USC Archives |

Florida Gators vs South Carolina Gamecocks: Week 10 Preview

Date: November 6, 2021
Time: 7:30pm EST
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina
TV: SEC Network
Record: Gators (4-4) Gamecocks (4-4)

Gators vs Gamecocks — Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Week 9 Recap

Last week, Florida lost to Georgia 34-7. The Gators lack of offense was not a major surprise given the Bulldog’s elite defense. Anthony Richardson got the start, but left the game with an injury. He finished the day 12/20 for 82 yards and added 26 yards on the ground. Emory Jones finished the game, and completed 10 of 14 passes for 112 yards and added 22 yards on the ground. The running game was stifled as compared to normal weeks, averaging just 4.1 yards per carry. They still gained 161 yards rushing, but this was due to 39 carries as a team. Dameon Pierce was by far the best running back last week, gaining 69 yards on just 9 carries.

The defense played well all things considered. They gave up 161 yards through the air on 19 attempts and had two interceptions, both by Rashad Torrence II. They gave up 193 yards on the ground, which is another poor performance against the run, after a similar result against LSU. Trey Dean III led the team in both tackles and tackles for loss, with 8 tackles and the only tackle for loss, which was a sack.

What to Watch

Florida’s Front 7 Against the Run

Florida has struggled as of late stopping the run. The Gators linebacker core has been without Ventrell Miller for the entire season, but that has been the only major injury in the front seven. The defensive line is full of solid players that at times have each shined, yet recently this group has struggled to stop the run. South Carolina on the other hand, has struggled to run the ball, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. This is a classic case of a stoppable force meeting a movable object.

Gators Receivers

The Gators have yet to really have any singular receiver pop to fill the voids of Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts. The leading receiver is Jacob Copeland, who has 25 catches for 450 yards. The yardage by him is solid, but nothing exceptional. Justin Shorter is second with 23 catches for 279 yards. No one else has over 200 yards.

Keys to Success

Quarterback Play

Quarterback play has been a big concern as of late. Anthony Richardson struggled in his limited action against Georgia. Emory Jones had been struggling in his last couple starts, and was mediocre against Georgia. Jones may start against the Gamecocks with Anthony Richardson recovering from a concussion. Jones on the year is 129/190 for 1417 yards and 10 touchdowns with 9 interceptions, and has added 517 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. South Carolina is not a good defense, so Jones has to have a great performance to prove he deserves to play the rest of the year. The Gators need to find consistent play out of one of them, and this may be Emory Jones’s last chance.

Turnover Margin

On the season, Florida is -7 in terms of turnover margin. This is 123rd in the country. They have forced 9 turnovers, 3 fumbles and 6 interceptions. They have turned the ball over 16 times. The Gators have only fumbled twice but have 14 interceptions. It is very difficult to win games when you are turning the ball over almost twice as much as opponents are. The interceptions have also often resulted in opponents’ touchdowns and have frequently occurred in clutch situations. The Gators desperately need to cut down on turnovers.

Pass Rush

Last week against Georgia, the Gators had just one sack and it was by a safety. The defensive front was unable to affect the game at all in any aspect. Florida should go out to an early lead, and to keep that lead an effective pass rush is a necessity. Brenton Cox Jr was extremely ineffective last week and has yet to have a big game this season. Zach Carter has been up and down, and those downs have occurred in the last few games. On the interior, Gervon Dexter has been solid but has not added a ton as a pass rusher. Daquan Newkirk and the rest of the defensive tackle group aren’t freak athletes or skilled pass rushers, so the burden falls on Dexter and the defensive ends.

Florida vs South Carolina Score Prediction

Gators 42 – Commodores 21

Prize Picks

PrizePicks operates in EVERY US state and Canada EXCEPT for the following: AZ CO DE HI ID IN IA LA MD ME MS MO MT NV NH NJ OH PA TN VA WA.

Use promo code “ATB” to receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100
PrizePicks is the simplest fantasy game on the market.
You pick 2-5 players and can win up 10x on any entry.
PrizePicks has no sharks, optimizers, or mass-multi entry (It’s just you vs. the projection).
Allows mixed-sport entries (You can take the OVER on Lebron parlayed with the UNDER on Mahomes).
PrizePicks has a slick easy to use mobile app, both on the App Store and Google Play

USC at Notre Dame Prospects Stock Watch

Which players from the Trojans and Fighting Irish should get hard looks at?

