Florida football: 5 Gators to watch against South Carolina

It was once almost considered an automatic win for Florida football, but Saturday’s game at South Carolina is now anything but.

It is a big rebound game for Florida football Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.

But, it could also be considered a program-defining game for South Carolina, considering they are coming off a double-overtime win at Georgia.

For Florida, the door is wide open for the SEC East Division and a win at South Carolina continues them on the path to that title.

But, there are players to keep an eye on Saturday, especially if No. 9 Florida is going to continue on the road to Atlanta.

Without more ado, here are five Gators to watch Saturday against the Gamecocks.

Kyle Pitts

Florida football tight end Kyle Pitts continues to be a solid receiving option for the Gators.

He’s coming off a 108-yard performance against LSU last week and has 326 yards on 25 receptions this season.

One of the big things that sets Pitts apart from many receivers is his size. Standing at 6 feet, 6 inches, Pitts literally stands heads and shoulders above just about every defender covering him.

Against South Carolina, Pitts should continue to create mismatches with the Gamecock secondary. Even safety/corner Israel Mukuamu stands 6-4 (Remember, he is the safety that intercepted Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm three times last week).

The rest of the South Carolina secondary stands no taller than 6-1.

It could be another SEC game for Pitts to shine.

Kyle Trask

Coming off a solid outing against LSU, Florida football quarterback Kyle Trask will be called upon Saturday to be smart under center.

With the threat of South Carolina’s secondary and Florida’s continued inability to run the football effectively, Trask will have to move the football with the pass.

Against LSU, Trask became just the fourth quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in a game since 2010 — John Brantley threw for 329 against Furman in 2011, Tyler Murphy threw for 305 against Vanderbilt in 2013 and Luke Del Rio had 320 yards against Kentucky in 2016).

It was also the second-highest road passing total for a Florida quarterback since 2005 and only the fourth time a Gator quarterback threw for more than 300 yards on the road since that time.

Regardless, Mukuamu and the Gamecock secondary are coming off the high of being instrumental in knocking off Georgia. They would love nothing more than to back that up by beating Florida.

It will be up to Trask to not let that happen.

The Florida offensive line

It’s been the object of many an angry outburst at the television or in the stadium of Florida football fans.

The offensive line not being able to protect a play or help create holes for the running game to get off the ground.

It’s been that way all season long.

And, I’m afraid to say, it’s going to be that way Saturday.

Stone Forsythe and Brett Heggie on the left, Chris Bleich and Jean Delance on the right with Nick Buchanan in the middle are going to have to deal with the noise of Williams-Brice Stadium (granted, not likely as loud as Death Valley, but still) and they have to hit their assignments.

South Carolina is going to edge rush to force Trask into making a passing mistake.

That doesn’t happen in the defensive line can’t get to him.

But, that means the pass protection has to be solid.

Jeremiah Moon

Florida Buck defensive lineman Jeremiah Moon could be filling the shoes of Jonathan Greenard for the entire game, depending on whether Greenard sits out against South Carolina or not.

Regardless, you should expect Greenard to be used sparingly if his health is a question mark — especially since the Gators are moving into a bye week after South Carolina.

In that case, Moon will be expected to help with edge-rushing on Gamecock freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski.

The Gators have thrived on their quarterback pressure — just ask Auburn’s Bo Nix — and I imagine Todd Grantham as the Florida football defensive staff have the same thing in mind for Hilinski.

But, if Greenard is out, Moon has to be the weak-side rusher. That means pressure has to come from him to either get to or flush out Hilinski in the pocket.

Emory Jones

Florida’s “backup” quarterback, Emory Jones may get to see an expanded role against the Gamecocks.

We have seen how the offensive dynamic changes when he comes into the game. He has the ability to throw defenses off with his ability to run the football as well as pass.

Now, I don’t know how much playing time Jones will get Saturday, but if Dan Mullen elects to truly platoon Jones and Trask, it will be more than Jones has seen all season.

If that’s the case, Jones has to be ready.

He has to be ready to run the edges and exploit a less-than-stellar South Carolina defensive line.

That means he has to continue making adjustments and reads at the line of scrimmage.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Jones is a dynamic player and could be the future of Florida football. That means now is the time to get his mind right and learn how to make those reads and adjust properly.

Remember, No. 9 Florida will take on South Carolina at noon Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.