Florida Gators Overcome Deficit to Defeat South Carolina 41-39

The Florida Gators defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road 41-39 in what was a massive road win for head coach Billy Napier and his team. 

The win now makes Napier’s road record as Gators head coach 2-7, with the last road victory coming last season against Texas A&M. It was the first SEC East road win for the Gators since 2020 and it couldn’t have been more dramatic if it tried to be, especially after the Gators went down 10 points with under 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

Napier spoke about the 10-point deficit in his postgame press conference. 

“There’s 9 minutes to go in the game and we’re down 10…we could have hung it up and they didn’t do that,” Napier said. 

Since Oct. 2017, the Gators have made it a tradition in The Swamp to belt out Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” at the end of the third quarter, and safe to say, the Gators did that and then some to get the win over the Gamecocks. 

Here are my takeaways from Florida’s massive road victory over South Carolina. 

The Gators Never Backed Down

This will be somewhat of a theme for all of these takeaways but speaking of Tom Petty and not backing down, the Gators did just that against the Gamecocks. 

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler found Joshua Simon for a 33-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter and the Gamecocks fumbled the snap on the PAT to go up 10 points with 9:11 remaining in the game. 

The Gators offense then went on a 14-play, 75-yard TD that included not one, but TWO fourth down conversions and ended with a 4-yard TD reception from Graham Mertz to Arlis Boardingham to make it 37-34 South Carolina.

South Carolina then punted after just four plays to give the ball back to the Gators with 2:47 remaining in the game. 

On the ensuing Florida offensive drive, Graham Mertz threw three consecutive incomplete passes to bring up 4th and 10 from Florida’s own 25-yard line. Mertz dropped back, was forced to scramble to his right, and found WR Ricky Pearsall for a 26-yard reception to keep the game and drive alive. 

Two plays later after a Montrell Johnson 11-yard rush, Mertz saw a pass intended for Pearsall bounce right off of his hands and fall into the hands of true freshman receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson who took it 22 yards.

Napier commented on the crazy play in his postgame press conference and quoted the old head ball coach of the Gators whilst doing so.

“Coach [Steve] Spurrier used to say, ‘God smiled on the Gators’ Well when we threw that stent to Ricky Pearsall and it got tipped up in the air and Tre Wilson caught it and kept running, I would say God smiled on the Gators today.”

Johnson rushed again for five yards and then Mertz found Pearsall in the end zone for a 21-yard TD, which ended up sealing the win for Florida. 

On defense, the Gators needed to get one last stop against the Gamecocks with 47 seconds left in the game. Rattler was pressured heavily by defensive end Tyreak Sapp and was forced the throw the ball away on first down. Rattler then found WR Dakereon Joyner for 11 yards and a first down on the next play. Then came 1st and 10 from the South Carolina 36-yard line. Rattler dropped back, was pressured heavily by a few Gators defenders, threw up a deep ball downfield, and it was intercepted by Gators safety Miguel Mitchell, officially sealing the win for Florida. 

After the performance the Florida defense had, having the game end by the defense making the game-winning play was simply the theme of the game: the Gators just never backed down. 

Have a Day Graham Mertz 

Florida QB Graham Mertz had arguably the best game of his college career against South Carolina and it couldn’t have come in a bigger spot for the Gators. 

Mertz finished the game 30-48 for 423 yards, which was a career-high for him, and three touchdowns. 

Whether it be the throws he made on fourth down to keep drives alive or the throws on the run when scrambling, Mertz made the plays the Gators needed.

Napier commended Mertz’s performance in his post-game press conference.

“Graham Mertz, in particular, you can’t help but respect the competitive spirit of the kid, the toughness, the decision-making. I just thought he was fantastic. Never flinched,” Napier said.

Mertz also took hit after hit after hit and just refused to stay down, getting up every time as he has done all season long.

If the Gators don’t get that performance out of Mertz, they do not win the game, but Mertz didn’t do it all on his own. 

Florida’s Offensive Playmakers Made Plays All Game Long

Mertz couldn’t have the game he had without the help of his offensive playmakers, who I highlighted in my preview of the South Carolina matchup as a key to victory for the Gators, seeing as South Carolina’s pass defense was ranked 126th in the country, giving up 301.4 yards per game through the air.

WR Ricky Pearsall caught 10 passes for 166 yards and the 21-yard game-winning touchdown. 

True freshman WR Eugene “Tre” Wilson caught six passes for 83 yards and rushed the ball three times for 10 yards. Florida placed an emphasis on getting him the football, particularly in the second half, lining him up in several different positions on offense including RB which was interesting to see. 

Napier spoke about Wilson’s usage in the offense and getting him more involved in different ways in his post-game press conference.

I think 3 [Eugene “Tre” Wilson] is unique. You know, he presents you opportunities to be creative and get him plays. I mean he made some incredible plays out there today,” Napier said.

WR Kahliel Jackson caught two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown, with his 45-yard catch being one of the best of the game. 

TE Arlis Boardingham had another big game like he did against Vanderbilt, catching five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. 

The skill players on offense for Florida came up with big catch after big catch and it was a big reason why the offense was able to erase that 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. 

Let’s Talk About Florida’s Defense…

To put it bluntly, the Florida defense did not have a good game against the Gamecocks, allowing 465 total yards and 39 points. The Gators allowed six touchdowns, all of which were on drives that were 69 yards or longer. 

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler, who played very well to his credit, finished the game 23-30 for 313 yards and four touchdowns, including 46 yards rushing. 

However, the defense made the play that mattered most when they pressured Rattler into forcing the throw that ended up being the game-ending interception. 

The defense, overall, has played well this season aside from the Kentucky game and the South Carolina game.  Maybe the South Carolina game was one that needed to be won by the offense, but the Gators do need better play out of their defense moving forward as the schedule becomes 

Next Up: The Bye Week

After the dramatic, come-from-behind victory over the Gamecocks, the Gators will be heading into their bye week before they take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 27 in Jacksonville. 

The bye week will allow for some Gators to get healthier such as starting center Kingsley Eguakun, TE Jonathan Odom, and WR Andy Jean. 

Napier has spoken about momentum a lot this season and Napier had a unique perspective on the subject in his postgame press conference. 

“Yeah, I think it’s probably more important to remember what we felt like in the past than it is to remember how we feel right now.” 

It sounds like the Gators will enjoy the win for a day or two and get right back to work before facing the number one team in the nation in just under two weeks with the top spot in the SEC East up for grabs.