USC-Ole Miss report card: Grading the play, also grading the fight
With South Carolina football’s 48-44 win against the Ole Miss Rebels behind us, it’s time to grade the Gamecocks.
Quarterback
Not much to say, Jake Bentley was simply very good. He had the second-most yards of his career and the second-best rating. He ran in the game-winning touchdown and led USC on a massive offensive day.
Grade: A
Running backs
Health was an issue, and top two backs Rico Dowdle and Ty’Son Williams had 47 yards on 12 carries. But Williams had 105 receiving yards in one half of work, and Mon Denson came in late to deliver a 69-yard haymaker to get past 100 yards.
Grade: A-
Wide receivers
Bryan Edwards had as nice a grab as you’ll see on the way to a 75-yard touchdown, and had 109 yards. Shi Smith was good outside a bad drop on a potentially crucial play. Josh Vann got his first TD catch, though Deebo Samuel was quiet.
Grade: A-
Tight ends
Not a ton of action, but K.C. Crosby had a couple catches and Jacob August added another. The blocking seemed pretty solid.
Grade: B
Offensive line
The group ended the game on its No. 4 tackle and was an injury away from a guard having to move outside. Even so, the group generally kept Jake Bentley clean and cleared the way for 4.5 yards per non-sack carry.
Grade: B+
Defensive line
USC’s pressure wasn’t always there, but it delivered late and had some good moments. The run defense was OK at points, granted it was stressed by RPOs.
Grade: C
Linebackers
That Ole Miss scheme made life difficult, especially the heavy play-action passing and RPOs. T.J. Brunson was productive with 15 tackles and 1½ sacks. Sherrod Greene had six tackles. Not a banner day.
Grade: C-
Defensive backs
Some of this was about injuries, but the group had a rough day all around. Jordan Ta’amu threw all over, attacking both Rashad Fenton and Keisean Nixon. The safeties were just trying to run out healthy bodies. After manning up late, they did OK.
Grade: D+
Special teams
There was that Deebo Samuel big kick return everyone had been waiting for. He had the touchdown, plus another into Ole Miss territory. USC’s net punting was a solid 43 yards per kick, with one of four inside the 20. Parker White connected on a pair of short field goals. Only one Ole Miss drive that started with a kickoff began past the 45.
Grade: A
Overall
Giving up 600 yards is going to probably put a team right outside the range of an A-, but USC was pretty good everywhere else. The offense was great. The defense showed fire late. The team rallied from down 10 and secured a road win against a team that can do some damage. The fight alone might be worth a higher grade, but this leaves a bit of room for improvement.
Grade: B+