Florida’s 40-17 thumping to South Carolina was undoubtedly its worst performance in a season defined by disappointment.

Despite entering Columbia as a three-touchdown favorite, the Gators were dominated in nearly every aspect of the game. The Gamecock demolition crew battered through the UF front seven, Florida’s elite, or perhaps formerly elite, rushing attack failed to get out of first gear and UF lost yet another turnover battle.

But what earned Florida’s performance the most dire of comparisons — to its infamous 4-8 2013 season — was the perceived lack of effort shown by the Gators as they limped to their largest defeat against unranked opposition since 2017.

Bryan Cox Jr., a member of the 2013 squad and five-year veteran in the NFL, condemned Florida's performance and effort against South Carolina in a tweet issued during the third quarter of Saturday’s game.

Cox later asserted that his team “run through a brick wall” for former coach Will Muschamp and indicated that the tenor of the current Gator locker room is much worse.

A comparison of the two schedules seems to bolster Cox’s premise, as despite losing its last six games the Gators remained competitive in just about every contest. The Gators lost by just three to Georgia and came within five points of fourth-ranked South Carolina, losing just one game — against eventual national champion Florida State — by more than 20 points.

Conversely, 2021 Florida has lost its last two games by a combined 50 points, with the most recent defeat coming against a USC team entering Saturday with just one win (Vanderbilt) against Power 5 opposition.

Ceedy Duce, formerly C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who played for the Gators from 2016-2018, also expressed his disappointment with Florida’s performance.

Mullen was quick to wave away any concerns about the team’s effort, praising his team for showing toughness and grit through the end of Saturday’s game.

"No, I certainly don't think we gave up,” Mullen said. “I give our guys credit, they battled. They faced a lot of adversity and then continued to battle. I mean we faced all kinds of adversities this week, and those guys continued to battle."

But Cox continued to lob criticism towards Mullen and his staff, garnering thousands of likes on Twitter. The defensive end touched on what he viewed as a lack of passion and energy from Florida's coaching staff, adding that he believes Muschamp would have been much more animated in Mullen’s shoes during a series of post-game tweets.

Going forward, Florida will have an opportunity to step away from the legacy of its 2013 team by doing what they could not — defeat an FCS opponent. The Gators suffered an unmatched blemish in 2013, losing to Georgia Southern 26-20 in the Eagles’ final season of 1-AA football.

UF will host FCS Samford next Saturday, also from the Southern conference, with hopes to pick up its first victory in over a month and return to .500 on the year. Action will kick off at noon from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and will steam on ESPN+.

Stay tuned to Gators Territory.