The Florida Gators will look to bounce back after back-to-back losses versus Georgia and Missouri. The Gators will host former head coach Will Muschamp and the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday afternoon. The Gators heading into this week with some quarterback controversy but that ended Wednesday night when it was reported that backup quarterback Kyle Trask suffered a broken foot in practice and would be sidelined for the rest of the season. Florida head coach Dan Mullen needs to lead his team to victory against the Gamecocks in order to finish their SEC schedule on a high note. Last time these two teams met in the Swamp, Florida defeated the Gamecocks 20-7 with Austin Appleby at quarterback.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina come into the Swamp with some confidence on offense as they defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 48-44 last Saturday. The Gamecocks offense will be led by their quarterback Jake Bentley. The junior quarterback has had an up and down season as he has completed 134 out of 215 passes for 1,666 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Bentley threw for over 300 yards and two scores at Ole Miss last weekend. The Gamecocks will also be relying on their rushing attack led by Rico Dowdle. The junior running back has 98 carries for 490 yards and three touchdowns. South Carolina’s lead receiver is junior Bryan Edwards as he has 35 receptions for 556 yards and six touchdowns. Another receiver to watch for South Carolina is Deebo Samuel. He’s a threat with ball in his hands. He has 39 catches for 407 yards and five touchdowns.
On defense, the Gamecocks had had their issues even though with injuries and bad play. South Carolina will need to put pressure on Florida’s quarterback and force him to make mistakes. Junior linebacker T.J. Brunson leads the team in tackles with 64 tackles on the season. He also has seven tackles for loss, two sacks and three QB hurries. Defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw leads South Carolina in sacks with 3.5. The junior also has eight tackles for loss and two force fumbles. Florida is going to use their rushing attack to open up the passing game so Bryson Allen-Williams will need to be at his best. The redshirt-senior leads South Carolina in tackles for loss with ten on the year. He also has 36 tackles and two sacks.
Florida Gators
In order for the Florida Gators to beat the Gamecocks, they will need to make some adjustments on offense starting with Feleipe Franks. The redshirt-sophomore had a solid start to the season but has started to decline in the past two games. He’s making bad reads, missing open guys and isn’t running as often as he did learn in the year. To take some pressure off Franks, Florida will need to run the ball early and often. Alabama native Lamical Perine leads the Gators in rushing. The junior has 93 carries for 480 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt-junior Jordan Scarlett will need to get some touches as well. He has 84 carries for 470 yards and three touchdowns. Van Jefferson and Freddie Swain are Florida’s top two receivers and will need to play a big role in the game.
The Florida defense started off the season great but has now started to get exposed a give up big plays. They haven’t done a great job of getting to the QB and haven’t forced a turnover since the Vanderbilt. The Gators defense really needs to turn it up and get things figured out and help the Florida offense by giving them a shorter field to work with. Junior defensive end Jachai Polite needs to pick things up as he hasn’t gotten a sack in the past two games. Vosean Joseph looked like a different player from 2017 but it started to look like 2017 Vosean Joseph. South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley has thrown some interceptions. If Florida can get some pressure and force some turnovers, they’ll be in great shape.
5 Players to Watch: South Carolina Gamecocks
- WR Deebo Samuel
- LB T.J. Brunson
- QB Jake Bentley
- LB Bryson Allen-Williams
- WR Braylen Edwards
5 Players to Watch: Florida Gators
- LB David Reese
- RB Lamical Perine
- DE Jabari Zuniga
- S Shawn Davis
- WR Van Jefferson
5 Predictions:
- Freshman QB Emory Jones gets some playing time.
- Jake Bentley throws for over 200 yards.
- Florida defense forces at least two turnovers.
- South Carolina gets an INT on defense.
- Florida Gators edge South Carolina Gamecocks 27-24.
