Instant reaction: South Carolina vs. Ole Miss thumbs up, thumbs down
A look at what went right and wrong for South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ at Ole Miss on Saturday night.
South Carolina thumbs up
Shi Smith catch: The Gamecocks standout receiver had one of the best catches in college football this year when he made a one-handed grab from Collin Hill on the first possession of the game. Smith finished with 10 catches for 117 yards.
Kevin Harris: After rushing for a season-low 35 yards last week, the Gamecocks tailback put together one of the best games in USC history. The sophomore ran for 243 yards and a school-record five touchdowns.
Offensive line: Kevin Harris and Deshaun Fenwick weren’t doing things by themselves in the running game as the Gamecocks’ offensive line did a great job opening up running lanes for the two backs.
Collin Hill: Much was made this week about possibly changing quarterbacks, but Will Muschamp stuck with the Colorado State transfer. Hill played pretty well overall, completing 17-of-28 passes for 230 yards, a TD and an interception.
South Carolina thumbs down
The Gamecocks defense: Simply put, USC’s defense was awful for the third straight week. Neither team could stop the other, but the Gamecocks were just overpowered — especially in the passing game. USC allowed more than 48 points for the third straight game and gave up 708 yards of offense, including 513 passing. The 513 passing yards were the most by a USC opponent in Southeastern Conference play.
Elijah Moore 91-yard TD: One of the defense’s biggest lapses came when Matt Corral hit Elijah Moore on a 91-yard TD pass with no Gamecock defender within at least 15 yards of the Ole Miss receiver. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was so excited he threw his clipboard high in the air when the ball was released. The 91-yard pass play was the longest in Ole Miss history.
Fourth downs: USC allowed Ole Miss to convert on all four of its fourth-downs conversions, including Corral’s 25-yard TD pass on fourth-and-11 to give the Rebels 59-42 lead.
The end of the first half: With the score 21-21, South Carolina forced a turnover as Ole Miss looked to take the lead. The Gamecocks couldn’t pick up a first down and had to punt to Ole Miss. The Rebels got a break when Corral appeared to be sacked by Jabari Ellis, but the referees said Corral got the pass off in time. USC was called for pass interference a play later and then Coral hit a Snoop Cooper on a 27-yard pass. Cooper was able to get out of bounds with one second left. Ole Miss kicked a field goal to take a 24-21 lead at halftime, and Gamecock coach Will Muschamp was irate to the officials before going into the locker room.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 11:16 PM.
