2016 Gator Football: A Year In Review

The 2016 Florida Gator football season gave graduating students like myself a great going away present as the Orange and Blue posted a 9-4 (6-2 SEC) record and finished No. 14 in the polls. What makes this season one for the books is for the second time in just three years, Florida lost out on a home game.

During my sophomore year in 2014, the home opener against Idaho was cancelled due to heavy rain. This year, it was Hurricane Matthew that postponed a contest against LSU. With this being a conference game of course, it could not just simply be cancelled. So the result was the senior day game against Presbyterian was nixed and instead Florida went to Death Valley for a makeup game. I'll get into that later though.

This Gator team was essentially what I have been used to as an undergrad these last three years. The offense became ineffective, the defense dominated, and key players went down with injuries left and right. The one positive change for Florida was that special teams was definitely the most consistent and effective unit this season.

Offense
Florida's offense yet again was a puzzle that could not be solved. They averaged 23.9 points per game while scoring 311 points on the year, ranking them 107th in total offense out of 128 D-I college football teams.

On the ground, they rushed for 1,667 total yards as a team and averaged 128.2 rushing yards per game. This would be good for 113th overall in the nation. The Gators employed a committee running back system split up between Jordan Scarlett, Lamical Perine, Mark Thompson, and Jordan Cronkrite.

In the air, the Gators totaled 2,805 yards and averaged 215.8 passing yards per game. This was a better offensive category for Florida, as the Gators finished with a ranking of 79th. As had been the case the last three seasons, Florida could not enjoy the benefit of playing just one quarterback the whole year.

Luke Del Rio looked to be a decent game manager through two games, but a knee injury against North Texas in the third game of the season messed with his psyche and he was never the same. Austin Appleby, the graduate transfer from Purdue, would do his best at the helm as Florida went 4-3 with him as the starter.

Defense
The Gator defense, on the other hand, was GOOD. They concluded the season ranked 5th in total defense as they gave up just 4.7 yards per play and 293 yards per game. Scoring against Florida was no easy task either, as opponents totaled 218 points and averaged just 16.8 points per game against the 6th best scoring defense in the country.

The Gators forced 24 turnovers (16 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries) to finish 32nd in turnovers gained. Among those turnovers, they were 14th in passes intercepted and took four of those picks back for touchdowns. The four pick-sixes were the most a Gator defense had recorded since the 2010 season.

In the red zone, just ask LSU how good Florida was. The Gators finished the season ranked 4th in red zone defense as opponents were 28 of 39 on attempts in this area of the field. Three of these stops came against LSU.

Florida was also 40th in bringing down the quarterback, recording 31 total sacks. Redshirt freshman Jabari Zuniga led the team with five quarterback takedowns. Zuniga's feat etched him in Gator football lore as he became the first freshman to record five sacks in a season since Huey Richardson in 1987.

Special Teams
The kicking demons of last seasons were exorcised with the arrival of Eddy Pineiro on campus. The redshirt sophomore gave fans something to cheer for every Saturday with his swagger and poise on the field.

Having never played organized football before, Piniero had a great first season for the Orange and Blue. He nailed 21 of 25 field goal attempts (84%) with his longest being a 54 yarder against Kentucky. He was perfect on extra point attempts as he went 32 for 32. On kickoffs, 48 of his 66 kicks went through the end zone for touchbacks.

In the punting realm, the Gators had one of the nation's best punters in redshirt junior Johnny Townsend. Even though he was snubbed out of even being a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, Townsend logged in magnificent performances game in and game out.

Florida finished 11th in net punting, as Johnny averaged 47.9 yards per punt and totaled 3,065 punting yards. He pinned teams inside their own 20-yard line 27 times with fair catches being called another 18 times. His longest punt was 62 yards and was one of 29 punts he had sail over 50 yards. He had just one punt blocked, which came against No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship.

The 2016 Schedule
Going undefeated in all five (should have been seven) of their home games this season, the Florida Gators had much more tougher games on the road throughout the 2016 season. They posted a 2-3 record away from The Swamp, with all three losses coming by double digits. In neutral site games (Georgia and Alabama), they went 1-1 with both games being decided by double digits.

UMass
In the 2016 home opener, the University of Florida honored Steve Spurrier with the renaming of Florida Field to Steve Spurrier Field. It was a night game and rained for a good bit of the first half. Florida showed it still had some offensive issues to overcome while the defense dominated. The Gators needed a 14-point fourth quarter just to make it look like they were in control and won 24-7.

Kentucky
By far the hottest game in The Swamp with a 3:30 kickoff, this game was a romp. With all of us clad in orange, the Gators mauled Kentucky 45-7. This extended Florida's winning streak over the Wildcats to 30 straight games.  It was an accomplishment I was happy to have witnessed in person.

North Texas
The second night game of the season was another fun one for me as I donned my trademark Steve Spurrier visor for the first time. The Gators shutout the Mean Green 32-0, but again the offense struggled. On top of that, Luke Del Rio suffered a knee injury at the end of the third quarter. He would never recover mentally.

at No. 14 Tennessee
By far the toughest weekend for me due to personal reasons, the Gators added to my woes as they blew a 21-3 lead to the Vols in the second half. The crowd at Neyland Stadium that afternoon got to Florida, as Tennessee scored 35 unanswered points and ultimately won 38-28.

This was Austin Appleby's first start, but the first loss to Tennessee in 11 years can't be pinned on him. For some reason, Florida's offensive play calling became super conservative in the third quarter and Vols quarterback Josh Dobbs picked apart the Gator defense.

Tennessee did prove that "a duck could pull a truck", as this game was their version of the National Championship. What made this tough loss even harder for Florida fans to stomach was that the Gators' chances of becoming life champions had been dashed.

at Vanderbilt
It was bad enough that this game was slated for a noon kickoff, but it was also evident that Florida had not moved past the Tennessee loss. The Gators needed an interception from safety Nick Washington to seal what was still a close game in the fourth quarter. They only won 13-6, with Jordan Scarlett accounting for Florida's only touchdown. The offense looked bad as this was one of Austin Appleby's worst games of the season.

Missouri
It was in this game that I sported my classic Florida Gator button down shirt with my Spurrier visor, an outfit which became a favorite among all my friends. Looking at the game now, it was an afternoon kickoff that featured some rain. This was the second time in three seasons that Missouri was the homecoming opponent, and the Gators did all they could to avenge their 42-13 blowout loss two seasons ago.

Both Quincy Wilson and Jalen "Teez" Tabor took back an interception for a touchdown while Antonio Callaway shocked us all by returning an onside kick for a touchdown. Florida convincingly won the game 40-14, despite Luke Del Rio throwing three interceptions in his return.

Georgia
A game I was actually able to attend this time because of a free ticket from a friend, Florida-Georgia this season was a blast! I could write a whole article alone about the great moments we had while tailgating and staying at my buddy's house in Jacksonville. As expected, I donned the visor and long sleeve to the game.

