South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Trask, efficient Gators silence the Gamecocks
COLUMBIA, S.C. — After finding Kyle Pitts for the gameclinching touchdown Saturday at South Carolina, UF quarterback Kyle Trask stood in the end zone and raised his index finger to his facemask.
By then, Trask had pretty much silenced the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium with his right arm on his way to a fourtouchdown day and a 38-27 win for the No. 9 Gators.
Coming off last week’s offensive shootout at LSU, Trask and UF’s attack took time to find its bearings during a drizzly, dreary day in Columbia.
“Guys just going the wrong direction, getting the wrong signal,
running the wrong plays,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said. “That was kind of disappointing. But we felt we had a good plan and the guys, we just told them, ‘Keep sticking with it, keep sticking with it.’ ”
The Gators (7-1, 4-1 SEC) did and eventually stuck it to the Gamecocks’ defense during a fourth-quarter blitz to break open a nipand-tuck game.
Trask led the charge with three touchdown passes. The second one, a 5-yarder to Pitts, pushed UF’s lead to 31-20 and inspired the Gators’ mildmannered signal-caller to unleash his emotions.
Trask’s gesture was a nod to fallen teammate and fellow quarterback Feleipe Franks.
“I had to do one for Franks right there,” Trask said with a smile.
Last season, Franks shushed the crowd at the Swamp during the Gators’ furious fourth-quarter rally against the Gamecocks.
“It’s a South Carolina tradition,” Mullen joked following Saturday’s game.
Comebacks are becoming one, too.
A season after erasing a 31-14 deficit, the Gators never trailed by more than a touchdown this time. But UF also did not take the lead until Trask found Freddie Swain for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 9:54 remaining in the game.
The go-ahead score followed a remarkable individual effort by Swain. The senior receiver broke free of a South Carolina defensive back holding Swain’s No. 16 jersey, adjusted to the football and made a diving catch in the end zone.
“Great play. Great catch,” Mullen said.
According to Swain, “It just comes down to focus.”
After suffocating Auburn and going to toe-to-toe before falling at LSU, UF and its focus were sure to be tested by South Carolina.
With a Nov. 2 showdown with Georgia on the horizon, the Gators had to keep their attention firmly on an unranked Game cocks’ squad coming off its biggest win under for me rU F coach Will Muschamp, a 20-17 overtime win at Georgia.
Instead, the Gators came out flat.
South Carolina needed just five plays, including a 41-yard pass to Bryan Edwards following a fleaflicker, to reach the UF 10-yard line.
The Gators’ nation-leading red-zone defense soon gift-wrapped the Gamecocks a touchdown. Two offsides penalties — the second on third down by Luke Ancrum — set up a 1-yard touchdown by Mon Denson.
But the Gamecocks’ offense — 10th in the SEC entering Saturday — quickly came back to Earth. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski connected on his first three passes for 61 yards but went 1-of-9 for 11 yards the rest of the half as the teams headed to intermission knotted 10-10.
“You knew they were going to give us their best shot,” UF senior linebacker David Reese said. “They came in with great confidence. We just did what we had to do.”
South Carolina pulled ahead again early in the second half following an interception by Trask deep in U Ft err ito ry. Facing third-and-11 from the Gators’ 21, Tavien Feaster scored on a draw play that caught the Gators’ run defense flat-footed.
UF responded 14 seconds later when backup tailback Dame on Pierce burst through the left side of the line and into the open on his way for a 75-yard touchdown. Wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland escorted his teammate the final 60 yards, staying between Pierce and a South Carolina defender.
“Huge at that point,” Mullen said of the play. “We come out in the second half; we’re like, all right, we’re getting the ball, tie game, we’re in good position. Then they score on a thirddown-and-long and it’s kind of like, holy mackerel.
“I think that brought some juice and life to this team.”
The Gators would fall behind again and trail 20-17 entering the fourth quarter.
Sensing it was time to take a chance and look to swing the game’s momentum, Mullen kept his offense on the field with UF facing fourth-and-three from the South Carolina 34.
Trask rolled left to extend the play before finding Pitts for a nine-yard pickup, setting the stage for Swain’s acrobatics on the next play.
“I’m looking at the clock; I’m looking at where we were,” Mullen said of the fourth-down call. “You just have to get the ball to our playmakers and we were able to do that.”
South Carolina’s defense could not keep up.
The frustration was obvious following a defensive-holding call in the end zone that would set up the Pitts touchdown. Coach Will Muschamp had to be restrained on the sideline while fans threw their white towels on the field in the north end zone.
It was symbolic. The Gamecocks were down for the count.
Meanwhile, the Gators hope they are just getting started. Georgia has won the past two SEC East titles, but Mullen’s squad now has the opportunity to end the Bulldogs’ reign when they face off in two weeks following UF’s bye.
“This is where you want to be in November,” Mullen said. “That’s where we expect to be at Florida.”