USC-Florida report card: Blown leads mean bad marks
Coming off South Carolina’s 35-31 loss to Florida, it’s time to grade the Gamecocks:
Quarterback
When Jake Bentley was good, he was very good. Going 14-18 in the first half, which included a throw away deep ball in the final seconds, was impressive. He didn’t throw as much in the second, and when things went wrong, it was usually with pass blocking as a big factor.
Grade: A-
Running back
A.J. Turner had a productive day and Mon Denson was OK. There were a smattering of solid plays mixed in with a modestly successful performance (10 of 28 carries went for at least 5 yards, which isn’t great). They take a hit for the running game not being able to close things out.
Grade: B-
Wide receivers
Deebo Samuel’s 89-yard catch and run was A+ worthy. Bryan Edwards and Shi Smith were both solid, but Edwards getting a touchdown pass punched of out his hands proved costly (it was a great defensive play).
Grade: B+
Tight ends
Two guys known mostly for their blocking, Jacob August and Kyle Markway both got their hands on touchdown catches. K.C. Crosby’s two catches both came in solid spots. The group loses some credit for perimeter blocking, which popped as an issue late in the game.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
The performance overall so-so, but the breakdowns came at bad times. Against a blitz-happy team, Bentley was kept mostly clean, but in the late going, when USC needed first downs, he got hurried twice. The run blocking was solid at points, but hardly dominant.
Grade: D+
Defensive line
The group was able to get a little pressure on Feleipe Franks and a time or two stood tall against the run. But the front line also got moved a good bit by the Gators’ offensive line, which hasn’t proven special to this point.
Grade: D
Linebackers
Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp came into the postgame and took his team to task about tackling. A lot of that falls on the thin linebacker group, which had a lot of trouble getting UF backs on the ground. T.J. Brunson generated some big plays with three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Grade: D+
Secondary
This group has been worn away by injuries, and that no doubt was accentuated by the Gators going at a higher pace. But the tackling at times was simply atrocious. Franks wasn’t asked to throw much, but he’s also a quarterback who did know if he’d start at the beginning of the week. He hit 71.4 percent of his passes.
Grade: F
Special teams
Parker White hit his lone field goal. USC averaged 44.5 net yards per punt and got a turnover on that unit. Florida didn’t have a single kickoff return. On the downside, a punt that wasn’t fielded pinned USC at the 7 and USC’s average kickoff return left them inside their own 20.
Grade: B+
Overall
At the start of the week, it would have been considered a successful day if South Carolina was able to go up by 17 against Florida. But part of the reason for that would’ve been skepticism Florida’s mid-tier offense could rally back. The Gators provided arguably the most disheartening loss of the Will Muschamp era.
Grade: D+