Florida Gators

COLUMBIA, S.C. — It was the kind of loss that sent an already edgy fan base screaming into the night.

It was the kind of loss that gave the home team's student section plenty of ammunition as the visitors walked off the field.

And it was the kind of loss that left Gators head coach Dan Mullen still grasping for answers to what ails his team following a third consecutive loss, Florida's first three-game Southeastern Conference losing streak since Mullen took over the program in 2018.

"Disappointed in what we did and we've got to work and find a way to get better,'' Mullen said. "I know everybody's disappointed."

The details from Florida's 40-17 loss at South Carolina – remarkable in hindsight that the Gators were 18-point favorites – are ones Gators fans probably won't spend much time rehashing this morning. In the hazy aftermath, the fact Florida led 7-3 midway into the first quarter following a 12-yard touchdown pass from Emory Jones to Xzavier Henderson serves as a reminder how quickly a cool Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium turned into a nightmare for the Gators.

The Gamecocks regained the lead a little more than two minutes later when running back Juju McDowell took a direct snap and scored on a 2-yard run, capping a five-play, 75-yard drive. The Gators answered on Chris Howard's 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter to tie the game 10-10, and then the wheels fell off and rolled down George Rogers Boulevard. South Carolina scored 30 unanswered points over the next two quarters on its way to a 40-10 lead, turning what many considered a prime opportunity for Florida to rediscover winning into a laugher for the heavy underdogs. The Gamecocks rolled up 459 yards, including a season-high 284 on the ground as running backs Kevin Smith (128) and Zaquandre White (111) each rushed for more yards than the Gators had on the night (82).

Much like Florida's loss to No. 1-ranked Georgia seven days earlier when the Bulldogs capitalized on three turnovers late in the first half, Jones' fumble and the ensuing 18-yard return for a touchdown by Jabari Ellis cast a hopeless feeling over the Gators right before halftime.

Once again, the Gators lost the turnover battle in what has become an alarming trend as the season has spiraled downward. The Gators are minus-9 in turnover ratio on the season and opponents have now converted 18 UF turnovers (15 interceptions, three fumbles) into 73 points.

"If you look at that, we're not doing the things you need to do to play winning football,'' Mullen said. "We did that early in the season. That's not a recipe for success. It's not one little thing. You go look throughout the season, there's a lot of little things that have gone wrong.

"We're not playing great at the line of scrimmage. We're turning the football over. Those are two huge things. Special teams, we gotta get better at special teams within the kicking game."

With Jones (17 of 30, 258 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) back in the starting lineup in place of redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson — in his first career start, Richardson left the Georgia game with a concussion — Florida came out throwing on its first 10 plays from scrimmage. The plan worked for a little while, highlighted by a 61-yard pass to freshman Marcus Burke.

But without a consistent running game against a South Carolina defense ranked 87th in the country against the run (168.9 yards per game), Florida's bid for its first win since Oct. 9 against Vanderbilt faded.

In a week in which the Gators circled the wagons to regain their footing, they lost for the eighth time in 12 games dating back to last season. Florida (4-5, 2-5) dropped to fifth in the SEC East, two behind the Gamecocks (5-4, 2-3) in the loss column.

"I didn't see it coming. I'm obviously really disappointed,'' Mullen said of what transpired in Columbia. "You give them credit, their guys played really well, made plays that were there to be made." Beyond the goal of rebounding from back-to-back losses, it was a difficult week for the Gators as they battled a flu virus that spread throughout the team, including Jones, who tested positive for the flu on Saturday morning. Mullen said that 20 to 30 players missed practice each day and that others arrived for the game on Saturday after taking a flight separate from the team charter.

He wasn't using it as an excuse, but as another example of the challenges the Gators have faced since starting the season 3-1 and being ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP Top 25.

"I want to give our guys credit for battling, for facing adversity,'' he said. "We had a bunch of guys dealing with sickness. I thought our guys had a great attitude this week. I think our guys compete and they're going to work and they're going to fight and they're going to give everything they have. We as coaches have got to do a better job to put them in the positions for the effort they give, to put them in position to be successful."

That task has proven easier said than done as a once-promising season has raised questions about the program's future.

In a familiar storyline over the past season and a half, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham received the brunt of the criticism from fans on social media. It didn't help Saturday that South Carolina quarterback Jason Brown, a graduate transfer from FCS program St. Francis (Pa.), passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start.

The defense rarely came up with a key stop as South Carolina scored on its first five possessions and seven of its first eight.

UF players did not speak to the media afterward, but linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, who had a game-high 12 tackles, expressed his thoughts on Twitter.

"I'm sorry Gator Nation," Diabate tweeted. "On God, I try to give everyone my all on the field, these moments are where you learn about yourself and those around you. Stay tuned."

Asked if he was at the point of considering staff changes, Mullen deflected the question and said the Gators will continue to evaluate what they are doing as they prepare for their first home game in more than a month next weekend against Samford.

In the meantime, they will have to deal with the fallout of another loss.

The Gators have three games remaining and nothing seems guaranteed except for more questions about what has gone wrong.

Mullen is confident the Gators are built to withstand the scrutiny and find a way out of the darkness.

"Our players are competitors,'' he said. "They want to win. There's guys that really want to win and have a great attitude and really want to work hard to go be successful."

As Diabate tweeted, stay tuned.