GAINESVILLE - Florida’s next two games are staring down the road, but Saturday in the Swamp has to come first.
A loss to South Carolina would send the No. 16 Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC) into a brutal stretch with their margin for error shrinking fast, with trips to No.
1 Texas on Oct. 17 and No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 31 waiting after that.
For Jon Sumrall’s team, the task is straightforward: shake off the lopsided loss at Missouri, get its edge back and avoid letting one defeat turn into a slide.
The biggest fix starts where Florida has been at its best and where it fell apart last week - on the ground. Against SEC opponents, South Carolina is averaging a league-best 199 rushing yards per game, while Florida is right behind at 195.7. But the Gators managed only 42 rushing yards at Missouri, and star back Jadan Baugh was held to 13 yards on 12 carries.
“We got to be able to run the football,” offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said.
That ground game has been the engine of Florida’s fast start. Baugh has 600 rushing yards in four games, and Faulkner’s offense looked nearly unstoppable through September.
The Gators were scoring at a 53.5-point clip through four games, then put up five straight second-half scoring drives in the Sept. 26 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss, a 52-28 runaway.
That surge lifted Florida eight spots to No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 and had playoff talk circling. Then Missouri hit the reset button.
“People kind of got a little complacent,” senior defensive tackle Brendan Bett said after Florida’s defense was carved up for 560 yards, including 214 rushing yards by Jamal Roberts.
South Carolina brings a similar challenge, and maybe a more urgent one. Matt Fuller has 433 rushing yards, fourth-most in the SEC behind Baugh, Roberts and Tennessee’s DeSean Bishop.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers adds another layer entirely. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound dual-threat just ran for 147 yards in an overtime loss to Kentucky and will test Florida’s ability to control the edges and finish tackles.
The Gamecocks’ offensive line has been rebuilt too, with four new starters, all transfers. And with Shane Beamer on the hot seat, South Carolina is playing like a team trying to save its season.
“This is probably one of the most physical offenses that we probably play,” Bett said. “Coming off a loss, we have the right mindset of what we need to do.”
For Florida, that mindset has to show up in the trenches and on the scoreboard. If Baugh gets back rolling, Faulkner can open things up for quarterback Aaron Philo instead of asking him to survive constant third-and-long. At Missouri, Philo never got comfortable and the offense lost its rhythm.
“We want to be able to throw the football,” Faulkner said. “But we want be able to do it on our terms: on schedule, play-action pass, naked boot.”
In Other News...
Missouris Push To Add CJ Gunn Just Got A Lot More Real
A DePaul transfer named CJ Gunn is looking to play this season at Missouri, and the path to getting there has become more encouraging than it first seemed. A legal suit tied to his eligibility has been filed and examined, and the case now looks more compelling than many around the program might have expected when it first surfaced.
For Missouri, the timing matters because any added backcourt help would carry real value as the roster continues to take shape. There are still hurdles to clear before anything is settled, but the situation has moved far enough along to make Gunn a name Tigers fans will want to keep watching closely while the rest of the athletic department, football included, keeps drawing attention of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Has A Chance To Turn One Big SEC Win Into More
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Now comes a different kind of test with Texas A&M visiting for Missouris third SEC game of the season. The Aggies arrive off a 34-7 win over Arkansas, so the momentum on both sides is real, and the Tigers have a chance to show the Florida result was not a one-off as the schedule tightens and the stakes start to build. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Gets A Chance To Flip The Script Against Texas A&M
Missouri is set to get another crack at Texas A&M on Oct. 10, 2026, with ABC carrying the game and oddsmakers giving the Tigers a 3.5-point edge. It is the kind of matchup that invites a little history lesson along with the preview, because these two programs have had enough meaningful meetings over the years to make every new one feel like part of a larger story.
For Missouri, the bigger draw is the chance to change the tone of the series on a national stage. The betting line suggests the Tigers will enter with a real opportunity to do it, even as the rest of the days college football slate fills out with other games and odds that will keep attention spread across the sport. [Read more 🡒]