COLUMBIA, S.C. — As Dominique Easley teetered off the field, his left leg was limp, his shoulders hunched, his head down.
It was late in the second quarter Saturday, and Easley had just been driven into the ground. As he hobbled toward the locker room, trainers supporting the 282-pound defensive tackle, Easley did not watch South Carolina finish its drive. He didn’t need to.
With Easley on the field, the Gamecocks drove the ball into the heart of the Gators’ defense. With him out, they punctured the vital organ, capping an 11-play, 46-yard drive with a goal-line sneak into the end zone by quarterback Connor Shaw.
Shaw’s carry gave South Carolina a 14-3 edge. It was the 10th straight run by the Gamecocks, and on their previous drive they pounded the ball on nine of 11 plays, capped by another Shaw rushing score.
In all, the Gamecocks gained 215 yards on 52 runs. Brandon Wilds led the attack, carrying the ball 29 times for 120 yards. Shaw scrambled for 88 yards on 16 carries. He threw the ball just 12 times.
“We got tired,” coach Will Muschamp admitted, even if his players wouldn’t after Saturday’s 17-12 loss. “The second quarter wore on there in the run game, and that’s really where they gained most of their yards.”
South Carolina entered the game ranked third in the Southeastern Conference with 188.4 rushing yards per game.
On paper, the Gators’ run defense should have matched up. Florida was allowing 123.3 yards on the ground per game, but that number was aided by strong performances against bottom dwellers like FAU and UAB.
During Florida’s four-game losing streak in October, the defense allowed an average of 201 rushing yards.
“It’s frustrating,” linebacker Jelani Jenkins said. “One of the main things we want to do is stop the run. When we don’t, they’re able to be effective, take shots, just keep the clock running.”
Jenkins said Florida did not recognize some of South Carolina’s packages, like when the Gamecocks ran the ball with no one lined up at running back. Coaches drew South Carolina’s formations on a blackboard at halftime, showing the players how to attack.
Easley returned in the second half, rejuvenated, as did UF’s run defense, which held South Carolina to just 55 yards in the third and fourth quarters.
Still, the Gators’ defense could not get off the field at a critical time. Down by five with 5:34 left, Florida stopped Wilds twice.
But on third and 2, Easley fell forward. Offsides.
After the flag, he rolled over, his hands gripping his facemask, his head tilted up, looking to the sky.
Contact Tyler Jett at tjett@alligator.org.
Defensive end Dominique Easley takes on Tyler Bray and the Tennessee offense on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Florida has generated four sacks this season while the Volunteers have allowed just one.
