Florida Gators

COLUMBIA, S.C. – On a dreary and wet Saturday afternoon, the kind of day made for napping under the covers, the Florida Gators got a wakeup call.

They stepped onto the field here at Williams-Brice Stadium to start the fourth quarter trailing by a field goal to a South Carolina team coming off its biggest win under head coach Will Muschamp, an upset victory at third-ranked Georgia seven days earlier. You sensed anything could happen in the final 15 minutes.

A lot did.

"They came in with great confidence,'' Gators senior linebacker David Reese said. "We knew they were going to give us their best shot."

The Gamecocks had the Gators on the ropes -- and then they didn't.

First, Florida drove 52 yards on seven plays to take its first lead on quarterback Kyle Trask's 25-yard scoring pass to Freddie Swain with 9:54 left. Next, with the Gamecocks on the move and facing second-and-five from their 43, quarterback Ryan Hilinski held the ball out for a draw play. Gators defensive lineman Zachary Carter crushed him for a sack. The ball squirted loose and UF's Kyree Campbell recovered at South Carolina's 29.

Three plays later, Trask threw a pass intended for Van Jefferson in the end zone. Intercepted. But wait, officials called holding on Gamecocks cornerback Jaycee Horn. First-and-goal Gators at the Gamecocks' 5.



Meanwhile, as Muschamp ranted at officials on the sideline, fans in South Carolina's student section started throwing their rain-soaked towels. Some landed on the field behind the end zone.

Game on.

"That added a little fuel to the fire,'' UF receiver Freddie Swain said. "They were kind of getting emotional."

On the next play, Trask connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for a score and then did his best Feleipe Franks impersonation: he shushed the crowd.

"I liked that,'' Swain said.

Game over.

Perhaps it took longer than they would have preferred, but the ninth-ranked Gators (7-1, 4-1) exploded for 21 points in the final quarter to beat the Gamecocks 38-27, staying in control of their own destiny in the race for the Southeastern Conference East Division crown. The loss all but ended the division hopes of South Carolina (3-4, 2-3).

As the sky spit raindrops on those who remained, the Gators celebrated their win and headed to a joyous locker room, knowing they have two weeks to get ready for the much-anticipated annual rivalry game against Georgia in Jacksonville. The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs (6-1, 3-1) survived a slow start of their own before pulling away to beat Kentucky 21-0 Saturday night.

"We kept our composure,'' Carter said. "We know what we have."

What they have is a golden opportunity to get back to Atlanta for the first time since 2016.

Coupled with Missouri's loss to Vanderbilt and the looming matchup against Georgia, Florida is in the driver's seat in the SEC East. Win out, and the Gators go to Atlanta. They avoided tripping in a wet pothole Saturday.



But first, they hope to get healthy. The Gators were without senior defensive linemen Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga. Both players are nursing severe ankle sprains. Head coach Dan Mullen has also pointed to the Georgia game as the hopeful return of dynamic playmaker Kadarius Toney, who has missed the past six games with a shoulder injury.

Following Saturday's win, Mullen said his team showed its mettle.

Coming off their first loss of the season at LSU, Mullen saw a team that lacked juice at practice last week. In some ways, it carried over into the Saturday.

Much of that had to do with South Carolina, which kept the game close in familiar fashion to Florida fans who remember Muschamp's stint in Gainesville.

"They did a great job of playing to win,'' Mullen said. "Really, the first three quarters of the game, they dominated field position. You know it was just playing to win. They kept us pinned deep, made us have to go the length of the field. They won the field position game and they did what they needed to, but in the fourth quarter, I think we were able to flip that. We were able to create a turnover, create some positive drives, finish drives in the red zone and a really good finish to the game by our guys."

At "The Swamp" last season, the Gators overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to spoil the Gamecocks' afternoon. Other than for trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, the most worrisome stage Saturday for Florida was when the Gamecocks went up 17-10 on Tavien Feaster's 21-yard scoring run early in the third quarter following a Trask interception.

The Gamecocks had all the momentum – and then they didn't.

On the next play, running back Dameon Pierce snapped off a 75-yard touchdown run.

"Ultimately, that helped us win the game,'' Pierce said. "That gave us the boost the offense needed. That was a well-executed run by the offensive line, and an outstanding effort by [receiver] Tyrie Cleveland to get me in the end zone."

Cleveland shielded Gamecocks defensive back Israel Mukuamu from Pierce for about the last 30 yards. It was just one of many plays the Gators made in the less-than-ideal conditions that proved the difference.

Good teams find ways to win on the road, even when they start slow. The Gators passed a crucial test Saturday.

They have more coming.

They hope with a full roster available.

"We just persevered and kept playing,'' Reese said. "We really stressed the fact we can't let one loss turn into another like last year. When healthy, we can be a great team."

Shortly before exiting the postgame interview room, Carter was asked about what's next.

Specifically, have the Gators had Georgia on their mind lately.

"We're always thinking about Georgia,'' he said.

For the next two weeks, they will even more than usual.