W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
** The biggest opponent that the South Carolina football team faces this week may not be the Florida Gators but themselves as the team looks to come back down to earth after a week of no doubt hearing how good they are from friends and classmates. The college football season is a roller coaster ride of emotions and after taking an "us against the world" bunker mindset in a "must win" game against Kentucky and then pulling the massive upset last week against Georgia, the South Carolina team was, rightfully so, the toast of the town in Columbia this week.
The win, no doubt one of the biggest in school history, and certainly the biggest upset in school history, has brought new-found life into the 2019 season and given the program the marquee win it needed. Now, the bigger challenge is for Carolina to take that win and build on it today as there's now the opportunity for a potentially special season.
** From what I've been told, South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski has thrown the ball well in practice this week, despite his injuries, but it's obvious that he's not going to be 100 percent, which could affect his mobility.
Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is known for creating havoc up front and will bring blitzers from all angles in his 3-4 defense. That defense's ability to get pressure, plus Hilinski's health, plus the expected weather conditions should no doubt have a large effect on South Carolina's offensive game plan as I believe they'll once again have to rely on the running game and will need to use the quick passing game to try and keep Hilinski from getting hit. The Gators are talented in the secondary and it will be a challenge for the Carolina receivers to get open, meaning the tight ends and running backs may need to be a large portion of the passing game.
One factor that should play into Carolina's favor is that both of Florida's top defensive linemen are considered game time decisions and the buzz from out of Gainesville has been that both are likely out. That could be huge when you consider the issues that Carolina has had in pass protection. In fact, this is a Florida team that comes into Williams-Brice banged up at multiple positions after playing two straight top 10 teams, so it could be the perfect time to be playing the Gators.
** Florida rushed for 367 yards last season against a South Carolina defense that was a shell of itself by that point in the season due to injuries, but the Gators haven't been near as efficient running the ball this year.
Their rushing totals per game aren't awful, but Dan Mullen is one of those coaches who will stick to the run, so while the totals aren't terrible, their yards per carry average is actually second-worst in the league. This is a Florida offense that has some good backs, especially starter Lamical Perine, and obviously Mullen is a good playcaller, so that seems to point to the offensive line as being an issue.
With the way the South Carolina defensive line has played as of late that should play into the Gamecocks hands from a matchup standpoint.
With those issues running the football, Mullen has turned to quarterback Kyle Trask, who has made good decisions and has been accurate while spreading the football around to his receivers, which will be the best group Carolina has seen at that position since the Alabama game. Given the skill talent there, and Carolina's new-found reliance on the 4-3 defense, it seems natural that Mullen is going to try to spread this defense out and get the ball out quickly to those playmakers ala the Alabama game.
Will the Gamecocks be able to tackle these guys in space and will the weather help thwart those plans? Those are two important questions, in my eyes, and it will be interesting to see if Carolina sticks in its 4-3 or gives in and adds an extra defensive back to the field. I could see the Gamecocks playing a bit more zone this week too.
** As good as Florida's receivers are, the matchup issue that stands out most to me is with tight end Kyle Pitts, who has some Jared Cook/Jerrell Adams qualities as a big, athletic tight end (6-foot-6, 240-pounds) who they line up both in-line at tight end and on the outside at receiver.
Pitts is actually Florida's leading receiver and is statistically the best wide receiver in the SEC. If Carolina sticks with its 4-3 defense, and Florida chooses to spread things out with three receivers, then it's possible that they could get Pitts matched up with a linebacker in coverage.
The interesting thing about Pitts is that he's a tight end who doesn't just run the underneath and intermediate stuff you typically see from the position - he's a true deep threat as well.
** FINAL THOUGHTS: These are two teams dealing with injuries to key players, coming off wild road games last week, likely playing in the rain - if college football is nearly impossible to predict anyway, then good luck accurately predicting this one.
This feels like a game that's going to stay in the 20s (or lower) for each team and it'd be a pretty big surprise to me if a shootout breaks out.
The Gamecocks do have momentum and belief, two factors that can go a long way in college football, and the home field advantage. Give me the Gamecocks, 27-23.
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