COLUMBIA, S.C. — Florida picked up a rare road win in dramatic fashion when quarterback Graham Mertz connected with Ricky Pearsall for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds remaining to stun South Carolina.
The Gators’ 41-39 win Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium was a notable road victory under coach Billy Napier and moved the Gators (5-2, 3-1 SEC) within a win of bowl eligibility.
Two teams desperate for a win would not give each other an inch much of the day.
When push came to shove, Mertz turned to Pearsall, the Gators’ veteran star who finished with a career-high 10 catches for 166 yards.
Standouts
Florida
Graham Mertz: The quarterback went 30-for-48 passing for 423 yards, 3 TDs.
Eugene Wilson III: The freshman receiver had 6 catches for 83 yards, none bigger than a 22-yard catch off a pass tipped by Pearsall on the game-winning drive.
Shemar James: The sophomore linebacker had 8 tackles, including 5 solo stops.
South Carolina
Spencer Rattler: The quarterback was 23 of 30 for 313 yards, 4 scores and an interception with 20 seconds to go to end his team’s bid.
Xavier Leggett: The fifth-year senior receiver had 5 catches for 110 yards, including a 46-yarder to set up a field goal.
Jalon Kilgore: The freshman defensive back had 11 tackles, 7 solo, and a pass breakup.
Noteworthy
– During four seasons at Louisiana, Napier was 20-9 away from Lafayette. He started 2-7. The Gators are now 2-7 away from Gainesville.
– South Carolina entered as one of five teams nationally to play three ranked teams.
—Sophomore kicker Trey Smack was 11 of 11 on field goal until South Carolina blocked his 48-yard attempt with 11:32 remaining.
— Gators have now scored a touchdown on their first possession during 4 of 5 wins (missed FG to open Tennessee game). UF failed to scored at Utah and Kentucky.
— Injured redshirt defensive end Justus Boone, a native of Sumter, S.C., traveled with the team. Boone tore his ACL early during fall camp to miss the season.
— UF has played 11 true freshmen, more than any FBS team. Clemson and LSU have played seven while Texas A&M has played six.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com