As for the game itself, Florida yet again defeated Georgia as they won 24-14 for their third straight victory over the Bulldogs. It was honestly a tough game to watch offensively and probably would not have been that thrilling had I been watching in on TV.

at Arkansas
This game was a bloodbath. Florida came into Fayetteville ranked No. 11 and got absolutely rocked. They lost 31-10, with their only score coming from a Duke Dawson pick-six. The Gators rushed for 12 total yards and Luke Del Rio suffered and played through a shoulder injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season. I do commend Del Rio's bravery though. My hat goes off to him for his perseverance.

South Carolina
The final home game of my undergrad career was fittingly a noon kickoff. I donned my visor and long sleeve one last time and went out to support the Gators on Senior Day. With Appleby back in command, the Gators stuck it to ex-coach Will Muschamp and won 20-7. For once, I could be happy after a Muschamp loss in The Swamp.

at No. 16 LSU
So much trash talking and controversy surrounded this noon makeup game as it took place in Baton Rouge and not Gainesville. Despite LSU athletic director Joe Alleva's incompetence and lack of understanding, Florida agreed to the unfair terms LSU offered just to get the game played. It was simple: a win clinched the SEC East and a loss left it in the hands of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game.

Florida had one touchdown the whole game, which was a 98-yard strike from Appleby to true freshman Tyrie Cleveland in the third quarter. The ending of this game would forever go down in Gator football history, as Florida used a goal line stand to stuff the Tigers with no time left on the clock. It was a thrilling way to clinch the SEC East, and I was glad that I was able to see Florida beat LSU on the gridiron during my undergrad career.

at No. 14 Florida State
Once again, the Seminoles manhandled the Gators in this primetime affair. Appleby was sacked six times and the offense was atrocious. Florida's only touchdown came on a fumbled punt that Marcell Harris scooped up and took into the end zone.

Harris's fumble recovery cut the lead to 24-13, but only delayed the inevitable 31-13 loss. Florida was embarrassed for the second straight season (and the third time in the last four years), and I graduated never seeing a football win against Florida State.

No. 1 Alabama (SEC Championship)
It was worse than last year as Alabama steamrolled Florida. The Gators scored on the opening possession to lead 7-0, but that was quickly erased. Alabama scored on both a pick-six and a blocked punt as Appleby through three picks... IN THE FIRST HALF.

I applaud the Gators' effort, especially that of linebacker Jarrad Davis (who's status was questionable leading up to the game). However, Alabama was just too good. The Tide won 54-16, making Florida 0-3 against them during my undergrad career.

Iowa (Outback Bowl)
In a game I was very nervous about, Florida proved me wrong. The defense showed out under interim (and now permanent) defensive coordinator Randy Shannon while Austin Appleby played moderately decent.

The Gators avoided the same bowl fate of the 2015 squad as they had a couple offensive touchdowns to complement a dominating defensive performance. They routed Iowa by a score of 30-3 and earned America free blooming onions from Outback Steakhouse.


And now the stat leaders of the 2016 campaign:

Offense

Passing Yards: Austin Appleby (1,447) (Graduate)

Passing Touchdowns: Austin Appleby (10)

Completions: Austin Appleby (127)

Interceptions: Luke Del Rio (8) (Redshirt Sophomore)

Rushing Yards: Jordan Scarlett (899) (Sophomore)

Rushing Touchdowns: Jordan Scarlett (6)

Receiving Yards: Antonio Callaway (721) (Sophomore)

Receiving Touchdowns: Antonio Callaway/DeAndre Goolsby (3) (Junior)

Defense

Tackles: Marcell Harris (73) (Redshirt Junior)

Tackles For Loss: Caleb Brantley (9.5) (Redshirt Junior)

Sacks: Jabari Zuniga (5) (Redshirt Freshman)

Interceptions: Jalen "Teez" Tabor (4) (Junior)

Fumbles Forced: Taven Bryan (2) (Redshirt Sophomore)

Fumbles Recovered: Taven Bryan (2)

Quarterback Hurries: Jabari Zuniga (11)

Pass Breakups: Duke Dawson (7) (Junior)

Special Teams

Field Goals Made: Eddy Pineiro (21) (Redshirt Sophomore)

Longest Field Goal: Eddy Pineiro (54)

PAT's: Eddy Pineiro (32)

Touchbacks: Eddy Pineiro (48)

Kickoff Return Yards: Chris Thompson (283) (Senior)

Punt Return Yards: Antonio Callaway (218)

Punts: Johnny Townsend (64) (Redshirt Junior)

Punt Yards: Johnny Townsend (3,065)

Punts Inside the 20: Johnny Townsend (27)

Graduating Seniors
Here are all the true and redshirt seniors who will be leaving the Gator football program:

• Ahmad Fulwood - Wide Receiver
• Daniel McMillian - Linebacker
• Neil MacInnes - Kicker
• Jarrad Davis - Linebacker
• Chris Thompson - Wide Receiver
• Joey Ivie - Defensive Lineman
• Marcus Maye - Safety (RS)
• Mark Herndon - Running Back (RS)
• Micael Iorio - Defensive Back (RS)
• Mark Norvelis - Defensive Back (RS)
• Jonathan Haney - Long Snapper (RS)
• Bryan Cox Jr. - Defensive Lineman (RS)

NFL Draftees
Here are all the Gators who have declared for the draft as well as seniors who may get drafted:

• Jalen "Teez" Tabor - Cornerback (Junior)
• Marcus Maye - Safety (Redshirt Senior)
• Caleb Brantley - Defensive Lineman (Redshirt Junior)
• Quincy Wilson - Cornerback (Junior)
• Jarrad Davis - Linebacker (Senior)
• David Sharpe - Offensive Lineman (Junior)
• Alex Anzalone - Linebacker (Redshirt Junior)
• Bryan Cox Jr. - Defensive Lineman (Redshirt Senior)

Transfers

Finally, here a couple players who will be leaving the Florida Gator football program in the offseason. I wish the best to them wherever they go!

• Cameron Dillard - Offensive Lineman (Redshirt Junior)
• Jordan Cronkrite - Running Back (Sophomore)

Final Takeaway
The 2016 season saw slight improvement for the Gator football program as they try each and every day to undue the damages of the Muschamp era. Coach McElwain's first bowl win at Florida is good progress along with a second consecutive SEC East division title.

Some ways to build off this success now would be to:

1. Get a legitimate quarterback and develop him (whether it's Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask, or newcomer Jake Allen)
2. WIN the SEC Championship
3. BEAT FLORIDA STATE
4. Earn a bid to a New Year's Six Bowl
5. Banking off the first point, field a competent offense that can consistently put up more than 30 points a game.

