Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs. Florida game details, TV info, depth chart
South Carolina will hit the road for the first time in 2020 to take on the Florida Gators. The Gamecocks took a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers to open the season. What you need to know:
What time do the Gamecocks and Florida play today?
Who: South Carolina (0-1) at No. 3 Florida (1-0)
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548)
TV: ESPN (Mark Jones, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analysis; Marty Smith, sideline)
Radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analysis; Jamar Nesbit, sideline) ... See all the radio affiliates around South Carolina here.
Satellite radio: Sirius 81/XM 383
Series history: South Carolina trails the all-time series 28-9-3. The Gamecocks have lost the past two meetings despite carrying leads into the fourth quarter in both games.
Weather: Mostly cloudy. A 20% of rain after 2 p.m. Temperature 78 degrees at kickoff, 81 at game’s end. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph.
Final South Carolina-Florida, SEC betting odds for Week 2 football games
The point spreads are according to VegasInsider.com:
- Auburn at Georgia (-7)
- Missouri at Tennessee (-12.5)
- South Carolina at Florida (-17.5)
- Texas A&M at Alabama (-18)
- Ole Miss at Kentucky (-6)
- LSU (-21) at Vanderbilt
- Arkansas at Mississippi State (-17)
Gamecocks vs. Gators: What’s at stake
For South Carolina, it’s basically all upside. This is the hardest game on the Gamecocks’ 2020 schedule. It’s a longshot with the Gamecocks as more than a two-touchdown underdog.
Still, the USC offense and defense could both prove a little something. It’s only Game 2 in Mike Bobo’s scheme, so getting some production against a blitz-happy defense would show something. On the other side, South Carolina’s defense looks shaky, so anything it does to slow a strong Gators attack is a bonus.
The Gators are gunning for the first SEC East title since 2017 and look to be one of the best teams in the country. Dan Mullen hasn’t broken through as a head coach, and this might be his chance.
The teams, by the numbers
USC | FLA | |
Points/Game | 27 | 51 |
Opp. Points/Game | 31 | 35 |
Yds. Rushing/Game | 89 | 196 |
Opp. Yds Rush/Game | 133 | 170 |
Yds. Pass/Game | 290 | 446 |
Opp. Yds. Pass/Game | 261 | 443 |
Avg. Yds./Game | 379 | 642 |
Opp. Total Yds/Game | 394 | 613 |
South Carolina players to watch
1. Quarterback Collin Hill looked pretty solid in his first game with USC. He threw for 290 yards and one touchdown, while running for another. He’ll have to deal with a blitz-heavy scheme
2. Tight end Nick Muse is the top option behind Shi Smith, and the Gamecocks could use more targets carrying the passing game. He had four catches against UT, but also dropped a key pass.
3. Cornerback Jaycee Horn is an anchor opponents rarely throw at, and he’ll be valuable wherever USC puts him. Florida has an unreal number of options, so where he’s used will say a lot about how the Gamecocks aim to defend the Gators.
Florida players to watch
1. Redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask grabbed the starting reins in the fourth quarter of Florida’s third game of the year last season, and he never looked back. Trask started the next 10 games and posted the highest passer rating for a Gator quarterback since Tim Tebow in 2009. Trask rolled over his success into Week 1, where he threw for a whopping six touchdowns and 416 passing yards.
2. Junior tight end Kyle Pitts went bonkers in Week 1 with eight catches for 170 yards and four touchdowns. (That’s not a typo. He scored four times.) Pitts isn’t the traditional sluggish tight end who lays down blocks and catches a few short passes. He’s a dynamic playmaker and one of the top tight ends in the college game, and he could cause matchup problems for the South Carolina defense.
3. Senior Kadarius Toney is listed as an athlete on Florida’s roster, and he lives up to that billing as a multi-faceted player who can do damage in a variety of ways. In Week 1 he put up 55 yards on two carries and added 59 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown on five catches.
South Carolina football depth chart
x-denotes true freshman
Offense
QB: Collin Hill (Ryan Hilinski)
RB: Kevin Harris -- OR -- Deshaun Fenwick (Zaquandre White)
FB: Adam Prentice
WR: Dakereon Joyner (x-Ger-Cari Caldwell)
WR: Xavier Legette (x-Rico Powers)
WR: Shi Smith (x-Luke Doty)
TE: Nick Muse (Keshawn Toney)
TE: Keveon Mullins (Will Register)
LT: Dylan Wonnum (Jazston Turnetine)
LG: Sadarius Hutcherson (Jordan Rhodes)
C: Eric Douglas (Vincent Murphy)
RG: Jovaughn Gwyn (Wyatt Campbell)
RT: Jakai Moore -- OR -- Jaylen Nichols -- OR -- x-Vershon Lee
Defense
DE: Aaron Sterling (x-Tonka Hemingway)
DT: Keir Thomas (Zacch Pickens)
DT: Jabari Ellis (Rick Sandidge)
Buck: Kingsley Enagbare (x-Jordan Burch)
SLB: Brad Johnson (Spencer Eason-Riddle)
MLB: Ernest Jones (Damani Staley)
WLB: Damani Staley (Mo Kaba)
CB: Jaycee Horn (John Dixon)
S: Jammie Robinson (Shilo Sanders)
S: RJ Roderick (Jaylin Dickerson)
CB: Israel Mukuamu (Cam Smith)
N: Jammie Robinson (Jaycee Horn)
Dime: (R.J. Roderick)
Special Teams
PK: Parker White (x-Mitch Jeter)
P: x-Kai Kroeger (Christian Kinsley)
DS: Matthew Bailey (Nick Muse)
H: x-Kai Kroeger (Christian Kinsley)
PR: Jammie Robinson
KR: Shi Smith
The State’s Michael Lananna contributed to this report
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
