Nov. 14, 2010

Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery

• SEC EAST CHAMPS: South Carolina wins the SEC Eastern Division for the first time since joining the league in 1992. The Gamecocks become the first team other than Florida, Georgia and Tennessee to win the divisional title. Carolina will face a rematch with the No. 2-ranked Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4 in Atlanta.
• Head Coach Steve Spurrier: Improves to 184-71-2 (.720) as a collegiate head coach, 42-31 in his sixth year at South Carolina. He improves to 2-4 all-time against Florida. It was his first win on the opposite sideline of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
• Moving Up the Charts: Spurrier earned his 42nd win at South Carolina, tying him with Paul Dietzel for third all-time in school history.
• Records: South Carolina improves to 7-3 overall, 5-3 in SEC play. Florida falls to 6-4 overall, 4-4 in SEC play. The Gamecocks are now 5-23-3 all-time against Florida. Tonight is the first time South Carolina has ever won in Gainesville (1-12 all-time).
• With a 5-3 SEC record, South Carolina has a winning mark in conference play for just the fourth time since joining the conference. Carolina was also 5-3 in 2000, 2001 and 2005.
• As a Ranked Team: The Gamecocks are 12-12 when ranked in the top 25 under Spurrier, improving to 6-3 this year. Carolina wins on the road as a ranked team for the second time this year and just the third time under Spurrier (3-8). South Carolina has now beaten three ranked opponents this season for the third time in school history (2000, 2001).
• First Time: South Carolina finished the year 4-1 against the SEC Eastern Division and defeated Florida, Georgia and Tennessee in the same year for the first time in school history.
• Playing Possessed: South Carolina held the ball for 40:46, the longest time of possession under Spurrier.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• RB Marcus Lattimore broke the South Carolina freshman record for rushing yards with 212 tonight; he now has 964 for the year to pass Thomas Dendy’s 848 yards in 1982.
• Lattimore’s 212 rushing yards on 40 carries set the school record for carries in a game, surpassing a 39-attempt effort by Ron Bass in 1974 vs. North Carolina. His 212 yards marked the 8th-best single-game rushing total in Carolina history, and the best since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992.
• Lattimore’s 3 TDs allowed him to break the Carolina freshman record of 13 (Sidney Rice, 2005) and tie the all-time Carolina single-season record (16 TD by Harold Green in 1987).
• WR Alshon Jeffery had six catches for 53 yards on the night, giving him 1,087 for the season. He needs just 56 more yards to set the all-time single-season receiving record at South Carolina (Sidney Rice, 1,143 yards in 2005).
• QB Stephen Garcia was 15-for-22 for 156 yards; he also rushed 12 times for 28 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
• South Carolina’s 29 points were the most the Gamecocks have ever scored in a game at Florida. (Previous high: 25 in a 52-25 loss in 1996).
• Carolina’s 54 rushing attempts were the second-most under Spurrier (58 vs. Clemson, 2009).
• Carolina had zero turnovers for the first time this season.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Florida was held to 35 rushing yards, the seventh time in 10 games this season Carolina has held an opponent under 100 yards on the ground. The Gamecocks are 6-1 this season and 19-4 under Steve Spurrier when holding an opponent to less than 100 yards rushing.
• The Gamecocks held Florida to 226 total yards, the lowest total by a Gamecock opponent this season and third time this season and the 24th time under Spurrier for the Gamecock defense to hold a team under 300 yards. Carolina is 3-0 this season and 20-4 under Spurrier when keeping the opponent under 300 total yards.
• With 3 sacks tonight, the Gamecocks set the all-time school record with 35 for the season. Melvin Ingram had the record-breaking sack in the second quarter.
• DB Stephon Gilmore had his second interception of the season and the third of his career in tonight’s game.
• DB D.J. Swearinger led the team with six tackles; he also broke up a pass.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• PK Spencer Lanning was 3-for-3 on field goal tries tonight, a season-high for the senior. All of his made field goals were from 40 yards or longer, moving him to 7-for-8 in his career from 40-49 yards. It was the third time in Lanning’s career with three or more field goals; he made 5 against Georgia and 3 against Ole Miss last season.
• Florida returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in tonight’s game. The last time that happened against the Gamecocks was the 2009 Clemson game when C.J. Spiller (after a penalty) ran back the Tigers’ opening kickoff; Carolina won 34-17. In fact, South Carolina has won the game each of the last three times that the opposing team has run back a kickoff for a touchdown (Warren Norman, Vanderbilt 2009).

UP NEXT
It will be senior day for South Carolina as the Gamecocks play host to the Troy Trojans next Saturday, Nov. 20, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Kickoff is set for 12:21 p.m. ET with SEC Network slated to carry the television broadcast. Tickets are still available for $35 each by visiting the box office at Colonial Life Arena or by logging onto GamecocksOnline.com.