Saturday, November 12, 2022 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
THE QUICK SLANT
FLORIDA 38, SOUTH CAROLINA 6
WHAT HAPPENED: At last, Billy Napier got a wire-to-wire rout — in a Southeastern Conference game, no less — as the UF offense and defense had their finest all-around performances of the season in Saturday's plucking of the Gamecocks at Spurrier/Florida Field, giving the Gators' first-year coach a sixth victory and making his team bowl eligible. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson only passed for 112 yards, but tossed a pair of scores and rushed for another. The Gators absolutely manhandled the Gamecocks on the ground, cranking out 374 yards rushing, including 281 in a first half when UF scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and eventually built a 24-0 lead. At one point, the Gators had three players with at least 100 yards rushing, but Richardson, with 102 yards, was sacked for a 6-yard loss, and what would have been an historic note was suddenly for naught. No matter. Sophomore Montrell Johnson Jr. carried 24 times for a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown. Richardson had 96 yards on 15 attempts. The running play of the day, however, came from freshman Trevor Etienne (8 carries, 100 yards) who took an inside handoff late in the first quarter, broke the line, hit the second level and sped for an 85-yard touchdown run that represented the program's longest play from scrimmage since 2018. Etienne's score put the Gators up 21-0, with Adam Mihalek's 28-yard field goal with just over six minutes to go in the first half making it 24-0. USC got on the board late with just inside two minutes to go in the half when punter Kai Krueger hit a wide open Dakereon Joyner on a fake, with Joyner racing 48 yards for a touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion failed. Midway through the third quarter, 415-pound nose tackle Desmond Watson stripped Gamecocks tailback Jaheim Bell on a stuffed run into the line for a turnover at the USC 12. Richardson capitalized with a 3-yard touchdown toss to sophomore tight end Jonathan Odom to go up 31-6, his second scoring pass of the day (along with a 15-yarder to wideout Ricky Pearsallin the first quarter). Johnson finished the scoring with an 8-yard run with 6:02 left. For the game, UF finished amassed 515 yards of offense, while holding USC and quarterback Spencer Rattler (8 of 16 for 145 yards) to just 237 total yards, only 44 on the ground, and forcing three turnovers. The Florida defense has now gone six consecutive quarters without surrendering a touchdown (after shutting out Texas A&M in the second half last weekend). The Gamecocks played without their top running back, MarShawn Lloyd (556 yards, 9 TDs), who missed the game with a deep thigh bruise. Doubtful he would have made much of a difference.
Freshman tailback Trevor Etienne (7) speeds up the right sideline for his 85-yard touchdown run in the first quarter Saturday. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
WHAT IT MEANS: Being bowl eligible was a stated goal by Napier in his first season of this rebuild. No, the Gators aren't going to a New Year's Six game, but they're now assured of those all-important handful of extra holiday-season practices and, if they can build on these back-to-back wins, could end up at a cool venue. Somewhere like, say, Nashville for the Music City Bowl, Memphis for the Liberty Bowl or, closer to home, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. There's already some buzz about a potential matchup against Notre Dame.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Etienne's touchdown was the longest by a UF freshman running back since John L. Williams ripped off an 86-yarder against West Texas State on Oct. 16, 1982, a homecoming game the Gators won 77-14. He officially got his first 100-yard game on his eighth carry, which came early in the fourth quarter. UF gets two more years (at least) with Travis's little brother who is well on his way to playing his way out of big bro's shadow.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: UF was thisclose from playing a fourth straight game without committing a turnover. Alas, with 1:14 to play, senior Nay'Quan Wright fumbled at the South Carolina 9 and thus stopped a run of 51 consecutive possessions without a turnover. That's a significant development (and a reason for UF's improved offensive numbers the last few weeks), considering how turnovers undermined the offense during the first half of the season. The Gators' last turnover before Wright's fumble came on the next-to-last possession (a Richardson interception) of their 24-17 home win against Missouri on Oct. 8.
UP NEXT: Florida (6-4, 3-4) goes to Vanderbilt to close out the SEC slate with a noon game. The Commodores (4-6, 1-5) began Saturday not only winless in league play this season, but on a 26-game conference losing streak, only to upset Kentucky 24-21 earlier in the day at Lexington. UF has an eight-game winning streak over Vandy, dating to 2014, and has won 30 of the previous 31 in the series, dating to 1989. South Carolina (6-4, 3-4) finishes the season — get this — at home against No. 5 Tennessee and at No. 12 Clemson.