If Florida and Coach Mac can accomplish even half of these five goals that I have listed, than 2017 will be a fun season for Gator fans everywhere.

Author's Note

It was fun covering the Gator football team during my four years of undergrad at the University of Florida. After receiving my LSAT score, there is a good chance I will not be attending UF for law school. If that is the case, then this is more than likely my final Gator football article.

It has been an incredible ride writing about this team, and I am blessed to have been able to make the time to write these game recaps. I will be a Gator forever and will support this team through thick and thin. Thank you Florida football, you have tested my patience but also given me moments I will cherish for a lifetime.

All in all, Florida finished with a 30-21 record during my four years of undergrad. What I am about to conclude with is based off of total instinct and not statistics. In 2017, I would not be surprised if Florida went undefeated or made the College Football Playoff somehow now that I have graduated from the university. Knowing my luck, I feel like this will happen (but we will see).

Regardless if I'm right or not,  I'll be patiently waiting for September 2nd.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Football: Gators Win Outback Bowl!

For just the second time in school history (with Iowa again being the victim), the Florida Gators are Outback Bowl Champions! In their early afternoon matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-5), the No. 17 Gators (9-4) ended the season on an extremely positive note with a dominating 30-3 victory.

Offense
In his final game as the Florida starting quarterback, Austin Appleby turned in a performance that Gator fans were content with. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. To be fair, both of Appleby's picks were tipped and not really his fault.

Though I was not too high on Appleby throughout most of the season, I will admit that him quarterbacking Florida to a bowl win earns him my approval. Among all the quarterbacks I have personally watched at Florida (Jeff Driskel, Tyler Murphy, Skyler Mornhinweg, Treon Harris, Will Grier, and Luke Del Rio), I can confidently say he was better than or equal to at least half of them.

In the ground game, Jordan Scarlett remained the lead back as he carried the ball 14 times for 94 yards. However, it would be JUCO transfer Mark Thompson who would make the explosive play out of the backfield.

With the game tied 3-3 and a little under two minutes to go in the first half, Thompson caught a screen pass on his own 15-yard line and took it 85 yards to the house for the game's first touchdown. It was his first reception for positive yards since the Arkansas game on November 5th, and was his first touchdown of any kind since the North Texas game on September 17th.

This would be one of two Appleby touchdown passes, as he found tight end DeAndre Goolsby at the end of the third quarter to stretch the lead to 17-3. Goolsby finished with just two total catches for 27 yards, while Thompson's touchdown was his lone reception of the contest.

Among the actual receivers in the wideout corps, only Antonio Callaway went off. He nabbed a team-leading seven balls for 55 yards with a long reception of 34 yards.

The offense gained a total of 331 yards and 11 first downs. They averaged 5.8 yards per play, 3.4 yards per rush, and 8.9 yards per pass attempt. In the red zone, they were 100% on two attempts. The offensive line gave up three sacks, but relatively gave Appleby a clean pocket to throw out of.

Defense
The Gator defense -headed by interim defensive coordinator Randy Shannon- finished how they started the year and feasted against the Hawkeyes. For the fourth time this season, they held a team to under 100 passing yards as Iowa only threw for 55.

As a whole, the Gators allowed 226 offensive yards. After holding Iowa to just a field goal on the second drive of the game, Florida locked in and wreaked havoc on their Big 10 foe and quarterback C.J. Beathard.

Interceptions were the name of the game as true freshman Chauncey Gardner had two of them in the fourth quarter! His first pick came in the first minute of the quarter, and he ran 58 yards back to push Florida's lead to 24-3. It was his second career interception and first collegiate touchdown.

A couple drives later, Chauncey picked off another pass and nearly had another pick-six as he took it 30 yards to the Iowa seven-yard line. It would set up a Florida field goal that would extend the lead to 27-3.

For his two-pick performance, Chauncey was named the MVP of the Outback Bowl. This may very well have been his coming out party, and if that's the case then the future looks bright for Florida's secondary.

The other Gator to record an interception was senior linebacker Daniel McMillian. His pick came on Iowa's ensuing drive following Chauncey's second interception and he was able to take it 23 yards to the Iowa 36-yard line. This return would set up the final field goal of the day to make it 30-3 Florida.

McMillian was the second-leading tackler on the team as he had seven tackles. He trailed only defensive back Marcell Harris, who had nine wrap ups and one tackle for loss. Harris's biggest tackle came on fourth and goal at the start of the second quarter.

With the Gators down 3-0, the redshirt junior stuffed running back LeShun Daniels at the one-yard line to keep the Hawkeyes out of the end zone.

The only Gator to record a sack on the day was defensive lineman Caleb Brantley, who notched three tackles in the contest. Some other defensive dignitaries worth noting are linebacker Vosean Joseph with six tackles (1 TFL) and a pass breakup, an absolute hero at linebacker in Cristian Garcia with five tackles, and defensive lineman Joey Ivie with five tackles (1 TFL) as well.

Special Teams
I talked about the Gators setting up field goals all day but let's talk about the man who made them. Kicker Eddy Pineiro absolutely balled in this game. His 44-yarder was the Gators' opening score in the first quarter and he went on to nail both a 25-yarder and a game long 48-yarder in the fourth quarter. He was a perfect 3/3 on extra point attempts.

In the kickoff aspect, Pineiro once again proved his leg strength as he boomed an 80-yard kickoff from his own 20-yard line. He was only kicking this deep due to an unsportsmanlike penalty that resulted from Chauncey Gardener's pick-six. This would be one of two kickoffs returned on the day as five of Eddy's seven kicks were touchbacks.

In the punting realm, my boy Johnny Townsend continued to kill it. Johnny punted four times and averaged 45.5 yards per kick. He pinned Iowa inside their own 20-yard line twice and his longest punt went 51 yards.

It's an absolute shame he was not even named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, as he is hands down one of the best punters in the country. Nevertheless, Johnny logged in another great performance!

Final Takeaway
As a Gator graduate, I can depart from UF with an even bigger smile on my face! Florida's bowl win proved me wrong (which I'm not at all ashamed to admit) and prevented the 2016 season from ending the exact same way that 2015 did.

This Gator team came out here wanting to prove something, and boy did they. Although the offense was more or less its usual self, the defense throttled Iowa and made a case for Randy Shannon to be the next Florida defensive coordinator. For the most part I am onboard with this idea, but ultimately that's a decision that will be left to Coach McElwain, the staff, and Shannon himself.

It is such a great feeling to see my Gators win a bowl game, and I hope that this can progress into a New Year's Six Bowl somewhere down the road. For Austin Appleby and 12 seniors, this is a great sendoff. Some will be off to the NFL Draft while others will be using their degrees to find jobs in the real world.

Regardless of where they go, I want to thank the 2016 senior class for their hard work and effort. Whether they played in every game or never saw the field, they should be thanked immensely for how much work they put into helping this program return to national relevance in the near future.

