Game Balls: Shawn Davis makes his presence known in return vs. Gamecocks

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The Gators accounted for 348 total yards in Saturday's 38-24 victory against South Carolina, but several questions still remain on the defensive side of the ball.

The Gamecocks accumulated 25 first downs and punted just four times, and ran 83 offensive plays compared to Florida's 53. I don't believe it's time to hit the panic button, especially just two games into the season, but the defense has a lot to clean up before squaring off with some of the nation's elite programs.

However, there are still many positives to take away from UF's 2020 home opener.

Jump inside below as GatorsTerritory dishes out game balls to a handful of players on Dan Mullen's roster.

TE Kyle Pitts

When we published this week's score predictions, I said Kyle Pitts would likely make a significant impact regardless of the attention he receives, and the top tight end in college football did exactly that on Saturday afternoon.

Pitts was targeted eight times, hauling in four of those catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. One of those catches was a highlight-reel grab where Pitts extended all the way out to save a pass that was set to sail over his head.

Through two games, Pitts has hauled in 12 receptions for 227 yards and six touchdowns. He recorded five touchdowns in all of 2019, so it's safe to say Pitts is already living up to all the hype and then some.

QB Kyle Trask

I really wanted to put Kadarius Toney here, but even after somewhat of a subpar fourth quarter, Kyle Trask's overall body of work earned him a spot on this list.

Florida's signal caller completed 21-of-29 passes for 268 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, finishing with a passer rating of 188.7. He rarely gets rattled inside the pocket and does a great job of stepping up and then resetting his feet before firing downfield.

With two games in the books, there is no doubt Trask is sitting on the shortlist for the Heisman Trophy. There were some questionable throws late in the game, but he has been one of the nation's best quarterbacks through two weeks, completing 51-of-71 passes for 684 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception.

CB Kaiir Elam

Elam manufactured a well-rounded performance against the Gamecocks, finishing with eight tackles (six solo), one tackle for loss and two pass deflections.

The Riviera Beach native played with much more discipline compared to week one, and did a better job of containing and wrapping up in the open field. He also showed good timing when getting vertical to make a play downfield.

Elam is much better than he showed against Ole Miss and will have plenty of opportunities to erase that performance out of the minds of UF fans.

Through two games, Elam has recorded 15 tackles, including 10 solo, and three deflections for the third-ranked Gators.

S Shawn Davis

After being ejected for targeting early in week one, Shawn Davis wasted little time making his presence known against the Gamecocks. He was one of the more sound tacklers on Saturday and did a great job of wrapping up rather than lunging at ball carriers, which has been an area of concern for UF's defense through two weeks.

Davis, who recorded eight tackles (six solo) and one tackle for loss, also broke up a pass in the end zone while operating in man-to-man coverage. The Miami native rarely shies away from getting his nose dirty and provides the Gators with a certain level of toughness in the secondary.

K Evan McPherson

Let's just say it was a drama-free afternoon for Florida's special teams unit.

Speedster Kadarius Toney returned two punts for 42 yards, but it's Evan McPherson who gets the nod from GatorsTerritory.

McPherson, a product of Fort Payne, Alabama, came through on this lone attempt in the game after connecting from 26 yards out in the second quarter.

The former Under Armour All-American has been one of the more reliable kickers over the past three seasons, and is a perfect 3-for-3 to start his junior campaign. He has made all 11 of his extra points as well.

Since relocating to Gainesville, McPherson has attempted two field goals from 50-plus yards out and was successful both times. His career high of 55 yards came against Ole Miss in week one.