What a difference a day can make. After shooting the second-worst team score in the field on Friday, the No. 6/7 Gators shot the second-best team score on Saturday, a three-under par 285, to jump to 10th place. Senior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) led the way with a 68 (-4).

All five Gators improved their scores from day one, led by Horschel’s nine-stroke difference. Senior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) and junior Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) each improved their scores by five strokes.

“I was shocked yesterday, but this is more the type of play I was expecting,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “Unfortunately, we can only do it for two days now instead of three days.”

Teeing off on hole 10, Horschel started the day off with a bang, making eagle on the 388-yard par four. He added a birdie on No. 12 before giving all three strokes back with a double-bogey on 14 and a bogey on 15. Horschel dropped in a birdie on No. 16 and holed his second eagle of the day on the 417-yard par-four 18th. Horschel played his final 12 holes at four-under par. Horschel’s score moved him up 46 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 18th.

Senior Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) played well again and finished with an even-par 72. He had three birdies on the day but was set back by a double-bogey on No. 13 and a bogey on No. 7. Ragland is tied with Horschel and six other players at one-over par for the tournament.

Tyson Alexander shot even-par 72 in the second round, highlighted by three birdies through his first nine holes. Alexander sits in a tie for 46th at five-over par for the tournament.

Stricker began his round with two birdies in his first six holes and finished the round at one-over par after scattering three bogeys through his round. Redshirt-sophomore Andres Echvarria (Medellin, Colombia) bettered his first round score by two strokes, shooting three-over par 75. He had three birdies in his round but was set back by four bogeys and a double-bogey.

Strickler and Echavarria are in a seven-way tie for 65th at eight-over par for the tournament.

“Billy was Billy today, although he had a kind of unusual day. His two eagles came on par fours, which is pretty unique,” said Coach Alexander. “We were solid, but not spectacular. We’ve got our work cut out for us tomorrow to keep moving up.”

The Gators sit alone in 10th place with a total of 589 (+13). UF is only four strokes out of fifth place.

Tennessee-Chattanooa is the leader going in to the final round on Sunday after shooting the low team round of the day, five-under par 283 (574, -2 total). Kyle Stanley of Clemson shot the low round of the tournament so far with a six-under 66 and is on top of the individual leaderboard.

The final round will be played tomorrow morning. Complete results and live scoring are available online at Golfstat.com.

This is the 19th appearance for Florida in the Carpet Capital Collegiate. This is the eighth year in a row that the Gators have made the trip to north Georgia. UF has won the event twice, in 1989 and 2003, and placed in the top-five 11 times. Last year, the Gators finished in 12th place. In 2006, Florida finished in a tie for fifth-place.

Florida Results

T18. Toby Ragland, 73-72=145 (+1)

T18. Billy Horschel, 77-68=145 (+1)

T46. Tyson Alexander, 77-72=149 (+5)

T65. Andres Echavarria, 77-75=152 (+8)

T65. Will Strickler, 79-73=152 (+8)

-UF-