Setting the stage
Week 7 marks the 44th meeting between Florida and South Carolina including the 22nd matchup in Columbia.
- The Gators have dropped four of their last six contests at South Carolina.
- In last year’s 38-6 drubbing, Florida posted its largest margin of victory (+32) in an SEC game of the Billy Napier era.
- Florida’s 374 net rushing yards in the 2022 victory over USC marked the team’s highest SEC total in eight seasons.
- The performance marked UF’s third-highest rushing total in an SEC game since 1996, as running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. (24 carries, 161 yards, one touchdown) and Trevor Etienne (eight carries, 100 yards, one touchdown) both eclipsed 100 yards on the ground while QB Anthony Richardson scored and rushed for 96 yards.
- The last two games were won by an average of 27.5 points by the home team (2021: SC 40, UF 17 | 2022: UF 38, SC 6).
- Florida has scored exactly 38 points in each of its last three wins over South Carolina (2019, 2020, 2022).
Stat Comparison
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The other side
The Gamecocks are 2-3 in 2023 including a 1-2 mark in SEC play. All three of their losses have come to teams ranked in the AP Top-25 and away from Williams-Brice Stadium. The five teams that Carolina has played are a combined 22-5, with two of those five losses coming to the Gamecocks. South Carolina opened the season with a 31-17 setback to No. 21/20 North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, before posting a convincing 47-21 win over Furman, the sixth-ranked team in the FCS. The Gamecocks opened SEC play at two-time defending national champion Georgia in Week 3. South Carolina held a 14-3 lead at intermission, but the top-ranked Bulldogs rallied for a 24-14 win. Carolina rebounded with a 37-30 win over Mississippi State in Columbia. The Gamecocks then went to No. 21/19 Tennessee and dropped a 41-20 decision to the Vols.
The Gamecocks have been led all season by quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receiver Xavier Legette. Rattler has completed 119-of-163 passes (73.0 pct.) for 1,411 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He ranks 18th in the nation with 282.2 passing yards per game and is ninth in completion pct. Legette has caught 32 passes for 606 yards, averaging 18.9 yards per catch and 121.2 yards per game, with three touchdowns. He ranks fourth among all FBS players in receiving yards per game and was recently added to the Biletnikoff Watch List.
Defensive tackle T.J. Sanders has been impressive early this season. He has 3.0 sacks and 5.0 tackles for loss among his 16 stops. He had a career-high nine tackles at Georgia with a pair of tackles for loss and a sack, earning co-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week accolades.True freshman safety Jalon Kilgore was pressed into early action when Nick Emmanwori went down early in Game 1 and has remained in the starting lineup even after Emmanwori’s return. He leads the team with 42 tackles, including a dozen stops against North Carolina and a season-high 15 stops at Tennessee, along with his first career interception. He ranks fourth in the SEC with 8.4 tackles per game, which is also second in the FBS among freshmen.
GAME INFO
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium
Channel: SEC Network
Radio: ESPN Gainesville – WRUF | The Varsity Network | SiriusXM
On the call
Play-by-Play: Dave Neal
Analyst: Matt Stinchcomb
Reporter: Alyssa Lang
Catch up
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