Battle for first in SEC East
The east division of the South Eastern Conference (SEC) has two teams tied at 6-3 overall, and those two teams will be in a dog fight this Saturday 13 November with the winner in sole possession of first place. The no. 23 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks will
be in hot water when they travel down to the no. 22 Florida Gators.
South Carolina’s season to date
The Gamecocks started their season 3-0 with wins over Southern Mississippi, previously ranked Georgia, and Furman University. Week four was their toughest test this season against a still undefeated Auburn University, a game in which the Gamecocks
lost 35-27. They rebounded a week later against a previously no. 1 ranked Alabama squad for a win 35-21, which shocked the whole country.
After beating what was thought to be the top team in the country, South Carolina’s stock was rising by leaps and bounds, until they lost to the unranked Kentucky Wildcats a week later. After the loss, they came back and won two games against Vanderbilt
and Tennessee respectively. However, they suffered a beat down last week at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks, 41-20, showing just how inconsistent this team has been all season.
Florida’s previous games
The Florida Gators have been surviving since the departure of their hero Tim Tebow. They started the season 4-0, but all of the wins came against unranked opponents. The following three weeks saw the Gators playing three SEC teams still in the hunt
for a spot in the SEC championship game in Alabama, Louisiana State University and Mississippi State. Florida lost all three games by a combined score of 74-42. It was certainly gut-check time for the Gators and they responded with an emotional victory over
one of their biggest rivals in the Georgia Bulldogs, 34-31 in overtime.
Last weekend’s victory against unranked Vanderbilt 55-14 can be looked at as a tune-up for this weekend’s game against the Gamecocks, which is quickly turning into a must-win for both sides.
Keys to the game
For South Carolina, which team is going to show up on game day, the one that beat Alabama convincingly or the one that lost to an unranked Kentucky squad? If it turns out to be the latter of the two, they might as well just stay in South Carolina
because this game will get out of hand really fast.
Consistency has been the Gamecocks' downfall this season, but that can be contributed to either an offence that ranks 50th in points scored per game, or a defence that allows 21.9 points per game.
Their best statistic belongs to quarterback Stephen Garcia and his aerial assault game, which ranks 38th in the country. He has thrown for 2065 yards on 151 completions with 14 touchdowns. He should keep the ball in the air and expose Florida’s
defence, which has allowed 21 touchdowns this season.
For the Gators, they will have to use a balanced attack on offence as they do not possess the one-man wrecking crew they once did. Quarterback John Brantley has had a respectable season, stepping out of Tim Tebow’s shadow. He will need the use of more play-action
style plays to give him more time in the pocket, and he will have to make good decisions with the football.
Prediction
This game will be won or lost on turnovers, and South Carolina shows up to play.
South Carolina 24 – Florida 20
Tags: