COLUMBIA, S.C. -- It was certainly not the best start for No. 9 Florida.

The Gators looked like a team that was mentally exhausted; a team that was feeling its tough schedule.

"You come out, their first drive they make a leaping, diving, one-handed catch after we make a great defensive play and we get two offside penalties," Dan Mullen said after the game. "And then we go out and we have three MAs, missed assignments. Three times in a row guys run the wrong direction, run the wrong play. And you're like, 'Holy cow, maybe we're not going to handle the adversity well.'

The Gamecocks marched right down the field for an eight play, 75-yard drive to open up the game with a touchdown. Meanwhile, Florida's offense went three-and-out after Trevon Grimes dropped a pass and miscommunication between Kyle Trask and wide receiver Van Jefferson resulted in an overthrown ball and an incomplete pass.

"We had a lot of people getting different call," said Trask. "We just weren’t on the same page.”

"Sloppy first half for us with execution," said the Gators head coach. "I mean, and not just, 'Oh, OK, well we didn't block' or this, I mean guys just going the wrong direction, getting the wrong signal, running the wrong plays. So that was kind of disappointing."

Meanwhile, the Gators defense also struggled defending the run. The Gamecocks were able to rush for 147-yards in the first half.

“Definitely tough after coming off a loss to LSU and a great environment here in South Carolina, especially after they just beat Georgia," said linebacker David Reese. " You knew they were going to give jus their best shot. They came in with great confidence."

Although one would expect another 'not so friendly' halftime talk by Mullen, similar to those he gave during the Auburn and Towson games, the Gators head coach decided upon a different approach this Saturday.

"Coach Mullen came in at halftime and he wasn’t yelling, he had a calm voice," receiver Jacob Copeland said."So we listened to our coaches and just executed together and everything else played out."

"At halftime, not a whole lot of panic," Mullen said. "Even when we come out first play of the second half, just, 'Here, take the ball and get a quick touchdown. Let's throw some more adversity on ourselves.' But found a way to win."

The second half was far from the ideal start Mullen or the Gators wanted.

Kyle Trask was intercepted by Jammie Robinson on the second play of the half and South Carolina took advantage by taking seven points.

"I think at times he was trying to do too much," said Mullen about Trask's performance. "They were throwing a lot of different looks at him. There were times, some simple things he could have done. He was just trying to do a little too much at times."

But Mullen's side never stopped fighting.

On the very next play, Brett Heggie pulled to his left, blocking two defenders out of Dameon Pierce's way, and then Pierce ran behind Tyrie Cleveland for the 75-yard touchdown.

"Huge at that point. We come out in the second half, we’re like, 'All right, we’re getting the ball, tie game, we’re in good position.' We’re like, '[We] don’t want it, you take it, and then they score on a third down and long and it’s kind of like, 'Holy mackarel,'" said Mullen.

"I think that (run) brought some juice and life to this team, just to avoid the negative start to the second half. It kind of changed it around immediately."

"It sparks the offense," added receiver Freddie Swain. "It shows we don't have to go eight plays for a touchdown. We could go one and done and take big shots and run big runs and we just electric offense."

It definitely sparked something in Trask.

The redshirt junior started to extend a few drives with his legs and he started to show the patience we often laud him for.

In the fourth quarter and facing fourth-and-three, the signal caller held onto the ball until the last possible second before he dumped the ball off to Kyle Pitts for the nine-yard gain and first down.

On the very next play, Swain would score the go-ahead touchdown and the Gators would not look back.

"We started clicking here in the second half and I think some of that showed," said the Texan. "We had a couple mess-ups and then we all just came together and like, ‘Come on, this isn’t us,’ and kind of just found our identity. And that’s when we started making plays."

Florida outscored South Carolina 21-7 in the fourth quarter.

Trask hushed the Gamecocks figuratively and literally- bringing his index finger up to his mouth in homage to Feleipe Franks.

"I had to do one for Franks right there," joked Trask.

Florida hanged in there until the end. Against LSU UF could not secure the win, but against South Carolina, Florida is headed home with a good road win.

"It's a lot of maturity in the room and as far as offense and defense, we've got to come together when we need to and make plays when we need to," said Swain.

"You look at the fourth quarter of that [LSU] game, coming off the stretch we've just had to come off of, right?" Mullen said. "Where you probably had two Top 10 teams and played one last week where your team gets home at 4-something in the morning, late-night kickoff and be able to finish the [South Carolina] game, what was it 21-7 in the fourth?

"To be able to finish the game that way really shows a lot about the mental toughness of the team."