Steve Spurrier returns to the town where he became a legend, as the 22nd-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks invade Gainesville to battle 24th-ranked Florida for a spot in the SEC Championship Game.
Spurrier, who was a champion both as a player and a coach during his time in Gainesville, has yet to achieve that level of success during his tenure at South Carolina. This season, the Gamecocks are 6-3 overall, and they are coming off a 41-20 loss to Arkansas at home last weekend.
"We had a terrible night," said Spurrier after the loss to Arkansas last week. "I apologize to the fans that we weren't even competitive tonight. The way we played, you wonder how we won six games this year."
South Carolina is just 1-2 in true road games, but in a season where all of the top SEC teams are from the West Division, South Carolina still has a tangible chance to play in the SEC title game.
After a 4-0 start to the season, Florida suffered through an unthinkable three-game losing streak. Narrow losses to LSU and Mississippi State during that slide seemed to crush any hope that the Gators had of making another trip to the conference title game. However, a thrilling overtime win over Georgia two weeks ago and a romp over Vanderbilt last weekend has the Gators on the cusp of sweeping their SEC East slate for the third consecutive season and 11th time since divisional play began in 1992.
"I'm very excited about the way our guys have come out and played the last two games," said Florida head coach Urban Meyer. "It's not how you start; it's how you finish, and I think we're finishing strong."
Florida owns a commanding 23-4-3 series advantage over South Carolina, which includes a 24-14 victory over the Gamecocks last season.
South Carolina is a productive offensive team with standout players at the skill positions. Marcus Lattimore leads the backfield with 752 yards and 11 touchdowns, and the freshman is willing to put his head down and take on linebackers to pick up an extra yard or two. Alshon Jeffery is one of the top receivers in the nation. Through nine games, he has recorded 59 catches for 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns. The man in charge of getting the ball to Jeffery is Stephen Garcia, who has played well for the most part. He has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,065 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions. South Carolina is generating 29.4 ppg while posting 395.3 total ypg.
Opponents are scoring 21.9 ppg against South Carolina, which is giving up 369.2 total ypg. The Gamecocks are tough against the run, permitting a mere 3.1 yards per carry and 104.6 yards per game. There is much more room for improvement against the pass, however, as opposing quarterbacks have tossed 14 touchdowns against only five interceptions while averaging 264.7 ypg. On a positive note, South Carolina has posted a stellar total of 32 sacks, including a team-high 6.5 by Devin Taylor.
In the ugly loss to Arkansas last week, South Carolina only managed 295 total yards while surrendering 443 yards to the Razorbacks. The Gamecocks were victimized for over 300 passing yards, and Garcia managed only 161 yards through the air with a pair of costly interceptions. Jeffery caught seven balls for 99 yards, and Lattimore was held to 30 yards on 11 attempts.
"They thoroughly out-played us, out-coached us, out-everything," said Spurrier. "They certainly deserved to win the game. We are where we are. We have three losses in the conference, Florida has three losses and we are going to play them next week for the Eastern Division championship."
Switching over to Florida, it is averaging 31.3 ppg and 359.2 total ypg. The Gators have scored 32 offensive touchdowns this season, 23 of which have been rushing scores. Tre Burton has run for 10 touchdowns despite the fact that he has only 278 rushing yards to his credit. Clearly, the Gators feature a running back-by-committee approach, with Jeff Demps leading the charge. John Brantley is the starting quarterback for coach Meyer, and he has had the unenviable job of replacing Tim Tebow. Brantley has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards and eight touchdowns against six interceptions. While the team lacks an elite receiver, there are some talented pass-catchers in the fold.
Opponents are posting just 19.6 ppg and 292.6 total ypg against Florida, and defense is clearly the strength of the team. The Gators are yielding a mere 121.2 rushing ypg at a clip of 3.5 yards per carry, and a mere seven rushing scores have been allowed. A high total of 23 turnovers have been generated, including 17 interceptions. Also impressive is the fact that Florida is limiting the opposition to 35 percent success on third down conversion attempts. Ahmad Black has recorded a team-high 77 tackles for the Gators, and he has intercepted three passes while forcing three fumbles.
Florida dominated the Vanderbilt game from start to finish. The Gators rolled up 480 total yards, but much more impressive is the fact that they held the Commodores to 109 yards. Just 1.2 yards per rushing attempt and 6.3 yards per pass completion were surrendered in the tilt, and of the 16 third-down conversion attempts that Vanderbilt had in the clash, only two were successful. Jordan Reed saw just as much time under center as Brantley, and in addition to passing for 120 yards and a score, the freshman also led the team with 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 rushing attempts. It will be interesting to see if Reed gets significant playing time this week, although conventional wisdom suggests that Brantley will be the man at the helm.
"It's going to be a tough game," Brantley says of this weekend's showdown. "South Carolina is a tough team. Coach Meyer does a great job of getting us ready for big games like this."
Not only does South Carolina have to compete with a Florida team that has rediscovered its swagger, the
Gamecocks will also have to contend with what is sure to be a raucous Gainesville crowd. The edge goes to the Gators, who will win this game with stellar defense.
