Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina vs. East Carolina
Here’s a look at what went wrong and right for South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ 20-17 win over East Carolina on Saturday.
South Carolina thumbs up
Damani Staley: The son of former South Carolina running back Duce Staley, Damani Staley did his best impression of his father when he intercepted a pass in the second quarter and raced 63 yards for a touchdown. With the USC offense struggling to move the chains, Staley injected some much-needed life into the Gamecocks’ sidelines and put USC on the board.
Clayton White’s defense: After pitching a shutout in Week 1, White’s USC defense continued the momentum and bottled up ECU quarterback Holton Ahlers. The game got off to an inauspicious start, with the Gamecocks allowing a 75-yard touchdown pass on a trick play on the first snap of the game. But the USC defense regrouped, intercepting Ahlers twice, sacking him five times and holding him to just 77 passing yards.
Juju McDowell: Though Kevin Harris made his season debut Saturday, it was the freshman McDowell who emerged as the hot hand in the backfield. McDowell set up a game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter with a 62-yard kickoff return. And on the final drive, the Gamecocks leaned on McDowell to chew out the clock. He finished with a team-leading 71 yards on 11 carries.
Josh Vann: With the Gamecocks losing Shi Smith to the NFL, Vann has stepped in as USC’s No. 1 receiver and has flourished in the role. Though a fumble at the goal line puts a sour note on his day, Vann led the Gamecocks with 91 yards on five catches and could have easily had two touchdowns to his name if not for the fumble. A second touchdown catch was overturned on replay review late in the game.
South Carolina thumbs down
The offensive line: Matched up against ECU’s blitz-heavy scheme, the USC offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Zeb Noland and open running lanes, especially in the first half, when the team posted minus-12 rushing yards. The protection improved somewhat later in the game as Noland and the Gamecocks offense tied the score late in the third quarter, but the quarterback was under pressure for much of the contest.
Zeb Noland: Speaking of Noland, the 24-year-old former grad assistant turned in an uneven performance after leading the Gamecocks to victory over Eastern Illinois in Week 1. Though he didn’t receive much help from his offensive line, Noland completed roughly half his passes and overthrew his intended receiver a handful of times. To his credit, his lone interception came on a broken route by tight end Jaheim Bell. While Noland was sharper in the second half — including a strong tight-window throw to Dakareon Joyner in the end zone — he was shaky enough to raise more questions about the quarterback position moving forward.
Turnovers and penalties: Many of the woes South Carolina experienced Saturday were self-inflicted. Noland’s interception came on a broken route by Bell in the first USC offensive drive. Joyner fumbled in the second quarter after making a 13-yard reception. Vann was poised to score USC’s first touchdown but fumbled the ball just before the goal line. The Gamecocks also committed eight penalties for a loss of 55 yards.
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 3:43 PM.
