South Carolina Leads Florida 24-13 in the Third Quarter
South Carolina has pushed its lead over No. 16 Florida to 24-13, and a long-awaited third-quarter score helped get it there. The article has no direct quotes, so none appear below. I don’t have the final score.
Scoring summary
First quarter
- Florida 7, South Carolina 0: Aaron Philo found Bailey Stockton for a 59-yard touchdown pass. The drive took 3 plays, 63 yards and 0:50.
- South Carolina 7, Florida 7: LaNorris Sellers hit Nyck Harbor for a 15-yard touchdown. The drive was 10 plays, 65 yards and 3:40.
Second quarter
- Florida 10, South Carolina 7: Patrick Durkin kicked a 21-yard field goal to finish a 13-play, 72-yard, 6:22 drive.
- South Carolina 10, Florida 10: Malik Orsan tied the game with a 37-yard field goal after a 10-play, 56-yard drive of 4:41.
- South Carolina 17, Florida 10: Sellers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mazeo Bennett. The drive was just 5 plays, 26 yards and 1:42.
Third quarter
- South Carolina 17, Florida 13: Durkin hit a 48-yard field goal on a 9-play, 45-yard drive of 3:43.
- South Carolina 24, Florida 13: Sellers found Donovan Murph wide open in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. The drive was 6 plays, 75 yards and 2:41.
The third-quarter stat
South Carolina hadn’t scored a single point in the third quarter against an SEC opponent this season until Saturday. Murph’s touchdown, early in the quarter, broke that streak. It came after scoreless third quarters in the previous three games against Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky.
The slow second-half starts in those games were part of how South Carolina’s three straight losses unfolded, including blown leads. That makes the third-quarter response in Gainesville notable.
What stands out
- Sellers is carrying the offense. He accounted for all three Gamecocks touchdowns, throwing to Harbor, Bennett and Murph.
- The defense answered Florida’s quick strike. After the 59-yard score in the first quarter, Florida added only field goals in the next two quarters.
- Kicking is steady. Orsan’s field goal tied the game, and Florida’s Durkin was good from 21 and 48 yards.
- The lead is real but not safe. A 24-13 lead is 11 points, so the Gamecocks still need to protect it after the earlier collapses against Mississippi State and Kentucky.
Context: South Carolina came in 2-3 and 0-3 in the SEC. Holding this lead would be its first conference win of the season and would end its SEC losing streak.
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