Three Takeaways From Florida's 41-39 Triumph in South Carolina

Among All Gatrors' three biggest takeaways from Florida's road win at South Carolina, quarterback Graham Mertz silencing his critics might be the most important.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Those predicting a shootout before the first kick were few and far between, but that's exactly what observers received while tuning into Florida's 41-39 road triumph over South Carolina in Week 7. 

The 50.5-point over/under was nearly doubled as quarterbacks, Graham Mertz of the Gators and Spencer Rattler of the Gamecocks, combined for 736 yards and seven touchdowns passing.

In the end, the Gators put together more big plays when it mattered most, snapping a five-road-game losing streak under head coach Billy Napier and entering the bye week with much-needed momentum ahead of their matchup with No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 28.

Below are All Gators' three biggest takeaways from Florida's big win in Week 7.

Graham Mertz silences critics with career-showing

Florida abandoned its desired run-first-and-run-often approach against South Carolina and, like it did against Utah in Week 1 and Kentucky in Week 5, asked Mertz to lead the Gators to victory with his arm.

Doubt in Mertz's ability to do was raised after Florida combined for 25 points, as he went a respectable 56-of-74 for 577 yards in those losses but threw only three touchdowns compared to two interceptions. The ability to execute in the red zone and in critical situations, it seemed, wasn't there, even though Mertz was completing a high rate of passes. Questions regarding his down-the-field throwing capabilities were raised in abundance, too. 

Mertz eliminated much of that uncertainty on Saturday, however.

If not for his showing, in which he tossed for a career-high 423 yards and matched a season-best of three touchdowns, Florida wouldn't have stood a chance against South Carolina and its ability to put points on the board. 

Florida QB Graham Mertz's passing chart in his career game vs. South Carolina, via PFF.

Mertz was 15/27 for 216 yards, two TDs against blitz. Only five designed screens, 5/5 for 34 yards there.

Also posted a season-best aDoT of 10.9 yards. Previous high was 7.9 vs. McNeese. pic.twitter.com/LGJNRrFpaY

— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) October 15, 2023

In addition to his usual display of efficiency and general accuracy on short passes and backfield designs, Mertz took advantage of an underwhelming South Carolina back seven in coverage. He went six-of-nine for 102 yards and a touchdown on passes of 10-to-19 yards in length, and completed four throws of 20+ air yards, netting 118 yards and a score while throwing deep, per Pro Football Focus.

Mertz's 10.9 yards of average depth per target was his best in a single game this season. His previous high was 7.9 yards on average against McNeese State in Week 2. 

South Carolina was aggressive in deploying blitzes in an effort to both take away the run and apply pressure. It found success against the ground game but not in rattling Mertz. Although he was sacked a couple of times, Mertz stood tall against the blitz by completing 15-of-27 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns versus five rushers. 

"You can't help but respect the competitive spirit of the kid, the toughness, the decision-making," Napier said about Mertz's performance. "I just thought he was fantastic. Never flinched." 

Through seven games, Mertz ranks No. 1 among SEC quarterbacks with a completion rate of 76.2%. His 1,897 passing yards rank No. 4, his 12 touchdowns are tied for No. 5 and his 163.8 passing efficiency rating stands at No. 6 in the conference. 

Gators display strong resolve, toughness in the face of adversity 

Florida entered this matchup 1-7 away from home with Napier as its head coach. When the Gators went down by 10 points, 37-27 with 9:11 on the clock, it felt like the game was over. 

A not insignificant number of South Carolina fans seemed to agree as the stadium began to lose occupants early in the fourth quarter. 

Perhaps Florida took the early exits — paired with criticism of prior performances — personally. Maybe things finally just clicked for the Gators. And of course, both things could have been true in UF's 14-point, fourth-quarter rally to secure their first road win since going to Texas A&M last November. 

"We've struggled on the road and certainly tonight was one heck of a football game," Napier described. "But I do think some of the toughness that we've built, some of the resolve that we've built, some of the relationships, this group has done nothing but get closer. I think it's almost galvanized the group and we came here today to prove something." 

The squad certainly proved its determination to take home a victory. It opened the game with a touchdown on its first drive and matched every South Carolina score through the third quarter. 

After the Gators allowed two consecutive touchdowns by the Gamecocks in the early fourth quarter, Florida outgained South Carolina with 150 yards over 23 plays compared to 31 yards over seven plays over each squad's next two drives. 

Florida took complete control, offensively and defensively, in crunch time to suffocate what remained of the home crowd and emerge victorious. We'll touch more on the defensive effort in the next takeaway.

"What a way to win a football game," said Napier. 

Florida's defense falls apart, again, but regroups at a critical moment

Although Florida's offense did its part to ensure the victory. the Gators' defense almost fumbled it away. The unit gave up season highs in points allowed with 37 (not including UF's intentional safety at the end), yards with 465, and allowed South Carolina's SEC-worst rushing attack to nearly double its average weekly output with 152 yards obtained on the ground. 

But the unit bounced back when it mattered most in one of the most distinguished sequences of complementary football during Napier's tenure as head coach.

Naturally, Florida's back-to-back touchdown drives in the final 9:11 of play have been the talking point of the comeback, but a four-play, 20-yard drive between those series, beginning with 4:36 left in regulation, stymied South Carolina as it attempted to put the game away. 

The drive was aided in yardage gained by a roughing the passer call on Florida lineman Cam Jackson. Otherwise, South Carolina picked up just five yards over four plays and punted after burning 1:53 off the clock. 

STAR cornerback Jaydon Hill and safety Miguel Mitchell put a lid on the drive with second and third down tackles against the pass that resulted in respective gains of two and zero yards, forcing a punt that Kai Kroeger shanked. 

To all but seal the victory after the UF offense once more, the Gators' defense again halted the Gamecocks with a three-play, 11-yard series that ended in an interception. Mitchell hauled in an underthrown ball from Rattler and went down at the 20-second mark.

Florida's recent defensive play, having allowed an average of 402 yards and 28.6 points per game against South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, is cause for significant concern after the unit gave up averages of 289 yards and 15.7 points per game over the first four weeks of the campaign. The unit looks to have regressed now that it is consistently facing SEC competition, particularly at run game tackling and in coverage.

However, it appears it can be counted on in a big moment. Despite its struggles against South Carolina, Florida's defense rose to the occasion in Week 7, doing its part to help the Gators win the game. 

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