The ninth-ranked Florida Gators traveled to Columbia to face the Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon.
The Gamecocks, still reeling from their victory over third-ranked Georgia last week, hoped to pull off back-to-back top 10 upsets this week, but came up short in the fourth quarter, and the Gators won 38-27.
The Gators came into Week 8 6-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, while the Gamecocks came into the game 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
South Carolina received the ball first, and despite nearly fumbling, they closed out their opening drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Mon Dinson, giving the Gamecocks the early 7-0 advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Gators went three and out on their first possession but were able to convert their second drive into three points when Evan McPherson kicked a 48-yard field goal.
Both teams went three and out in their next possessions, and in the following South Carolina possession the first quarter came to a close and the gamecocks opened the second quarter another three points with a 49-yard field goal by Parker White, extending the lead to 10-3 with 14:06 left in the first half.
Florida scored the first touchdown of the game during its first drive of the second quarter. Five of the eight plays were rushing plays, and quarterback Kyle Trask was able to connect with Tyrie Cleveland and Lamical Perine before connecting on a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Copeland, tying the game at 10 aside.
In the possessions to follow, neither team put any more points on the board, and the score remained unchanged going into halftime.
Trask went 9-of-16 for 113 yards and one touchdown in the first half, and Perine posted six carries for 37 yards. Jacob Copeland had two receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown.
On the other side of the field, Hilinski only went 4-of-12 for 72 yards, Feaster recorded 12 carries for 59 yards, and Bryan Edwards had three receptions for 58 yards. The heavy rain in Columbia could probably be attributed to some of the lower stats in the first half of the game.
Before the start of the second half, all of the Gamecocks players, coaches, and fans paused before the start of the third quarter and held three fingers in the air. This is done as a tribute to the mental health advocacy foundation, Hilinski’s Hope, in which the South Carolina quarterback’s family started following his older brother’s suicide.
Florida was able to avoid an interception in the first play of the drive, but South Carolina successfully intercepted the ball on the second play when Jammie Robinson picked the ball and carried it for a 15-yard return to the Florida 20-yard line. South Carolina returned in its opening drive for a 21-yard rushing touchdown by Tavien Feaster with just under 14 minutes left in the quarter and taking the lead 17-10. Florida answered in their next possession and also scored a touchdown which again tied the game 17-17 with 13:43 on the clock.
On South Carolina’s second possession following the touchdown, Feaster and Denson controlled the possession until Hilinski was sacked by C.J. Henderson, forcing the Gamecocks to attempt another field goal, which White kicked from 31 yards giving the lead back to South Carolina, 20-17 with 3:16 left in the third quarter. The score would remain unchanged for the remainder of the quarter, and after South Carolina went three and out in their own endzone, the quarter ended with the Gamecocks on top.
The Gators took the lead in the first possession of the fourth quarter when Trask connected with Freddie Swain for a 25-yard touchdown with 9:54 left in the game, to make it 24-20. South Carolina didn’t return for any points in their next possession as Hilinski was sacked by Zachary Carter on the fourth play, forcing a fumble and giving the possession to Florida.
Florida avoided having a pass picked in the end zone by Jaycee Horn when a defensive holding penalty was called on him, giving the Gators the first down at the South Carolina five-yard line. Trask passed the ball to Kyle Pitts for a five-yard touchdown, giving Florida an 11-point lead over South Carolina, 31-20 with less than eight minutes to go.
The Gamecocks didn’t return for any points on their next possession and following a defensive pass interference being called on Jaycee Horn and two questionable missed calls by the officials, Trask threw a five-yard pass to Trevon Grimes for another touchdown and extending the lead by seven more, 38-20.
South Carolina answered the call in their next possession, despite an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty being called on Coach Muschamp who didn’t let the missed calls go without letting the officials know his disdain. The gamecocks were penalized 12 yards for the penalty starting the possession at the South Carolina 13-yard line, and seven plays later, Hilinski threw a completed pass to OrTre Smith for the four-yard touchdown, closing the gap, 38-27 with less than two minutes to go.
The score would remain unchanged as Florida went three and out following the touchdown and South Carolina wasn’t able to convert their final play into any more points.
Florida goes back to Gainesville with the hard-fought victory in a rainstorm against the South Carolina Gamecocks, 38-27 and will face Georgia in two weeks following their bye week in week nine.
The Gamecocks will face Tennessee next week in a road game.
South Carolina vs Florida Postgame News Conference https://t.co/3VsKCKc9DZ
— Gamecock Athletics (@GamecocksOnline) October 19, 2019