Saturday evening I was able to attend one of the most historic rivalries in college football, USC and Notre Dame. Both teams have plenty of NFL Draft prospects to examine. Southern California has been down for the past several years, firing their head coach earlier this season exemplifies that.

Notre Dame has been on the other end of the spectrum for “blue blood” CFB programs. They’ve made it to two College Football Playoffs in the past three seasons. Although it looks like they will be out of this upcoming playoff, they still boast a (6-1) record, with their one loss coming at the hands of #2 Cincinnati.

Even with these two programs seemingly on different spectrums, this rivalry proves to always show a good game. So without further ado, here are my game notes for some of the top 2022 NFL Draft prospects from USC at Notre Dame.

Stock Up

Drake London, Wide Receiver, USC

Drake London was an absolute menace for USC against Notre Dame. London was used mainly as USC’s “X” receiver, but spent time in the slot as well. As USC’s alpha wide receiver, London accumulated 15 catches and 171 yards receiving. That’s good for 56% of USC’s receptions and 57% of USC’s passing yards, in this game!

London displayed incredible yards after the catch ability all night, highlighting his incredible “wiggle” for his size (listed at 6’5” — 210 lbs.).

Cam Hart, Cornerback, Notre Dame

Cam Hart has been someone on my radar since his incredible game against Wisconsin at Soldier Field about a month ago. He continued to show great technique and awareness all night last night. Hart completely locked down his side of the defense.

In his two reps against Drake London he recorded a pass breakup on one and was in his hip pocket the entire route on the other, forcing Slovis to throw the ball away on a roll-out. It is still too early to tell how high Hart can go in this upcoming draft, but he is a name draft fans should be aware of before testing in Indianapolis this spring.

Drake Jackson, Edge Rusher, USC

Drake Jackson was held in-check for most of the night against Notre Dame. Tommy Rees (Notre Dame’s Offensive Coordinator) chose to run away from Drake Jackson’s side of the field often. This is proving smart as Kyren Williams tallied 25 rushes for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

However, Jackson still continued to show why he’s a first-round talent while recording a sack using incredible bend and speed. I would still love to see Jackson add a counter move to his game, a few times Notre Dame’s tackle’s would “catch” Jackson and let him run around the pocket while ushering him away from Jack Coan or Tyler Buchner.

Stock Down

Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame

This has absolutely nothing to do with what Kyle Hamilton did on the field, but has everything to do with him getting injured early in the second quarter of the game. Hopefully, it is not a season ending injury and he’s able to come back and prove to NFL scouts and teams that he’s 100% and ready to dominate the NFL.

The prognosis seems very encouraging here, I expect this will be the last time we see Kyle Hamilton on anyone’s “Stock Down” lists. Hamilton is a Top-5 talent in the draft when healthy.

Brian Kelly on Kyle Hamilton’s status:

"Pinched fat pad on the knee, no structural damage. Prognosis is really good."
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 24, 2021

Kedon Slovis, Quarterback, USC

Kedon Slovis had one of the best true-freshman seasons in recent memory, battling with Joe Burrow for the title of most accurate quarterback in college football. Slovis then had a rough sophomore season, which some attributed to a shoulder injury that was bothering him all season.

Now in his junior year, Slovis had to prove he’s a legitimate option for NFL teams as their franchise-altering quarterback. Slovis has failed to prove that this season and it continued Saturday evening.

Kedon Slovis has a few good playmakers at his disposal, including star receiver Drake London, but he continues to struggle to get the ball out on-time and in rhythm. This also could be a coaching knock, but USC’s offense against Notre Dame was basically all Drake London (as shown above by his receiving stats and percentages).

Slovis also had to deal with USC starting two freshman tackles, but if he wants to be a round one quarterback in the NFL draft, he needs to be able to play through that and make his team around him better.

Slovis has talent, he also has hustle. At the start of the second quarter Kedon Slovis had a batted pass that resulted in an interception. Notre Dame’s Bo Bauer had a free 88-yard pick-six, but Slovis busted his tail and tackled him just short.

Notre Dame’s Offense would fail to score. Slovis saved USC four points because of that tackle, that means something to me. Slovis may not be a round one quarterback, but I believe he has a spot in the NFL still.

