Blew out: Gamecocks put Gators to sleep 36-14

By Adam Silverstein
November 13, 2010

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer did not plan it like this. He did not expect his team to get trounced at home on Saturday, less than one week after calling for The Swamp to be covered in blue as extra motivation for Florida to win what would have been its 12th Southeastern Conference East division title. Instead what Meyer and the No. 22 Gators (6-4, 4-4 SEC) received was a manhandling by the No. 23 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3 SEC) and head coach Steve Spurrier, who led his team to a 36-14 victory for their first SEC East championship.

Winless in their previous 12 games in Gainesville, FL, South Carolina finally got their first victory in a dominant performance that saw them rush for 239 yards compared to Florida’s 35. Running back Marcus Lattimore accounted for 212 of them on 40 carries while also notching three touchdowns.

The Gators moved away from the three-quarterback offense that did them so well the last two weeks, relying on redshirt junior QB John Brantley the majority of the game. He had arguably his worst performance as a starter, going 16-of-31 for 130 yards and an interception. Brantley did not have much help, however, as Florida’s play calling was suspect and its playmakers were held silent.

In fact, after redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Debose returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, UF did not score again until redshirt junior WR Chris Rainey took a pass from redshirt freshman tight end Jordan Reed for a touchdown with 7:12 in the fourth quarter.

Gamecocks QB Stephen Garcia handed his team’s offense well, going 15-of-22 for 156 yards, finding WR Alshon Jeffery six times for 53 yards and keeping 12 balls for 28 yards on the ground and one score.

Florida struggled converting third downs, only doing so twice in 14 tries on the evening, and also had difficulty getting South Carolina off the field letting them convert 50 percent of their attempts (8-of-16). USC outgained UF 395-226 yards and possessed the ball for 40:46 compared to only 19:14 on the other side.

Though the game was seemingly out of reach due to their anemic offense, the Gators also turned the ball over twice late in the game including a tipped Brantley pass that was intercepted and a mishandled handoff from Brantley to junior running back Jeff Demps that was recovered.

UF now hopes to salvage what is left of their season as they take on Appalachian State next week in what will be Florida’s Senior Day – their final home game of the year.

Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press

44 Comments

  1. tenn todd says:

    Lets move on to basketball!! big game tuesday night.

  2. Gatorbuc15 says:

    All we can do now is hope for a victory over FSU.

  3. g8ter27 says:

    Adam, still think Johnny is our qb of the future? Reed may not be Tebow but he gave us our best chance to win and our coaches chose loyalty and friendship over winning the east. We can expect more of the same next year if Brantley is our qb and Addazio is our O-coordinator. The performance overall this year is far worse than 2007. The team as a whole does not execute and that points directly at coaching as well. After the opening kickoff where did we look good? I love this team and school and this stuff really hurts to see. If we did not have talent out there tht would be one thing but….well damnit!

  4. Matt says:

    O-line can’t protect, Plays are called that are passes short of the yard to gain for the first down REAPATEDLY, Quick slants and screens are unheard of…, never exploit the other teams season glraing weakness…the secondary with the long ball…oh there may be a reason for that one…see first comment, Attempt to run when the other team expects, attempt a pass when the other team expects. Because of the lack of football coaching sense (see O-line and Play calls) Reed was the only option to move the football and they never let the kid pass! And we all know he can!!!

    The hurry up was supposed to exhaust the other teams defense but when you can’t make first downs then that kills your own defense. This loss was all offense. The defense, in particular Black. kept Steve from hanging 50 on us!

    Bring Kerwin in or somebody that has a clue about play calling!!!! With this talent we should be killing other teams…PERIOD!!!!!

  5. Megatron says:

    Only reason Brantley is starting is due to politics

  6. Matt says:

    Oh by the way so glad we could bring 25 plus kids in to recruit for USC this weekend! Really!!!

