The Quick Slant: Gators 24, South Carolina 14 (Instant Analysis)
Saturday, November 14, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Gators clinched their first SEC East title in six years by escaping with a two-point victory over Vanderbilt a week ago.
The No. 11-ranked Gators (9-1, 7-1) dominated South Carolina (3-7, 1-7) on Saturday -- well, for most of the game -- before holding off the Gamecocks in a 24-14 victory here at Williams-Brice Stadium.
A pair of touchdowns by true freshman running back Jordan Cronkrite and a Austin Hardin 39-yard field goal gave Florida a 17-0 lead entering the final quarter. The Gamecocks could do nothing offensively as they entered the fourth quarter with 44 total yards.
However, a late South Carolina rally, capped by a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Perry Orth to Pharoh Cooper cut Florida's lead to 17-14 with 4:49 left.
The Gators then turned to their offense to finish the game. The offense came through as quarterback Treon Harris hit receiver Demarcus Robinson for a big first down.
Next, running back Kelvin Taylor broke off a 53-yard run that moved the Gators to South Carolina's 1-yard line. He scored on the next play, sealing Florida's victory with 2:01 left in the game.
Here is our instant analysis from Florida's visit to Columbia:
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators remain alive in the College Football Playoff chatter by winning their third consecutive game. Florida's ninth win of the season allowed first-year head coach Jim McElwain to join some elite company. McElwain joins former Gators coaches Ray Graves (1960), Galen Hall (1985), Steve Spurrier (1990) and Urban Meyer to win nine games in his first full season.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Cronkrite was suspended for the first half of the Vanderbilt game due to a targeting penalty he received in the victory over Georgia. He ended up not playing against the Commodores, the first DNP of his young career. Cronkrite not only played Saturday, he played a starring role with a 3-yard touchdown run and 41-yard touchdown reception. On his first career touchdown reception, Cronkrite made the catch as he and Gamecocks defensive back Chris Lammons converged on the ball. Cronkrite beat Lammons for the ball, then raced the final 11 yards into the end zone.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators' longest scoring drive in time elapsed prior to Saturday's game was a 17-play, 86-yard scoring drive against Tennessee that took 6 minutes, 10 seconds off the clock. Florida had three drives that long against the Gamecocks. Florida's first three scoring drives Saturday consumed 6:38, 7:11 and 6:20 of game time.
SUBPLOT: The Gators were cruising until midway into the fourth quarter when running back Jordan Scarlett was stopped on fourth down. South Carolina seized the momentum swing to trim a 17-point deficit to three points. However, on a key third-and-8 play on the ensuing possession, Taylor raced 53 yards to South Carolina's 1. He scored on the next play to seal the victory.
UP NEXT: The Gators finish the regular season with a pair of nonconference games against Florida Atlantic and Florida State. FAU is up first. The Owls visit Ben Hill Griffin Stadium next week coming off a 24-17 to Middle Tennessee on Saturday. FAU is 2-8 in the second season for head coach Charlie Partridge, a former assistant under Bret Bielema at Wisconsin and Arkansas.
