Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina at Vanderbilt
A look at what went right and wrong for South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ 41-7 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
South Carolina thumbs up
Ernest Jones: Down by just a field goal, Vanderbilt went for it on fourth and goal in the second quarter, but quarterback Ken Seals couldn’t get away from USC linebacker Ernest Jones. As Seals tried to round the corner and scramble toward the end zone, Jones dragged Seals down behind the line of scrimmage. The play was a momentum shifter as the Gamecocks would score a touchdown on the next drive to take a 10-0 lead. Jones also made a key defensive play in Week 2 against Florida, recovering a fumble from star quarterback Kyle Trask. Jones led the team Saturday with 13 total tackles.
Offensive adjustments: Collin Hill and the Gamecocks offense struggled early against an aggressive Vanderbilt defense that blitzed often. The offensive line couldn’t protect Hill, and the Commodores were able to bottle up top receiver Shi Smith through most of the first half. But offensive coordinator Mike Bobo made some tweaks to the formula in the second quarter, mixing in quick passes and screens as well as a couple of deep shots to receiver Xavier Legette and tight end Nick Muse, taking advantage of Vanderbilt’s stacked box.
Nick Muse: The Gamecocks have desperately searched for a secondary receiving option behind Shi Smith and might have finally found it in Muse. After making drops on key third-down plays in the first two games, Muse put together his best performance of the season, leading the team with a career-high 85 receiving yards on five catches and jump-starting the offense with a 32-yard reception in the second quarter.
Kevin Harris: The sophomore tailback has been a consistent bright spot for the Gamecocks and had another huge performance, posting 171 yards on 21 carries and scoring two touchdowns, including an 88-yard run.
South Carolina thumbs down
Big plays: Though it didn’t derail USC, the big play has been an early season bugaboo for the South Carolina secondary. Vandy entered the game last in the SEC with just two explosive passing plays, yet put together several against the Gamecocks, including a 22-yard catch-and-run by junior receiver Cam Johnson and a 33-yard shot to Amir Abdur-Rahman.
The offensive line: Though the blocking would gradually improve throughout the game, the USC O-line struggled against Vanderbilt’s pass rush early on, allowing two sacks and seven quarterback hurries. Thanks to adjustments to the offensive game plan, the Gamecocks managed to cover-up those O-line issues.
Tempo: In Week 2, South Carolina squandered a late opportunity against Florida with a slow offensive tempo in the fourth quarter. At the end of Saturday’s first half, the Gamecocks had an opportunity for one more play, yet ran out of time just before they snapped the ball. Coach Will Muschamp said at halftime he was disappointed with the lack of urgency on that play. While it didn’t hurt the Gamecocks, offensive pace will be something to monitor in closer matchups.
Lack of turnovers: Last week, Will Muschamp talked about the need for USC’s secondary to finish off plays and make interceptions, yet the defense didn’t record an interception until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, once the game was already well out of reach. Veteran corner Jaycee Horn had an opportunity to make an interception in the end zone in the first half but dropped it.
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 3:09 PM.
