Florida bounces back with 38-27 win
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kyle Trask threw for a careerhigh four touchdowns, three in the fourth quarter, to help No. 9 Florida bounce back from its loss at LSU and outlast South Carolina 38-27 on Saturday.
The Gators (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) slogged through a soggy field from Tropical Storm Nestor for much of the game. But they eventually came to life and rallied past a South Carolina (3-4, 2-3) team looking to take down a Top 10 opponent for the second straight week after its 20-17 double-overtime win at Georgia.
Instead, it was Florida, off its 42-28 defeat at LSU, that kept making plays on the way to its best start since 2015.
“We have a very resilient team,” Trask said. “We’re never going to panic, no matter the situation.”
That was evident in the second half.
After Trask’s interception deep in Florida territory led to Tavien Feaster’s 21-yard TD run to put the Gamecocks up 17-10, Dameon Pierce answered right back with a 75-yard scoring run on Florida’s next snap to tie it.
In the final period, down 20-17, Trask faced fourthand-3 on South Carolina’s 34 before scrambling from the pressure to pick up the first down with a 9-yard pass to Kyle Pitts. Trask followed with the go-ahead 25-yard touchdown throw to Lamical Perine.
Florida’s defense came through down the stretch, too, after the Gators took the lead. Defensive end Zachary Carter sacked Ryan Hilinski, who fumbled as nose tackle Kyree Campbell recovered.
Trask, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 200 yards, finished the series with a 5-yard TD pass to Pitts before a final scoring pass of 5 yards to Trevon Grimes.
South Carolina, still buoyed by its win over Georgia, looked strong well into the second half and seemed poised once more shuffle the SEC East race with an upset.
But like a year ago, when Florida rallied from 31-14 down to defeat the Gamecocks 35-31, South Carolina could not hold.
“Get the lead in fourth quarter, got to make some plays. We didn’t do that,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said.
Hilinski, who sprained his knee in the Georgia win, was not sharp for most of this game. The freshman completed 17 of 35 throws for 170 yards.
Feaster, the Clemson graduate transfer, ran for 175 yards for South Carolina, which was outscored 21-7 in the final period.
Things got so frustrating on the Gamecocks sidelines that Muschamp drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the closing minutes.
Vanderbilt 21, No. 22 Missouri 7
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Riley Neal came off the bench and threw a 21-yard touchdown to Cam Johnson with 8:57 left, and Vanderbilt upset No. 22 Missouri 21-14 Saturday with a stifling defensive performance.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran for a touchdown and also took a screen 61 yards for another score as Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) snapped a three-game skid to Missouri after losing five of the previous seven in this series.
Missouri (5-2, 2-1) came in leading the SEC East waiting for the Tigers’ appeal of NCAA sanctions to be heard. The Tigers also played their first game since moving into the Top 25 with a fivegame winning streak — all at home.
Vanderbilt held Missouri to a season-low in points with the Tigers 17th nationally averaging 38.8 points a game. The Commodores sacked Kelly Bryant three times, and Allan George intercepted a Bryant pass in the end zone with 6:44 left in the third quarter.
Missouri had a chance to tie except Vanderbilt sacked Bryant for the third time, and Tucker McCann pulled a 48-yarder wide left for his second missed field goal. Neal and Vanderbilt ran out the final 6 minutes for the win.
Neal started the first six games of the season only to be benched for Mo Hasan against Missouri. The walkon junior college transfer who had thrown only six passes last season as a backup became the third quarterback this season to jumpstart an offense that has been one of the nation’s worst.
Missouri safety Tyree Gillespie knocked Hasan out of the game late in the third quarter, going low and leading with his helmet as the Vanderbilt quarterback slid at the end of a run. Hasan was visibly woozy as he stood up, and Gillespie was ejected for targeting after review. Neal came in, and Missouri linebacker Cameron Wilkins intercepted his first pass and went 42 yards to the Vandy 6.
Larry Rountree ran 6 yards for the tying TD on the next play as Missouri tied it at 14 with 1:37 left in the third.
Neal drove the Commodores 65 yards and capped the drive with the toss that Johnson took to the end zone for the lead.
No. 10 Georgia 21, Kentucky 0
ATHENS, Ga. — D’Andre Swift’s 39-yard touchdown run in the third quarter snapped a scoreless tie, and No. 10 Georgia overcame a slow start to beat Kentucky 21-0 on Saturday night.
Swift, who ran for 179 yards, added a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Brian Herrien ran for 60 yards, including an 8-yard scoring run.
Georgia (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) recovered from last week’s loss to South Carolina by finally taking advantage of its SEC-leading ground game in the second half.
Each offense was affected by Nestor, the former tropical storm which dumped rain on Athens throughout the day. The wet conditions contributed to the scoreless first half.
Kentucky (3-4, 1-4) got 99 yards rushing from Lynn Bowden in his second start at quarterback, but the Wildcats’ attack was one-dimensional. Bowden, Kentucky’s third starting quarterback of the season, didn’t complete a pass on his first nine attempts. He completed only 2 of 15 passes for 17 yards.
Georgia’s Jake Fromm did not have a turnover one week after throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. He completed 9 of 12 passes for only 35 yards.
On the soggy Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, Kentucky stayed right with Georgia until midway through the third quarter.
The Bulldogs took advantage of two mistakes by the Wildcats to grab control.
A shanked punt by Max Duffy went out of bounds at the Kentucky 39 early in the second half after carrying only 15 yards.
The poor punt allowed Georgia to start a possession outside of its 20 for the first time in the game. Swift needed only one play to take advantage of the excellent field position.
Running behind right tackle Isaiah Wilson and right guard Cade Mays, Swift broke a tackle by safety Yusuf Corker on the 39-yard scoring run.
Bowden’s fumble, caused by J.R. Reed, on the Wildcats’ next possession was recovered by Georgia’s Richard LeCounte at the Kentucky 31. Herrien’s scoring run on his fourth straight carry pushed the Georgia lead to 14-0.
Georgia held Kentucky to 52 yards in the first half.
The Bulldogs fought poor field position throughout the half, starting three drives inside their 15.
Fromm was stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak at midfield midway through the second quarter.