The game starts at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on CBS. ESPN's College Gameday will be in Gainesville.
[TABLE="class: cms_table_grid, width: 800, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Name:[/TD]
[TD]University of South Carolina[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Location:[/TD]
[TD]Columbia, South Carolina[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mascot:[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
Fighting Gamecocks[/TD][/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Colors:[/TD]
[TD]Garnet and Black[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Founded:[/TD]
[TD]1801[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Enrollment:[/TD]
[TD]45,000[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Notable Alumni:[/TD]
[TD]
Hootie and the Blowfish
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Division and Conference:[/TD]
[TD]Div. I-FBS, Southeastern Conference[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Head Coach:[/TD]
[TD]
Steven Orr Spurrier: the Ol' Ball Coach, the Swamp Fox, he just don't give a fuck. 8th year, 61–36 (.629) at South Carolina[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]All-Time Record vs. UF:[/TD]
[TD]6-23-3 - but two of those victories came in the last two years
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011 vs. UF:[/TD]
[TD]Won 17-12 in Columbia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011 Record:[/TD]
[TD]11-2 (6-2 in SEC play)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Most Stunning Victory of 2011:[/TD]
[TD]A 45-42 victory over Georgia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Most Devastating Loss of 2011:[/TD]
[TD]A 16-13 home loss to Auburn[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Notable Traditions:[/TD]
[TD]Also Sprach Zarathrusta, The Cockaboose Railroad[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Player with the Silliest Name:[/TD]
[TD]
Sophomore DB Kadetrix Marcus[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
This week's game is probably the biggest of the season so far. Florida is 6-0, having played several tough games and defeated Texas A&M on the road, Tennessee on the road and LSU at home. The Gamecocks of South Carolina have also been playing tough, dominating Georgia 35-7, but fell to LSU in Baton Rouge last week, 23-21.
For both teams, an Eastern Division championship is at stake. If Florida wins, it will remain undefeated and in the driver's seat to make it to the SEC Championship game. If South Carolina wins, it will be one of three one-loss teams in the East - and with victories over the other two, it will also control its own destiny.
Offensively, the Gators will no doubt rely on its dependable running game. Led by senior running back Mike Gillislee and sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskell, Florida's ground attack has consistently proven to be effective in scoring enough points to win. It hasn't been flashy, and the passing game is practically non-existent, but winning ugly is better than losing.
Defensively, the Gators have been dominant this season - no doubt about it. Florida has held its opponents to a mere 12.3 points per game - and some of those opponents have put up huge numbers against lesser defenses. Furthermore, the Gators have held their opponents to an average of 297.2 yards per game. Josh Evans and Matt Elam lead the team in tackles - but it was Elam who turned heads against LSU, flying all over the field and making big play after big play.
Special teams is another area where the Gators have shone. Placekicker Caleb Sturgis has made almost 85% of his field goal attempts and punter Kyle Christy has been instrumental in pinning Florida's opponents deep in their own territory - averaging over 46 yards per punt.
For the Gamecocks, South Carolina may be hampered by the possible loss of its starting running back, Marcus Lattimore to a hip injury (personally, I think it's a ruse by the Ol' Ball Coach). His backups are competent, but have not put up the numbers that Lattimore has this year - and it's worth noting that South Carolina beat Florida last year without Lattimore's impressive talent. Nonetheless, if Lattimore's loss effectively shuts down South Carolina's running game, the burden of leading the team to victory falls on Junior quarterback Connor Shaw, who looked less than impressive in last week's loss to LSU.
On defense, South Carolina has been as good as Florida, allowing just 12.3 points per game and 296.3 yards per game. If Florida has trouble running the ball against South Carolina we could be in big trouble.
Special teams and ball control could make the difference. South Carolina doesn't have a kicking game as solid as the Gators'.
Finally, South Carolina has an element of surprise: you never know what kind of trickeration the Ol' Ball Coach is going to come up with. The Gators have not faced the unexpected since the first half of their game against Texas A&M - and Spurrier is well-known for trick plays and deception. It remains to be seen how we will be able to deal with his machinations.
This is going to be a tough, tough game - maybe the toughest the Gators face in the regular season. The way I see it, both offenses will sputter and both defenses will dig in. If Lattimore does not play, however, the Gators have a distinct advantage.
Without Lattimore, the Gators win, 6-0.
With Lattimore, the Gators lose 9-6.
