Fansided

Jim McElwain flipped his s–t on Kelvin Taylor after unsportsmanlike conduct penalty

ByJonathan Bass|
Sep 12, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain reacts against the East Carolina Pirates during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain reacts against the East Carolina Pirates during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jim McElwain erupted on Kelvin Taylor following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

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Saturday night’s game was a rather pathetic effort for the Florida Gators. The team came out flat, the offense looked out of rhythm, the defense was noticeably missing Vernon Hargreaves III, and special teams were abysmal. It took nearly three full quarters for the Gators to gain a double-digit lead over ECU, and three-and-a-half quarters to finally pull away from the Pirates. The proverbial nail in the coffin came on a seven-yard touchdown run by Kelvin Taylor, one that the junior tailback punctuated with a throat slash.

Taylor’s gesture earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and prevented the Gators from definitively shutting the door on the Pirates. Following the penalty, first-year Gators coach Jim McElwain was incensed. He gathered the offense and absolutely laid in to Taylor for the boneheaded move. When Taylor dropped his head mid-scolding, the irate coach screamed at the back to take his punishment like a man.

Below is a fan-made video of McElwain’s tirade, taken from the stands of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

(Warning: NSFW language)

Here’s a zoomed in look at Mac’s explosion.

Following the game – a 31-24 Florida victory – McElwain was still incredibly heated about his team’s lackluster performance and gave a terse postgame presser.

The fire out of McElwain shows a slightly different side to the folksy coach who has mainly parried and thrusted his way through preseason interviews. For the majority of his time, McElwain’s attitude has been sharply different from his predecessor, Will Muschamp. Whereas Coach Boom’s intensity never wavered – in practice, the locker room, press conferences, on the sidelines – Coach Mac has largely appeared a cool customer. Saturday’s outburst shows that McElwain has a short fuze when it comes to foolish, selfish penalties. He may not always leave the floodgates open like Muschamp, but when he does go in the red, it’s electric.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the tie that binds both McElwain and Muschamp’s fury is Taylor. The son of Florida legend Fred Taylor, Kelvin was perennially in Muschamp’s doghouse during his first two seasons. Even when the back was performing well, he would often be conspicuously removed from a game. During Muschamp’s tenure it was always a head-scratcher among fans. McElwain’s outburst may have illustrated something more systemic, however.

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