The Gators weren\u2019t inspired, but they didn\u2019t need to be against an impotent Vanderbilt club. Florida cruised to a 27-3 victory in a game that shouldn\u2019t be assigned much significance. Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio didn\u2019t exactly open up the playbook last weekend, but it should also be said that Vanderbilt\u2019s defense can play with any SEC foe. It\u2019s Vandy\u2019s offense that couldn\u2019t compete with the defending national champions.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 11 GAMBLING PICKS!! —–><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Even without suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes, Florida\u2019s defense limited Vanderbilt to just 199 total yards. The Commodores, down 13-0, made one foray into the Gator red zone midway through the third quarter, but UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong didn\u2019t sweat; his players easily stood their ground and forced Vandy to settle for a field goal. The game ceased to be competitive after that moment, as Tebow led two touchdown drives to complete the Florida romp.<\/p>\n South Carolina: The Week That Was<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s really rather simple: The second-half fade that has marked so many South Carolina football seasons over the past decade is unfolding once again. Under then-coach Lou Holtz, the Gamecocks of the late 1990s and early 2000s had difficulty winning in November; now, under Steve Spurrier, it\u2019s clear that little has changed. Arkansas was the latest team to grind down the Gamecocks. South Carolina went to the halftime locker room tied at 10 with Bobby Petrino\u2019s Razorbacks, and even grabbed a 16-10 lead in the first 15 seconds of the second half. But in the final 29 minutes and 45 seconds of last Saturday\u2019s contest, the \u201cother USC\u201d fell silent in a 33-16 Arkansas victory. South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia threw a crucial interception in the Arkansas end zone; that mistake, combined with a bad snap for a safety, buried the Gamecocks\u2019 offense in yet another discouraging \u2013 and familiar \u2013 loss.<\/p>\n The Week That Is:<\/strong><\/p>\n This game is seen as Florida\u2019s biggest remaining obstacle before the SEC Championship Game with Alabama on Dec. 5 in Atlanta. However, that statement isn\u2019t a reflection of how good South Carolina is. Florida\u2019s other remaining regular-season opponents, Florida International and Florida State, are even worse than the Gamecocks.<\/p>\n Perhaps Spurrier will rally his troops at home, in a battle against the school the Head Ball Coach once led as a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (in 1966) and as a coach (1990-2002). In the first 20 minutes, the Gamecocks are likely to play with a great deal of intensity and passion. If everything breaks exactly right, Carolina\u2019s defense could keep the game close, allowing Garcia \u2013 an inconsistent quarterback \u2013 to hit big plays in the passing game.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s a rosy scenario, and in South Carolina, rosy scenarios don\u2019t emerge when the calendar turns to November.<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s defense is dominating right now, and the Gamecocks lack the consistency needed to keep up for 60 minutes. This game will be mildly interesting for two quarters, but as Carolina\u2019s second-half face-plant against Arkansas indicated, the home team probably won\u2019t have the staying power needed to make this a four-quarter fight.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/media.partners.betus.com\/BANNERS\/football\/sportsbook_NCAAGOTW1_300x600_mybanner1.gif\")
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