Florida started strong in SEC play, winning its first three conference clashes. That turned out to be the end of the Gators' good fortune in conference play, as UF loss its final five SEC games. South Carolina defeated Florida 28-20 on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
Inside the Gators delivers Five Fast Thoughts about Saturday's road loss.
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* Instant Analysis: Florida drops fifth straight
* Alley: Florida vs. South Carolina game thread
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1. Effort was there, but not much else: Florida players seemed to respond to sophomore linebacker David Reese calling them out after the loss at Missouri. On Saturday, the Gators fought to the finish despite falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. Effort, however, doesn't guarantee improvement in execution. When it comes to execution on both sides of the ball, UF left a lot to be desired.
Florida had 10 penalties for 56 yards (not counting the penalties South Carolina declined) while USC was penalized only three times for 26 yards. The Gators also struggled to hang onto the ball, fumbling away a potential pick-six and a punt return. Senior running back Mark Thompson's touchdown run also had to be reviewed because the ball came out.
2. Same old Franks on Saturday: Feleipe Franks' reaction to interim coach Randy Shannon naming Malik Zaire the starting quarterback received a lot of media attention thanks to an ESPN report during the Missouri game. On Saturday, Zaire left in the first half due to injury and it was Franks' chance to show what he could do (with the game still undecided) and why he should have remained the starter.
Against South Carolina – with the game still in doubt, unlike Missouri – Franks looked like the same quarterback who has started the majority of Florida's game. His completion percentage was a woeful 40 percent (10-of-25), but his arm strength leads to occasional big plays, such as a 63-yard completion to tight end Moral Stephens. Franks was no doubt motivated to prove Shannon wrong in choosing Zaire to start the last two games, but he hasn't shown much in terms of progress.
3. The change at punt returner came too late: For the second week in a row, senior wide receiver Brandon Powell failed to cleanly secure a punt in Florida territory. All season, watching Powell catch and field punts has been an edge-of-your-seat experience. After the second fumble in as many weeks, Shannon made the change and decided to go with sophomore wide receiver Freddie Swain.
Sticking with Powell another week ultimately did not hurt the Gators thanks to a Chauncey Gardner interception. It's a reflection of Shannon, however, that he's unable to make a key change until he's forced.
4. What happened to the I formation?: Florida found some success running out of the I formation, but it was inexplicably scrapped. It's admittedly easy for armchair quarterbacks, whether they be fans or media members, to question a coach's decisions. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, however, makes what come off as head-scratching decisions on a weekly basis. Why the Gators ignored something that worked against USC is hard to figure out.
Overall, Florida running backs Lamical Perine and Thompson combined for a total of nine carries even though Franks and Zaire completed a combined 43 percent of their passes.
5. Playmakers did not get enough touches: It was a surprise to see freshman athlete Kadarius Toney make the trip to Columbia after Shannon had ruled him out earlier in the week. Toney was able to play, but made a cameo appearance at best with three catches on three targets.
Florida's leading wide receiver, Tyrie Cleveland, was targeted only twice during the game. He made one catch for 11 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver Dre Massey, who can carry the ball like Toney or catch it deep, only touched the ball twice on two targets.
South Carolina did a good job of covering Florida's top players, but it's up to the coaches to find ways to get the ball in the hands of UF's playmakers.
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