Gators Rally to Take Down Gamecocks, 41-39
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A thriller in Columbia.
Trailing by 10 with 9:11 remaining, the Gators' offense took the field looking to kickstart a fourth-quarter comeback on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
At 1-7 in the Billy Napier era away from The Swamp, Florida's sputtering second half provided little hope for producing a second victory.
However, an inspired second-to-last drive of the game, resulting in four-yard a touchdown to pull Florida within three, re-instilled internal optimism. The Gators held firm to force a stop on the ensuing defensive possession to retake control of the football, providing a chance to produce late-game heroics.
The drive consisted of a fourth-down conversion, a tipped pass reception by Eugene Wilson III to move to the fringe of the red zone and a 21-yard toss from Graham Mertz to Ricky Pearsall to take a 41-37 lead over the Gamecocks with 43 seconds remaining.
The latter connection proved to be the game-winning score.
Florida moves to 5-2 (3-1 SEC) on the year and earns its second victory on the road in Napier's tenure.
Both offenses started the first half hot, trading blows throughout to each eclipse the 20-point mark before halftime.
The Gators, receiving the opening kickoff, opened the scoring with a dynamic nine-play, 66-yard drive capped off by a three-yard Trevor Etienne rushing touchdown.
Three field goals and two grabs by Kahleil Jackson in three plays — the first going for 45 yards before a seven-yard touchdown snag two plays later — underlined Florida's most sustained offensive product on the year, with Mertz and Co. compiling 293 total yards of offense.
But, as Florida's offense ticked, so did South Carolina's.
Spencer Rattler's strong first-half showing sparked the Gamecocks to hang tight with the Gators through the first 30 minutes.
Accounting for 148 and two scores on 92% completion, with his lone incompletion of the first two quarters coming with 1:48 remaining in the second, Rattler capitalized on the Gators' propensity to allow explosive plays. He turned in two completions over 40 yards, adding another of 20, to effectively sustain South Carolina's offensive production.
His touchdown tosses to Trey Knox and Mario Anderson highlighted the unit's success during the span.
A three-point margin separated the two squads heading into the locker room, 24-21 in UF's favor.
The scoring output cooled to begin the second half of play, as the two teams traded field goals in the third quarter to head into the final 15 minutes with the Gators up by three, 27-24.
To begin the fourth, Rattler found running back Juju McDowell in the flats on a bootleg to the right, giving McDowell his second touchdown of the game and the Gamecocks a 31-27 lead with 14:55 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Florida used the legs of Montrell Johnson Jr. to return to plus-territory. It set up kicker Trey Smack's fifth field goal attempt of the afternoon, having connected on his previous four.
Instead of Smack knocking through the 48-yard try to pull within one point of the Gamecocks, edge rusher Tyreek Johnson squeezed through the Florida protection team and got his hand on the ball. The block bolstered USC's momentum, resulting in a five-play, 69-yard scoring drive, capped off by tight end Joshua Simon's 33-yard touchdown reception.
A botched extra point kept South Carolina's lead at ten, 37-27.
The Gators offense answered.
Moving 75 yards in 14 plays, Florida converted twice on fourth down to come away with a four-yard pitch-and-catch from Mertz to Arlis Boardingham, pulling within three points, 37-34. It was one of four receptions by the tight end on the series, one of which was a 14-yard gain on 4th and 11.
With 2:43 remaining, Austin Armstrong's defense forced a crucial stop to present the Gators' offense with its final opportunity.
The unit reeled off the aforementioned game-winning scoring drive, capped off by Mertz's 21-yard toss to Pearsall. Florida's passer accounted for 423 passing yards and three scores, completing 30 of his 48 attempts (63%).
Defensive back Miguel Mitchell's interception of Rattler on South Carolina's last gasp sealed Florida's victory.
The Gators took a safety with three seconds remaining, resulting in the 41-39 final score.
Florida now heads into the bye week following the eventful comeback victory over South Carolina.
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