The Opening Kickoff: Florida at South Carolina -- #UFvsSC
Friday, November 15, 2013 | Football, Scott Carter
The Opening Kickoff
Florida at No. 11 South Carolina
#UFvsSC
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Williams-Brice Stadium
Broadcast Info | Game Notes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This isn't the first time this season the Gators will board the team plane uncertain of their starting quarterback for a road game.
In a 17-6 loss at LSU on Oct. 12, starting quarterback Tyler Murphy suffered a shoulder injury.
Murphy was unable to practice for the majority of the following week as the Gators prepared to face undefeated Missouri.
"We had a situation in Missouri where we didn't think he would play,'' Gators coach coach Will Muschamp said. "We got out there and he felt pretty good in the morning and felt he could go out there and give it a shot and he did.''
Fast forward a month and the Gators face a similar predicament heading into Saturday's game at No. 11-ranked South Carolina.
Murphy's shoulder is hurting, forcing the redshirt junior to miss practice this week. In his place, redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg took the first-team snaps at practice.
On his weekly call-in show Thursday night, Muschamp called Florida's quarterback situation a "game-time decision."
If Murphy can't go, Mornhinweg will be the Gators' third starting quarterback this season. That hasn't happened in 16 years.
The last time Florida used three different starting quarterbacks in the same season was in 1997 when South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, then in his eighth season at Florida, rotated Doug Johnson, Jesse Palmer and Noah Brindise regularly in search of big plays.
If Tyler Murphy, center, can't play Saturday, Skyler Mornhinweg (No. 17) will make first career appearance.
"We feel good about him moving forward and being ready to go," Muschamp said of Mornhinweg. "That's the way it's looking now."
The Gators plan to monitor Murphy's progress up until Saturday night's kickoff at Brice-Williams Stadium.
Regardless if Murphy or Mornhinweg starts, the Gators have a difficult challenge ahead as they try to snap a four-game losing streak.
Florida needs two wins in its final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible, and a win over South Carolina would be a good place to start.
Will Murphy's shoulder cooperate? Is there such a thing as Mornhinweg Magic? Can Florida's SEC-leading defense return to its early-season form and pull off a surprise?
Those answers and more will be delivered on Saturday night.
For now, let's take a look at the Florida-South Carolina game with The Opening Kickoff:
FIVE STORYLINES TO WATCH
- Florida's banged-up offensive line will certainly be tested by South Carolina's dangerous defensive front, led by junior end Jadeveon Clowney, considered the likely No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft.
- Clowney hasn't put up the same numbers as a year ago. In eight games, Clowney has 26 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. His production is down in part to opponents using extra blockers to keep him in check. That strategy has helped defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles, who has a team-leading 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
- With Mornhinweg likely to start at quarterback, the Gators' injury-induced youth movement continues. A redshirt freshman, Mornhinweg has never appeared in a game for UF. Only five Gators have started all nine games this season: center Jon Harrison, left guard/tackle Max Garcia, receiver Quinton Dunbar, safety Cody Riggs and defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr.
- Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley voiced his support of Muschamp this week and remains fully committed to Muschamp leading the program into the future. An upset over the Gamecocks and Spurrier would help Muschamp quiet his outside critics.
- South Carolina remains in the hunt for the SEC East title. If the Gamecocks defeat the Gators, they will win the East if division leader Missouri loses one of its final two games at Ole Miss or at home against Texas A&M. South Carolina won 27-24 at Missouri in overtime last month.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
- Murphy and Mornhinweg will be watched closely in pregame warmups. If Murphy is able to participate, it should make for a more dramatic pregame scene than usual as fans, media and South Carolina coaches wonder which one will start.
- Clowney is perhaps the most dynamic defensive player in college football and Garcia and right tackle Trenton Brown must contain the edges when he is lined up across from them. If not, it could be a long day for whichever quarterback is taking snaps for the Gators.
- Muschamp announced Monday that starting middle linebacker Antonio Morrison is done for the season with a knee injury. That opens the door for true freshman Jarrad Davis to move into the starting lineup. Davis has impressed coaches in practice and will serve as one of Florida's captains Saturday.
- Gamecocks tailback Mike Davis, a one-time UF commit, leads the SEC in rushing with 1,058 yards. Davis is averaging 117.6 yards per game and has made the departure of Marcus Lattimore a non-factor with South Carolina averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground.
- The UF defense has not been as dominant as early in the season, but the Gators still lead the SEC in total defense by allowing a league-low 278.8 yards per game. The Gators likely will need a big play or two on defense to upset the Gamecocks, starting with some pressure up front on South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw from Ronald Powell, Dante Fowler Jr. and Jonathan Bullard.
