Gamecocks turn in dud against Florida with brutal finish to 2022 schedule looming
Spencer Rattler gripped both sides of the lectern tucked beneath Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and shook his head ever-so-slightly.
“We did some great things last week in the running game and the pass game,” he said. “We expected to do the same stuff this week. But we didn’t get it done. We just didn’t get it done in anything, I felt like.”
Rattler was spot on.
After a convincing win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 5, South Carolina (6-4, 3-4 SEC) didn’t do much of anything right Saturday in Florida’s 38-6 drubbing of Shane Beamer’s squad, with the exception of some special teams trickery. It’s why the latest dud by the Gamecocks in a game that, on paper, felt like an even matchup hits so much harder.
South Carolina is one-third of the way through the vaunted “orange crush” close to the season. Games against No. 10 Clemson and No. 5 Tennessee loom.
With how the Gamecocks looked on Saturday, how on earth are the next few weeks going to be better?
“The last meeting I had with Clayton (White) and (Marcus Satterfield) and Pete (Lembo) at the hotel was, if Florida’s out there for 80 plays tonight, that does not bode well for us, because of our depth issues and injuries on defense,” Beamer said in reference to South Carolina’s pregame planning. “We had to stay on the field and sustain drives. And they were out there for 79 (plays).”
The Massey Ratings — a combination of analytics that combine to calculate a team’s percent chance at winning games — gave the Gamecocks a 35% chance at victory on Saturday. That number had to have dropped to zero, or close to it, after USC trailed 21-0 before it felt like the team had got off the bus.
Say what you will about the offense. It didn’t show up again on Saturday, mustering just 227 yards against a team that had surrendered at least 370 yards in every game but one this season. That much we should’ve expected.
The defense, though, was a nightmare in the opening 30 minutes.
It’s no secret Florida (6-4, 3-4 SEC) wants to run the ball. As strong as quarterback Anthony Richardson’s arm is, he looked the part of a player completing barely better than 55% of his passes, connecting on just 11 of 23 throws on the night.
That South Carolina knew the Gators wanted to gash its defense on the ground and still offered no resistance is where the issue lies.
Possession by possession, Florida raced over, through and around South Carolina’s defense. The first drive was a methodical, slow death as the Gators marched 75 yards on 14 plays — capped off by a three-yard touchdown plunge by Richardson.
The next two drives were even more efficient. Florida needed just seven plays to go 64 yards as Richardson connected with Ricky Pearsall for the first of his two passing touchdowns on the night. Then came the back-breaker.
Taking a handoff from Richardson, tailback Trevor Etienne — the younger brother of former Clemson running back Travis Etienne — raced through a hole wide enough to drive a Boeing 747 through, scampering 85 yards, untouched for a touchdown.
“He’s such a big guy and so fast — as you guys know,” Beamer said of Richardson. “They did a good job. They’re good on the offensive side. They’re big. They’re physical. We got we got knocked around a little bit and didn’t do a great job of of tackling a couple of times. Missed fits and gaps. Missed tackles. Just a combination of things.”
Saturday in The Swamp, Steve Spurrier — who, coincidentally, was in attendance as his 1992 and 1997 Florida teams were honored on the field — could’ve called the plays and it wouldn’t have mattered.
South Carolina was a shell of its usual feisty self, the one that got bowl-eligible the first week of November. It was downright dominated and looked completely inept in the process.
Now comes trying to find something to draw from in games against Tennessee and Clemson that the Massey Ratings give South Carolina a 29% and 27% chance at victory, respectively. At this point, the best case may be getting through healthy enough to regroup before whatever bowl game is on the horizon.
If there’s a silver-lining in Saturday’s loss, Ole Miss and Alabama were locked in a barn-burning classic in the 3:30 p.m. TV window, drawing eyeballs away from the goings-on in Gainesville.
Next week — and likely the following one as well — there will be no such aversion. South Carolina will get that high-flying Tennessee offense at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
If Saturday was a harbinger of things to come, forget shaking your head. Gamecocks fans might want to avert their eyes entirely.
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 9:49 PM.
