GAINESVILLE, Fla., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Rex Grossman threw four touchdown passes Saturday night to give Florida a 28-7 victory over South Carolina, but the 14th-ranked Gators had to settle for second place in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference after Georgia rallied to edge Auburn earlier in the day.
Florida could have clinched the East Division with a win over South Carolina and a loss by Georgia. But the Bulldogs rallied in the final minutes to defeat Auburn in a game that began 2 1/2 hours earlier.
The result from Auburn was not posted on the scoreboard at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium until after the Gators completed their dominating performance. And if word of the Georgia victory made it to the Florida sideline, it did not slow down the Gators (8-3, 5-2 SEC East).
Grossman completed 24 of 36 passes for 228 yards and was not intercepted. He completed touchdown passes of three yards to Carlos Perez and 15 yards to Darrell Carpenter to give the Gators a 14-0 halftime lead.
Grossman threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to O.J. Small in the third quarter and a 27-yarder to Kelvin Knight in the fourth.
