In search of ‘more ownership’ from Gamecock players, Bobo sees moments vs. Georgia
The game itself wasn’t that close. Georgia won 45-16. South Carolina’s football team was too depleted, too thin and too young at too many positions to have a good shot at knocking off the No. 9 Bulldogs on Saturday night.
But for Gamecocks interim coach Mike Bobo, there was still some glimpses — glimpses of a team capable of good things on the football field. And in the midst of a five-game losing streak and without a permanent head coach, that’s the hope USC fans will have to hang onto.
One of the most obvious glimpses came late in the second quarter Saturday, with South Carolina facing fourth-and-1 from its own 34-yard line. With the Gamecocks already trailing 28-10, Bobo decided to go for it, giving the ball to his top tailback, sophomore Kevin Harris.
Harris, however, was immediately met by a Bulldog defender in the backfield and wrapped up so securely that SEC Network play-by-play man Taylor Zarzour proclaimed the Gamecocks were “not even close” to converting the fourth down.
But the whistle never blew, and Harris stayed on his feet and kept driving. Breaking free, he plunged forward again, getting the two yards necessary for the first down.
“That was an individual effort. And, you know, we’re playing as a team, but individually, there’s times you’re gonna have to make individual efforts to sustain drives and make plays that are explosive plays,” Bobo said. “And that was another example of that. I thought he ran extremely hard tonight. Its fourth-and-1 on our side of the field, we basically get stuffed at the point of attack and coaches on the headphones are like, ‘Awww.’ But Kevin, he didn’t give up. He continued to fight and got a first down.”
Moments like that, however, simply weren’t frequent enough to change the complexion of the game, Bobo said. Later that drive, the Gamecocks stalled out and were poised to go for it again on fourth down. A false start forced a long field goal that was missed, depriving USC of a chance to put a dent in Georgia’s lead before getting the ball back to start the second half.
Still, Bobo praised the play of Harris and freshman quarterback Luke Doty in particular as examples of what South Carolina desperately needs more of moving forward.
“We’ve got great individual effort at times of playing hard and examples that you’ll be able to show the team. This team, in my opinion, has got to take more ownership of that. Guys got to demand it from more guys within the team. And you hear coaches say this all the time: You can’t be coach-led, you got to be player-led. And that’s true,” Bobo said.
“To get over the hump, players have got to take ownership and take leadership, and Kevin’s not a vocal guy, but that (fourth-down run) demonstrated that. And then like I said, after the game, Luke Doty brings them up and breaks them down and talks about what he wants going forward to next week. Those are good signs.”
Doty has already earned praise from his teammates for the energy and enthusiasm he brings to practices. And in his first career start Saturday, he threw an interception and took his fair share of big hits, but he also completed 81.8% of his passes and collected his first career passing score.
After the game, Bobo pulled Doty aside and told him he’d be a “damn good player” because he plays without fear, and the freshman then spoke in the locker room, a sign of vocal leadership the team badly needs, Bobo said. It is a responsibility Doty said he’s worked to embrace since taking over the job.
“It’s definitely been a work in progress. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of stepping into that leadership role and just kind of being a voice there,” Doty said. “And it’s worked pretty well. A lot of guys have responded and, you know, bringing energy at practice, being positive, regardless of what the circumstance is. A lot of guys are starting to do the same thing and that’s awesome to have those guys around me, to help me out as well, as a freshman.”
This story was originally published November 29, 2020 at 5:50 AM.
