GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: OTs Dennis Daley and Blake Camper will be key to slowing Florida’s pass rush led by DE Jachai Polite. Polite has seven sacks this season, which are the third-most for a Florida defender since 2009 and two short of Carlos Dunlap’s nine. Daley and Camper are two of three senior starters in South Carolina’s interior line. The Gamecocks have surrendered only 11 sacks all season with four of those coming in the early loss to Kentucky.
DRAFT SLANT
–WR Deebo Samuel enhances his value with his returning ability in addition to his team-high 39 receptions (407 yards, 5 touchdowns). A senior, Samuel has four kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career after running back the opening kickoff at Ole Miss 90 yards. He finished the game with 178 yards on five returns. For the season he has averaged nearly 27 yards on 16 kickoff returns.
ROSTER REPORT:
–WR Deebo Samuel was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Ole Miss. It was the fourth kickoff return for a touchdown in his career, tying an SEC record. He later had a 38-yard return that gave the Gamecocks field position for a touchdown drive in their 48-44 victory.
–S Jamyest Williams and S Javon Charleston will miss the rest of the season after sustaining shoulder and foot injuries, respectively, in the win over Ole Miss. Both are headed for surgery.
–S Jaylin Dickerson will have a more prominent role in the secondary after the injuries to Williams and Charleston. Dickerson missed the 2017 season and last spring’s practice because of a shoulder injury. He has appeared in eight games, mostly on special teams, and has been credited with five tackles this season.
–DE Bryson Allen-Williams is listed as “questionable” for Saturday because of an ankle injury. He leads the Gamecocks in tackles for loss with 10.
–DE Aaron Sterling, who has four starts, is questionable with a knee injury.
–RB Rico Dowdle was held out of practice early in the week while dealing with an ankle injury. He leads the team in rushing with 490 yards.
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