Two special teams gaffes by Florida gave South Carolina the opportunities it needed to stage a comeback and win 23-20 in overtime.
Ahead 17-10 with 3:31 left in the game, the Gators (5-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) lined up for a 32-yard field goal that would have given them a two-possession advantage against a stagnant Gamecocks team (5-5, 3-5 SEC).
However, Frankie Velez’s kick was low and subsequently blocked. Although the block did not lead to any points for Steve Spurrier’s squad, South Carolina was still down just seven late in the contest.
Because Florida’s defense remained strong for the majority of the matchup, every point mattered for South Carolina down the stretch.
Three minutes later with the two teams still gridlocked at 17-10, the Gators sent out their punt team with the ball on their own 38-yard line. Another 45-yard punt by Kyle Christy would have pinned the Gamecocks at least behind their own 20 with no timeouts.
However, that kick was also blocked, which gave Spurrier just 34 yards with 39 seconds remaining.
He needed just 27 seconds to get his offense to tie the game at 17, which led to overtime in Gainesville.
“Getting two kicks blocked will lose you a football game,” coach Will Muschamp said. “We had every opportunity to win … I’m very disappointed to lose that football game. Our guys fought and played hard and we put ourselves in a position to get it done and we didn’t.”
In overtime, the Gamecocks made quick work of the Gators.
After two rushes by Treon Harris and a Devin Robinson catch for no yards, Florida was forced to kick a field goal. Rather than go back to Velez, who had his last attempt blocked, Muschamp decided to put in Austin Hardin.
Hardin nailed the 35-yarder and UF was back in the lead.
However, Florida’s defense, which had been effective all day against South Carolina’s rush attack, was ran over Mike Davis in overtime.
The junior tailback rushed for 14 yards on four consecutive plays to start the Gamecock’s drive.
When quarterback Dylan Thompson had his offense on the 1-yard line on first-and-goal, he faked the handoff and took the ball into the end zone himself to win the game.
“It’s just a gut check,” wide receiver Latroy Pittman said. “I can't even really explain the feeling. It hurts so much to work so hard and you know you did things to put yourself in a position to win the game and at the end of the day we didn't just get the job done.”
The loss snaps the Gators’ four-game winning streak in overtime contests. But more importantly, the loss eliminates Florida from the SEC East race with two more games on the regular season slate.
When asked how he would keep his team motivated knowing that a trip to Atlanta is out of the question, Muschamp was brief in his answer.
“You play at the University of Florida,” he said. “You keep playing hard.”
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @jczupryn
UF coach Will Muschamp speaks to reporters following Florida's 23-20 overtime loss against South Carolina on Saturday.
