First look: Storylines, betting odds for USC football’s game against Florida

Madison Hricik
·4 min read
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And just like that, the bye week is over and South Carolina football is back in action again.

Here’s a first look at the Gamecocks’ game against Florida for homecoming, which also coincides with the first weekend of the State Fair.

South Carolina vs. Florida game, TV/stream info

Who: South Carolina (2-3, 1-2 SEC) vs. Florida (4-2, 2-1 SEC)

Where: Williams-Brice Stadium

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Stream: via the ESPN app

Series history: Florida leads the all-time series 10-30-2, with matchups going back to 1911. South Carolina and Florida have played every season since 1992, and the Gamecocks are 8-12-1 when hosting the Gators. Last season, Florida won the game 38-6 in Gainesville.

Vegas betting odds

South Carolina is a 2-point favorite against Florida, according to VegasInsider.

About South Carolina

The Gamecocks return to Williams-Brice after a 41-20 loss at Tennessee and an open week. USC has yet to have a winning record this season, and now has a chance to even its conference and overall records on homecoming weekend.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler, despite having a quieter game against Tennessee compared with the rest of this season, threw for 169 yards and one interception, with 19 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

The Gamecocks’ defense will be looking for improvement. That unit is 13th in the SEC in total defense, tied for last in sacks and 11th in third-down conversions allowed. They’re nearly last in the country in total tackles for loss, ranking 126 of 130 teams.

Five of the Gamecocks’ final seven games are at home. The Florida game has an added element: South Carolina won’t play the Gators, Georgia or Tennessee in 2024 because of an SEC scheduling change. It’s not clear yet when USC and Florida will meet again.

About Florida

Florida is coming off a 38-14 win against Vanderbilt. The Gators are now third in the SEC East division and average over 400 yards of offense per game. Quarterback Graham Mertz leads the conference in completion percentage and was 30-for-36 passing with three touchdowns against Vanderbilt.

Despite the Gators leading the series against South Carolina on the road, Florida hasn’t won a road game yet this season. First, it lost to No. 14 Utah, 24-11, then to Kentucky, 33-14.

Florida climbed as high as No. 22 in The Associated Press poll released Sept. 24 but dropped out of the rankings after the Kentucky loss.

Billy Napier is in his second season as the Gators’ head coach. Florida is 9-10 overall in his first 19 games.

Gamecocks and Gators to watch

USC QB Spencer Rattler: Rattler’s consistency was a large part of South Carolina’s success against Furman and Mississippi State. Where this week’s game is different is two-fold: Rattler is coming off a quieter game against Tennessee followed by the open week. How USC responds, particularly Rattler, can help determine how much the Gamecocks corrected in the off week.

USC DB Jalon Kilgore: The South Carolina freshman has improved with each game this season, and played his best game thus far against Tennessee. He led the Gamecocks’ defense with 15 tackles, eight solo, and had his first career interception against the Vols. He’s now at 42 total tackles and is on pace to reach 100 tackles by the end of the regular season.

Florida RB Montrell Johnson Jr.: Johnson stepped up for the Gators against the Commodores, rushing for 135 yards and scoring a touchdown in last week’s win. He has over 2,000 career rushing yards. He’s made him difficult for teams to slow down this season.

Florida LB Shemar James: The sophomore inside linebacker had an average-statistical performance against Vanderbilt with seven tackles. James has had at least a half-tackle for loss in five of six games this season, and is two tackles away from beating his total of 18 tackles all last season.

South Carolina schedule