South Carolina vs. Florida: Game Grades, Analysis for Gamecocks and Gators
The University of South Carolina was able to rally from seven points down late in the fourth quarter to defeat the University of Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The final box score can be found here, thanks to NCAA.com.
South Carolina was able to jump to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. But the Gators responded with 17 unanswered points and looked as if they were going to secure the win in the fourth quarter. But due to special teams miscues, the Gators let the game slip away in overtime and are now eliminated from the SEC East race.
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Here are my game grades and analysis for the Gamecocks and the Gators.
| Passing Offense | B | C+ |
| Running Offense | C | C |
| Passing Defense | B+ | A- |
| Rushing Defense | C- | D+ |
| Special Teams | B | A |
| Coaching | B | A |
Passing Offense
Dylan Thompson started off strong with over 100 passing yards in the first quarter. But the Florida defense made adjustments after that, and Thompson could never get in a rhythm. He finished the game with 206 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, which is not a usual performance from him. But he was going up against a very aggressive Florida defensive line led by Dante Fowler and Bryan Cox Jr. It would have been surprising if he threw for over 270 yards.
Running Offense
It was not a great day for the Gamecocks when it came to the ground game. The team only rushed for 95 yards and averaged 2.5 yards per carry. But Mike Davis did run hard in the limited amount of carries that he got and scored the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Thompson scored the game-winning touchdown off a read option. So despite not racking up the rushing yards, the Gamecocks did score all their touchdowns on the ground.
Passing Defense
The Gamecocks did not have to do a lot when it came to pass defense because the Gators only threw the ball 11 times. Florida quarterback Treon Harris only had 60 passing yards because he was playing with an injured hand. The two things that were good to see were Sharrod Golightly getting half a sack and J.T. Surratt getting a quarterback hurry. The defense has struggled all season long, and getting any pressure on a guy like Harris is not easy to do.
Running Defense
Florida has really gotten the running game going over the last few weeks, and today was no different. The Gators ran for 218 yards, and Harris had about half of them. The Gamecocks did not let Matt Jones or Kelvin Taylor run wild, but the speed of Harris was too much for South Carolina. However, South Carolina was able to tighten things up in overtime, which led to a big win.
Special Teams
Kicker Elliott Fry was 1-of-2 on field-goal attempts, the punting game was solid and the coverage teams did their job. But the special teams get a high grade because they blocked a punt and blocked a field goal to get the team back in the game. It’s rare for a team to get one blocked kick in a game, but two in the same quarter is unheard of. And that’s why coaches preach good play in special teams all the time.
Coaching
Whenever Steve Spurrier wants to win a game badly, he will do whatever it takes to outcoach his opponent. And while the Gators would have won had it not been for the miscues on special teams, Spurrier was able to work his magic late in the fourth quarter and in overtime to win the contest. It has not been a good year for Spurrier, but the win today at his former school makes things a little sweeter moving forward.
| Passing Offense | D | D |
| Running Offense | B | A- |
| Passing Defense | B | B+ |
| Running Defense | A | B |
| Special Teams | B | F |
| Coaching | B | C- |
Passing Offense
Because the Gators like to the run the ball, they are not going to pass the ball 20 times a game. However, only 11 passing attempts won't win a lot of ball games. Harris only threw for 60 yards and was 5-of-11. He was playing with an injured hand, but if the Gators want to win out the rest of the season, Harris will need to be more efficient when throwing the ball downfield.
Running Offense
It was another day at the office for the ground game, as the Gators rushed for 218 yards on 49 carries. Jones and Taylor were solid, but it was Harris that was the workhorse with 111 yards on 20 carries. The ground game could have been more dominant in the fourth quarter. If the Gators would have been able to burn the clock a little more with the ground game, they would have won.
Passing Defense
Credit goes to the Gators defense for not letting Thompson get into a rhythm. Led by Fowler, the Florida defensive line pressured Thompson all game long, and the South Carolina offense was dead until late in the game. Despite the team's record, the defense is one of the better ones in the conference because of how it can get after the quarterback and defend passes.
Running Defense
The run defense was no slouch either, as it allowed the Gamecocks to run for 95 yards. Linebacker Antonio Morrison was all over the place as he recorded 16 tackles, while Neiron Ball was right behind him with nine. The linebackers and the secondary were able to make their reads and not miss tackles at the point of attack. But the one thing they have to get better at is preventing rushing touchdowns, as the Gamecocks scored all three touchdowns on the ground.
Special Teams
It was not a bad day for the special teams—at least for three quarters. But the fourth quarter is what did them in, thanks to the blocked punt and blocked field goal in consecutive tries. Those miscues can’t happen once in a game because they can be very costly. But when two blocked kicks happen in the same quarter, it’s never a good sign. Those two incidents should be an area of focus when the Gators hit the practice field next week.
Coaching
Will Muschamp has been calling great games the last two weeks, and it was the same story against the Gamecocks. But he should have been more aggressive in the play-calling, especially in the fourth quarter. As good as the Gators looked the last two weeks, they looked just as bad in the final stages of this game. And it falls on the coaching staff. Muschamp needs to win out in order to have a chance to be back next year.
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