Florida Rolls........Again, Destroys South Carolina 56-6

Getty Images

You know a team's on a roll when the reaction to their latest blowout is a roll of the eyes.

South Carolina was supposed to have the defense to slow down Florida's offense. They were ranked in the top 10 in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, and pass defense. However, Florida's unit was the one that walked out of the Swamp with the title of conference's best defense.

Despite two early turnovers, the Gators rolled up 519 yards of total offense--including 346 on the ground--as they decimated the Gamecocks 56-6. Again, it was a complete effort in all phases of the game by Florida, as they made plays on special teams, defense, and offense. The Gamecock defense played well at the beginning, forcing a Jeff Demps fumble on Florida's first drive. However, they failed to capitalize on offense, as Florida's defense stifled the SC offense; the start of the blowout came due to heavy pressure on quarterback Chris Smelley--courtesy of linebacker Brandon Hicks. As a result, Smelley's pass went astray and Brandon Spikes was able to make a leaping interception and return it for a touchdown. South Carolina's next drive also ended in an interception, this one courtesy of Ahmad Black; from there, Percy Havrin raced 26 yards for the Gators' second touchdown of the day. Several big plays on offense--as well as an inexplicable lateral by South Carolina--later, Florida was standing tall at the end of the day, with the second string playing the entire fourth quarter.

How complete was Florida's domination?
- Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow each had as many yards of offense by themselves as South Carolina did as a team: 173.
- Florida had 10 plays of 20 yards or more during the game, including touchdown runs of 26 and 80 yards by Harvin, a 38 yard touchdown run by Jeff Demps, a 35 yard run by Chris Rainey, and a 34 yard run by Emmanuel Moody.
- Florida's defense had three interceptions, four sacks, forced two fumbles--all while holding the Gamecock offense to just 6 points
- South Carolina's quarterback--Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley--combined to finish 19-37 for only 120 yards and no touchdowns, and the offense averaged a paltry 2.8 yards per play
- Carolina punter Spencer Lanning had more punts (10) than the Gamecocks had points (6); in fact, he had nearly as many punts against Florida as he had during his previous two games (11).

Because of their defensive effort, Florida is now 11th in rushing defense, 14th in passing defense, 6th in total defense, and 4th in scoring defense.

Offensive Props:
- Tim Tebow, who went 13-20 for 173 yards, and 2 touchdowns, as well as having 14 rushes for 39 yards and another touchdown
- Percy Harvin, who rushed just 8 times but rolled up 167 yards and two touchdowns
- Emmanuel Moody, Chris Rainey, and Jeffrey Demps, who had a combined 144 yards rushing on just 18 carries
- Florida's offensive line, who opened enough running lanes for Florida to gain 346 yards on the ground

Defensive Props:
- Ahmad Black, who had 4 tackles, as well as his sixth interception of the year, which makes him first in the nation in that category
- Carlos Dunlap, who had 4 tackles, 3 for loss, and his sixth sack of the year
- Brandon Hicks, who had two pass breakups, a sack, and three tackles
- Jermaine Cunningham, who had eight tackles, half a sack, and a pass breakup
- Janoris Jenkins, who had two pass breakups, giving him 7 on the year
- Will Hill and Joe Haden, who continue to shine in the secondary; Hill had five tackles, as well as the first interception of his career, while Haden also added five tackles

Switching gears for a second, it's good to be a fan of a team that's getting so much love right now; Florida got love last year for their explosive offense, and to a great extent, it was the "well, they've got a great player so the team must be good" dynamic. In short, a lot of love that Florida got last year was overblown, particularly since that squad lost four games. This year, however, Florida is 9-1, is set to meet Alabama in the SEC Championship game, and has a great shot at making the national title game if they win out. The defense, once a question mark at the beginning of the year, is playing as well as any defensive unit in the nation right now, and it isn't just two or three guys making a lot of plays, either. The defense, as a unit, is making plays, whether it be Brandon Hicks, Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden, or Carlos Dunlap. Everything just seems to be coming together for this team, and it's been a joy to watch them develop and mature.

And, like I said earlier, it's good to hear them get some praise for how they've been playing. Matt Hayes of Rivals.com Sports has them facing Texas Tech in the National Title game, and writes:

In this poll-based BCS system, Florida is leaving little doubt about the best one-loss team.

At this point—with one-loss teams jockeying for position in the weekly BCS poll—every week is about style points. How you look when you win is just as important as winning—and the Gators are winning with extreme prejudice.

Steve Megargee lists Brandon Spikes as the best linebacker in the nation right now and writes:

Spikes might want to downplay his accomplishments, but that won't stop us from saluting the All-America candidate.

His second interception return for a touchdown this season – he also scored against LSU last month – helped Spikes regain his status as the No. 1 linebacker in the Rivals.com College Football Power Rankings, which measure the nation's top players and coaches at each position.

Finally, Florida Sun Sports writer Robbie Andreu adds:

The Florida Gators lacked more than just experience last season. They didn't have any chemistry, either.

Put the two combustibles together and it added up to a disappointing four-loss season.

The Gators have a lot more of both now, and the combination has helped put UF smack in the middle of the national championship chase coming down the stretch.

The chemistry problem is one Urban Meyer addressed numerous times back in the spring. He made team chemistry a priority.

Now, chemistry isn't a problem or any issue, it's one of the strengths of this team, Meyer said.

And that last comment probably says it best. Last year, there were mini-issues with the team. Tony Joiner was supposed to be one of the team's leader's but ended up in legal troubles midway through the year.There were talks of Harvin and the now-transferred Jared Fayson having issues. Minor issues like that added up as the year went on, and the team underachieved; the defense wasn't mentally tough and couldn't stop teams down the stretch. Now, this Florida team plays together, and there's a lot more in the way of unity this year. The defense is playing much better, and has become a strength of the team; the offense is effective, with multiple players stepping up to take the pressure off of Tebow and Harvin. Most importantly, though, this team has leadership; with guys like Spikes, Tebow, Harvin, Watkins, and the Pouncey twins, this team has become more cohesive than they were last year. They're sitting at 9-1 now, and should come into Tallahassee riding a seven game winning streak. They have a chance to finish the regular season 11-1 as they go into Atlanta.

In short? The sky's the limit for this young Florida team.