TALKING POINTS
GatorZone.com senior writers Scott Carter and Chris Harry preview Saturday's game ...
THE QUOTE FILE
- "We've got a good relationship. I've admired the way he coaches his team and the way he runs the show down there. After they beat FSU [last year], they were third in the country in that BCS and if Notre Dame had lost to Southern Cal, Florida would have been in the national championship game." -- Spurrier on Muschamp
- "He's a great player, not just good.'' -- Gators fullback Hunter Joyer on Clowney
- "After this week, I'd be confident. He's doing well. Just have to see after this week. This will probably be the first week we have him every single day because Tyler Murphy is day-to-day.'' -- Senior offensive lineman Jon Halapio on his confidence in Mornhinweg
- "Coach Pease calls plays and puts us in good situations. We just haven't been successful as players doing that. We have to hold ourselves accountable and find ways to get the job done.'' -- Murphy on offensive coordinator Brent Pease
- "It's a team thing. There's no one person that we can really blame for any of our problems.'' -- Harrison on Gators' four-game losing streak
OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT
Gamecocks defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward discusses his thoughts on Florida's offense and more ...
10 QUICK HITTERS + 1
- Muschamp said freshmen receivers Ahmad Fulwood and Chris Thompson have improved in the second half of the season and will likely continue to get more playing time. Fulwood caught his first career touchdown pass in the loss to Vanderbilt.
- South Carolina's 15-game home win streak matches the longest in school history, set from 1978-80 and snapped by Ole Miss. The second win in the Gamecocks' current streak came against the Gators in 2011, a 17-12 victory.
- Florida is trying to avoid its fifth consecutive loss, which would mark the program's longest losing streak since a nine-game skid to end the winless 0-10-1 season of 1979.
- The Gators are 13th in the SEC in scoring (20.6 ppg) and have scored 20 or fewer points in every game of their four-game losing streak.
- Gators offensive lineman D.J. Humphries (knee) is doubtful to play Saturday and cornerback Marcus Roberson (ankle) is questionable according to Muschamp. Humphries has missed the last two games and Roberson left the game early against Vanderbilt.
- Shaw is 23-5 as South Carolina's starting quarterback. He needs one more win to tie Todd Ellis for the most career wins for a Gamecocks quarterback.
- Spurrier is in his ninth season at South Carolina, compiling a 73-39 record. He is 3-5 against the Gators and now has 215 career wins, third among active Division I coaches behind Frank Beamer and Mack Brown.
- This is the third consecutive week and fifth time this season that Florida faces an opponent with more than a week to prepare. The Gamecocks were off last week after a 34-16 win over Mississippi State on Nov. 2.
- The Gators need to get off to a quicker start than they have during their four-game losing streak. Florida has been outscored 37-6 in the first quarter in losses to LSU, Missouri, Georgia and Vanderbilt.
- The Gators' kicking competition remained open this week between Brad Phillips, Frankie Velez and Austin Hardin. UF is 10 of 17 on the season in field goals; opponents are 15 of 15.
- Former Gators receiver Chris Doering is on the call for the national radio broadcast on WestwoodOne Sports with John Sadak.
WHAT THEY'RE WRITING
--The Gators should stand by Muschamp the way UCF stood by George O'Leary writes Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi (via Sun-Sentinel.com).
--As Gators' fortunes sag, they try to knock off Gamecocks writes Antonya English of the Tampa Bay Times.
--Spurrier better at South Carolina than he was at Florida writes Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley.
--Show of support for Muschamp writes Jeff Barlis of ESPN.com.
--Muschamp should not be in hot seat writes FoxSports.com columnist Teddy Mitrosilis.
--What to watch for in SEC, Week 12 writes Barlis of ESPN.com.
TOPICAL TWEETS
On his call-in show, Muschamp said #Gators will take 51 scholarship players to South Carolina.
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) November 15, 2013
A good note about #UF football this yr: #Gators are nation's only team to NOT allow a punt return of 20+ yds & a KOR of 30+
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) November 15, 2013
Five questions with #Florida #Gators lineman Jon Halapio @gatorsportsnews http://t.co/nQSwZhHHZf
— Mark Rogers (@MarkRogersTV) November 15, 2013
J. Halapio, C. Riggs, V. Hargreaves, J. Davis will be captains for #UFvsSC
— Will Muschamp (@CoachWMuschamp) November 14, 2013
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Gators come in double-digit underdogs on the road and will need to play perhaps their best game of the season to pull off the upset.
Time is running out on the Gators if they want to make their 23rd consecutive bowl game. Florida must win two of its final three games and one victory will have to come against the Gamecocks on Saturday or No. 2-ranked Florida State on Nov. 30 in the regular-season finale.