For Coach Mac, this is where the real test begins. After essentially posting two 10-win seasons in his first two years at Florida (Presbyterian this season would have been a win let's be real), Mac will definitely have some pressure put on him to win now that HIS quarterback will be leading the charge.

I think he will thrive under this pressure though, and Florida will be in the College Football Playoff hunt every year that Mac coaches here. It's been great watching him these last two years and my Gators the last four.

I have no idea if this is my last Gator football game recap or not with law school looming ahead. If it is, then it has been an absolute blast recapping Gator football these last four years. Through the good and the bad, writing about this team has given me such an understanding and appreciation of this team that I would not have had as an ordinary fan.

I pride myself in knowing the history of my teams, and as a former Miami Hurricanes fan I think I did a pretty good job learning Gator football history and embracing it as my own. I love this school with all my heart, and will never forget the many incredible moments at The Swamp. I'll root for this team until God calls me home, and I'll support them in all kinds of weather.

Whether we go 15-0 with a national championship or 0-12 with every single player injured, I will always say that it is indeed great to be a Florida Gator! Go Gators! 2017 Outback Bowl Champions!

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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2016 SEC Championship: #1 Alabama Thrashes #15 Florida for Third Consecutive Conference Title

In the 25th anniversary of the SEC Championship, the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0, 8-0 SEC) throttled the then No. 15 ranked Florida Gators (8-4, 6-2 SEC) by a lopsided score of 54-16. This was the ninth time that these two schools have met on the conference's biggest stage.

Offense
During Florida's first offensive drive, there was a slight glimmer of hope that this would be a close game. Quarterback Austin Appleby took the Gators right down the field and found wide receiver Antonio Callaway in the end zone to make it 7-0 Florida.

After forcing Alabama to a very rare three-and-out, Florida had a chance to jump on the Tide and seize momentum. That did not happen at all.

Appleby was picked off on the first play of the second drive by Shaun Dion Hamilton, who returned it to the Florida 12-yard line. The Gator defense would hold and force a field goal.

Three plays into the third drive, it looked like Florida was still in control. That notion quickly evaporated though, as Appleby threw an interception right to Minkah Fitzpatrick. When I say "right to", I mean this pass was way behind intended receiver Antonio Callaway.

It was the most blatant interception I had ever seen. Fitzpatrick gladly accepted his early Christmas present and ran it back to the house to put the Tide up 10-7.

Back at it again for a fourth drive, Florida moved a total of two yards from their 25-yard line and decided to punt after six plays. Johnny Townsend, the most reliable player on this team, came out to punt as usual. What happened next shocked me.

As Johnny prepared to boot the ball, Bama's Derrick Gore broke through the line and blocked the punt. The football was quickly scooped up by Josh Jacobs and ran in for a Tide touchdown. For the second straight year, Alabama had blocked a Florida punt in the SEC Championship.

Before Florida could even recover from that blocked punt, Jabari Zuniga turned right around and blocked kicker Adam Griffith's extra point attempt! David Reese scooped it up and took it the distance for a two-point conversion! It was now 16-9 Alabama.

This had to be the first time in college football history that two kicks had been blocked back-to-back and resulted in points for both teams. After a wild first half, Nick Saban and company would stop messing around.

Alabama put up 17 in the second quarter to score a record 33 points in the first half of the SEC Championship. An overmatched Gator offense tried to keep up, but a third Austin Appleby interception midway through the second quarter didn't make it any easier.

Right before the half, however, he was able to find someone in a Gator uniform as he hit tight end DeAndre Goolsby in the end zone to cut the lead to 33-16. This capped a 10-play 92-yard drive, by far Florida's longest of the game. It would also be Florida's last score in the contest.

Appleby finished the game completing 26 of 39 passes for 261 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He took four sacks and accounted for -32 rushing yards. Had he thrown one more pick, Appleby would have tied the record for interceptions in an SEC Championship Game.

Looking at Florida's ground game, their performance in this game was the worst it has been all season. On 30 attempts, the Gators had zero rushing yards. Of course, this doesn't surprise me when potential NFL first-rounders like Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster are lining up on defense for Alabama.

In the receiving corps, Brandon Powell led all Gator wideouts in receptions with nine grabs for 59 yards. Behind him was Florida's leading yard-getter in DeAndre Goolsby, who totaled 91 yards on seven catches with a touchdown. Rounding out the group was Antonio Callaway, who tallied 63 yards on four receptions with a touchdown.

Defense
On the other side of the ball, a battered Florida defensive unit allowed 372 offensive yards to the Tide. Disregarding the pick-six and blocked punt, the defense truly only allotted 40 of Bama's 54 points.

That may not make Gator fans feel any better, but keep the following in mind. Had those two plays not happened, Florida would have entered the half only trailing 19-16. It's not for me to say whether or not Bama would have pulled away, but a three-point deficit is much more easier to approach than a 17-point one.

Over half of Bama's scores came on the ground. Running backs Bo Scarborough (two), Josh Jacobs (one), and Derrick Gore (one) all managed to register a touchdown on the ground. Scarborough led the pack with 91 of the Tide's 234 rushing yards.

Had Bama's passing game been fully clicking, they could have reached 60 or 70 points in this game. Florida was able to limit the Tide's freshman phenom quarterback, Jalen Hurts, to 11 of 20 passing for 138 yards and a touchdown. They were even able to bring him down twice as Marcell Harris (one), Keivonnis Davis (0.5), and CeCe Jefferson (0.5) accounted for the Gator sacks on the day.

In addition to a sack, Harris recorded seven tackles (six solo) and broke up a pass. His efforts were good for second most among Gator players, tied with senior linebacker Daniel McMillian. The leading tackler for Florida was nickelback Chauncey Gardner. Making his second consecutive collegiate start, the true freshman racked up nine tackles (0.5 TFL) with one pass breakup.

Some other Gator notables on defense were linebacker Kylan Johnson, defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis, and linebacker Jarrad Davis. Both Johnson (2 TFL) and Davis (0.5) had five tackles while Jarrad Davis shocked many by even playing in the contest.

Battling an ankle injury, J.D. started the game at linebacker and finished with four tackles. On behalf of Gator Nation, I can say that his gutsy performance was much appreciated.

On a more disheartening note, defensive lineman defensive lineman Taven Bryan was ejected from the game during Bama's first drive of the fourth quarter. The reasoning was because he body slammed running back Josh Jacobs to the ground when making the tackle. Bryan was assessed a personal foul before being promptly ejected from the SEC Championship.

Special Teams
In the special teams unit, kicker Eddy Pineiro had no field goal attempts for the first time since the Tennessee game on September 24th. Despite having no field goal opportunities, the redshirt sophomore nailed both of his extra point attempts and sent all three of his kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks.

