Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
KNOW YOUR ENEMY: Q&A With Cam Adams of the Gamecock!
There's no better way to know your enemy than to get intel from someone familiar with the situation.
At least, that's how we approach matchups on a weekly basis here at GatorMaven. In order to best preview the upcoming game between the No. 9 Florida Gators and South Carolina, who is fresh off of an upset victory over the formerly No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, I'm glad to welcome beat reporter and assistant sports editor of The Daily Gamecock, Cam Adams!
Let's get to the Q&A!
Talk me through the transition at QB from Jake Bentley to Ryan Hilinski, beyond Hilinski's off-field story? Will he be at full strength Saturday?
It was definitely interesting, to say the least. No one wanted to see Bentley go out the way he did, but a lot of Gamecock fans were excited to see a change under center given that Hilinski was the No. 2 pocket passer in the recruiting class of 2019, paired with Bentley's performance against North Carolina.
I'm not entirely sure that Hilinski will be 100% going into Saturday's game, but head coach Will Muschamp seems optimistic about Hilinski's abilities despite his sprained knee.
Everyone knows the weapon that Bryan Edwards is for South Carolina, but who else has a shot to make an impact against Florida's typically dominant defense?
Another target Hilinski has in his wide receiving corps is junior Shi Smith, who many consider to be South Carolina's second go-to receiver.
Although he didn't account for many yards in the 20-17 win over then-No. 3 Georgia, he did lead the team in receiving yards against No. 1 Alabama with 90 and a touchdown. The Gamecocks also have a couple of talented senior running backs in the backfield with Tavien Feaster and Rico Dowdle who have combined for 784 rushing yards in 2019.
What are South Carolina's strengths defensively? Who stands out among all three levels of the defense?
South Carolina has a lot of playmakers on defense and head coach Will Muschamp is going to have to utilize these players if the Gamecocks are going to beat the Gators.
A big standout on the defensive line is senior Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw is considered by many to be a first-rounder in next year's NFL Draft as he leads the Gamecocks with five sacks and even gave the talented Georgia offensive line a run for their money last Saturday.
A young talent in the secondary for South Carolina is sophomore defensive back Israel Mukuamu, who many know is coming off a stellar three-interception performance against Jake Fromm and company. Mukuamu's interceptions definitely set the Gamecocks up in a position to win in Athens and will look to do the same this Saturday in Columbia.
Another defensive player that South Carolina fans can count on is sophomore linebacker Ernest Jones who leads the team in total tackles with 50.
What is the energy like up there in Columbia following the win over No. 3 Georgia?
A lot of students were certainly surprised with last Saturday's outcome and they're definitely excited to see what else this team can do after what a lot of students consider to be one of the biggest upsets in school history.
As a sophomore, this is the most I've seen students excited about football or probably any sport for that matter, and I'm interested to see how loud Williams-Brice Stadium will be rocking after the win against Georgia.
5. Prediction?
I'm on the fence on this one, it could go either way. On one hand, it's hard to see South Carolina not build off of the momentum of last Saturday's win, and on the other hand, it's hard to see a talented Florida team lose back-to-back games.
I think I'm going to have to pick the Gamecocks to win, 24-20 in yet another nail-biter. As I said before, I think the Gamecock defense is going to be key to stopping Gators redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Trask and the rest of the Florida offense, and I believe South Carolina will continue its momentum to pick up its second-consecutive win over a top-ten team this weekend.
