Missed chances doom Gamecocks in first road game in six weeks
South Carolina barely had time to break a sweat before they were down to Florida Saturday. Just four minutes into the game, the Gators went up 7-0 on a six-yard touchdown pass to C’yontai Lewis.
And before they could get a chance to move on offense, the Gamecocks had to punt. Then Florida started to drive again.
This time, the defense forced a fumble in the red zone giving the offense another opportunity to score.
Another punt.
The next drive? The defense forced a fumble.
The Gamecock offense? Punt.
Missed chances became the story of the day as the Gamecocks fell to Florida 20-7.
“We had every opportunity to capitalize on some things and we just never got over the hump as far as some things we needed to do,” head coach Will Muschamp said.
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Offensively, the Gamecocks (5-5, 3-5 SEC) couldn’t make anything happen in the first half.
They put up only 104 yards through two quarters; with freshman quarterback Jake Bentley going 7-for-15 for just 74 yards. South Carolina running backs combined for 30 yards on 17 carries (1.76 yards per carry).
“I think we were stagnant in the first half and tried to turn it on too late,” David Williams said. “The defense gave us two opportunities with the fumble and we just didn’t take advantage of it. Against a team like this, you have to take advantage of it.”
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Offensively, the Gators could do no wrong. They racked up 372 yards on offense, making Carolina defenders swing-and-miss all afternoon. Muschamp said his team didn’t tackle well Saturday, and it led to 20 Gator points and a 6.4 yards per play average.
Florida worked almost exclusively with screens and inside handoffs early, getting into space and making defenders miss. The defensive mishaps there put the gamecocks in a hole, Bryson Allen-Williams said, and it cost the team.
“It’s the mental intensity coach Muschamp talks about all the time,” the junior linebacker said. “You have to be focused, and we came out a little flat. We didn’t start as fast as we needed to being on the road and they’re a good team. Playing a good team like that you can’t start slow.”
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak and eliminates the Gamecocks from an SEC East crown in Muschamp’s first year. It was also the first game on the road since Sept. 24 against Kentucky, a five-game home stand.
The young players like Bentley looked like freshmen to start the game, hurrying plays and Bentley taking longer in a hostile crowd to bark out audibles. Florida’s defense capitalized on the 89,614-fan advantage. The Gators sacked Bentley five times for 24 yards and had 12 tackles for loss.
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The Gamecocks return home next weekend for Senior Day against Western Carolina. It’ll be a welcome return home for this team, which is 4-2 at home but just 1-2 on the road this year.
Muschamp said the Gamecocks have to work on that moving forward, especially since they are searching for the magical sixth win for bowl eligibility.
“I do feel like we’re a different team at home and that’s not a good thing,” Muschamp said. “We got to learn how to go on the road and play well. That’s something I told the guys in the locker room: learn from it and move forward. That’s what we’re going to do.”