Staff Predictions: South Carolina vs. Florida
Saturday's contest contains massive implications for South Carolina and Florida. Both are amidst program rebuilds and are early in the process, meaning any win furthers their cause.
Head coach Shane Beamer is attempting to propel his team forward into a new category. The Gamecocks (6-3) finished 7-6 last season, good for a first year. However, they want to continue pushing forward and elevating the standard.
Florida provides a unique challenge, but they enter a new regard if they conquer it. South Carolina wants to gain relevancy in the SEC; this win would help them on their journey. Our staff sees things going either way, and the outcome may come down to the final possession.
Evan Crowell: South Carolina 27, Florida 24
I believe South Carolina is a sound team that executes well situationally. They have playmakers on both sides of the football, meaning that despite their limitations, the Gamecocks can win most games.
Beamer generally rights the ship after a loss, smoothing things out and correcting what needs to be fixed. They bounced back against Vanderbilt after an embarrassing loss to Missouri; the Gamecocks could regain their national standing by beating Florida.
The Gators also have talent but have clear consistency issues. Their longest touchdown drive spanned thirteen plays. If they can't generate big plays on early downs, the garnet and black have a great chance to steal a win.
Andrew Lyon: Florida 38, South Carolina 24
In figuring out which team will win a football game, sometimes the most important thing to consider is the matchup. The matchup between South Carolina and Florida heavily favors the Gators.
South Carolina has had an extremely tough time defending the run the last several weeks. Florida will provide challenges that previous opponents didn’t bring for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will have to play sound football on the defensive front and take some of the pressure off a secondary dealing with a menagerie of issues in terms of depth based on their recent performances. I don’t see that being corrected this week.
Combine that with the possibility of either playing without MarShawn Lloyd or a version of him that’s less than one hundred percent, and I don’t think the Gamecocks will be able to keep up in this contest.
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