The No. 9 Florida Gators (-6.5) and South Carolina Gamecocks will go head-to-head on the grass at Williams-Brice Stadium. ESPN is scheduled to televise the action and this key afternoon game gets underway at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Florida Gators
In this Saturday Southeastern matchup, Florida is labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 6.5 points. The Gators are also receiving -270 moneyline odds while the Gamecocks are +210. If one squad can get out in front early it will create a nice betting scenario in-game. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 48 points.
The opening line was initially 5.5 and the total was originally pegged at 49, so the general public has been prefering both the Gators and the under.
The profitable Gators are 2-2-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 3.2 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-4.
The Gamecocks have lost 4.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 4-2 ATS and also have an O/U record of 2-4.
The Gators are 6-1 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against SEC opponents. The Gamecocks are 3-3 SU overall and 2-2 SU in conference play.
The Gators fell to LSU 42-28 in a matchup where their defense allowed the Tigers to rush for 218 yards on 24 attempts, including three rush TDs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a productive day for the Tigers in that one with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts. On the offense, Kyle Trask completed 23 passes for 310 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Lamical Perine (65 yards on 17 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Trask (21 yards on 10 carries) spearheaded the running attack. Van Jefferson (eight receptions, 73 yards, two TDs) and Kyle Pitts (five catches, 108 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
South Carolina is coming off of a 20-17 win over Georgia. The defense allowed the Bulldogs to run for 173 yards on 43 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. D’Andre Swift had a good outing in the loss, posting 113 rushing yards and a score on 23 attempts for Georgia. As a group, the Gamecocks collectively completed 21-of-32 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Hilinski went 15-for-20 for 116 yards and one touchdown while Dakereon Joyner was six-of-12 for 39 yards. Rico Dowdle (79 yards on 21 rush attempts) mounted the running game while Bryan Edwards (six receptions, 78 yards, one TD) and Shi Smith (five catches, 14 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Each team sports a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Florida has run the ball on 49.7 percent of its offensive possessions while South Carolina has a rush percentage of 48.3. The Gators have produced 140.7 rush yards per game (including 136 per game against Southeastern opponents) and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Gamecocks are logging 193.5 rushing yards per game (135 in conference) and have 13 total rush TDs.
The Gators offensive scheme has averaged 291.3 yards through the air overall (302.8 per game against conference opposition) and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Gamecocks have recorded 216.3 pass yards per outing (219 in the SEC) and have seven total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida appears to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 110.9 rush yards and 199 pass yards per game. The South Carolina defense has given up 259 yards per game to opposing passers and 144.7 yards per game on the ground. The Gators are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.68 to opposing QBs, while the Gamecocks have allowed a 5.41 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Trask is up to 957 yards this season, and has completed 70 percent of his 105 attempts with eight scores through the air and three interceptions. Trask’s got an 8.35 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.57 over the last two games.
Ryan Hilinski has connected on 88-of-137 passes for 888 yards, six TDs and three INTs for South Carolina. His ANY/A sits at 5.93 for the year and 5.22 over his past two games.
When these two teams faced each other last year, Florida earned the win 35-31.
Florida Gators vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Free Prediction
SU Winner: Florida, ATS Winner: Florida, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The Over/Under for Florida’s last game was set at 55. The over cashed in the team’s 42-28 loss to LSU.
- Florida, as a team, has rushed for 4.2 yards per attempt over its past three games and 3.8 over its last two.
- South Carolina has averaged 3.8 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.7 over its past two.
- South Carolina has lost five fumbles this season while Florida has lost eight.
- The O/U for South Carolina’s previous matchup going into it was 52. The under cashed in that 20-17 victory over Georgia.
- In its last three games, South Carolina is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Gators offense has created five pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Gamecocks have accounted for three such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Florida defense has given up six pass plays of 30+ yards while South Carolina has yielded eight such plays.
- The Florida offense has created seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while South Carolina has created 14 such runs.
- The Gators defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Gamecocks have given up 11 such runs.
- The Florida D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 26 times this year. South Carolina has produced just 15 sacks.
