Field Level Media
Oct 19, 2019
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask tossed four touchdown passes as the No. 9 Gators scored 21 unanswered points in a 38-27 win over South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
Trask produced three of his four scores in the second half as the Gators rebounded from last week's 42-28 loss at LSU to outscore the Gamecocks 28-10 after trailing three times.
The junior completed 21 of 33 passes for 200 yards and also threw one interception for the Gators (7-1, 4-1 SEC). Dameon Pierce rushed for 87 yards on seven carries with a score, and Jacob Copeland had a game-high 89 yards receiving and a score on three catches.
True freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski was 17 of 35 for 170 yards with one score, and Tavien Feaster rushed for a game-best 175 yards on 25 carries and one score for South Carolina (3-4, 2-3).
South Carolina marched on an eight-play, 75-yard drive in 5:01 to take a 7-0 lead on the opening series of the 40th meeting between the schools. Florida appeared to make a stop on third-and-goal on a bad snap, but the drive was kept alive when a Gators defender lined up offsides. Mon Denson plunged in from a yard out on the next play.
The Gators followed with a 44-yard drive that ended with Evan McPherson booting a 48-yard field goal at 4:06, but Parker White answered with a 49-yarder early in the second quarter.
Florida responded at 10:08 when Copeland caught his second touchdown of the season on an underthrown ball from Trask for a 37-yard score to tie it at 10.
The game's first turnover -- an interception by Jammie Robinson -- set up the Gamecocks to start the second half.
Feaster converted a third-and-11 on a draw play for a 21-yard rushing score, but Florida tied the score at 17 on the next play from scrimmage on a 75-yard run by Pierce.
White kicked a 31-yard field goal at 3:16 for a 20-17 lead, but Florida grabbed its first lead when Trask tossed a 25-yard score to Freddie Swain for a 24-20 lead with 9:54 remaining.
Trask threw his third TD pass, a 5-yarder, to Kyle Pitts at 7:53, then added the final one on a 5-yard pass to Trevon Grimes at 4:02.
Hilinski's 4-yard pass to OrTre Smith at 1:53 provided the final margin.
--Field Level Media