South Carolina at LSU live updates: Gamecocks hammered by Tigers
The State’s Ben Breiner is inside Tiger Stadium for Saturday’s South Carolina football game against LSU. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The Gamecocks are playing a 10-game, SEC-only schedule during the coronavirus-delayed season.
FINAL: LSU 52, South Carolina 24
The Gamecocks gave up their most points in an SEC game since 2015 and were out of the game for most of the second half.
Vann TD: LSU 52, South Carolina 24
Collin Hill found Josh Vann in the back of the end zone for his first throwing score of the game.
Emery TD: LSU 52, South Carolina 17
Running back John Emery became the third Tiger to score a rushing touchdown. The Tigers have now rushed for a game-leading 200 yards and have tallied 465 yards overall.
Davis-Price TD: LSU 45, South Carolina 17
LSU running back Ty Davis-Price accounted for seven of the eight plays in LSU’s 77-yard drive, highlighted by a 35-yard run to bring the Tigers to South Carolina’s 4-yard line.
Palmer TD: LSU 38, South Carolina 17
Mere seconds after Harris scored a touchdown for you USC, the Tigers answered back with their first kickoff return for a touchdown in Tiger Stadium since 1981. Trey Palmer bobbled the ball, then scooped it and ran for 95 yards.
Harris TD: LSU 31, South Carolina 17
Kevin Harris has once again put the Gamecocks offense on his back, as a 49-yard run jump-started a nine-play, 74-yard scoring drive. Harris scored his second touchdown of the game and is up to 114 rushing yards on 10 carries.
HALFTIME: LSU 31, South Carolina 10
LSU has simply been able to take far better advantage of any opportunities that come by. A pair of missed tackles produced a 51-yard touchdown. An interception produced another, whereas South Carolina’s interception return deep into Tigers territory only produced a field goal.
Pass protection has been spotty at times for the Gamecocks, but Collin Hill has also taken some sacks when he had time, trying to look downfield and find someone.
South Carolina also can’t stay on the field, with just 21 total plays. Six big plays account for 182 of USC’s yards. The rest of the 15 plays have netted 6 yards.
Ricks TD: LSU 31, South Carolina 10
USC quarterback Collin Hill tried to force the ball to receiver Jalen Brooks on a throw to the boundary, but Eli Ricks wasn’t fooled, picking off the ball and running it back for a touchdown.
Marshall TD: LSU 24, South Carolina 10
LSU’s top receiver, Terrace Marshall, struck yet again for the Tigers, as he caught a shallow cross from T.J. Finley and raced down the field for 51-yard score.
White FG: LSU 17, South Carolina 10
After missing his first field goal attempt of the night, Parker White connected on a 45-yard kick, taking advantage of Mukuamu’s interception.
Interception Mukuamu: LSU 17, South Carolina 7
Junior cornerback Israel Mukuamu has been limited throughout the Gamecocks’ first four games with a groin injury, but he returned Saturday and provided a desperately needed shot of momentum with an interception midway through the second quarter as LSU was driving. He returned the pick more than 50 yards to set the Gamecocks up in LSU territory.
Marshall TD: LSU 17, South Carolina 7
With the way wide receiver Terrace Marshall has played for the Tigers this season, it was only a matter of time before he made his mark on the game. Quarterback T.J. Finley found Marshall wide open in the end zone for the first passing touchdown of his career. Finley has completed 12 of 14 passes for 129 yards.
York FG: LSU 10, South Carolina 7
LSU opened up the offense a bit more on the second drive, allowing quarterback T.J. Finley to air out the ball on a 10-play, 66-yard drive. However, Finley couldn’t connect on a touchdown throw in the corner of the end zone, as USC veteran corner Jaycee Horn shut down the play with his tight coverage.
Harris TD: South Carolina 7, LSU 7
The sophomore tailback Kevin Harris came up big yet again for the Gamecocks, scoring his seventh touchdown of the season on a 45-yard run on a counter play out of the shotgun.
Finley TD: LSU 7, South Carolina 0
Easing true freshman quarterback T.J. Finley into his first game as starter, LSU leaned heavily on the running game on its first drive. The Tigers ran the ball 13 times out of 16 plays, ending the drive with a touchdown on a quarterback keeper by the burly 6-foot-6, 242-pound Finley.
LSU starting freshman TJ Finley
South Carolina will be going up against a true freshman quarterback playing the very first collegiate snaps of his career Saturday, as LSU is starting TJ Finley, a 6-foot-6, 242-pound former three-star recruit. Myles Brennan, who passed for 11 touchdowns and more than 1,100 yards through the season’s first three games, is sidelined by an abdominal muscle injury.
Early observations
Freshman wide receiver Rico Powers was not out with the early warmup group. Junior cornerback Israel Mukuamu was out warming up pregame and looked to be walking without a limp after dealing with a groin injury all year, while sophomore linebacker Jahmar Brown was in uniform after dealing with a knee sprain.
Offensive warmups end with a fade ball to Books along the side of the end zone. It also appears defensive end Joseph Anderson didn’t make the trip. He was at Vanderbilt.
There’s a descent little cluster of Gamecocks parents congregated behind the south end zone. It’s a little eerie in a stadium this massive with the crowd being so sparse.
Line drops to 4 points
LSU opened the week as a 7-point favorite over the Gamecocks, but with starting quarterback Myles Brennan out due to injury and the Tiger defense in disarray, the line has steadily declined. As of Saturday evening, South Carolina is now only a 4-point underdog. The Gamecocks are a perfect 4-0 against the spread the season.
Experts divided on picking USC, LSU
Analysts on ESPN’s College GameDay and the SEC Network’s SEC Nation made their picks for the game this morning — and there was no clear consensus on who the experts thought would win. On GameDay, David Pollack and Kirk Herbstreit went with South Carolina, while Desmond Howard and Lee Corso picked LSU. On SEC Nation, Tim Tebow and Jordan Rodgers picked South Carolina, while Roman Harper selected LSU.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 6:25 PM.
