Primetime College Football: Cocks vs Gators

TALENT

This game goes down on the ESPN network and it features University of South Carolina Gamecocks taking on the University of Florida Gators in Gainesville.

Head coach Steve Spurrier returns to the town where he became a legend and became a champion both as a player and a coach during his time in Gainesville, but has yet to achieve that level of success during his tenure at South Carolina. This season the Gamecocks are 6-3 overall, and they are coming off a 41-20 loss to Arkansas at home last weekend.

South Carolina is a productive offensive team with standout players at the skill positions. Marcus Lattimore leads the backfield with 752 yards and 11 touchdowns, and the freshman is willing to put his head down and take on linebackers to pick up an extra yard or two. Alshon Jeffery is one of the top receivers in the nation. Through nine games, he has recorded 59 catches for 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns. The man in charge of getting the ball to Jeffery is Stephen Garcia, who has played well for the most part. He has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,065 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions. South Carolina is generating 29 ppg while posting 395.3 total ypg.

Opponents are scoring 21 ppg against South Carolina, which is giving up 369.2 total ypg. The Gamecocks are tough against the run, permitting a mere 3.1 yards per carry and 104.6 yards per game. South Carolina has posted a stellar total of 32 sacks, including a team-high 6.5 by Devin Taylor.

After a 4-0 start to the season, head coach Urban Meyer has suffered through an unthinkable three-game losing streak. Narrow losses to LSU and Mississippi State during that slide seemed to crush any hope that the Gators had of making another trip to the conference title game. However, a thrilling overtime win over Georgia two weeks ago and a romp over Vanderbilt last weekend has the Gators on the cusp of sweeping their SEC East slate for the third consecutive season and 11th time since divisional play began in 1992.

The Gators have scored 32 offensive touchdowns this season, 23 of which have been rushing scores. Tre Burton has run for 10 touchdowns despite the fact that he has only 278 rushing yards to his credit. Clearly, the Gators feature a running back-by-committee approach, with Jeff Demps leading the charge. John Brantley is the starting quarterback for coach Meyer, and he has had the unenviable job of replacing Tim Tebow. Brantley has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards and eight touchdowns against six interceptions. While the team lacks an elite receiver, there are some talented pass-catchers in the fold.

Opponents are posting just 19 ppg and 292.6 total ypg against Florida, and defense is clearly the strength of the team. The Gators are yielding a mere 121.2 rushing ypg at a clip of 3.5 yards per carry, and a mere seven rushing scores have been allowed. Ahmad Black has recorded a team-high 77 tackles for the Gators, and he has intercepted three passes while forcing three fumbles.

Florida owns a commanding 23-4-3 series advantage over South Carolina.

PICK: University of Florida Gators