GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jim McElwain was all smiles Saturday night in The Swamp. His Gators had just taken down No. 3 Ole Miss, and you could see a little of the kid who grew up in Montana as he took in the atmosphere at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during his postgame interview.

“First and foremost, what a great environment,” McElwain said as he looked around. “We’ve just got to enjoy this. This is pretty cool.”

The first-year coach seemed in awe, not of his team’s performance, but rather of the crowd and that moment. Florida had just knocked off a Top-5 opponent for the first time since 2009, and they did it at home in front of over 90,000 fans.

Then the sideline reporter asked a question that he probably knew was coming.

People are going to say Florida is back. What is your response?

“Boy, I don’t know,” McElwain said. “Can I enjoy this one for a little bit? I don’t know if we’re going to be back, but we’ll show up.”

The question was valid. The Gators are 5-0 and undefeated in conference play. On Sunday, they jumped from No. 25 to No. 11 in the AP poll.

And it wasn’t like they needed two touchdowns in the final five minutes to win like they did the week before. They were dominant in all three phases of their 38-10 win over Ole Miss.

Quarterback Will Grier was spectacular, throwing four touchdowns in the first half. The offense line held up against a stout Rebels’ front seven. And the defense, which has been solid all season, held Ole Miss scoreless in the first half and forced four turnovers on the night.

History is on Florida’s side, too. Three of the previous four seasons the Gators have defeated a Top-3 team by more than 10 points, it went on to claim the national championship (1996, 2006 and 2008).

But McElwain was quick to turn the focus. He doesn’t want to go there. Not yet.

"Here’s what’s going to be next," he said. "Are these guys for real and blah, blah, blah and all this kind of stuff. I get it. I’ve been there."

The response should come as no surprise. This is the same coach who rarely praises individual players. When they have a good game or make a play, he downplays it, saying it’s expected. They’re just doing their job, he says.

So when it comes to calling Florida a national contender again, don’t expect McElwain to take the bait. He’s trained his players not to take the bait either.

“I couldn’t tell you that,” Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis said. “That’s up to everybody else outside our locker room. In our locker room, we know who we are. We know exactly who we are. We know exactly who we’re going to be.

“At the end of the game I told them, ‘we’ve got to stay humble and hungry.’ People doubted us before this game. I don’t know if they’re going to doubt us ever again after this game. But it doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is those guys in there, and that we come out to practice every week, work our asses off, and make sure we come out on Saturdays ready to set the tone and make a point to anybody.”

That’s the next question. Now that Florida is 5-0 and beginning to receive a little national attention, how will they handle it? How will they handle success when they go to Missouri next week for their fourth SEC game in as many weeks?

“We’ll find out,” McElwain said. “It’s new. And yet, I’m kind of excited about it. Aren’t you? It gives you something to cover anyway. I think that’s a good thing.”

A few more wins like Saturday, and Florida can expect a lot more coverage.