The No. 17 Gators could potentially leap from middle of the pack to the top of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division when they travel to South Carolina this weekend.
UF (6-3, 4-3 SEC) is holding onto a slim hope of winning the division, something that can?t be accomplished without a win against the Gamecocks.
BIt?s going to be Florida and South Carolina in competition for the SEC East,C Coach Urban Meyer said. BIt?ll be probably an atypical atmosphere. It?ll be wild.C
The Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4 SEC) defeated the Gators in Columbia in 2005, and it took three blocked kicks for UF to pull out a 17-16 win in The Swamp last year.
To win the SEC East, UF needs to win Saturday and hope for a Tennessee loss coupled with at least one Georgia loss.
The game will also mean a reunion with former UF coach Steve Spurrier, who will try to prevent Meyer from winning the SEC twice in his first three seasons, a task Spurrier couldn?t complete.
Much has been made of the Gators facing the man who led their program to prominence, but that isn?t a factor for the players this season.
Most of these players never even played under Spurrier.
BIt?s just another game for us,C receiver Andre Caldwell said. BAnother game we?re just trying to win, so the coaching matchup doesn?t matter to us.C
While UF still aspires to play in a BCS game, the Gamecocks are trying to stop a losing streak.
South Carolina has lost three straight games, a skid that took them from the nation?s top 10 to unranked.
A loss to the Gators would mark the first time a Spurrier-coached team has lost four consecutive games since his first year at Duke, in 1987.
BHopefully we can compete a little bit harder this week and stop the run a lot better and get in the ballgame with Florida,C Spurrier said. BThey?re a very good team, which we all know.
BThey lost a couple that they easily could have won, like a lot of people in our league do. It should be a heck of a game, and we?re looking forward to it.C
The Gators? top playmaker, receiver Percy Harvin, could be limited in the game.
Harvin missed Thursday?s practice and could only run on Wednesday because of an illness. Though coaches expect him to play, it will affect UF?s offense if he isn?t fully healthy.
The Gamecocks must overcome injuries to safety Emanuel Cook and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who anchor the nation?s top-rated pass defense.
Both players are expected to play Saturday despite ankle injuries, but if they?re hampered, it will present an opportunity for the Gators to strike through the air.
BIt?ll make a difference,C Caldwell said. BA lot of their plays are made by those two. If they?re out, we?ll probably attack them a little more by going downfield to take advantage of it.C
