South Carolina turned in one of its worst performances of the season Saturday against Florida, managing 132 yards on its first 10 drives on the way to a 20-7 loss. Much of the optimism that had been built during the Gamecocks' three-game winning streak has disappeared, as the team has now finished 3-5 in SEC play and is eliminated from the SEC East race.
While the SEC Championship is out of reach for South Carolina, there are still things to take away from Saturday. Let's look at the most important things going forward for the Gamecocks out of the loss to Florida.
Not bowling just yet
Sitting at 5-4 with three games to go, South Carolina fans had plenty of reason to get excited about a bowl game, as the matchup with Florida was thought to be winnable. Now with just two games to get to the magic number of six wins, the Gamecocks return home to take on Western Carolina, where they will be heavy favorites. Fans might be a bit nervous after last season's loss to the Citadel, as the Gamecocks still have work to do, and must beat either Western Carolina or Clemson to become bowl-eligible after missing the postseason in 2015.
Bentley Express derailed
Jake Bentley played turnover-free football in his first three home starts, but he couldn't keep that streak alive in The Swamp, losing a fumble and throwing an interception in his first career road start. Bentley put together a solid performance on South Carolina's final two drives, but he completed less than 50 percent of his passes in the first half and wound up with a QBR of just 21.6. Bentley was sacked five times and hurt by a few key drops, but he will need to rebound from a poor performance to get the Gamecocks their sixth win.
Special teams woes
To win on the road, winning the special teams battle becomes key, and South Carolina wasn't able to make that happen Saturday. The Gamecocks allowed Florida's dynamic punt returner Antonio Callaway to hurt them, as he controlled the field position game, averaging 25 yards per return. Sean Kelly's punts were consistently low, and Callaway had plenty of space by the time he caught the ball. South Carolina continued to struggle in the return game, as Chris Lammons averaged 3.3 yards per return. The Gamecocks have been overmatched on special teams all season, and that can't continue against Western Carolina, or if South Carolina is going to have a shot against Clemson.