With five minutes to play in Columbia, the South Carolina Gamecocks led Florida by 10 points. The Gators led 24-21 at halftime, but the Gamecocks had outscored them 17-3 in the first 25 minutes of the second half to take command of the game.
Florida started the season 4-2, but with upcoming games against Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and Florida State, a 4-3 start left the Gators’ future bowl eligibility uncertain.
Enter Graham Mertz.
The former Wisconsin starter marched UF down the field twice. He first connected with freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham to cut the lead to three, then he found wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the end zone from 21 yards out for the win.
That Gators trio offered some of the best games in the SEC this weekend to lift Florida to 5-2. Here are some of the rest of the conference’s best from Saturday.