After a disastrous Week 5 outing at Missouri, Florida headed home to Gainesville searching for momentum in a conference matchup against South Carolina. With arguably their toughest stretch of the season on the horizon — now-No. 1 Texas and now-No. 2 Georgia — the Gators desperately needed a tone-setting win before heading on the road to Austin, Texas.
Instead, Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC) fell flat Saturday. It allowed 393 total yards and found the end zone just twice in a 38-19 loss to South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Here are four takeaways from Florida’s 19-point loss to the Gamecocks.
Glaring issues persist for Florida’s defense
On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Brad White made it clear his players needed to play with more violence and contest throws at the catch point.
Through five games, Florida allowed an SEC-worst 231.2 passing yards per game, and after allowing Mizzou quarterback Austin Simmons to throw for 340 yards in Week 5, the Gators needed a bounce-back showing from their defensive backs.
“When the ball is in the air, there has to be more of a dog mentality,” White said. “There’s too much survival mode right now and not enough hunting. We need to hunt.”
Instead, they were hunted.
LaNorris Sellers punished the UF secondary in the first half, throwing for 135 yards and two touchdowns through two quarters, lifting the Gamecocks to a 17-10 lead at the break.
The Gamecocks went 7 of 11 on third-down opportunities in the first half, and back-to-back 10-play scoring drives by South Carolina left the game tied 10-10.
A UF defense that had allowed 26.6 points per game saw the Gamecocks tally 17 in the first half and score on all three of their trips to the red zone. South Carolina finished with 38 points and scored on all four of its trips to the red zone.
Even when Florida had the Gamecocks backed up, it continued to allow long completions. Facing a third-and-14 in its first drive out of the half, South Carolina produced back-to-back explosive passing plays — 35 and 26 yards — to find the end zone. The latter found Donovan Murph for a 26-yard score as South Carolina extended its lead to 24-13.
The air was out of the tires from there as the Gamecocks strung together a 10-play, 59-yard touchdown drive to push ahead by 18, 31-13.
“When it came to third down, we struggled to get off the field,” linebacker Aaron Chiles said. “We struggled a lot, so I feel like we gotta go back to the drawing board and keep working, keep getting better.”
A blown coverage in the end zone was the icing on the cake for a UF defense that allowed 393 total yards and 38 points.
“We’ve got to win 50-50 balls down the field and be in competitive position to make plays on those balls,” head coach Jon Sumrall said. “There’s no magic to fixing it. We have to go back to work.”
The Gamecocks finished 10 of 16 on third down, and even with the Gators limiting Sellers’ rushing production, South Carolina found the end zone five times.
“We have to find ways to get off the field in those situations,” Sumrall said. “We have to perform a lot better as coaches and as players.”
Sellers finished with 279 yards on 23-of-35 passing, and he totaled five touchdowns — four through the air and one rushing.
Offense remains inconsistent
Florida’s offense entered Week 6 averaging 46.2 points per game, and it got a favorable matchup against a South Carolina defense that had allowed an SEC-worst 13 passing touchdowns.
The Gators exploited that weakness early, opening Saturday’s scoring with a three-play, 63-yard drive that took less than a minute, but their offense was ineffective through the remainder of the game. After receiver Bailey Stockton’s 59-yard touchdown catch, Florida failed to capitalize on its momentum and was held to just 10 points in the first half for a second consecutive week.
“We’ve just got to execute,” Stockton said. “There’s 11 guys on the field, and we’re just not all doing our job on one play. I just think we’ve got to lock in, and that starts with Tuesday practice.”
Quarterback Aaron Philo threw for 146 yards in the first half, but an interception by South Carolina’s Vicari Swain allowed the Gamecocks to push ahead 17-10 with a touchdown.
The Gators responded with a field goal after half time, but trailing by 11, Florida only mustered two yards on its next drive. Just when it seemed the Gators were finding a rhythm on offense in the fourth quarter, Philo lost a fumble in the red zone trailing 31-13.
That turnover summed up Florida’s offense struggles and all but sealed the 19-point loss.
Tramell Jones Jr. even entered the game for Philo in the fourth quarter, but he quickly tossed an interception. The pass bounced off the hands of tight end Evan Chieca as the Gators’ offensive struggles continued to spiral out of control in the second half.
“We haven’t gotten better and improved in some areas to maybe offset our weaknesses,” Sumrall said.
Jadan Baugh bounces back
The SEC’s leading rusher, Jadan Baugh, totaled just 13 yards on 12 carries at Missouri. He even texted Sumrall on Sunday, apologizing for his uncharacteristically inefficient outing.
“I don't think it was his best, either,” Sumrall said Monday. ”He texted me [Sunday]. He was like, 'Coach, I'm sorry, I won't let that ever happen again. I didn't play my best.' But I love Jadan because he owned it and he's ready to move forward.”
In Week 6, Baugh bounced back, but he still finished with a modest stat line. Despite an inefficient first half, the SEC’s leading rusher posted 59 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against a South Carolina team that entered Saturday with the sixth-best rush defense in the conference.
The Gamecocks held opponents to 502 yards on 155 rushing attempts (3.24 yards per carry) through the first five weeks, and it kept Baugh to just 14 yards on seven carries in the first half.
“Their defensive front won the battle at the line of scrimmage in the run and the pass game,” Sumrall said. “They’ve got good players, but we have to help our guys play better.”
But with Duke Clark ruled out after he exited half time with a boot on his left foot, Baugh received an even larger share of the Gators’ backfield snaps. He proved more efficient in the second half, adding 45 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
Though it wasn’t the elite-level outing Florida fans were hoping for, Baugh’s late-game touchdown and his long of 26 provide optimism for his continued production.
Versatile receiving corps flashes
With receiver Vernell Brown III out for a second consecutive week, Florida was in need of a spark to get the passing game rolling.
Though it was met by an ugly loss, Stockton and Dallas Wilson flashed as valuable wideouts, combining for 201 yards on 16 receptions.
The Gators struck early with Stockton’s 59-yard touchdown catch, and Philo continued to spread the ball around. Nine different Gators caught a pass in the loss, with Stockton pacing the team with 127 yards.
Wilson entered the game as Florida’s leading receiver with 18 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and he got plenty of looks on Saturday. The sophomore ultimately finished with 74 yards on eight catches.
Chiles said Wilson spoke up in the locker room after the game, telling the players to take accountability and focus on the outcome moving forward.
“He said we can’t blame the coaches,” Chiles said. “The coach is not going to be out there playing for us … It’s the execution on the players’ part. So, during practice, during the week, we have to be super focused, super locked in.”
Florida will look to put together a stronger showing on the road against Texas in Week 7.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
