The South Carolina Gamecocks (+7) are heading south to face the No. 19 Florida Gators at Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The opening kickoff for this key conference game is set for 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPN is scheduled to broadcast the action. When the two teams met a year ago, South Carolina earned the win 28-20.
South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators Betting Preview
South Carolina is a live dog and is currently getting 7 points in this Saturday SEC game. The Gamecocks are also receiving +210 moneyline odds while the Gators are -270. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 54 points. Should the favorite falls down early, it will likely create a decent live betting scenario.
The sharp action is siding with the Gators, as the opening line was -6. The over/under has not moved after it was set initially at 54.
The Gamecocks are 4-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.1 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U record of 4-4. The Gators are down 3.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 6-3 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-5.
The Gamecocks are 5-3 straight up (SU), including 4-3 SU against SEC opponents. The Gators are 6-3 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
Florida enters this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while South Carolina has lost zero in a row. The Gamecocks are coming off a 48-44 victory over Ole Miss last week in which Jake Bentley completed 22 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Mon Denson (102 rushing yards on 12 attempts) led the ground attack. Bryan Edwards (four receptions, 109 yards, one TD) and Deebo Samuel (three catches, 17 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
One week ago, Missouri got the win against this Florida team by a score of 38-17. The Gators defense allowed the Tigers to eat up the clock by running for 221 yards on 42 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Damarea Crockett put up a productive outing, recording 114 rushing yards and a score on 21 attempts for Missouri. As a group, the Gators collectively completed 19-of-40 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown. Feleipe Franks went nine-for-22 for 84 yards while Kyle Trask was 10-of-18 for 126 yards and one touchdown. Lamical Perine (42 yards on 10 rush attempts) handled the running game while Josh Hammond (five receptions, 48 yards, one TD) and Van Jefferson (four catches, 33 yards) led the receiving corps in the loss.
South Carolina has run the ball on 51.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Florida has an overall rush percentage of 57.4 percent. The Gamecocks have produced 162 rush yards per game (including 147 per game versus Southeastern opponents) and have 10 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Gators are putting up 185 rushing yards per game (177 in conference) and have 12 total rush TDs.
The Gamecocks offense has averaged 252 yards in the air overall (246 per game versus conference opposition) and has 18 passing scores so far. The Gators have recorded 199 pass yards per outing (204.6 in the SEC) and also have 18 total pass TDs.
Defensively, South Carolina has allowed 182 rush yards and 223 pass yards per game. The Florida D has allowed 179.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 172.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Gators are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.98 to opponents, while the Gamecocks have allowed a 5.83 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Bentley has amassed 1,514 yards this year. The signal-caller has connected on 62 percent of his 199 attempts with 12 passing scores and seven interceptions. Bentley has a 6.75 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 10.00 over the past two outings.
We’re looking for Gamecocks to control tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. In addition to wideout Bryan Edwards (460 receiving yards and six touchdowns), Ty’Son Williams (285 rush yards, three rush TDs, 136 receiving yards) and Rico Dowdle (350 rush yards, two rush TDs, one receiving TD) have really been focal points in the South Carolina offensive scheme.
In the hosts’ locker room, Feleipe Franks has completed 112-of-204 passes for 1,490 yards, 15 TDs and five INTs. Franks’ ANY/A sits at 7.12 for the season and 3.59 across his last two outings.
The Gators should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. Kadarius Toney (148 rush yards, 134 receiving yards), Jordan Scarlett (414 rush yards, three rush TDs) and Lamical Perine (418 rush yards, three rush TDs) have seen a multitude of action lately.
Betting Pick: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
SU Winner – Florida, ATS Winner – Florida, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The Over/Under for South Carolina’s last game going into it was 69. The over cashed in the team’s 48-44 triumph over Ole Miss.
As a team, South Carolina has averaged 4.7 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 4.8 over its last two.
Florida has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three contests and only 4.4 over its past two.
Florida has lost six fumbles this season while South Carolina has lost five.
Over its last three matches, South Carolina is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Florida’s previous match going into it was 59. The under cashed in that 38-17 defeat to Missouri.
In its last three matchups, Florida is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Gamecocks offense has produced six pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Gators have accounted for five such plays.
The South Carolina defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Florida has given up five such plays.
Both teams have produced 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The South Carolina offense has recorded 34 running plays of 10+ yards while Florida has accounted for 49 such plays.
The Gamecocks defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Gators have given up 19 such runs.
The Florida defense has registered 23 sacks on the year while South Carolina has just 15.
+++++
