TURNOVER-FREE THOMPSON
Despite attempting 41 passes — the second-highest total of his career — redshirt senior quarterback Dylan Thompson threw for a season-low 206 yards. The only game in which Thompson attempted more passes was the meeting with Auburn in October, when he completed 29 of 50 passes for 402 yards. Thompson began the game by connecting on 11 of his first 13 passes, but he ended the game hitting only one of his final 11 attempts, including a period in the second half that saw him miss on six consecutive attempts. Although he barely eclipsed 200 passing yards, Thompson managed not to turn the ball over at all against a Florida defense that has created 22 turnovers this year. In fact, the Gators’ plus-four turnover margin ties them for 36th nationally in that category. Thompson emerged as the SEC’s leading passer Saturday, surpassing Texas A&M freshman quarterback Kenny Hill and setting a new mark with 2,794 yards through the air.
TOUGH TIMES FOR SHAQ ROLAND
The former Mr. Football in the state from nearby Lexington High School added to his already less-than-sterling legacy Saturday afternoon against Florida. He finished the game with two receptions on four targets for 30 yards, but coughed up the ball on a 19-yard reception late in the third quarter. The defense bailed Roland out on the next drive, forcing a Florida fumble, which allowed the Gamecocks to regain possession. Then, in the fourth quarter, the junior wide receiver was called on a controversial illegal block that negated a first-down run. It didn’t seem like Roland did much to warrant getting a penalty called on him but, as has been the case all season, it seemed like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing. Also in the fourth quarter, Roland missed a key block on a fourth-and-two run by junior running back Brandon Wilds, allowing the Gators to stop Wilds for a loss on a crushing hit. Roland missed the team’s game against Kentucky earlier this season due to “personal reasons,” according to head coach Steve Spurrier. He was also suspended for three games last year due to a violation of university policy.
GAMECOCKS BEING STINGY
South Carolina’s defense and special teams have been blamed frequently for the team underachieving this season. But Saturday, the special teams unit is what kept the Gamecocks in contention. A blocked field goal in the fourth quarter kept the game a one-score affair, while a blocked punt with less than a minute remaining in regulation gave the Gamecocks the ball on Florida’s 34-yard line. Also, the 278 total yards surrendered by South Carolina’s defense is the lowest of the season.
SPURRIER'S SWAMP
After Saturday’s win, head coach Steve Spurrier is now 2-3 in five games at the venue he nicknamed “The Swamp” back in the early 1990s. Before Spurrier arrived at South Carolina, the Gamecocks had never won a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Head Ball Coach is signed through 2018, so that means he should get at least two more chances to claim victory at his old stomping grounds.