Coming off of their first loss of the season against Missouri, Florida is looking to bounce back into the win column for homecoming weekend.
The No. 16 Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC) are set to take on unranked South Carolina (2-3, 0-3 SEC) at home. South Carolina hasn’t had the strongest opening to its season.
Florida notched a 41-39 road win in their last meeting with South Carolina, but the teams have extensive history with each other dating back to 1911. The Gators lead their all-time series with the Gamecocks 31-10, but in The Swamp, they lead 17-2.
The Gamecocks have lost their last three SEC matchups against Mississippi State, Alabama and most recently losing to Kentucky 35-34 in overtime. But although they may not be the Gators’ strongest competition, they still pose a threat–especially in Florida’s weak spots.
South Carolina’s run-focused offense could be dangerous against Florida’s flaky defensive front. Overall, they sit at No. 1 in the SEC in average rushing yards per game (256), and No. 3 in total yards per game (491).
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has passed for 1,059 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions through five games this season. Wide receiver Nyck Harbor has recorded 13 catches for 195 yards and 1 touchdown, while running back Matt Fuller has notched 71 carries and 433 rushing yards through five games. Fuller and Sellers are fourth and seventh in the SEC in rushing yards through five games.
On Tuesday, Florida defensive coordinator Brad White said Fuller is a key piece of South Carolina’s threatening run game. He also noted that Sellers resembles NFL running back Saquon Barkley’s, specifically in how difficult it is to contain him once he gets into the open field.
“Between the running back and the quarterback, now the run game is very much in play and you’ve got to be disciplined,” White said. “Scheme-wise, there’s enough moving pieces and formations and motions. So our guys have to be disciplined to understand where their gap fit is up front.”
For a Florida defense that’s currently ranked 15th in the SEC in total defense, allowing 393 yards per game and 16th in pass defense, allowing 266.6 yards per game, South Carolina’s dual threat could pose a significant issue.
Gator safety DJ Coleman also spoke on how to contain the quarterback.
“I feel like we’ve just got to contain him as much as we can, but be aggressive in doing it,” he said. “Not letting him run around and…being aggressive at the attack point whenever he’s running, and just making him feel it whenever we get the chance.”
One of the Gamecocks’ biggest issues is consistency. Although they’ve been able to get down the field early in the game and form sufficient leads, they have trouble closing the deal. In their last three SEC games, the team has failed to score a single point in the third quarter.
With an impressive offensive unit, their inconsistency may be credited to a defensive unit that generally sits near the bottom of the SEC. In SEC play, South Carolina has allowed 41.7 points per game and 425.3 yards per game, 298.3 of which are credited to passing.
Although the Gators have relied on Jadan Baugh moving the ball on the ground, both quarterback Aaron Philo and Florida’s wide receiver room are more than capable of making plays on field.
Philo has thrown for 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns through five games this season. Despite star wide receiver Vernell Brown III potentially being out for Saturday’s game, Florida still has depth in the room. Dallas Wilson, who earned offensive player of the game for Florida after their loss against Missouri, has notched 302 yards for three touchdowns this season. Wilson’s backed up by Eric Singleton Jr., who just recently made his way off the injury report and onto the field.
Come Saturday, it may be necessary to focus on the Gamecocks’ weak spots. With two high-power offensive threats, the primary goal for each team will be containing the other’s key scoring players.
For the Gators, focus remains on how their defensive unit can hold up.
“There has to be more of a dog mentality,” White said. “There’s too much survival mode right now and not enough hunting.”