  7. bostonr says:

    4 first downs going into the 4th quarter…that’s the only stat that you need to know.

    brantley is the worst qb i’ve seen at florida since i started watching it. even when we’re in a drop back offense, he makes bad decisions or overthrows or dinks it off a defensive lineman. constant poor decisions.

    so….we change up the offense and look great the last two weeks. addazio thinks the right move is to go back to EXACTLY what we were doing when we sucked. GENIUS! this was just a replay of the MSU game.

    3 yard plays. even the halftime analysts were talking about why is every play only 3 yards. addazio only looks at play calling from the perspective of the o-line, so every play happens in one little box in the middle of the field. then he comes to the press and praises how great this o-line is, but everyone else isn’t executing.

    what needs to happen…

    the rest of the season is pointless other than making some nothing bowl.

    so.

    brantley needs to be benched. the OC and possibly the DC need to get replaced. reed and burton need to get time at qb. everything needs to be about re-tooling for next year.

    the fans are fed up. when seats are empty next week, the university is going to piss itself about $ loss. changes are coming. no avoiding it. you heard the boos. this is ridiculous.

    if meyer just finishes out this season without making significant changes, then he needs to go too…period! apparently it was charley strong and dan mullen that were the brains behind the success.

  8. bob newsy says:

    Two words: BRANTLEY SUCKS!

  9. Oscar says:

    Enough is enough with Adazzio. He is clueless and NEEDS to go. If Meyer is too loyal, then at least move him back to just O-Line.

  10. courtney says:

    And what exactly makes brantley “the best option we have back there”?????

  11. Geoff says:

    JORDAN REED TIME !
    Honestly Reed wasnt in there because he hasnt been able to fully grasp the playbook. Plus politics. Having said that, at this point they need to just let him play even with the limited knowledge and experience. Let him take most of the snaps this week in practice and stop with the same ole same ole… Brantley going 3 and out or making a throw and having DT let it go through his hands. Its too frustrating. I feel bad for Johnny, but he just does not fit our scheme.
    This Gator team is not that bad. Or defense is much better than the scores on the board. When you have an inept offense your D is left on the field a lot longer than they should. With a little momentum they eventually break.
    Reed is the cure, he opens up the offense, keeps us on the field longer, and gives the D some rest. The result- a big W!!
    Let Appalachian State be Reeds tune up for Florida St and whatever turd bowl we end up in- OutBack anyone?

  12. Luke says:

    It hurts to think we have a real chance at losing two more games this year, but damn, the truth hurts.

  13. Mr2Bits says:

    Maybe we should move Brantley to receiver. He had the best catch for -10 yards when his pass got deflected in the air and he hauled it in. Instead of batting it down, he called on his inner Deonte Thompson and reeled it in with one hand……love it!

  14. Tampa Tom says:

    Maybe Urban has been exposed, no Mullin,Strong or Tebow no Clue !

  15. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Adam – time to change your website name – TheSwamp Where anyone can do what they want!
    Bostonr you just don’t remember Terry Dean!
    Insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results – our coaches are certifiable!

  16. gatorbybirth says:

    Brantley is an awful QB. Yes — the offensive line didn’t help, and the play calling was bad, but it is time for Brantley loyalists to face the fact: HE IS NOT A GOOD QB. Last week, people kept trying to discount Reed’s performance by saying he was playing cleanup. Well, as a “cleanup” QB, he had the same passing stats as Brantley, but he also ran for 84 yards. I should also mention that he had not even practiced as the QB!

    Given the quality of Reed’s spur of the moment performance last week, everyone thought he was in the “3 QB” system. Instead, he didn’t practice as QB yet again, and Brantley took virtually all of the snaps. I guess Addazzio has taken over the reins from Azzanni.

    The Gators are in trouble, and changes need to be made. Among these changes, Gator fans need to let go of any hope that Brantley can develop into a good QB. Let him go.

  17. gatorbybirth says:

    Adam: It’s hard to say that Brantley is the team’s best option at QB. Chaz Henry could probably do a better job…..

  18. Ted says:

    I’ll bet that all of the big time donors who were honored before the game have Foley on speed dial.

