South Carolina solves one big problem. Can it carry forward through 2020 season?
South Carolina’s football team lost a somewhat notable advantage from its first two games early Saturday against Vanderbilt.
The Gamecocks offense had been dynamite against Florida and Tennessee, marching for long touchdowns to start each game. In a near-empty Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday, South Carolina’s offense went three and out, then had two drives stall out, one ending in a short field goal, the other in a kick attempt so long that it was mostly a prayer.
But USC coach Will Muschamp saw some things on those drives that spoke to what was about to happen.
“The first shot to Xavier (Legette), the second-down play was another opportunity,” Muschamp said, referencing balls farther down the field. “We wanted to come in and be aggressive. We end up being three and out. We’re willing to take those if you’re gonna be aggressive down the field.”
Things shook loose. The offense adjusted in a few different ways. The Gamecocks closed the half with a 96-yard touchdown drive and were pushing for more when the clock finally ran down.
Then the Gamecocks scored on five consecutive possessions — four touchdowns — to open the second half of a 41-7 win.
Instead of starting fast and slowing down, they started slow and finished fast.
Offensive consistency had been an issue after those early starts. Drops were a problem (there was one early Saturday). The group showed flashes, had moments, but it wasn’t turning into overall strong days the first games out.
Against Vandy, the USC offense put up 2.5 yards per play in the first 15 minutes. That jumped to 7.3 in the second and third quarters and then an absurd 19.1 as the Gamecocks ran away with the game.
“I think we just had a good game plan,” tight end Nick Muse said. “At the beginning we didn’t really execute as well, like we did against Tennessee and Florida.
“We got on the sidelines and start talking through things. ... We made some changes, coach [Mike] Bobo was calling some great plays and everything started rolling.”
That might just be a symptom of Vanderbilt being Vanderbilt, especially when it was down to only 56 scholarship players. It might just be a blip, as the schedule ratchets back up with Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M in rapid succession.
Maybe the slow start that was overcome Saturday can reflect the process of shaking off an 0-2 start to the season.
When all was said and done, the Gamecocks put up the best offensive numbers against an FBS opponent since the 2018 season, when a stocked group of playmakers was getting the ball from QB Jake Bentley.
Current quarterback Collin Hill doesn’t have some of Bentley’s flair, but he’s tough, and he showed that again in Nashville. He was workmanlike, getting the yards that were there, even running with the ball when needed (scoring twice on the ground).
Tailback Kevin Harris delivered (171 yards) and Dakereon Joyner chipped in a touchdown of longer than 45 yards. Saturday might be an indication that some options are coalescing around top option Shi Smith (six targets, five catches).
Or maybe it was just Vandy.
With the USC defense looking shaky at times, allowing eight explosive plays against the Commodores, South Carolina will need the offense on point as it tries to claw its way to every win it can.
The Gamecocks needed Saturday’s game to make sure the 2020 season didn’t turn completely sour less than a month in. Now it remains to be seen if the offensive outburst was a sign this team can do something more, or just an expected blip in a season that promises some unusual moments.
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 5:44 PM.
