South Carolina
Pregame Line: Florida -21
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamecocks | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Gators | 21 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
This game marked the 12th time the Gamecocks have traveled to Gainesville where they were winless on the road (0-11) coming into the game. The last time the two teams met in Gainesville, the Gamecocks nearly earned their first victory against the Gators in the Swamp, but fell short with a field goal attempt blocked by Jarvis Moss with only a few seconds left in the game. History was also made in this game with it being the first college football game where a Heisman-winning coach (Steve Spurrier) coached against a Heisman-winning player (Tim Tebow). Both Heisman winners also earned their Heisman trophies at the University of Florida. This was only the fourth time in college football history that two Heisman winners faced one another. South Carolina is the third team of the season the Gators have played against that was coached by a previous championship-winning head coach (Phil Fulmer of Tennessee and Les Miles of LSU being the other two).
With afternoon showers rolling through Gainesville, field conditions weren't ideal for either team early on. The Gamecocks first drive ended after just four plays resulting in a punt. As Florida drove down the field on the following possession, true freshman Jeff Demps fumbled the ball near the South Carolina 40 yard line. Carolina's and Florida's offensives woes continued in each of their next drives with a South Carolina QB Chris Smelley pass being intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Brandon Spikes. Similar to the prior week, South Carolina head coach and Florida alum Steve Spurrier rotated quarterbacks after nearly every offensive snap. On the following South Carolina offensive possession, Gator DB Ahmad Black intercepted another Chris Smelley pass after it was deflected by Gator linebacker Brandon Hicks. This was Black's sixth, and team-leading, interception of the season. It only took one offensive play for the Gators to capitalize on the Carolina turnover. Percy Harvin ran the ball for 26 yards resulting in a touchdown extending the Gators' lead 14-0 late in the first quarter. South Carolina continued to make mistakes. On the following kickoff, the South Carolina returner threw a lateral pass to his teammate who fumbled the catch. Florida senior long snapper James Smith collected the ball and ran it just one foot shy of the goal line. Tim Tebow ran the ball in for a touchdown on the resulting change of possession. Florida's 21 points were off of 3 South Carolina turnovers and only took 2:15 to score.
After a South Carolina forced-fumble in the first quarter, their defense picked up their second fumble on a fumbled Tebow option-pass to Chris Rainey near the South Carolina redzone. Although South Carolina's defense had spent little time on the field, they were productive in collecting two early Florida fumbles. With South Carolina's offense struggling and unable to put points on the board, Florida regained possession after forcing a punt and quickly scored with a Tebow touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Deonte Thompson. After failed offensive drives for both teams, South Carolina was able to put together enough of an offense to attempt, and make, a field goal. This brought the score to 28-3 at the half.
Florida received the ball in the second half and on the first offensive play for the Gators, Percy Harvin ran the ball 80 yards for a touchdown. This was Percy's second rushing TD of the game. The Gators crossed the 30-point mark on this score, which was the first time in Gator history that the Gators scored 30+ points in every regular season SEC game. On the following offensive drive for South Carolina, Steve Spurrier ditched the two-QB calls and left Chris Smelley in to take all snaps on the drive. South Carolina moved down the field effectively compared to the first half. After moving the ball down the field, South Carolina attempted, and made, a 44-yard field goal with 10:17 remaining in the third quarter. Florida responded with a drive that took less than four minutes and topped off with a 38 yard Jeff Demps rushing touchdown. This was Jeff Demps' fifth rushing touchdown of the season and all of which were runs of more than 35 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tim Tebow threw a TD pass to TE Aaron Hernandez extending their lead 49-6. On the following Gator offensive possession, redshirt freshman QB John Brantley took over for Tim Tebow to close out the game. Florida's defense still did not let up. True freshman Gator Will Hill picked off a Stephen Garcia pass attempt making it the third Gator interception of the game. This turnover led to another Gator score when true freshman Chris Rainey put together two runs with the second being the touchdown score that put the Gators over the 50-point mark. The Gators finished the game holding South Carolina's offense to 173 yards while the Gator offense amassed over 519 yards with 346 of those yards coming on the ground.
See also: 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football teamRead more about this topic: 2008 Florida Gators Football Team, Game Notes
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