  19. E-Pain says:

    Foley and Urban will right this, I have confidence. Just sad that after all the fans came out, the stadium was electric and ready to go, and the team lays an egg like that. I agree with whoever said don’t blame the D, when the offense gets 2 FIRST DOWNS, you can’t stop a team that’s on a roll, you just can’t. The T.O.P was out of control. I guess we all got a little too excited, myself included, with wins over GA and Vandy, I think we wanted to believe real changes had been made, when clearly this was not the case. Where was the vaunted 3 QB rotation? This was a replay of the MSU all over again. Very sad really, this was my and alot of my friends last real home game and a better result, or at least an attempt at effort, would have been nice to see.

    With that said, there will be changes, I can guarantee the boosters and Foley will make sure of that it. At this point I also feel there’s a 50-50 chance of Urban not returning next year. NOT because of us firing him, but on his own accord, he still doesn’t seem all the way in since the incident of last year, he just doesn’t. So, let’s hope we make some drastic changes for App state so they can be ready to go for FSU. Season will still be mildly acceptable if we beat them in Tally. If not, this could be one of the most depressing seasons for Florida football in recent memory. And at least we are not Texas.

  20. John S says:

    This offense will not produce anything until the O-line improves. We can’t run the ball, and we can’t pass protect. Brantley had a bad game, but Reed stunk except for the garbage minutes. It doesn’t matter though, the O-line is worthless and until they improve we have no chance of moving the ball. We need to call them out. I wish the press would ask why our line stinks, why they’ve gotten beaten in 7 of 10 games. That’s the problem and unfortunately there’s no fix.

    We don’t even have a strong side we just have 5 speed bumps. You can’t make our line grow balls. If it’s 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 we can’t get it done. That has nothing to do with Brantley. And news to Addazio, Pouncey is no first rounder, The Steelers will pick him up in the 3 or 4 round maybe, the rest aren’t even practice squad material.

  21. John S says:

    Did want to mention that Steve handled himself with class. That was a huge victory for South Carolina and he kept his composure. There is definitely still a gator in there.

  22. HardToKillGtr says:

    UM has admitted Brantley needs a “stout tight end and a 220# running back to be successful”. We don’t have that. We had a 240# running back who played quarterback and was a heck of a leader who I believe was more responsible for winning than the coaches. Lack of running backs and receivers is all on the coaches; no one else.

  23. Scooterp says:

    Meyer’s loyalty to certain players and members of his coaching staff is what is largely responsible for this. The O-line can’t pass protect, D Thompson can’t catch, our “passing” qb overthrows everyball and through all the formations and motions on the snap count we still run the same dozen plays. We just use more smoke in mirrors before the ball is snapped. Part of being a great leader is making tough decisions, lets see of Meyer is willing to do it…………though it will likely happen quietly after the season is over.

  24. mike says:

    Are you kidding. Reed is the one to go with. Brantley has been sub par all season, not just last night. We did decent against no names. Last week we saw the potential with Reed in, and they never even gave him nuch a chance last night and he still got a TD. BENCH BRANTLEY

  25. Jazzygator88 says:

    This season was lost in the spring. How could the coaches has evaluated John Brantley for four year and then in the spring and think he was our best option. He has no leadership abilities I don’t expect him to be Tebow. This offense was supppose to be like the 06 Chris Leak offense. John Brantley is no Chris Leak. The only think I can say is John Brantley must be a great practice player.

  26. Mitch says:

    Like many have said, if his name was John Bruntley, he would be a mop up qb. Honestly, Meyer should replace the entire staff and start over. He came back to protect his friend Adazzios job. Bad reason for coming back, bad judgment thinking Addazio can coach is way out of a paper bag. Epic collapse of a recent champion caliber team. All our top recruits cant be busts, so the coaches must be busts

  27. g8ter27 says:

    Well lets see how well politics plays in this starting next week when about 33 fans purchase the game on pay per view rather than the thousands that normally do. After the MSU game the stadium stores were empty and even the employees were saying what we knew was coming “expect this the rest of the year” how sad. Addazio is the problem with the line, most of these guys were there last year and we have 5 star recruits on the O-Line not playing. Never have seen an O-line coach as the O-coordinator…never! I guess the one good thing about Addazio is that he has super power skills that he can see the whole field from the sideline rather than in the booth where most coordinators sit. Wow, two weeks we play offense with a new (somewhat) look and then go right back to the bread and butter plays Addazio knows and loves when we play for the East. It was indeed a “boo out” last night, perhaps next week we should all wear black in memory of the days when our play calling and common sense were still alive.

