Florida's Season Collapses With Blowout Loss to South Carolina

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The Florida Gators made a significant change to their program in the offseason by hiring head coach Jon Sumrall. Sumrall had come from great stints as the head coach for Troy, going 23-4, and at Tulane, going 20-8 and making it to the College Football Playoff.

That success seemed to translate to his time at Florida early, as they started off the season 4-0. However, the Gators' season is now slipping away with back-to-back losses to the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks suffered an ugly loss on Saturday, falling 38-19. Florida struck first, with Aaron Philo connecting with Bailey Stockton for a 59-yard touchdown. The Gators kept it close through the first half, trailing 17-10 at the break.

Florida opened the second half with a field goal, cutting South Carolina's lead to 17-13, before everything unraveled. The Gators gave up a six-play, 75-yard drive, with LaNorris Sellers finding Donovan Murph for a 26-yard touchdown.

After Florida punted on their next drive, the Gamecocks drove down the field again, with Sellers capping it off with a one-yard rushing touchdown.

The first three drives for the Gators in the fourth quarter ended in turnovers: Philo fumbled, they turned it over on downs, and backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. threw an interception.

Star running back Jadan Baugh found the end zone on the final drive, but it was too late for Florida.

It was a rough game for Baugh, as he rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. In the Gators' four early-season wins, Baugh led the offense and established himself as a Heisman contender. However, their run game hasn't been as effective in recent weeks.

Florida's defense has also struggled over the last two weeks, as Missouri and South Carolina were both able to walk down the field easily. 

The Gators pulled off an upset win over the Ole Miss Rebels a few weeks ago, which established them as one of the top teams in the country. Since that win, Florida has been a completely different team.

Sumrall needs to get his team back on track if they want any shot at making it into the College Football Playoff. It will be tough, but the Gators face off against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in their next two games. If they can pull off upset wins over both teams, it would put them back in the conversation to make it to the College Football Playoff.

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