The Florida Gators improve their record to 2-0 after they defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks in their home opener. The Florida offense continues to impress with another impressive performance by their star quarterback.
The Gators defense showed some improvement from week one but still have lots of work to do. South Carolina tried to make it a ballgame late in the game but couldn’t capitalize on their final drive.
Gators Defeat South Carolina 38-24
South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks fail to pull off the upset in the Swamp and start the season at 0-2. Colorado State graduate transfer Collin Hill had a decent game against the Gators defense.
Hill completed 28 out of 47 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He had a rough first half but was able to keep the Gamecocks in the ballgame with a solid second half.
Sophomore running back Kevin Harris had a really nice game against the Gators defense. Harris had 22 carries for 100 yards and scored a touchdown. Harris also made a big impact as a receiver as he caught four passes for 27 yards and a touchdown.
After a terrific week one performance, Shi Smith remained Hill’s main target during the entire game. The senior wide receiver had 12 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Besides Smith, none of the other receivers stepped up. South Carolina needs to find ways to get other receivers involved because Smith was gassed late in the game due to his heavy workload.
The Gamecocks defense had another rough performance against the Gators offense. They allowed 38 points and 348 yards of total offense. Safety Jammie Robinson led the Gamecocks in tackles six tackles including three solo tackles.
Defensive end and Miami native Keir Thomas had a solid game as he recorded six tackles with a tackle for loss and sack. Defensive linemen Aaron Sterling and Jabari Ellis both shared a sack and the Gamecocks had two sacks in the game. Israel Mukuamu had some difficulties in the game but did come away with a nice one-handed interception.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators offense continues to roll thanks to the contributions from their redshirt-senior quarterback Kyle Trask. The Lone Star State native is having a terrific start to his 2020 season. In the South Carolina game, Trask completed 21 out of 29 for 268 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. Trask now has 10 touchdowns in his first two games of the season.
The Florida rushing attack didn’t have the same type of success against South Carolina did find a way into the end zone. Junior running back Dameon Pierce led the Gators in rushing with nine carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. The next lead rusher was Trask for 22 yards on six carries.
The Florida passing game continues to impress and find new ways of getting the end zone. Senior wide receiver Kadarius Toney led Florida in receiving with six receptions for 86 yards including a 57-yard touchdown.
Tight end Kyle Pitts had four catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Pitts now has six touchdowns this season and had five all of 2019. Redshirt-freshman and Gainesville native Trent Whittemore might have had his breakout game. Whittemore had two catches for 30 yards and the first collegiate touchdown of his career.
On defense, the Florida defense still didn’t play at the level they’re capable of but did show some improvement. The Gators held the Gamecocks offense to 329 yards of total offense.
Senior safety Shawn Davis led the Gators in tackles with eight including seven solo tackles and a pass breakup. Linebacker Ventrell Miller continues to have a nice start to the 2020 season with six tackles, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery.
The Gators defense once again had four sacks in the game. Defensive end Zachary Carter had one-and-a-half sacks along with eight tackles and one-and-a-half tackles for loss. Three other Gators shared sacks in Khris Bogle, Andrew Chatfield, and Brenton Cox.
What’s next?
The Florida Gators will be back on the road to take on the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station. The Aggies come into this game with a 1-1 record after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide 52-24. The game time and channel have not been announced yet.
