South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt grades: Kevin Harris and the run game ace this test
South Carolina football has its first win of the season, going on the road and demolishing SEC cellar dweller Vanderbilt 41-7. So what grades did the Gamecocks earn in the victory?
Passing offense
We’re grading on a bit of curve here, as Vanderbilt was down to 53 scholarship players and missing three starting defensive backs. That being said, the Gamecocks finally got some receiving help from someone not named Shi Smith — Nick Muse was solid at tight end and Xavier Legette continued to flash some high upside. Quarterback Collin Hill was efficient at 16-of-24 passing for 196 yards and no turnovers.
The biggest factor dragging this grade down, though, is the pass protection. It’s been an issue all season long, and it didn’t get any better Saturday, with Hill getting sacked twice with seven QB hurries.
GRADE: B
Rushing offense
Kevin Harris was the driving force behind South Carolina’s offense early, accounting for the lion’s share of the touches on the first few drives. And the hard-running, bowling-ball back was solid if unspectacular. In the second half, though, he broke out with a pair of touchdown runs, one from 25 yards out and one from 88 — in both cases the blocking was superb, opening up massive holes for him to explode through. His 171 total yards are a career high.
Behind him, Collin Hill showed some good things with his legs, too, despite coming off three ACL tears. He punched the ball in from 1 yard out for the game’s first touchdown, then scrambled from 10 yards out for another touchdown in the third quarter.
And to finish things off, quarterback-turned-wide receiver Dakereon Joyner took a reverse in the fourth quarter for a 47-yard touchdown.
GRADE: A
Passing defense
South Carolina’s secondary gave up two explosive pass plays to Vanderbilt and freshman quarterback Ken Seals in the first half — as many as Vandy had in its first two games combined. And there were several drives in which the Commodores moved the ball well down the field as the coverage was found wanting. On Vandy’s lone touchdown of the day, the secondary missed several tackles, a recurring theme thus far this year.
Again, we’re grading on a curve here, as this was a passing game USC could and should have throttled. Cam Smith did get a garbage-time interception.
More concerning moving forward, junior Israel Mukuamu left the game early as he appeared to tweak a groin injury that limited him against Tennessee.
GRADE: B-
Rushing defense
Junior linebacker Ernest Jones was all over the place for South Carolina, making 13 tackles and three for loss — including a crucial fourth-down goal-line stand in the early going that kept Vandy off the scoreboard. He led a rushing defense that limited the Commodores to less than 3 yards per carry, with a sack-adjusted average still below 4 yards.
GRADE: A-
Special teams
Parker White saw his streak of consecutive made field goals snapped at 14 when he missed from 54 yards out — the senior kicker has been reliable from close distance but has made just one from 50-plus yards out in his career. He did make two shorter kicks.
In the punting game, freshman Kai Kroeger didn’t have a lot of work to do, but he did average 48.5 yards on two kicks for a solid game on a rainy afternoon.
And in the return game, Shi Smith took one kick back 31 yards, while Jammie Robinson returned three punts for 30 yards, but did field one inside the 10-yard line.
GRADE: B
Coaching
After taking flack all week for the Gamecocks’ clock management late against Florida, coach Will Muschamp needed a convincing win to steady the ship. He got it in a game that USC was heavily tipped to win. Things looked a little shaky early, but offensive coordinator Mike Bobo effectively adjusted to the Vanderbilt defense’s plan to limit senior receiver Shi Smith, and the defense executed well for the most part.
GRADE: B
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
