South Carolina traveled to Gainesville on Saturday night and defeated Florida 36-14.
Breaking it Down…1st Quarter…South Carolina won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Andre DeBose fielded the kick at the one yard line and returned the ball 99 yards for the touchdown. Trailing 7-0, USC took over at their own 40 after Florida sent the kickoff out of bounds. The Gamecocks managed to move the ball into Gator territory before stalling at the 31. Spencer Lanning nailed the 49 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Florida didn’t gain any yards on their next drive and had to punt. South Carolina started at their own 34 yard line. The Gamecocks went to work quickly, and after gains of 14, 12, 13 and 7 yards scored to take the lead. Spencer Lanning bounced the extra point off the left upright to leave the score 9-7. On the Gators next possession they managed a first down on their first play, but were unable to advance any further and had to punt again. The Gamecocks, pinned at their own 5 yard line, ran for back to back first downs to move the ball out to the 27 as the quarter ended.
2nd Quarter…USC couldn’t sustain their drive and had to punt. After picking up a first down Florida punted the ball back. The Gamecocks offense was once again able to move the ball and picked up 3 first downs and moved the ball to the Florida 29 yard line. From there Spencer Lanning’s field goal was good to extend the USC lead to 12-7. Florida’s offense didn’t improve any on its next drive, and the Gators were again forced to punt. South Carolina seemed to be trying to run the clock out when they took possession at their 32 yard line with 3:19 remaining. The Gamecocks started picking up first downs, though, and ended up at the Florida 23 yard line with 6 second left. Spencer Lanning made his third field goal of the half from 41 to give USC a 15-7 lead at the half.
3rd Quarter…South Carolina received the second half kick and re-established the run. On an 8 play drive the Gamecocks ran the ball 6 times. Lattimore ended the drive with back to back runs of 18 and 21 yards to put the Gamecocks up 22-7. Continuing a theme from the first half, Florida went three and out. South Carolina picked up two first downs before punting the ball. Florida completed its first pass for 17 yards on its next possession. The Gator drive stalled and came to an end when they elected to go for it on fourth down at their own 46. Jordan Reed was unable to gain the first down on fourth and one, and the Gamecocks took over in Florida territory. The Gamecocks ran the ball three times and punted. Stephon Gilmore then intercepted John Brantley’s pass on the second play of the drive when it was deflected. On the last play of the third quarter Marcus Lattimore rushed for 18 yards for a first down at the Florida 10.
4th Quarter…The Gamecocks were unable to run the ball in on the first two downs and faced third down from the 8. Stephen Garcia kept the ball himself and bowled over Florida safety Will HIll at the goal line to score. Leading 29-7 South Carolina kicked off. Florida returned the kick to the 40 and then got two quick first downs to set them up at the Gamecock 15. The anemic Gator offense was unable to do anything, and a large potion of the Florida fanbase left when Devin Taylor sacked John Brantley on fourth down. South Carolina took over and tried to run some time off the clock. Florida stacked the box and stuffed the Gamecock running game. On their ensuing possession the Gators took advantage of the soft South Carolina coverage and moved the ball down the field. The Gators scored with 7:12 left in the game to cut the score to 29-14. South Carolina again tried to run out the clock, and again they were unsuccessful. The Gators took over at their own 14 after Spencer Lanning’s punt. Florida picked up a first down, but Jeff Demps fumbled, and Josh Dickerson recovered to end the Gator threat. From the Florida 25 South Carolina ran 4 straight times to score the touchdown. On the touchdown run Marcus Lattimore appeared to be stopped at the 5 yard line, but the entire South Carolina team pushed the pile over the goal line for the score. Spencer Lanning’s extra point made the score 36-14. Florida managed to move the ball to the South Carolina 20 in the waning seconds of the game. As Steve Spurrier was getting doused with Gatorade, Ladi Ajiboye sacked Jordan Reed to end the game.
Stars of the Game…Marcus Lattimore…40 carries for 212 yards, 3 TD…Stephen Garcia…15-22 for 156 yards…Alshon Jeffrey…6 receptions for 53 yards….Antonio Allen…7 tackles, 2.5 for loss…Stephon Gilmore…6 tackles, 1 int…Devin Taylor…2 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 passes broken up…Melvin Ingram…sack and tackle for loss…Brandan Davis….3 big special teams tackles…
What to take away from the game…This one is pretty obvious. This was a great game. Playing what was arguably the biggest game in South Carolina history against a perennial SEC and national power on their own field, the Gamecocks turned in an inspired performance. The maligned defense shut down Florida’s vaunted offense until well after it mattered. Marcus Lattimore and the offensive line pounded the Florida defense. Stephen Garcia managed the game masterfully and ran for some key yards himself.
This game is validation of the Steve Spurrier era at South Carolina. By anyone’s definition winning the SEC East is success, and more success than many thought Spurrier would be able to achieve. The Gamecocks can enjoy this one and turn their attention to Troy, Clemson and bigger things.
This and that…South Carolina improved to 7-3 (5-3) and clinched the SEC East…The Gamecocks are now ranked #17 in both the AP and Coaches polls…This was South Carolina’s first win in Gainesville…South Carolina beat Florida, Georgia and Tennessee in the same season for the first time…Time of Possession…SC 40:46, UF 19:14…Third Down Conversions: SC 8 of 16; UF 2 of 14…First Downs…SC 24; UF 11…Rushing yards…SC 239, UF 35…Red Zone: SC 3 TD in 3 trips; UF 0 points in 2 trips…
Record book…Marcus Lattimore’s 40 carries set a new USC record….He now has 964 yards on the year which broke the freshman record of 848…Lattimore has 3 TDs to break Sidney Rice’s freshman record of 13….His 16 total TDs is tied with Harold Green for the most in a season…Alshon Jeffrey has 1,087 yards receiving on the season. The single season record is 1,143 held by Sidney Rice…36 points is the most South Carolina has ever scored at Florida…The team now has 35 sacks which set the school single season record…
Up next…South Carolina hosts Troy at 12:21 on the SEC Network Saturday.
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