Breaking down the key plays, game balls, and burning question from South Carolina’s big upset of Florida.

Three Key Plays

1. Fourth and one

After South Carolina forced Florida to punt on the first possession of the game, the Gamecocks faced a fourth and one from the Florida 30. Instead of settling for a long field goal, South Carolina called a timeout to get organized. Kevin Harris picked up the first down with a powerful five-yard run up the middle. South Carolina ended up having to settle for a field goal on the drive anyway, but the aggressive play-call and the power running set the tone for the rest of the game.

2. White’s answer

Both teams came into the game with shaken confidence, and it felt like if either team fell behind by a couple of scores it wouldn’t have the confidence to come back. Florida answered South Carolina’s early field goal with a quick touchdown drive that included a 52-yard pass play. South Carolina needed an answer, and Zaquandre White provided it. On the first snap of the ensuing drive, White had a crease on the edge, broke a tackle, and then cut back towards the middle of the field. He was caught when he slowed down a little to try to set up a block from Jason Brown, who was sprinting to catch up, but it was a momentum-creating 54-yard run. This time South Carolina finished the drive in the end zone. Florida was able to briefly tie the game, but South Carolina never trailed again.

3. Strip, scoop, score

Florida had the ball trailing 23-10 late in the first half. A touchdown would get the Gators back in the game, but South Carolina was able to take advantage of the obvious passing situation. On first down, Aaron Sterling and Jamari Ellis got to Emory Jones and forced him to throw the ball away. On second down Kingsley Enagbare flushed Jones from the pocket. Jones started to take off, but Sterling hit him from behind, forcing a fumble that sat on the 18-yard line. Ellis scooped up the football and had a convoy to the end zone.

“I was just like, please don’t get tackled,” Ellis said, revealing he kept the football and named it “Li’l Chomp.” “That’s all I remember saying. When I got in the end zone the first thing I looked for was a flag, and there was no flag. Then all my teammates were on me.

The play effectively ended the game. South Carolina led by 20 at halftime and there was nothing from Florida that ever suggested they could come back in the second half.

Game Balls

Offensive line

The starting line was Dylan Wonnum, Jovaughn Gwyn, Eric Douglas, Vershon Lee, and Jazston Turnetine, and they were exceptional. Jason Brown was sacked just once, an inconsequential fourth quarter play where he slid in order to keep the clock running. That was the only time he hit the ground all day. The run game was dominant, picking up 284 yards and averaging seven yards per run as the line opened gaping holes. Kevin Harris (128) and Zaquandre White (111) each surpassed the century mark, the first time South Carolina had two backs rush for 100 yards since 2019. There were seven runs of at least ten yards, four of at least 20, and three of 39 or more. But the most impressive play might have been on fourth and one in the third quarter. Everyone knew the Gamecocks were going to run the ball to pick up the first down, and the line still blew Florida two yards off the ball and White had the first down before he was even touched.

“What a night. We controlled the line of scrimmage and that’s where it started,” Beamer said. “We made an individual commitment to win your one-on-one battles, be physical, and compete.”

Parker White

Offensively South Carolina tended to bog down as it approached the red zone, but it didn’t matter because Parker White was automatic. He made a career-high four field goals, from 39, 35, 40, and 39 yards. He also made all four PATs. White is now second in career field goals made, three behind Collin Mackie’s school record of 72, and 14 points away from tying Elliott Fry’s record for points scored (359).

One Burning Question

Was this a fluke or the turning of a page?

A more pessimistic phrasing might be, “Was this game about South Carolina putting it together or Florida disintegrating before our eyes?” Florida is a program in turmoil, with a coach, Dan Mullen, who is on a very hot seat, and a reported flu bug going around the team. The 30-10 halftime deficit may as well have been 40-0 given how little fight the Gators showed.

South Carolina didn’t just wait for Florida to make mistakes, though. The Gamecocks imposed their will on both sides of the ball. It was obviously easier to do against the wilting Gators, but the Gamecocks spent the last two weeks preaching fight and having each player win his one-on-one battle. Beamer pledged to the team that he wasn’t giving up on the season, and the players responded with the same commitment. They were more focused than they had been all season. South Carolina committed just one penalty, a false start, after committing at least five in every game this season and averaging 7.5 penalties per game.

“We ran the same plays and formations and all that stuff,” Jason Brown said. “We just believed in ourselves.”

That’s easy to say after a win, and everybody is feeling good. But it doesn’t mean anything if the Gamecocks turn around and lay an egg at Missouri. It definitely seems like programs headed in opposite directions, though. Case in points, last week Mullen deflected a question about recruiting and said he would “do recruiting after the season.” By contrast, Beamer interrupted a question to address recruits and had earlier talked about all the texts he was getting from recruits Saturday night. Only time will tell, but it seems like one coach and program that gets it, and one that doesn’t.

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