Shi Smith hurt, Luke Doty takes over at QB as USC drops first game post-Muschamp
The South Carolina football team saw a big departure and a new appearance Saturday night. One all but smothered the hopes of the Gamecocks offense six plays in, the other perhaps showing promise for the program once it comes through some turbulent times.
When wide receiver Shi Smith came up gingerly and looked woozy after getting sandwiched between defenders on USC’s first possession, the Gamecocks offense was without the vast majority of its passing attack. Smith went to the locker room and did not return to the game.
The first game with Mike Bobo as interim coach featured a changeover from senior Collin Hill to freshman quarterback Luke Doty, but it wasn’t enough to dig out of a hole. The Gamecocks posted only 68 yards of offense before halftime of a 17-10 loss.
USC (2-6) was down 17-0 at halftime after a late field goal.
“I’m proud of that team out there tonight,” Bobo said. “There was no quit. There are no excuses. Those guys continued to fight. There were opportunities to fold in this ballgame, but there was no quit in this team.”
Bobo said the Gamecocks made the decision at halftime to let Doty take over at QB.
Letting the Elite 11 freshman get some work provided a little bit of an uplifting mood less than a week after the program fired Will Muschamp and lost four players who opted out of the season. Doty led the team to a field goal to start the second half and a touchdown late in the game.
“Luke definitely helped his cause going into next week,” Bobo said.
But the hole USC found itself in was deep, and the Gamecocks were not built to take much advantage advantage after Smith’s injury.
The mechanics were relatively simple. Missouri runs a defensive style associated with stopping 1980s NFL schemes. They demand something simple. If an opponent is going to score, it must beat corner 1-on-1 outside or pound the ball through a thicket of bodies.
South Carolina simply wasn’t able to do the former, hasn’t been able to all year. It had moments doing the latter, but eventually ace Mizzou linebacker Nick Bolten would work through traffic, blow up a play for a loss and USC wasn’t able to work out of it.
Smith had accounted for more than one-third of USC’s targets on the season and 42% of the team’s receptions. Bobo said Smith was in “good spirits” after the game but did not offer any injury details or when he might be able to return.
The road doesn’t grow much easier, as USC wraps the year with Georgia and Kentucky teams that each boast strong defenses.
Bobo said keeping team morale high after Muschamp’s departure was a priority this week. The interim coach said he tried to turn the transition into a life lesson about overcoming adversity.
“It’s been a tough week for these guys,” Bobo said. “It’s a really, really tough situation. I’m really proud of the guys and they way they responded.”
Observations from Gamecocks vs. Tigers
▪ For much of the game, South Carolina’s run defense showed a surprising amount of grit. That defensive line hasn’t been great all year, but it had some good moments.
▪ That was especially true of defensive end Keir Thomas, a fifth-year player who missed last year with an infected ankle. He made numerous key plays in helping corral Mizzou back Larry Roundtree for much of the game.
▪ It didn’t appear there were any notable surprise absences. The Gamecocks had at least 62 scholarship players in uniform, while the Tigers had fewer than 53.
▪ South Carolina’s secondary was without two starters in Jaycee Horn, the best player on the defense this season, and safety/linebacker R.J. Roderick. The pair were part of four opt outs. The thin group with two second-year corners didn’t get torched, but a smattering of blown coverages were an issue.
▪ The Tigers occasionally went after those young corners on fade balls. That produced the game’s first touchdown, but Cam Smith, pressed into the lineup with Horn opting out for the rest of the season, picked off one of those balls.
Next USC football game
Who: South Carolina vs. Georgia
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: SEC Network
USC, Missouri game stats, box score
First Quarter
MIZ—Dove 20 pass from Bazelak (Mevis kick), 7:10.
Second Quarter
MIZ—Rountree 1 run (Mevis kick), 11:58.
MIZ—FG Mevis 20, :00.
Third Quarter
SC—FG P.White 47, 10:13.
Fourth Quarter
SC—Fenwick 1 run (P.White kick), 4:59.
- First downs: Missouri 19-18
- Pass yards Missouri 203-169
- Rush yards: USC 114-98
- Time of possession: 31:26 to 28:34
——INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS——
RUSHING—Missouri, Rountree 21-58, Badie 6-23, Bazelak 3-12, Young 1-6, Knox 1-3, (Team) 2-(minus 4). South Carolina, Doty 11-59, Harris 16-58, Fenwick 5-7, C.Hill 4-(minus 10).
PASSING—Missouri, Bazelak 21-33-1-203. South Carolina, C.Hill 6-10-0-39, Doty 14-23-1-130.
RECEIVING—Missouri, Chism 6-57, Badie 4-54, Banister 4-46, Knox 3-12, Dove 2-25, Maclin 1-5, Rountree 1-4. South Carolina, Muse 6-67, Jal.Brooks 3-25, Harris 3-13, Vann 2-22, Adkins 2-20, Fenwick 2-16, S.Smith 1-9, C.Hill 1-(minus 3).
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 10:59 PM.