In the punting realm, it was more eventful than usual. In addition to a blocked punt, the Gators tried to run a fake punt from their own 33-yard line with the score 23-9 in the second quarter. This blew up about as much as anyone could have expected it to.

Johnny caught the ball (which wasn't even initially intended for him) on the run, but Alabama's Anfernee Jennings was waiting there to wrap him up. It was an 11-yard loss, but ultimately did not hurt the Gators as Bama missed the ensuing 40-yard field goal.

When Johnny was allowed to punt, he sent off four balls with an average of 54.2 yards per punt. He sent three punts over 50 yards with his longest being a 62-yarder. He pinned the Tide inside their own 20-yard line twice. He also got his hands dirty a little bit as he made two tackles in the game.

In the return game, Florida had no punt returns and six kickoff returns. Mark Thompson returned one kickoff for 21 yards while Chris Thompson ran back a total of five kickoffs for 124 yards.

Final Takeaway
Alabama's victory marked their third consecutive SEC Championship and seventh in school history, tying them for the most with Florida. This game was about what I expected. The offense was ineffective and the defense did the best it could to douse the flames. Special teams... was just a complete circus at times.

A miraculous win would have meant the first Sugar Bowl berth since the 2012 season for the Florida Gators, but instead it's another in-state bowl game. This time the now No. 17 ranked Gators will be heading to Tampa as they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) in the Outback Bowl.

Hmm, this seems familiar. Florida loses bad to Florida State, then gets routed in the SEC Championship by a stacked Alabama team, and now plays a Big-10 opponent in a Florida-based bowl game. Oh boy. This sounds a lot like last year, when Florida concluded their season with a humiliating 41-7 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl.

What I'm alluding to is that I do not like Florida's chances in this game. Iowa is on a three-game winning streak that includes an upset win over then No. 3 Michigan (10-2) at home, a 28-point road shutout of Illinois (3-9), and a 30-point Senior Day beatdown against Nebraska (9-3). The Gators, meanwhile, have not even managed to reach 20 points since November 12th against South Carolina (6-6) on Senior Day.

This will be the fourth ever meeting between these schools and third ever in the Outback Bowl. Florida leads the series 2-1 but has split with Iowa in the past two Outback Bowls. In 2006, the Gators bested the Hawkeyes 31-24. Two years prior in 2004, the Hawkeyes thumped the Gators 37-17.

Kickoff for the prestigious Outback Bowl is set for 1 p.m. on January 2nd, 2017. The game can be seen on ABC and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network. I have Iowa winning by 14 points.

As for Alabama, they have much bigger goals at hand. Despite winning four National Championships in the Nick Saban era, this is just the the second time that the Tide have entered the postseason undefeated. The last time such an occurrence happened was in 2014, which ended in a 42-35 semifinal loss to No. 4 Ohio State in the inaugural College Football Playoff

Two years later the Tide find themselves in a similar position as they enter their third consecutive College Football Playoff. This time, however, the upstart No. 4 Washington Huskies (12-1) will be their opponent in the semifinal game at the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl.

As much as I like Washington and their young quarterback (and hopefully future Miami Dolphin) Jake Browning, I am going with the Tide here. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on December 31st. The semifinal can be seen on ESPN and oddly enough, Alabama will be returning right back to the Georgia Dome for the game.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Football: #14 FSU Defeats #15 Florida for Fourth Straight Year

For the fourth and final time as an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, I am writing about a Florida loss to Florida State. This past weekend in Tallahassee, the then No. 15 ranked Gators (8-3) could not mount any offensive attack whatsoever as the formerly No. 14 ranked Seminoles (9-3) blasted them 31-13. This victory now makes Florida State's senior class 8-0 against in-state rivals Florida and Miami.

Offense
I don't even know why I'm addressing this section of the article. Last week was the WORST I have seen Florida's offense all season! For the second time this year, the Gators failed to score an offensive touchdown.

Quarterback Austin Appleby ran for his life against Florida State. The graduate transfer was sacked six times for a total loss of 45 yards while also fumbling once. Two of these sacks came from defensive end DeMarcus Walker, who looked like a first rounder against Florida's battered offensive line.

When he was able to throw the ball, Appleby completed 19 of 35 passes for 149 yards. This was by far his worst game of the season.

On the ground, sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett could not get anything going. He carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards. Florida State's defense would not budge as the Gators only ran for 58 yards in the game.

In the receiving corps, sophomore wide receiver Antonio Callaway had his second-highest catch total of the season as he nabbed six balls for 58 yards. He also ran the ball once for a 24-yard gain on the the third play of the game. If anything, Callaway's performance should be the most positive takeaway from Florida's dismal offensive performance last Saturday.

The offense mustered just 207 yards while averaging 2.0 yards per rush and 4.3 yards per pass attempted. The Gators went 0-12 on third down conversions in the game, replacing the 1980 Louisville Cardinals as the latest team to not convert any third down against Florida State in a game.

Florida reached the red zone once all game. On their first possession, they drove all the way to the Florida State two-yard line before going for it and failing to convert on fourth down and goal. I thought not kicking would hurt Florida in the long run, but an 18-point loss put all of those thoughts to bed.

Defense
For the second straight year, Dalvin Cook ran all over a depleted Gator defense. The junior out of Miami rushed for 153 yards on 26 carries with one touchdown in what many presumed to be his last game at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The defense allotted 387 yards and was unable to touch quarterback Deondre Francois. The redshirt freshman showed much poise against the Gators as he both threw and ran for a touchdown. It's hard to think he was feeling any pressure with a running back as good as Cook, a healthy offensive line, and almost 80,000 fans behind him.

The Gators leading tackler was Marcell Harris, who was a big bright spot for the defense. The redshirt junior received the start at safety for the second consecutive week and notched a game-high 11 tackles (nine of which were solo).

He was there to recover a fumble that Chris Thompson forced on a punt near the beginning of the fourth quarter. Not only did he recover it though, he took it in for his first collegiate score. This would be Florida's lone touchdown of the night.

Harris would not be done with fumbles though. With a little over six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, he blasted Francois on a quarterback keeper to force a fumble with the Gators down 24-13.

A few notches behind Harris, true freshman Chauncey Gardner recorded six tackles as he made his college debut as starting safety. He also obtained his first collegiate interception after picking off Francois in the early stages of the third quarter. He returned it 15 yards before being tackled at the Florida State 27-yard line.

Four other Gator defenders worth mentioning are Kylan Johnson, David Reese, Caleb Brantley, and Joey Ivie. Holding down the linebacking core, Johnson broke up a pass and also had a tackle for loss while Reese had five tackles. On the defensive line, Brantley had five wrap ups (two TFL) while Ivie blocked Florida State's first field goal attempt in the first quarter.

In the secondary, both of Florida's lockdown cornerbacks balled. Jalen "Teez" Tabor and Quincy Wilson broke up three passes a piece and Tabor was there to recover the Francois fumble in the fourth quarter.

