Offense, defense go flat as Gators fall to South Carolina

Not only did Florida fail to execute the bounce-back it sought Saturday against the Gamecocks, but it put up arguably its worst performance of the Jon Sumrall era. 

After both the offense and defense stalled last week against then-No. 25 Missouri, neither phase reached the same heights The Swamp saw in the Gators' last victory. Instead, a similar output that led to the season’s first loss in Columbia was on full display. 

And against a hungry South Carolina searching for its first Southeastern Conference win, Florida couldn’t afford to fizzle out. The No. 16 Gators (4-2, 2-2 SEC) fell to the Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3) 38-19 at home Saturday afternoon. 

"I'm frustrated with every part of what we did today," Sumrall said. "It starts with me. I've got to do a better job getting this team ready to play to its best."

Florida's defense came out strong, forcing three-and-outs on the Gamecocks’ first two drives. But from then on, the secondary struggled to limit explosive plays, and the entire unit couldn’t contain South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the air or on the ground. 

Florida allowed 279 passing yards, including a costly 35-yard toss to Nyck Harbor on third-and-14 for the first down. And the third-down success for South Carolina was a pattern Saturday, with the Gamecocks converting on 10 of 16 third-down attempts. The Gators' defense also ceded 116 rushing yards, of which Sellers accounted for 20. 

"When it came to third down, we struggled to get them off the field," linebacker Aaron Chiles said. "We got to go back to the drawing board and keep working, keep getting better."

Sellers finished 23-of-35 passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Florida’s run game was once again at the forefront of the struggles after looking like one of the premier units in the league through the first four weeks. Jadan Baugh struggled to spark the offense, as it recorded just 54 yards on the ground through the first two quarters. After being held to just 42 yards on the ground in Tiger territory, the Gators posted 120 yards Saturday.  

Baugh posted 59 yards and a touchdown in the final minutes of the game on 15 carries.

"For the majority of the day their defensive front won the battle at the line of scrimmage over us in the run and the pass game," Sumrall said.

And with more pressure on Philo to spark the offense, the much-needed long-yardage plays were nowhere to be found as the Gators continued to rely on a struggling horizontal attack. He finished 21-of-28 passing for 227 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was also stripped in the red zone on second-and-1 by defensive end Dylan Stewart in the final frame. 

The pick came with 3:29 to play in the second quarter. He was intercepted at the Florida 44-yard line by cornerback Vicari Swain on a pass intended for Bailey Stockton. 

Philo spent much of the contest under pressure as well, with the offensive line showing as one of the biggest weak spots of the day. He was also sacked three times. 

With wide receiver Vernell Brown III ruled out prior to the game with a knee injury and Eric Singleton Jr. seeing limited action after limping off the field in the second quarter, Stockton emerged as one of Philo’s primary targets. 

He grabbed eight of his 11 targets for a team-leading 127 yards and a touchdown. He also had the longest catch of the afternoon, a 59-yard grab for the Gators’ first touchdown of the day on their second drive. 

Dallas Wilson was the only other receiver able to make up much ground. He tied with Stockton for a team-high eight receptions for 74 yards. 

Florida’s defense was led by linebackers Myles Graham and Chiles. Graham posted eight tackles (three solo), two sacks and two quarterback hits, while Chiles had a team-leading nine tackles (four solo) and a tackle for loss. Graham sacked Sellers with just over four minutes to play in the first half to keep the Gamecocks out of the end zone, and South Carolina instead kicked a 37-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 apiece. 

But that type of red zone stand was few and far between, as the Gamecocks breezed into the end zone five times over, while Florida was held to its second-lowest point total this season. 

"Sometime when you're winning, it masks the things that aren't going right or that you're not doing well," Sumrall said. "When the outcome goes the other way, it heightens people's awareness of it."

Florida goes on the road next to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns on Saturday at noon for its biggest test of the season. 

Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @avadicecca24.

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