Billy Napier understands the challenge Florida faces this week in MarShawn Lloyd and the South Carolina offense.

“He’s an impressive player,” Napier said. “He’s got great make-you-miss (change of direction), finishing speed. He’s heavy, got some vision to him. … He’s a big part of what they do and he’s fun to watch. … Ton of respect for his game.”

Lloyd has 556 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns this season.

Napier praised Ricky Pearsall, especially after missing time before the season. Pearsall’s started 6 games, and appeared in 9 games. He has 22 catches for 406 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“Ricky is obviously proving to be one of the better players we have. Just from a production standpoint, he’s really a skilled player. He missed quite a bit of training camp. … Any time you put a plan together, you try to be intentional about creating touches for players, and Ricky certainly deserves that.”

The Gators play host to the Gamecocks this week in a 4 p.m. ET game on the SEC Network. South Carolina won last year, but the Gators have won 3 of the last 5 in the series.