Instant Analysis: Florida handles Muschamp, South Carolina on Senior Day
Against their former head coach in Will Muschamp, the Gators earned a much-needed victory Saturday afternoon as Florida (7-2, 5-2 SEC) handled South Carolina (5-5, 3-5 SEC) for a 20-7 victory on Senior Day in The Swamp.
Florida rode an offense invigorated by graduate transfer quarterback Austin Appleby, as well as a much-improved effort defensively, to win its final home game of 2016 and head into a crucial road matchup with LSU next weekend with much to play for. Florida likely won't clinch the SEC East this weekend, with Tennessee currently up big over Kentucky.
Instant Analysis now further examines the Gators' important victory.
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IT WAS OVER WHEN: Florida was essentially in control of the game, after taking a 14-0 lead with 9:37 left in the second quarter. The Gators defense made a number of key stops down the stretch and kept South Carolina's offense out of the red zone for much of Saturday's contest. In the third quarter, Florida would tack on two field goals from Eddy Pineiro - from 54 and 36 yards out - to increase its advantage to 20-0.
With how well the Gators defense was playing - despite a number of starters being sidelined with injuries - the deficit was insurmountable for the Gamecocks. Although South Carolina managed to find the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, the Gators wasted out plenty of clock down the stretch and then held South Carolina scoreless on a late trip to the red zone to seal the victory.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: After receiving just five carries at Arkansas last weekend, sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett was finally fed - and the results showed. Scarlett rushed for a game-high 134 yards on 20 carries, serving as a key factor in the Gators managing to find success moving the chains for much of Saturday's contest.
Meanwhile, Appleby looked like a considerable improvement at the quarterback position in place of Luke Del Rio (shoulder), despite an interception and fumbled snap. Appleby completed 17-of-21 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns against one pick, while rushing for 34 yards on six carries.
Senior nose tackle Joey Ivie also had one of his stronger outings as a Gator on Sunday. Ivie finished with two sacks to go along with a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries.
THESE STATS DON'T LIE: Florida out-gained South Carolina 372-256 on Saturday, including by a 171-43 margin on the ground. The Gators went 4-of-10 on third down, while South Carolina converted just three of 13 third-down tries. With its offensive production, Florida could have scored even more points Saturday but committed three turnovers - two fumbles by running back Mark Thompson and Appleby, along with an Appleby pick to close the first half. A punt return touchdown by Antonio Callaway was also called back on a questionable holding call on walk-on R.J. Raymond.
WHAT A PLAY: On Senior Day, wideout Ahmad Fulwood had one of his best catches in the past two years. Early in the second quarter on 1st and 10 and UF in the red zone, Appleby dropped back and connected with Fulwood for a pretty 18-yard touchdown pass to give Florida a 14-0 lead. The touchdown haul was Fulwood's first since his sophomore season, where he recorded an 86-yard touchdown grab against East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.
On the defensive side of the ball, Taven Bryan surprised with a big-time sack-and-strip on South Carolina freshman quarterback Jake Bentley, as the redshirt sophomore defensive tackle recovered the fumble for one of the best plays of his three-year Florida career. Kicker Eddy Pineiro also came through for the Gators with an impressive 54-yard field goal that had plenty of leg, tying his career long and lifting the Gators to a 17-0 lead with 7:16 in the third quarter.
THESE MATCH-UPS PROVED KEY: South Carolina's passing defense entered Saturday's game ranked 22nd in the country (and third in the conference) with just 194.2 yards allowed per game in the air, but Appleby had a solid outing against the South Carolina secondary. The Purdue graduate transfer completed nearly 81% of his passes against the Gamecocks and had no trouble connecting with his receivers throughout the first half.
Meanwhile, Florida's defense got after it in the pass rush after taking a step back last weekend at Arkansas and gave Bentley plenty of trouble Saturday afternoon. The Gators racked up five sacks and seven quarterback hurries.
MORE INJURIES PILE UP: Four more Gators starters suffered injuries Saturday. On the first offensive play of the game, sophomore center Tyler Jordan went down with an ankle injury and did not return to the game, as redshirt freshman T.J. McCoy replaced him and performed admirably in his absence. Later, redshirt senior safety Marcus Maye, junior left tackle David Sharpe and redshirt senior defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. each went down with injuries. Maye was carted off during the first half while holding his hand, and returned to the sideline wearing street clothes at halftime. Sharpe was seen on the sideline wearing a walking boot, while Cox also left to the locker room in the second half with a leg injury.
UP NEXT: Florida will travel to Baton Rouge to square off against LSU next Saturday at 1 p.m. in what was a previously postponed game meant to be played on Oct. 8 in The Swamp. It'll likely end up earning the "Purdue Quarterback Bowl" moniker, as Appleby and Danny Etling should end up starting for each of their respective teams. Florida can clinch the SEC East crown with a win over LSU.
Stay tuned with ITG, as we provide more post-game coverage of Florida's home victory over South Carolina on Senior Day.
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