Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina at Florida
A look at what went right and wrong for South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ 38-24 loss to the No. 3 Florida Gators.
South Carolina thumbs up
Collin Hill: In his second start as USC’s quarterback, Hill matched Florida’s Kyle Trask throw for throw. The Colorado State transfer showed poise and confidence, throwing the ball accurately into tight windows. The stat line shows he only completed 10-of-18 passes in the first half, but he deserved better, as the Gamecocks dropped four passes. Hill finished with 212 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Kevin Harris: When South Carolina lost promising freshman running back MarShawn Lloyd to a torn ACL before the season, the ground game became a sudden question mark. But through two games, the sophomore Harris has seemingly been USC’s answer. After the Gamecocks used a committee approach at tailback in Week 1, Harris seized the lion’s share of the carries in Week 2, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 100 yards on 22 carries.
Freshman defensive players: Tonka Hemingway, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound freshman defensive lineman from Conway, made one of USC’s best defensive plays of the game early in the first half when he forced a Kyle Trask fumble. Five-star recruit Jordan Burch also flashed his talent when he made an open-field tackle against the dynamic playmaker Kadarius Toney four yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Shi Smith: After making 10 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, the senior Smith remained Hill’s clear top target in the passing game, once again catching a touchdown and pacing the Gamecocks with 12 catches for 85 yards.
South Carolina thumbs down
Drops: The Gamecocks squandered their fair share of offensive opportunities. Tight end Nick Muse, Xavier Legette (twice) and Rico Powers each made drops on pinpoint throws by Hill in the first. Running Deshaun Fenwick couldn’t handle the ball on a toss play early in the second half, leading to a fumble. USC had chances to take the lead from Florida but couldn’t find a dependable target outside of Smith and Harris.
Penalties: Back-to-back offensive penalties (holding and a false start) stymied a promising drive early in the second half, with the game still close. Defensive pass interference in the red zone by cornerback John Dixon set up the Gators for a touchdown.
Passing defense: Containing Florida coach Dan Mullen’s offense is no easy feat. While USC’s defensive front made several key plays and applied pressure, the secondary couldn’t keep up with stud tight end Kyle Pitts or Toney. Pitts scored his fifth and sixth touchdowns of the season, while Toney juked several USC defenders en route to a 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown. A clutch interception by Israel Mukuamu late in the game provided a silver lining.
Clock management: The Gamecocks seemed on the verge of a potential upset — or at least a shift in momentum — when they received the ball down just two touchdowns with 8:11 to go. Yet the Gamecocks used nearly the entirety of that time driving down the field in slow, methodical fashion, just missing on a pass to Shi Smith in the end zone on fourth down.
This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 3:36 PM.
