This year’s Florida-South Carolina game was supposed to be one of the marquee games within the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division — and it was thought by many to be the deciding factor for which team would represent the East in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.
But the 2014 season hasn’t gone quite as expected for either of these two teams.
We’ll start with Florida, who many speculated would be able to compete for the East title thanks to veteran quarterback Jeff Driskel being utilized in offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s new spread scheme.
However, by the time October came and went, Florida was sitting with three SEC losses, complete ineptitude on offense and was seemingly out of the SEC East race. The third loss came against Missouri — a 42-13 blowout loss in front of a Homecoming crowd in the Swamp.
"The last time we were out there we got embarrassed," linebacker Antonio Morrison said, "and we don’t want to give that to our fans so we want to just go out there and play a great game for our fans."
Following the Missouri loss, Florida coach Will Muschamp looked to be a dead man walking. Names of head coaching candidates across the country began being tossed around as to who would replace him next season.
But what a difference three weeks time can make.
First came an upset victory over the then-No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, highlighted by a 418 rushing performance by the Florida offense.
That output was the most rushing yards for a Florida offense during an SEC game since the 1975 season, and it was the second-highest rushing total given up in Georgia program history. New starting quarterback Treon Harris attempted just six passes total in the game.
Heading into the Vanderbilt game from last week, Florida was expected to be able to ground and pound the Commodores in a similar fashion it did against the Bulldogs the week prior.
But the Florida offense showcased something that they haven’t truly found on this side of the ball all season — balance.
"Really balance gets down to scoring more points than the opponent," Roper said. "So you get into a game and you say alright how we gonna win this football game and it’s a fluid situation and it can change based on score and what’s taking place."
While it’s true the Gators did outscore Vanderbilt in a 34-10 win last Saturday, the offense had complete balance in the rushing and passing attack. They rushed for 214 yards and passed for another 215.
Harris was very competent under center, completing 61.9 percent of his passes, and he also found receivers Quinton Dunbar and Ahmad Fulwood with long balls of 60 and 48 yards, respectively. Not to mention he rushed for 49 yards and two touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over once.
Harris’ confidence is something that both the players and coaching staff have said as something that is impressive because he is a true freshman — a true freshman who stepped on campus for the first time in late June.
"I think he enjoys playing so much that he doesn’t feel maybe the outside pressures or things like that," Roper said. "That’s kind of the way I see it. It’s really interesting. I think he’s a guy that obviously understands the role, but I think he just goes and plays and doesn’t let the other things influence him."
Florida’s offense has the definite advantage matching up with South Carolina’s defense this week.
To say that the unit has struggled throughout the season would be putting it lightly when you point out that the Gamecocks rank outside the top 100 — out of 125 FBS teams — in total, rushing, red zone and scoring defense in the country. All of those categories except for red zone defense are bad enough to put them last in the SEC, too.
Despite the poor performances throughout the season from South Carolina’s defense, Roper said that there are still things he sees on film that can create problems.
"You see a team that was much more multiple from the Auburn game to the Tennessee game, much more… giving you more problems and front recognition and those type of things, you see an aggressive secondary," Roper said. "You see a team that’s not afraid to press you."
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For South Carolina, its offense is one of the most explosive in the SEC, averaging 35.9 points per game.
The offense is led by fifth-year quarterback Dylan Thompson, who already has more than 2,000 passing yards on the year. Thompson ranks 17th in the country in passing yards, with Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill as the only other SEC quarterback ranked inside the top 20
Thompson is currently averaging 287.6 yards in the air per game, but he has thrown 10 interceptions on the year.
Thompson has a pair of lethal wide receivers as targets as well in Pharoh Cooper and Nick Jones. Cooper has 786 receiving yards along with eight touchdowns, and Jones is averaging 12.9 yards per reception.
The Gamecocks, unlike the Gators, have been balanced on offense all season.
Running backs Mike Davis — once a time a Florida commit — and Brandon Wilds have combined for more than 1,200 yards on the ground and have taken the pressure off of Thompson a little bit to run the offense.
"South Carolina’s got the best offense we’ve faced this year," Muschamp said Wednesday. "They’re balanced, Dylan Thompson is playing at an extremely high level, which doesn’t shock you with what coach has done with his quarterbacks in the past. They have stable of running backs, Mike Davis, Brandon Wilds, those guys have been there forever."
However, this has the potential to be one of the toughest defenses the Gamecocks have faced all season, in fact South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier hinted at this earlier in the week.
"Their defense is really good. Probably the best defense we have seen all year," Spurrier said.
Florida’s rush defense has been stout for the majority of the season and ranks 14th in the entire country.
But the secondary allows more than 200 yards in the air per game.
If Cooper and Jones can cause communication breakdowns within the secondary, it could be a long day for the Gators defense.
Much like Florida, South Carolina’s season has gone much differently than expected. Before the season began, various media outlets predicted the Gamecocks to win the SEC East title and even put them in as dark horse national title candidates.
They beat Georgia in Week 3 of the season, but after a victory over Vanderbilt they lost all four of their remaining SEC games including Missouri, Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee. Those were all close games however, being decided by just seven points or less. With a 4-5 record, Carolina is risking missing out on bowl eligibility after winning 11 games each of the previous three seasons.
"We’ve had a lot of fourth quarter losses where we have given up some leads," Spurrier said. "But we win as a team and we lose as a team. Anytime you lose close ones it’s frustrating for coaches."
While Spurrier and company may be fighting for a bowl berth, Florida’s game is a must-win to keep their SEC East hopes alive.
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For Florida to stay in it in the SEC East, No. 9 Auburn has to beat No. 15 Georgia in Athens on Saturday, and Missouri has to lose two of their remaining three games — one of those having to be to Tennessee. Mizzou faces No. 24 Texas A&M, who just upset Auburn last week, in College Station this Saturday.
But putting SEC East hopes aside, Saturday for the Gators is about making up for the last time Gator Nation saw them in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — the 42-13 embarrassing Homecoming shellacking against Missouri last month. They get a chance to do so by beating one of their most hated rivals inside the SEC East.
"I really challenged our football team after the Vanderbilt win about how important it is to take back the Swamp," Muschamp said, "and that’s what we need to do this coming Saturday."
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @Morgan_Moriarty
Will Muschamp signals during UF's 38-20 win against UGA on Nov. 1 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier points to fans as he walks off the field after South Carolina's 42-35 loss to Auburn on Oct. 25 in Auburn, Alabama.
