Florida faces Texas after South Carolina coach Shane Beamer says his plan was to empty the Swamp

Florida lost 38-19 to South Carolina at home on Saturday. Afterward, details emerged about what Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer told his players before kickoff, and they should bother the Gators. According to Roundtable Sports, which cited Jordan Kaye of The State, Beamer said South Carolina's goal was to empty "The Swamp" of Florida fans. He also told the team it could build a lead and keep it.

That was a bold message from a program in a slump. South Carolina had lost three straight SEC games coming into Gainesville, and Beamer was under scrutiny for teams that could not protect leads. The Gamecocks had let leads slip against Mississippi State and Kentucky. This time they led 17-10 at halftime, pushed the margin to 31-13 in the third quarter and never let Florida back in.

Roundtable Sports reported that Beamer told reporters after the game he figured people around the country were waiting for his team to fold in the second half. He said his players had the mental toughness to play all 60 minutes. For South Carolina, the win eased some of the pressure. For Florida, it raised a harder question.

This was the second straight lopsided loss for the Gators. On Oct. 3 they lost 45-17 at Missouri. Roundtable Sports' Jordan Sigler wrote that Florida showed little fight late in either game once it fell behind. He argued that South Carolina's pregame plan shows opponents have noticed the Gators struggle with adversity. Florida looked like a possible College Football Playoff contender when October began. Two weeks later, the outlet framed the goal as fixing enough problems to reach a bowl game. It pointed to the offensive line and the secondary as the most urgent repairs.

Those repairs have to happen fast. Florida (4-2) visits No. 7 Texas (4-1) on Saturday at noon Eastern on ABC. Then comes a stretch that Roundtable Sports described as one of the hardest in the conference: No. 1 Georgia, Oklahoma and No. 15 Kentucky. If the slide reaches four straight losses, a season that started with playoff hopes could turn into a struggle for bowl eligibility.

The market expects Texas to win. On Novig, one of the venues listing the game, the Longhorns are favored at -355. The spread is Texas -10.5 and the total is 52.5. DraftKings has the best sportsbook price on Texas at -375. Full pricing is on the Florida at Texas game page.

The trip to Austin is the first test of whether first-year coach Jon Sumrall can change how this group responds when a game turns against it. Roundtable Sports noted that Sumrall did not tolerate that kind of mindset at his last two programs. It remains to be seen whether the current roster will buy in. After the past two Saturdays, another SEC opponent will come in thinking the Gators can be broken if it hits them early.