The Florida Gators (4-2, 2-1 SEC) are set to take on South Carolina (2-3, 1-2 SEC) in a critical SEC East matchup inside Williams-Brice Stadium during. Week 7 marks the 44th meeting between Florida and South Carolina including the 22nd matchup in Columbia.
Florida owns a 30-10-3 series lead and commands a 12-8-1 advantage over the Gamecocks on the road. A season ago, the Gators defeated South Carolina 38-6, Florida’s s largest margin of victory (+32) in an SEC game of the Billy Napier era.
Gator Country provides you with everything Head Coach Billy Napier said on South Carolina prior to their week seven matchup with the Gators.
Opening statement / Monday’s press conference
NAPIER: “South Carolina is a team that we have tremendous respect for. Shane Beamer is an outstanding coach and motivator and always has his team ready to be competitive and play.
They play with good effort. I do think he’s got a tough group and they cause problems for every team that they’ve played.
I think Williams Brice is one of the tougher venues, better venues in the country, having played there many times in the past. And, look, we’re an underdog on the road in the SEC. And this is an area on our team where we need to accept the challenge and take the next step by playing well and winning a game on the road.”
Q. I know each game stands on its own but obviously you did an effective job on Spencer Rattler last year. Anything you take from that and the challenging of facing him again in the passing game this year?
NAPIER: “No, these are two completely different teams. Spencer is a really great player. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the entire country. He’s got a good group of skill players. They do a nice job of designing concepts. They’re very multiple.
And there’s no doubt. Every week affecting the quarterback is important. But when you play a guy like Spencer, it’s even more important.
Q. On South Carolina special teams and the threat of fakes:
NAPIER: “Pete Lembo is outstanding at what he does. I do think they invest time in that area and certainly their head coach has a history there. I think they’re very good at what they do. I think all six parts of the kicking game, they use their good players, I think they’ve got a good, sound scheme and there’s no doubt that you’ve got to be fake-conscious and obviously they’ve got some things that are unique that you have to prepare for but much like every week, you’re trying to win that phase. You want to come away with a win in the hidden yardage battle and you want to avoid any game-changing plays and you’re trying to create one. Certainly when you talk about how you defeat South Carolina, that’s part of the equation. I think that’s a relevant question.”
Q. On South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette:
NAPIER: “I think the size-speed combination, right? The guy’s a big, physical player who can get behind you and then win in close contact with a guy. He has a lot of play strength. This is a big man that presents a matchup issue if you have a guy who doesn’t have a lot of play strength or balance. I think he’s really developed and improved as a receiver. He’s always been a really good special teams player at returner and I think he’s taking the next step as a receiver. I have a ton of respect for how he plays. He’s tough, he’s physical and he’s tough to tackle. He’ll be a National Football League player for sure.”
Q. How have you seen Spencer Rattler improve from last year?
NAPIER: “Yeah, I think just overall, think about how he started his career at South Carolina, the things he went through at Oklahoma. The year I was at Arizona State he was out there. You know, so I saw him, went to his high school, been around him. He’s grown and matured. You can see the level of confidence that he’s gotten from experience, he’s had a lot of success. This is his second coordinator at South Carolina, so if you think about it it’s his third coordinator. So, there’s some experience here. I think he’s got a pretty good idea big picture-wise, what’s going on. Man, I thought the back half of the season last year he was outstanding, and he’s kept that momentum. Really, he’s distributing the ball for them. That’s ultimately, you know, he’s the center of what they do. Whether it’s the RPO game or the run game, or it’s just all the pass concepts that you see.”