Florida’s 38-27 win over South Carolina kept the Gators in the SEC East hunt, but the game itself took a backseat to poor officiating.

Officials kept flags in their pockets on two crucial Florida touchdowns: 75-yard run by Damien Pierce and a Kyle Trask five-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts.

Following the game, Will Muschamp called the official who threw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on him “gutless.” He also said Thursday on his radio show that his players have lost faith in the SEC. South Carolina AD Ray Tanner also responded to Greg Sankey’s statement about officiating.

It’s been a frustrating week in Columbia.

During the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, fans threw water bottles and towels onto the field in protest of the officiating. As a result, eight students were ejected and arrested for their actions.

Still a week away, South Carolina president Bob Caslen wrote a letter to students about their “unacceptable” behavior during the Florida game ahead of the Homecoming matchup against Vanderbilt.

“Incidents like this past Saturday — when items were thrown onto the field — are unacceptable,” Caslen wrote. “Not only does this pose a risk to safety, but it also reflects poorly on the character of who we are as a University. Individuals found to have thrown items on the field like the eight students identified, arrested and ejected this past weekend, will, at a minimum, lose athletic ticketing privileges for a full year.

“There is no doubt the referees missed a couple critical calls that could have easily changed the outcome of the game,” Caslen wrote in his letter. “There is a proper and formal way to address this and both Athletic Director Ray Tanner and I have been in conversations with Mr. Greg Sankey, the Southeastern Conference Commissioner. He will conduct the proper investigations and take what he considers to be appropriate actions. Regardless of the outcome, this is the formal process to adjudicate complaints and we will abide and respect this process and the Commissioner’s decision.”

South Carolina travels to Tennessee Saturday before returning home for Homecoming against Vanderbilt on November 2.