5 lessons we learned from South Carolina’s loss to LSU
There’s no way around it: The South Carolina football team got shellacked by LSU on the road Saturday. The 52-24 defeat marked USC’s most points allowed and the biggest margin of defeat against an SEC opponent since 2015. But what specifically did the loss teach us about coach Will Muschamp’s squad?
1. The USC passing defense’s woes are not behind them
South Carolina’s secondary looked very shaky the first two games of the season but seemed to steady itself with an easy matchup against Vanderbilt, then three interceptions against Auburn and Bo Nix. But a lot of that production against Auburn came from Nix targeting star cornerback Jaycee Horn repeatedly.
LSU didn’t make the same mistake nearly as often Saturday night. Instead, true freshman quarterback TJ Finley lit up the Gamecocks to the tune of 265 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-21 passing. Receivers got free pretty regularly, the defensive line got no pressure, and Finley looked calm and collected all game long. It seems like USC is back at square one when it comes to figuring out its pass defense problems.
“Them having a young quarterback out there, we should have disguised (coverages) better to make him go to his second and third reads,” junior Israel Mukuamu said.
2. The Gamecocks’ rushing defense is really struggling, too
This was the area that seemed to most bother coach Will Muschamp in his postgame new conference. He cited the Gamecocks’ struggles defending the run even in wins against Auburn and Vanderbilt, and said things didn’t get any better Saturday against the Tigers.
“We’ve got to be able to stop the run,” Muschamp said. “ .... And it’s been a common theme now for three weeks.”
Specifically, Muschamp before the game said that stopping the run would be crucial to put pressure on LSU and its freshman quarterback. That didn’t happen, as the Tigers picked up 276 rushing yards on 54 attempts. That ground game allowed LSU to dominate time of possession and tire out the USC defense.
3. Explosive plays pop up for Gamecocks; sustained drives don’t
Against the SEC’s worst passing defense, South Carolina knew it would have its chances at one of Muschamp’s most harped-on metrics — explosive plays. And sure enough, the Gamecocks got off to a rip-roaring start, with senior receiver Shi Smith going 36 yards on the first play of the game, then sophomore tailback Kevin Harris going 45 for a touchdown.
All told, USC got 320 yards on nine explosive plays for the game. On its other 42 plays, the offense put up a net total of 83 yards. It was all or nothing, all night long, with no South Carolina drive lasting more than 4:19. And on trips to the red zone, Carolina was just 2-for-4 in coming away with points.
“We ripped off some big plays and just kinda seemed to stall out,” quarterback Collin Hill acknowledged. “I’ll have to go and watch it, but it seems like we moved it pretty well, just couldn’t finish off drives, and you gotta be able to do that.”
4. Kevin Harris keeps 1,000-yard pace
If there was any bright spot on the evening for South Carolina, it was sophomore running back Kevin Harris, who continued his elite production with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. The majority of his yardage came off two big runs, but he was clearly the most effective part of USC’s offense. Even when the Gamecocks got down big, it felt as though feeding Harris the ball was their best chance at mounting a comeback.
With 535 yards through five games, Harris is still on pace to hit 1,000 in the virus-shortened 2020 season. The last Gamecock to hit that mark was Mike Davis in 2013.
5. Gamecocks’ momentum from big win wasted ... again
Coming off an upset win of No. 15 Auburn with a two-game win streak in hand, there were some optimistic rumblings around the Gamecocks heading into this matchup. LSU seemed vulnerable, and if USC could move to 3-2 heading into the bye week, it would be poised to finish strong and maybe hit or even break .500.
Now, Muschamp’s squad heads into its break at 2-3, a mark many expected at the start of the season. But given how things have unfolded and how demoralizing Saturday’s defeat was, most — if not all — momentum has evaporated.
Last season, South Carolina came off a massive upset of No. 3 Georgia and dropped a close game against Florida. The Gamecocks never recovered, stumbling down the stretch to a disappointing 4-8 season. Muschamp has work to do during the bye week to ensure the pattern of big win, demoralizing loss and subsequent falling apart doesn’t repeat.
Next USC football game
Who: Texas A&M at South Carolina
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: SEC Network or ESPN
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