  28. g8ter27 says:

    And did we mention 14% conversion on third down and……35 yards rushing?

  29. tom says:

    Adazzio has to go. fsu let bowden’s son go and they are winning!

  30. Aligator says:

    This is the same pain that was felt when Danny Weurffel left and we had Doug Johnson and Jesse Palmer to deal with. It seems like a voodoo curse or something, the same feeling as when zook was here. How can you go from doing a decent job the past two weeks with a plan and then completely go back to what you tried to do at the beginning of the year. Addozzio looked as if he was looking for the hash browns on a waffle house menu.

    I am sure that Foley will make sure that things get straightened out as this will start to affect revenue for the UAA. I bet you money, next week will be a last minute sell out if that.

    Things will get better, i am sure of it. We all have lives to live. As sad as this season has been, i doubt it will get worse. I mean, If meyere does retire, I bet you money Malzahn or Mullen is coaching here next year.

  31. Aligator says:

    On top of that, who wanted to see us get demolished by Auburn and Cam Newton in Atlanta? I sure didn’t.

  32. Megatron says:

    As hard as it is to believe, the main problem isn’t Addazio. There is another coach who since coming has been the reason for our offense regressing. Also Brantley’s have a lot of power with bull gators, Machen, and the UAA. I don’t want to say any specifics. Take from it what you want.

  33. G8trpls says:

    I would rather have Jordan Reed with with his limited grasp of the playbook, than an inept John Brantley. That performance last night was the most pathetic display I have ever witnessed at the Swamp.

  34. G8trpls says:

    It’s not Reed’s limited grasp of the playbook that’s the problem….It’s in fact Addazio’s limited play book and play calling

  35. Luke says:

    Megatron, are you saying Loeffler has had that much of a negative impact? He and Zack are supposed to be manning the passing game, but I don’t see them blowing the O line play, the majority of the run calls, or the lack of pass rush.

    It seems the problems are systemic and time will either address them or make them worse. I keep thinking about Pete Carroll’s run and then fall before he bolted. Not many programs can keep losing juniors and coaches and expect first year starters to shine. I’d just like to see/hear Urban put the starters on warning that their jobs are at stake and back it up with some starters losing their jobs. I’d love to see Urban pull a Spurrier and bench the QB and take over play calling, even if that meant losing a fee more games. If nothing changes, there is a real possibility next week is a fight to survive and FSU knocks us out of the running for the Outback bowl…

  36. Wingtee says:

    Go Jags

  37. dp says:

    Let me tell you why our o-line sucks…because the guy in charge of it is too busy calling shitty offensive plays…time to can addazzio and bench Brantley. Give Reed some practice reps at QB and let him finish the season. Go into the off-season with the two of them battling it out and modify the offense for when Wilder Jr. commits.

  38. Ralph Seegobin says:

    “Meyer’s loyalty to certain players and members of his coaching staff is what is largely responsible for this.” <– Well said, Scooterp

  39. Ted says:

    You are being very liberal in calling whatever he has a “playbook”.

  40. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Luke – there is no possible way we go to the Outback bowl! They getthe 3rd SEC choice after Auburn (BCS Ch game) and the next highest SEC team (Sugar bowl for Bama or LSU). They then will choose Ark or So Car, but no way in hades they pick us!! Alas only 2 yrs ago I laughed at fsu playing dec 26 in the poinsettia bowl, and now that may be us! PS not too many will travel to california to get beat on dec 26!

    We need a SERIOUS shakeup! I hear Mike Leach wants to stay in the south and not go to Minnesota….

  41. Aligator says:

    Malzahn or mullen if Urb’s retires …

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