When Florida kicked a field goal to take a 17-14 lead with 3:30 left in the first half, it looked like South Carolina would either be able to score before the end of the half or go into the locker room down three, but that didn't happen.

Gamecocks quickly turned in a three-and-out, mustering minus-7 yards offensively, then gave Florida a short field after a 34-yard punt.

In total, just 22 seconds elapsed off the clock, and gave Florida the chance to go down and score again.

“That was a momentum swing in the game.” Will Muschamp said. “There’s no question that middle eight, the last four (minutes) of the first half and the first four of your second half, we came out defensively better in the second half there but that could’ve been a catastrophe.”

The Gamecocks came out throwing, but Collin Hill fired his first two passes incomplete—one to Xavier Legette and another to Nick Muse—before taking a seven-yard sack on third down.

“Well, we felt like we were throwing the ball pretty well if we catch the football," Muschamp said. "We threw three in a row there on a three-and-out situation."

It would only take the Gators 1:47 to find the end zone, going 52 yards in five plays and capping off the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts.

The play looked like a rub route to Pitts to help free him up, but Muschamp couldn't talk about that or the officiating postgame.

“It was a questionable call to get the down there and I can’t comment on that," he said "That was a momentum swing in the game.

After the Florida touchdown, South Carolina made a special teams mistake with Shi Smith kneeling at the three-yard line and forcing the Gamecocks deep in their own territory.

South Carolina didn't do much from the shadow of their own goal posts, picking up one first down but bleeding the clock until halftime.

"Shi has got to be more active with his feet on the kickoff return, squaring the ball and not putting us in that situation," Muschamp said. "We’re very fortunate to get out of that situation not giving them a short field again."

The South Carolina offense totaled just 35 yards in their three drives that started inside the middle eight. Those drives ended in Kroeger’s punt, the end of the first half and a Collin Hill fumble.

South Carolina falls to 0-2 with Saturday’s 38-24 loss and travels to Vanderbilt next week for a noon kickoff.