Special Teams
In the special teams unit, the road environment somewhat got to kicker Eddy Pineiro. He was perfect on his field goal attempts, as he nailed both a 38-yarder in the second quarter and a 41-yarder in the third quarter. He also converted his lone extra point attempt following the scoop and score touchdown in the fourth quarter.

On kickoffs, however, he looked human for the first time all season. Of his four kicks, half of them went out of bounds with only one being a touchback. Considering how consistent Pineiro has been all season though, it can be safe to say this game was probably just an outlier.

In the punting sphere, Johnny Townsend (who I still can't believe isn't a Ray Guy finalist) continued to do his job well. The redshirt junior sent off six punts and averaged 47.2 yards per punt. He pinned Florida State inside their own 20-yard line twice and had two punts go over 50 yards. His longest punt of the night was a 55-yarder in the second quarter.

In the return game, Antonio Callaway returned one punt for two yards. For kickoff duties, senior Chris Thompson took back two kicks for a total of 29 yards.

Final Takeaway
I'd be lying if I said it doesn't hurt. To see the Gators play one competitive game against the 'Noles in my four years here is quite disheartening to say the least. It feels as if the tail end of 2015 is repeating itself all over again.

Florida State dominates Florida, then the Gators have to turnaround and play an insanely good Alabama team in the SEC Championship the following week. If history repeats itself (which it most likely will), the Gators will get smoked in Atlanta and most likely return to the Citrus Bowl to play a team like Louisville (9-3).

I don't like to even say this, but I give the Gators absolutely zero chance to win on Saturday. I love this team and my school, but the facts are there in front of everyone to see. Please just take a look at the Gator injury report below.

Out
Alex Anzalone (Arm) - Linebacker
Bryan Cox Jr. (Ankle) - Defensive Lineman
Cam Dillard (Knee) - Center
Marcus Maye (Arm) - Safety

Jordan Sherit (Knee) - Defensive Lineman

Nick Washington (Ankle) - Safety

Doubtful
Jarrad Davis (Ankle) - Linebacker
Luke Del Rio (Shoulder) - Quarterback

Questionable
Duke Dawson (TBA) - Cornerback
Martez Ivey (Leg) - Left Guard

Even with a healthy team, No. 1 Alabama (12-0) would be difficult to beat. This is by far one of the best teams Nick Saban has ever assembled and almost looks like a shoo-in to win back-to-back National Championships. In terms of a score, I see Alabama winning 49-6.

The SEC Championship between the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 15 Florida Gators will kickoff at 4 p.m. this Saturday on CBS. It can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network. I am praying for a competitive game, but I honestly do not believe we are going to get one.

As for No. 12 Florida State, they finish the season at 9-3 and third overall in the ACC Atlantic division. They will await for their postseason fate to be announced on Sunday, December 4th. With wins over Florida and Miami along with a chance to win at least 10 games for the fifth straight season, it has yet again been another successful year for the Florida State Seminoles football program.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com
**Gator injury report accredited to 247 Sports

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UF Football: #23 Florida Upsets #16 LSU to Win Second Straight SEC EastTitle

It was another solid senior day in The Swamp as the then No. 23 ranked Florida Gators (8-2, 6-2 SEC) annihilated the Presbyterian Blue Hose (2-9) for their eighth victory of the season. Wait... there's something off here. If I can recall, the Florida Gators lost out on this home game due to the stubbornness of LSU. That actually sounds about right.

Let me take you back about a month ago. On October 8th, LSU was scheduled to play Florida in Gainesville at noon. However, plans took a drastic change as the looming presence of Hurricane Matthew forced the SEC to cancel the contest.

There was outrage from everywhere and it all seemed to be directed at the Gators. Tennessee fans complained that Florida had an easier route to win the SEC in lieu of their loss to the Vols. LSU fans complained that Florida was scared of them and just as easily could have flown to Baton Rouge to play the game on that day.

For Florida head coach Jim McElwain, it had to feel like a nightmare. People were valuing a football game over actual human lives being affected by Hurricane Matthew. With more than half of his roster from areas within the hurricane's path, Mac was shocked at the contempt and hate that was casted onto his program.

So Florida gave into the demands of LSU athletic director Joe Alleva. They agreed to pay Presbyterian a $500,000 buyout fee while LSU paid $1.5 million to buyout their scheduled game against South Alabama (5-5).

Within a week, the game had been rescheduled for November 19th in Baton Rouge. Florida had not won there since 2009 (Tim Tebow's senior year) and had lost three straight to the Tigers. By the week of this game, Florida had been struggling offensively while LSU was rolling to a 5-1 record with interim head coach Ed Orgeron.

LSU opened up as a 13.5 point favorite over Florida. Riddled with injuries to the offensive line, quarterback, the linebacking corps, and the secondary, there seemed to be no way Florida could go to Death Valley of all places and win. Tennessee fans were ordering their SEC Championship tickets. Florida had no shot at winning this game. The East had been lost.

Despite this adversity and drama, Florida prevailed. With the help of a historic goal line stand, the Florida Gators walked into Death Valley and beat the then No. 16 ranked LSU Tigers (6-4, 4-3 SEC) by a score of 16-10. They showed the country that they weren't afraid to play anybody and in the process clinched their second consecutive SEC East division title.

Offense
With a 1-1 record on the road, graduate transfer quarterback Austin Appleby did enough to manage the game and keep Florida in it going into the fourth quarter. He went 7 for 17 on pass attempts while accumulating 144 passing yards. A chunk of those yards came on a 98-yard strike to Tyrie Cleveland to give the Gators a 10-7 lead in the third quarter.

On the ground, sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett registered a performance that earned him player of the game honors. Rushing 22 times, the St. Thomas Aquinas product gained 108 yards on the ground. He was vital in the fourth quarter as his powerful running kept Florida's drives alive and ultimately led to Eddy Pineiro's go-ahead field goal with 4:37 left in the game.

Complementing Scarlett, true freshman Lamical Perine had some huge carries down the stretch. Although he touched the ball just seven times, a chunk of Perine's 38 yards came on a Marshawn Lynch-esque run that helped put the Gators in position to take the lead late in the game.

In the receiving corps, true freshman Tyrie Cleveland had the only Gator touchdown of the game when Appleby found him streaking down the sideline midway through the third quarter. Cleveland finished the day with three catches for 124 yards and of course the touchdown grab. His performance was enough to earn him SEC Freshman of the Week honors following this game.

As a unit, the Gator offense gained just 270 yards with a chunk of those coming on the ground. The dilapidated offensive line gave up just two sacks and did a great job protecting Appleby and providing holes for Scarlett and Perine to run through. The Gator offense committed one penalty the whole game, and that's when Austin Appleby got hit with delay of game on Florida's first offensive possession.

