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COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Ticker) -- A quarterback change wasn't the answer for Florida, but South Carolina is the solution to any team's problem. Jesse Palmer was mediocre in place of quarterback Doug Johnson as fourth-ranked Florida held its winless Southeastern Conference foe to 251 yards en route to a 20-3 victory. The Gators (9-1, 7-1 SEC East) stayed in the hunt for a national championship and clinched the SEC East crown and a berth in the conference title game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on December 4. "We've not played well the last couple of weeks," said Florida coach Steve Spurrier, who saw his team escape with a 13-6 victory over Vanderbilt. "But the final line is we're 7-1 in the East and we beat Tennessee and we're the Eastern Division Champs." Florida was unimpressive again, managing touchdowns in the second and third quarters and a pair of field goals. But South Carolina (0-10, 0-8) played as expected after entering the game with the nation's worst offense and 11th-best defense. The Gators reached the nine-win mark for the 10th consecutive season while improving to 14-3-3 in the all-time series. Palmer played exclusively, completing 15-of-33 passes for 161 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His 28-yard strike to Darrell Jackson 75 seconds into the second quarter increased the lead to 10-0. Florida totaled only 300 yards, 149 under its season average, which ranks 11th in the country. Earnest Graham helped cover the inconsistencies at quarterback by rushing 24 times for 105 yards and a TD. Graham scored on a four-yard run 87 seconds into the second half, building on an already comfortable 10-3 lead considering South Carolina was averaging only seven points a contest. Palmer made it 10-0 with a perfect pass to Jackson, whom he had overthrown near the end zone late in the first quarter. "It took me a while, it's been a while since I've been back in a game situation," Palmer said. "That's no excuse. You have to be ready to go out and play right away and play to the best of your ability." South Carolina's Steve Florio kicked a 32-yard field goal with 5:43 left in the second quarter but missed three other attempts, falling to 6-of-13 this season and 17-of-31 in his career. South Carolina appeared to tie it at 10-10 on a TD connection between Phil Petty and Brian Scott with nine seconds left in the half, but the play was called back by a chop block, fueling the ire of coach Lou Holtz. Petty finished 15-of-31 for 164 yards and freshman Ryan Brewer totaled 120 yards from scrimmage on 10 carries and five catches. Jeff Chandler capped the scoring with a 29-yard field goal. He had opened it with a 46-yarder 2:16 into the first quarter after missing a 41-yarder.
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