After a big win against the then No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, the South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to maintain momentum with a win against the No. 9 Florida Gators.
Last year the Gamecocks rolled into the Swamp and almost walked out with a win, but late game heroics from then-sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks helped Florida escape with a 35-31 win.
The Gamecock defense will not have to worry about Franks this week due to season-ending surgery on a dislocated ankle. Instead, redshirt junior Kyle Trask will be leading the Gator offensive attack. Though he is the backup, Trask has helped continue the Gators' win streak, especially in a big win against Auburn, where he threw for 255 yards and two touchdown passes.
Senior running back Lamical Perine is another offensive weapon of the Gators. Perine tore up the Auburn defense when he totaled 130 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 touches.
In order to stop Perine, senior linebacker T.J. Brunson and sophomore linebacker Ernest Jones, the Gamecocks' leaders in tackles, will need to continue their defensive dominance.
On the defensive side of things, senior linebacker David Reese II could be a big problem for the South Carolina offense. Not only does he lead the Gator defense in tackles, but Reese also leads the entire SEC with 53 tackles.
Another obstacle the Gamecock offense will have to handle is junior defensive back Shawn Davis. Davis is tied for seventh in the nation in interceptions with three and leads the nation with 111 interception yards.
After freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski left the game with an apparent left knee injury during the Georgia game, redshirt freshman Dakereon Joyner stepped in to the lead the Gamecock offense. The status of Hilinski's injury is currently up in the air, so Gamecock fans should be ready for the possibility of Joyner being under center against Florida. Whoever is leading the offense on Saturday though will have to be wary of Davis, as to not add to his interception total.
Joyner's 39 passing yards weren't enough to put any points on the board for the Gamecocks, but it gave the defense enough breathing room to make big time plays. Sophomore Israel Mukuamu led the secondary with three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six. These impressive stats made him the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.
The Gamecock defense also saw big games from its defensive front, players like senior Javon Kinlaw and senior D.J. Wonnum played a key role in putting pressure on Georgia's passing game.
A win in this game against Florida would be huge for the Gamecocks' season and the Muschamp era. Picking up another win against a top-10 team would validate the talent this Gamecock team has and show the rest of the country that this team has the potential to turn this season around and be an even better team in the future.
One thing South Carolina has to its advantage is the crowd noise. When the Gators came to Columbia in 2017, Muschamp and the Gamecocks were able to walk out of Williams-Brice Stadium with a 28-20 win. Regardless of the team's record, South Carolina fans are always loud, and you can bet on Williams-Brice being packed and loud for a big game against an SEC East rival.
Prediction
This is a pivotal game for the Gamecocks — one they could potentially win. As with the Georgia game, South Carolina is going to need everything to go its way to secure a win against the No. 7 Gators.
With the game at home, and the team having a new found confidence, there's no way you don't bet on the Gamecocks this week.
Final Score: South Carolina 24, Florida 21