Defense
Defense won this game for the Gators. It's that simple. Before I get into any specific defensive players and stats, I have to talk about "The Stand". The Stand is something that will go down in the history of Gator football. It's a moment that will be seen on the jumbotron before home games and forever immortalized in the concourses of The Swamp.

So here's how it went down. After LSU converted a fourth down and 10, the Tigers had the ball on the 18-yard line with less than two minutes to play. With 50 seconds to go, the Tigers made it first and goal at the Gator seven-yard line when quarterback Danny Etling (a Purdue transfer like Appleby) hit receiver D.J. Chark for 30 yards.

Knowing LSU, they were gonna take the clock all the way down and make sure that Florida got no chance whatsoever to do something on offense. It was all up to Florida's defense. The first goal line play was a two-yard rush from backup running back Derrius Guice. Florida then proceeded to call a timeout with 30 seconds to go. They had two remaining.

On second and goal from the five-yard line, Guice again ran the ball and reached the one-yard line. LSU then called timeout with 24 seconds to go. On third down and goal, the Tigers chose to go to fullback J.D. Moore to try and win the game.

Florida was ready, however, and defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson wrapped up Moore to force fourth down and goal with the game on the line. The clock began running, and Coach Mac made no effort to stop it. Finally with three seconds to go, Coach Orgeron called timeout. This was the game. One yard would decided the Florida Gators' season.

On fourth down and goal, Etling pitched the ball to Derrius Guice. He tried to leap into the end zone but was met by Marcell Harris, CeCe Jefferson, and Taven Bryan. Guice was short of the goal line and fumbled the ball (which didn't matter because only Guice could advance the ball and he was already down). The game was over! The Gators were SEC East champions!

Red Zone Defiance

This was the third time in the game that Florida had denied LSU a touchdown in the red zone. The first time came near the beginning of the second quarter on first and goal from the Florida seven-yard line.

Up 7-3, LSU was looking to extend their lead when Caleb Brantley punched the ball loose from Derrius Guice. Gator linebacker Kylan Johnson quickly fell on the ball to secure Florida's first turnover of the game.

The second time again involved Caleb Brantley as he pulverized Leonard Fournette to set up fourth down and goal in the early stages of the third quarter.

As LSU lined up for their field goal, I told my friends that Florida better watch for the fake because LSU does it to them EVERY YEAR! Sure enough, I was right! Whether or not it was a fake field goal or a mishandled snap, LSU kick holder Josh Growden stepped back a couple yards and heaved up a prayer. He might as well have said "200 alive" when he threw it.

The pass was deflected and ricocheted for a couple seconds, but ultimately fell harmlessly to the turf for a turnover. Those three missed points would come back to haunt LSU when it was all said and done.

What's also worth mentioning is the play before the Fournette wrap-up. On second and goal, Danny Etling tried to scramble for the end zone on a play action rollout. As he approached the end zone, he was viciously met by linebacker Vosean Joseph and shoved out of bounds. It can be argued that this play set the tone for Brantley's subsequent third down stop.

Even though Joseph lit him up, Etling remained clean for most of the game as Florida sacked him just once. The perpetrator of that sack was CeCe Jefferson, who brought Etling down for a nine-yard loss on second and goal from the three-yard line. The timing of this sack was perfect as it came in the beginning of the fourth quarter. LSU would eventually kick a field goal to cap the drive and make it 10-10.

Florida's Defensive Playmakers

Florida's leading tackler was yet again linebacker David Reese. Anchoring down what many saw as a depleted linebacking core, the true freshman led both his team and the game with 12 tackles (0.5 TFL). Reese's efforts would earn him SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors

Behind Reese, defensive back Marcell Harris paced the Gators with 11 tackles. Another true freshman linebacker rounds out the top three as Kylan Johnson had eight wrap ups.

Three Gators had six tackles with two of those players being defensive backs. They were safety Nick Washington, defensive lineman Jordan Sherit, and cornerback Jalen "Teez" Tabor (who also had a pass breakup).

The defense's performance was quite impressive considering they allowed 423 offensive yards to LSU and were out-possessed 34:02 to 25:58. It did help that Leonard Fournette was used in a limited capacity, but it was no small task to stop Derrius Guice either. Guice scored the game's opening touchdown in the first quarter and finished with 83 yards on 19 carries.

Fournette was given 12 carries despite pregame repots that we would be unavailable for the game. The stingy Florida defense corralled him though, as he gained only 43 yards. LSU fans may wonder for years to come if the outcome would have been different had Fournette been available for the last play of the game.

Special Teams
This was the type of game that kicker Eddy Pineiro was recruited for. The redshirt sophomore was huge today as he nailed all three of his kicks from 36, 26, and 34 out, respectively. As mentioned earlier in the article, Pineiro made two clutch kicks in the fourth quarter.

His first make gave Florida a 13-10 lead and the second pushed that lead to 16-10. His direct impact on this game would earn him SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Pineiro would be responsible for 10 points as a whole in this contest.

Pineiro converted his lone extra point of the game and four of his five kickoffs went for touchbacks. His one kickoff that was not a touchback was a huge turning point for the Gators. With 4:37 left in the game, LSU defensive back Donte Jackson fielded Pineiro's kick inside the 15-yard line and started sprinting upfield.

As he returned the ball, he ran into teammate Clifton Escort III and proceeded to fumble the ball. Vonte Joseph was able to recover the ball and setup Pineiro's second field goal of the quarter.

In the punting game, Johnny Townsend (who was wrongfully snubbed from the Ray Guy Award finalists list) played a critical role in the battle for field position. The redshirt junior punted five times and averaged 52.2 yards per punt. Three of his punts went over 50 yards, with his longest being 59 yards. He pinned LSU inside their own 20-yard line just once.

In the return game, Florida logged no punt returns. On kickoffs, both Jalen Tabor and and Chris Thompson had one return a piece. Tabor took his kick back for 33 yards while Thompson's return was 18 yards.

Final Takeaway
There really isn't much more to say after all this. Despite getting screwed by the SEC, these Gators found a way! With the win over LSU, they put Coach Mac in the history books as he became the first ever head coach to reach the SEC Championship game in his first two seasons.

This was one for the books. Finally, the three-game losing skid against LSU has ended! This victory propelled Florida to 15th in the College Football Playoff rankings while dropping LSU completely out! In addition, Florida now gets LSU at home for the next two seasons before the series reverts back to its normal home-and-home status.

With the SEC East won, the haters/critics dispatched, and LSU defeated, it's now time to focus on the No. 14 Florida State Seminoles (8-3). Similar to LSU, the Gators have not defeated their in-state rival in three years. As weird as it may sound, they are fortunate to be playing the 'Noles on the road.

