach knows he can't completely eradicate the flags for the Gators, but he can cut them down—especially the boneheaded personal fouls like the ones from Willis and, most recently, the ejected Florida lineman.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Sophomore defensive back Jalen Tabor discussed McElwain's approach, per Kevin Brockway of Gatorsports.com:

"

There's a line [McElwain] drew. There's a line, then there's being selfish. You made a play, you made a play. Celebrate with your teammates, or not getting all loud, doing dances, getting a flag, personal foul. There’s gonna be some [pass interference], some holdings, you know, aggressive plays, but when you get the false starts, the offsides, the crazy penalties that shouldn't happen.

"

Florida could be in line for a tough 2015 season under McElwain, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

But if his campaign against penalties is successful this fall, the Gators will have chances to reverse some of the frustrating losses they suffered in the last few seasons.

Fewer fouls may mean more opportunities to prove all the doubters wrong.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.