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If Florida tailbacks Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor combined for 389 yards rushing and four touchdowns against Georgia, how can South Carolina, ranked 125th nationally giving up 5.9 yards per carry, keep them from feasting Saturday afternoon in Gainesville?
It certainly won’t be easy according to linebackers coach Kirk Botkin after Tuesday’s practice.
“They have some good players, good offensive lineman, they got a couple of players banged up front, but they have two really good backs,” Botkin said. “(Jones) is a big guy and (Taylor) has a lot of moves, lots of speed likes to get on the edge. It’s going to be a challenge.”
South Carolina won last year’s matchup at home, a 19-14 battle during which Taylor rushed for a freshman year-high 96 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Taylor did most of his damage out of the Wildcat formation, an offensive set that’s haunted the Gamecocks the last several seasons defensively.
Last time out against Tennessee, South Carolina gave up 344 yards rushing — 166 to quarterback Joshua Dobbs — during its fourth consecutive SEC loss. On the season, the lack of push up front along with poor tackling been the primary trouble spots for a defense that’s been gouged for a conference-worst 223.4 yards per game and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
No other team’s allowed more than 19 rushing scores.
Florida’s won back-to-back games since benching Jeff Driskel at quarterback in favor of Treon Harris and the Gators’ run game seems to have found its rhythm as a result.
“(Florida’s rushing attack) concerns the heck out of us,” Steve Spurrier said earlier this week. “We’ll need to get a lot guys up there — everybody we play you have to get a lot of guys up there right now. Then you have to defend the pass too, they have guys that can run and catch. They’re a pretty good team right now, a lot better than where they were earlier in the year.”
South Carolina’s struggles defensively have started up front, a unit that’s failed to terrorize any opposing backfield. Florida’s success in the zone read over its last two wins has centered around the lack of outside containment and if the Gamecocks fail to seal the edge this weekend, it’ll result in another disappointing performance.
Harris is another running threat, a passer with a better feel for pressure compared to his predecessor.
“He is a quarterback that can run,” Spurrier said. “I think he had a couple of rushing touchdowns against Vandy and he’s a good passer, too. And I read in the paper where the Clemson quarterback (DeShaun) Watson, he’s going to be ready now too. So we’re getting these teams with sometimes a new quarterback, but it seems like their best quarterback when they play us.”
The Gamecocks have only won once all-time at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, downing Urban Meyer’s Florida team in 2010 for the program’s only Eastern Division championship.
