The winning quarterback threw three interceptions, but it didn't matter on Saturday. Florida forced turnovers, but was unable to take advantage as South Carolina came away with a 28-20 win. Former Florida coach Will Muschamp's Gamecocks finish conference play 5-3, guaranteeing a piece of a second-place finish in the SEC East. UF, meanwhile, closes out conference play on a five-game losing skid, falling to 3-5 against SEC opponents.
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* Alley: Florida vs. South Carolina game thread
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IT WAS OVER WHEN: Down 28-20, Florida faced third-and-5 with little more than a minute left. Redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks had his pass tipped and intercepted. South Carolina ran out the clock to seal the win.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: South Carolina running back AJ Turner led all rushers with 136 yards on 22 carries. The Gamecocks rushing touchdowns, however, went to running back Mon Denson and quarterback Jake Bentley. USC's defensive linemen also had a knack for tipping passes thrown by both Franks and graduate quarterback Malik Zaire.
THE STATS DON'T LIE: In South Carolina’s three losses this season, the Gamecocks were held to under 60 yards on the ground. At halftime, USC already had 120 rushing yards. Florida was abysmal on third down, converting only 2-of-15.
The stat that lied, however, was turnovers. The Gators won the turnover battle (4-3), but that wasn't reflected by the final score.
WHAT A PLAY: Sophomore safety Chauncey Gardner prevented a South Carolina touchdown when he jumped in front of a Bentley pass on its way to tight end Hayden Hurst in the end zone. Later in the first quarter, wide receiver Freddie Swain delivered a perfect block to give Kadarius Toney 23 yards of open space. Senior defensive back Duke Dawson kept Florida’s hopes alive with a key pass-breakup on third down late in the fourth quarter. If South Carolina had converted, the Gamecocks likely would have run out the clock.
THESE MATCH-UPS PROVED KEY: South Carolina’s front seven dominated Florida’s offensive line as both Zaire and Franks were under constant pressure. When the Gamecocks had the ball, Florida struggled to defend the runs between the tackles as USC’s offensive line got the necessary push up front. Hurst caught all of his targets, as the Gators struggled to cover him.
UP NEXT: With no chance to get six wins, Florida must pick up win No. 4 of the season at home against UAB to have any chance at bowl eligibility. The Gators could potentially get a bowl berth with a 5-6 record due to their Academic Progress Rate score, but they haven’t won a game since Sept. 30 against Vanderbilt.
Stay tuned with ITG, as we provide more post-game coverage tonight of Florida's loss to South Carolina..
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