In the last two meetings at Doak Campbell Stadium, the Gators have played the Seminoles tough. In 2014 they lost 24-19 and in 2012 they won 37-26. In last year's meeting in Gainesville, it was ugly. Florida State won 27-2 and dominated the Gators in every aspect possible in a football game.

Hopefully Coach Mac uses last year's loss and this slight losing streak as a whole to motivate the Gators come Saturday. If the trend of Florida's schedule continues to holds true, they should win this game.

Florida has won three straight and then lost a game twice this season. Now on the cusp of another three-game winning streak, it makes sense for Florida to beat Florida State and presumably fall to Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) in the SEC Championship.

Let's not worry about Alabama right now, though. In the Sunshine Showdown, I have the Gators emerging victorious to earn their ninth victory of the season. Of course with half the team out due to injury, it will be a close one. However, it will also be a classic game in this historic rivalry. There may be no national title implications, but state pride is always on the forefront when the Gators and 'Noles hookup.

Similar to last year, this game has a primetime slot. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ABC this upcoming Saturday. It can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network. Let's go Gators!

As for LSU, they hit the road on Thanksgiving Day to take on the Texas A&M Aggies (8-3, 4-3 SEC). Both have recently dropped out of the polls, but I have to give this game to LSU as the Aggies have not beaten them since 1995. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and it can be seen on ESPN.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Football: Florida Spoils Muschamp's Return

As he was accustomed to during his tenure as Florida's head coach, Will Muschamp took a loss in the Swamp last Saturday as the Florida Gators (7-2, 5-2 SEC) defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks (5-5, 3-5 SEC) by a score of 20-7 on Senior Day.

Offense
Making his first start at home, graduate transfer Austin Appleby was much more efficient this time around. He completed 17 of his 21 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. On the ground, he took off six times for 34 yards.

The Appleby that Florida got in this game resembled the first-half Tennessee version that threw for three touchdowns and nearly 300 yards. With Luke Del Rio ruled out for the upcoming game against LSU, Appleby will need to play like this if Florida has any chance of winning their second consecutive SEC East title.

In the running game, Florida thankfully gained more than 12 total yards. Jordan Scarlett came back with a vengeance as the sophomore rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries. Scarlett had more attempts alone in this game than the entire team did against Arkansas last week (12 total carries).

Scarlett averaged 6.7 yards per carry and his longest run was 32 yards. He has reasserted himself as the lead back, and hopefully will continue to serve as the workhorse going forward in Florida's last two regular season games.

In the receiving corps, sophomore Antonio Callaway once again found away to replicate his performances from the last two games. He nabbed four passes for the third straight game and totaled 48 receiving yards. Among his last three games, this is the most receiving yards Callaway has had.

Joining Callaway as Florida's leading yard-getter was senior Ahmad Fulwood. Fittingly enough on Senior Day, Fulwood had two catches for 48 yards and was able to haul in his third career touchdown reception with a snag in the second quarter.

The only other Gator to get in the end zone was redshirt sophomore tight end C'yontai Lewis. He caught four passes for 38 yards and kicked off the scoring with a touchdown reception in the first quarter. Rounding out the receivers, Brandon Powell had three receptions for 32 yards.

The Gator offense accumulated 372 total yards while obtaining 18 first downs. Appleby was kept clean for relatively most of the game as Carolina only sacked him once.

Defense
Defensively, Florida allotted 256 yards and did not give up a score until midway through the fourth quarter. They picked off the Gamecocks once and sacked quarterback Jake Bentley five times.

The sack culprits were all defensive linemen and are as follow: Joey Ivie (two), Taven Bryan (one), Jordan Sherit (0.5), Keivonnis Davis (0.5), Bryan Cox Jr. (0.5), and Khairi Clark (0.5).

Ivie is the lone senior of the group and forced a fumble at the end of second quarter of the contest as well. He was not alone though, as Taven Bryan forced and also recovered his own fumble in the second quarter.

Among the tackling leaders, true freshman David Reese was a pleasant surprise. Making his first career start at linebacker in Jarrad Davis's absence, Reese notched 11 tackles (1 TFL) to lead both teams on the day. Behind him was cornerback Quincy Wilson with nine wrap ups (1 TFL), safety Marcell Harris and linebacker Kylan Johnson with seven (1 TFL for both), and cornerback Jalen "Teez" Tabor with six.

In the secondary, Marcell Harris came down with his second interception of both the season and his career in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Besides the interception, the secondary logged in two pass breakups courtesy of safeties Nick Washington and Marcus Maye. The latter broke his arm in the game, and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Special Teams
In the kicking game, Eddy Pineiro was fantastic. Attempting both his field goals in the third quarter, Pineiro drilled a career-high 54 yarder as well as a 36 yarder to finish 2/2 on the day. He made both of his extra point attempts and four of his five kickoffs went out of the end zone for touchbacks.

Moving on to the GOAT in Johnny Townsend, it was just another day at the office. Punting only four times in the game, Townsend averaged 49.5 yards per punt while pinning South Carolina inside their own 20-yard line just once. His longest punt was 59 yards and it was the only one to travel over 50 yards.

In the return game, Antonio Callaway did run a punt back for a touchdown. However, it was called back due to a holding penalty. The negated return aside, Callaway still had a decent day returning punts as he netted 100 yards on four returns. On kickoff returns, Brandon Powell returned the lone South Carolina kickoff of the game for 16 yards.

Final Takeaway
The now 23rd ranked Gators finish at 5-1 in the SEC East with this victory and are now one win (or a Tennessee loss) away from an SEC East title. It is by no means going to be easy though as the Gators' next opponent is the No. 16 LSU Tigers (6-3, 4-2 SEC).

After the fiasco that ensued with Hurricane Matthew in October, the Gators are playing this game in Baton Rouge. I could go on forever about how unfair all of this is, but it is what it is. If Florida wins, there will be no need to complain. They will be on their way to Atlanta and likely to a death sentence against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 SEC).

Focusing on this weekend's matchup though, here's the Gator injury report for this weekend.

Luke Del Rio, Jarrad Davis, David Sharpe, Mark Herndon, and C.J. Worton are all out against LSU. Cam Dillard remains out for the season, and now Marcus Maye joins him as well.

Kickoff for the LSU game is at 1 p.m. It can be seen on the SEC Network and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network. After how LSU has looked these past few games and judging how Florida's offense is still pretty much inept, I am picking the Tigers to win this one.

If this were in The Swamp I'd reconsider, but Florida has not won in Death Valley since 2009. Also, LSU boasts a three-game winning streak over the Orange and Blue.

As for South Carolina, they continue their quest for bowl eligibility. They will most likely achieve it as they travel back to Columbia to face the West Carolina Catamounts (2-8) on Senior Day.

It will be a feel-good win for Muschamp and company, as the No. 3 Clemson Tigers (9-1) will ravage them on the road in the following week. Kickoff for this game is at 4 p.m. and it can be seen on the SEC Network.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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