Florida slogged thru the rain and persevered to beat a solid South Carolina team, 38 - 27, on a wet Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. The difference was in the “big” plays. The Gators capitalized with a (Pierce) 75 yard touchdown run, a 37 yard touchdown pass (Copeland), and with a fourth quarter strip sack (Carter) fumble recovery (Campbell) on the Gamecock’s 29 yard line. For the day, SC out gained (387 to 354)and out possessed (32:03 to 27:53) Florida, but gave up too many big plays.

First the good. Florida’s defense survived despite the absence of their two top pass rushers and several in-game injuries that forced the Gators to play freshmen in key situations. At different points, at least 5 Florida defenders were helped off the field. David Reese rallied the troops and stabilized a wobbly run defense in critical moments. Kyle Trask wasn’t sharp early, but gained momentum (and accuracy) as the game progressed. The O-line pass blocked pretty well. Kinlaw (SC DT) is a beast. Four TD passes to four different receivers is a nice accomplishment against a tough (Muschamp) defense. The Gators extended drives with two fourth down conversions and a couple long third down conversions. Special teams were good, making a long field goal and averaging nearly 45 yards per punt.

Now the bad. The run game for Florida is still unreliable. Without the 75 yard touchdown run, the Gators netted less than 100 yards on 29 carries. The receivers had several dropped passes and blocked poorly on the perimeter today. Without Greenard and Zuniga, the Florida defense failed to get consistent pressure on Hilinski.

With the exception of last week at LSU, the Gators have made good in game adjustments and finished games strong. Florida leverages it’s superior conditioning and depth to dominate late in most games. The open date comes at a great time. The Gators are a banged up team with a physical Georgia team looming in two weeks. It was great having Pierce back today. By the Georgia game, Florida could be close to full strength (barring injury reports from today).