South Carolina’s defense took a hit before and during Saturday’s game against No. 16 Florida, but the Gamecocks’ secondary steadied itself after an ugly early breakdown and helped carry the night forward.
The group entered the matchup already down starting nickel Quay’sheed Scott, then lost cornerback Judge Collier early in the second quarter. That came after Florida opened the scoring with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Philo to former Georgia Tech teammate Bailey Stockton, a bust Shane Beamer made clear he wanted no part of seeing again.
"They did a great job," Shane Beamer said postgame. "I was livid on that first touchdown because once again, that was a bust.
We didn't communicate where the nickel was in the defense, and we didn't execute the call properly. The formation they gave us kind of threw us off a little bit, and we didn't get lined up the way we needed to.
And it's like, come on, guys. That can't happen.
"After that, they responded. It happened, and you lose Judge and Damarcus Leach has to come in the game, who really hasn't played a whole lot.
We're already missing Quay'sheed Scott. So, David Bucey is playing some nickel today, along with Gerald Kilgore.
I thought those two guys did awesome. They just settled down and played ball and just executed."
After that early miss, South Carolina settled in and made Philo work. The Gamecocks limited the explosive passing plays that had been an issue early in the season, holding Florida to four explosive pass-game plays, the fewest they’ve allowed so far in SEC play.
Florida still moved the ball. Stockton finished with eight catches for 127 yards, and Dallas Wilson added eight receptions for 74 yards. But South Carolina kept the damage from snowballing.
"That's a really good receiving core that we just went against," Beamer said. "I know they were missing (Vernell) Brown today.
But that's probably, in my opinion, the best receiving core we faced this season. (Wilson) is a dude, he's hard to handle, and (Eric Singleton Jr.) can freaking run, and 3, the guy in the slot, Stockton, he's a really good player.
Tight ends are athletic, so that's a really good offense. They are scoring points on everybody.
"I thought our guys just did a great job at just executing. Not that we have been, but I didn't think we were overly complicated today in what we were doing. Let's just put the ball down and go play."
Vicari Swain’s first interception of the season was part of a three-turnover day for the Gamecocks against Florida. For a secondary and a defense that had been looking for more takeaways, Saturday finally brought a different kind of result.
"Like I just said about the identity, that's just who we are," Swain said postgame. "The past few weeks, it hasn't been us. Today we played complementary as a team, and it played in hand."
"We have a saying, turnovers come in bunches. … So just seeing that come out was incredible," Swain said.
In Other News...
South Carolina Has One Lingering Injury Concern Before Tennessee
South Carolina came out of the Florida game already juggling its depth chart, with several key players sidelined by injury and cornerback Judge Collier leaving early as well. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Julian Walker, Quay'sheed Scott and Carter Miller were all unavailable, forcing the Gamecocks to work through the kind of next-man-up stretch that can quickly reshape both practice reps and game planning this time of year.
There is at least some good news as Tennessee approaches. Shane Beamer said every injured player except Scott is expected to be available for the matchup, leaving one lingering concern the staff still has to sort through after further testing. For a team trying to steady itself after a physical SEC game, that lone uncertainty is the one injury situation worth watching closest this week. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer May Have Finally Lit A Fire Under LaNorris Sellers
Shane Beamers challenge to LaNorris Sellers seemed designed to jolt the sophomore quarterback out of any comfort zone, and it came at a time when South Carolina needed its offense to show more consistency. Instead of treating the warning as background noise, Sellers answered with one of his best outings of the season in the Gamecocks win over Florida, helping steady an attack that had been looking for a cleaner rhythm.
What stood out most was how controlled Sellers looked. He converted third downs at a strong rate, protected the football and gave South Carolina the kind of efficient quarterback play Beamer has been pushing for, while Pro Football Focus tagged him with an 80.9 offensive grade, one of the better marks among SEC passers that week. For a team trying to climb into a more reliable offensive identity, the timing could hardly be better. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Stewart Gave South Carolina More Than A Breakout Return
Dylan Stewarts return against Florida gave South Carolina exactly what it needed on the field, and a little more besides. The sophomore defensive end finished with five tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles in the Gamecocks 38-19 win, a disruptive outing that reminded everyone why his presence changes the shape of the defense when he is right.
Shane Beamer had plenty to point to afterward, praising Stewarts performance and discipline during the game while also noting the way he handled the week in the classroom. For South Carolina, that kind of growth matters almost as much as the splash plays, because Stewarts value is tied not only to what he does off the edge, but to how quickly he keeps building into a steadier force on and off the field. [Read more 🡒]