After hot start, Florida hits full nose dive after embarrassing loss to South Carolina

Florida struggled to find a pulse against the Gamecocks, who were previously winless in SEC play

Oct 10, 2026 at 4:48 pm ET • 3 min read

The blueprint's out on Florida this season.

And if Jon Sumrall was sick to his stomach after last week's loss at Missouri, Saturday's stunning 38-19 defeat to South Carolina should be vomit-inducing for the first-year coach amid a horrific stretch for the Gators.

Since hopping into the top 10 and College Football Playoff conversation last month with an upset over then-No. 4 Ole Miss, the Gators have failed to compete in consecutive losses and will likely fall out of rankings entirely -- this one coming in an inexcusable fashion at home as a double-digit favorite.

The Gamecocks' victory was only their third all-time at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and snapped an eight-game SEC losing skid under hot-seat coach Shane Beamer, who said this week he believes his team was close to turning the corner after blowing leads against Mississippi State and Kentucky this fall.

On a day the Gators honored Steve Spurrier and the program's 1966 team with throwback uniforms and a massive pre-game celebration, South Carolina's former head coach and the winningest in school history watched from the box as his alma mater got pushed around by the Gamecocks.

It marked South Carolina's first true road win under Beamer since taking out Clemson in November 2024 and was the Gamecocks' first SEC win in 378 days.

After Bailey Stockton opened the scoring for Florida with a 59-yard touchdown reception four minutes into the contest, the Gators looked generally flat for the remainder, lacking the sense of urgency it showed a few weeks ago at home when it demolished Ole Miss. 

South Carolina was the crisper team and executed well in the passing game after LaNorris Sellers finished with 279 yards and four touchdowns (five total). The Gamecocks never let Florida's rushing attack get going and forced three takeaways after coming into the contest with only two all season, the fewest in the SEC.

Beamer gets voice of support

Prior to kickoff, South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati broke his silence on the angst around the football program and vouched for the players.

"The guys are playing their butts off. I'm disappointed too," Donati said during a radio interview. "I share that same frustration. When we win, we all win. When we lose, we all lose. I see a lot of good things in this football team. We haven't put it all together. We haven't seen the turnovers like we are used to. 

"All those things can be fixed. This team is poised for a breakout. Hopefully, we see it here today."

Donati's words lined up with what Beamer has said publicly throughout this difficult stretch to begin the season coming into Week 6 — that based on everything he's been told behind the scenes, he still had the full support of his administration, boosters and others.

CBS Sports reported this week that Beamer's future with the Gamecocks wasn't as tenuous as it seemed.

Gamecocks squash third-quarter swoon

Entering the locker room with a 17-10 lead at halftime, Beamer knew the question was coming, considering his program had blown advantages in conference play several times in recent games.

"We have a long way to go. We've held second-half leads in a lot of games recently, and we have to play a whole lot better in the second half than we have in previous SEC games," Beamer told SEC Network. "We're running the ball, they haven't stopped us, their defense. We're getting takeaways, we're stopping the run – there's a lot to like right now, but we have to go play a better second half."

"We ain't gonna hide from it. (Florida) is in their locker room right now telling their players, 'Hey, they haven't played well in the third quarter, let's go get after them.' It's our job to go answer that."

The Gamecocks hadn't scored a single point in the third quarter of three previous SEC games this season before Sellers found Donovan Murph in single coverage over the middle for a 26-yard score early in the frame.

This came after Sellers bought time with his legs on 3rd-and-14 and hit Nyck Harbor near the sideline on a drive-extending 35-yard completion.

Sellers late scored on a 1-yard plunge to give South Carolina two touchdowns in the decisive quarter as the program notched its first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since the 2024 season.