Make sure to keep a look-out for more articles about the NFL Draft and every other sport at atbnetwork.com. Any questions or writing inquiries please DM me, @ryfootballscout on Twitter!

Check Out My Other 2022 NFL Draft Content here:

• 2022 Quarter-Season Mock Draft

• Tyler Linderbaum Summer Scouting Report

• Jarrett Patterson Summer Scouting Report

PrizePicks operates in EVERY US state and Canada EXCEPT for the following: AZ, CO, DE, HI, ID, IN, IA, LA, MD, ME, MS, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WA.

• Use Promo Code “ATB” to receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100

• PrizePicks is the simplest fantasy game on the market

• You pick 2-5 players and can win up to 10x on any entry

• PrizePicks has no sharks, optimizers, or mass-multi entry (It’s just you vs the projection)

• PrizePicks allows mixed-sport entries (You can take the OVER on Lebron parlayed with the UNDER on Mahomes)

• PrizePicks has a slick easy to use mobile app, both on the App Store and Google Play

Who will replace Brian Daboll?

Photo by Jamie Germano, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Brian Daboll has been nothing short of excellent since coming to Buffalo in 2018. His development of Josh Allen is the highlight but he stands out in many other areas as well. He understands how to leverage insights from analytics and is among the best at in-game adjustments. He uses motion, play action, and high passing rates to attack defenses in the most optimal way. Most expected Daboll to become a head coach this offseason but Buffalo lucked out as he went un-hired. With his success comes the near guarantee that he will be a head coach next season, leaving the Bills to search for a replacement. I will profile a few of the options that I think would be able to keep the Bills offense among the best in the league.

Ken Dorsey – Buffalo Bills Passing Game Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

Dorsey has been Josh Allen’s quarterbacks coach since for the past two years and will be the passing game coordinator in 2021. This is a clear indication that the Bills are grooming him to step into the role when the time comes. He has no play-calling experience but his relationship with Allen and time learning from Daboll are major positives. As passing game coordinator he should learn more of the nuance in the Erhardt-Perkins scheme as well. My main concern with Dorsey is inexperience, especially with in-game adjustments. Ultimately, this would be a great hire to maintain continuity and keep Allen in a system that he has mastered.

Mike Kafka – Kansas City Chiefs Passing Game Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

He has been in Kansas City for five seasons and is highly regarded in the NFL. Chances are that he will backfill KC’s offensive coordinator job if Eric Bieniemy finally gets the head coaching job he deserves. If the cards fall differently however, he would be a top candidate for the Bills. Patrick Mahomes and Kafka both joined the Chiefs in 2017 and Mahomes speaks highly of him. As passing game coordinator under Reid he is learning from one of the best play callers in NFL history. Kafka’s name came up in the Eagles head coach search this offseason so it would be a short stay if we could get him at all.

Graham Harrell – USC Trojans Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

If Buffalo decides to dip into the college ranks then Harrell is my favorite option. Harrell is most famous for his touchdown connection with Michael Crabtree to upset #1 Texas back in 2008. He played and later coached under Mike Leach and has gained a mastery of the air raid offense. His passing offense is high volume and all about creating space for his QB and WR to identify and connect on. These air raid concepts would add a new wrinkle to Buffalo’s passing attack and leverage Josh Allen’s chemistry with the receiver group. Harrell’s run game has not been great with USC but that is largely due to poor offensive line play. He runs a lot of outside zone to stress defenses horizontally which fits Buffalo’s personnel. I believe Harrell can adapt well to the NFL and lead a high-powered offense, especially with Josh Allen at quarterback.

Chad Hall – Buffalo Bills Wide Receivers Coach

Chad Hall is a dark horse candidate but a worthy inclusion. Hall went undrafted in 2008 and served two years as a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force before carving out a 3 year NFL playing career at receiver. He joined the Bills as an assistant in 2017 and has quickly been promoted due to his energy, football IQ, and hard work. As the receivers coach he has led John Brown, Cole Beasley, and Stefon Diggs to career seasons. The players absolutely love Hall and frequently talk about his importance, even pooling together to buy him a truck for Christmas. Diggs has said: “That’s why I say he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, because not only just the grind part, as far as drills and stuff like that, but more so the mental portion.” Hall has all the qualities you’d look for and would get the most out of our receivers. If he doesn’t get the job then I hope he remains in Buffalo so that we have an excellent coach in waiting.