Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina vs. Florida
Here’s a look at went wrong and right for the South Carolina football team in its 40-17 win over Florida in Columbia.
South Carolina thumbs up
Jason Brown: Typically when injuries force an already inconsistent offense to turn to its third-string quarterback, the results aren’t pretty. Brown, the senior transfer from FCS school St. Francis, bucked that trend. In fact, with Brown under center, the USC offense was at its most potent and explosive since its Week 1 46-0 trouncing of Eastern Illinois. Brown connected with receiver Josh Vann on a drive-opening 16-yard flea flicker pass and continued to connect on big plays, with five passes of 15 or more yards in the first half alone. Smooth and efficient, Brown helped guide the USC offense to sizable 20-point lead by halftime. He finished with 175 aerial yards on 14-of-24 passing with two touchdowns.
The USC running game: Whatever adjustments offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and the Gamecocks made during the bye week seemed to work to perfection, as the Gamecocks out-gained Florida on the ground 147-18 in the first half and rushed for nearly 300 yards on the game. Starter ZaQuandre White and fellow veteran Kevin Harris averaged roughly 10 yards per carry early on, with White breaking off a 54-yard run and Harris running for a season-high 39 yards on two first-half scoring drives. MarShawn Lloyd added a third explosive run in the second half with a 40-yard sprint. In all the Gamecocks rushed for 284 yards. Harris finished with a team-high 128 yards on 16 carries; White finished with 111 and on 13 totes.
Josh Vann: The senior Vann established himself as USC’s alpha wide receiver in the opening weeks of the season, but after posting 128 yards at Georgia in Week 3, opposing teams have held the “X” receiver under 50 yards each of the last five games. Vann snapped back into form against Florida, breaking the century mark in receiving by halftime (113 yards on six catches). In the second quarter, Vann made a highlight-reel 50-yard catch down the left sideline, then capped off the drive with a 24-yard touchdown catch in the end zone. Vann finished with 111 receiving yards.
Third-down defense: Though the USC defense allowed a handful of big passing plays, it held tough in crucial moments and especially on third down, allowing Florida to convert just three times on its 10 third-down attempts and keeping quarterback Emory Jones mostly in check.
South Carolina thumbs down
Explosive plays: It’s hard to quibble with such a decisive win, but one area where the USC defense struggled early in the contest was with limiting big plays. Jones connected on a 61-yard and a 50-yard pass in the first quarter when the game appeared to have the makings of a shootout. But Clayton White’s defense tightened up quickly.
Finishing in the end zone: Again, this is nitpicky given the final score, but the Gamecocks settled for field goals on four trips to the red zone. In a dominant effort, there’s not much negative to point to.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 10:48 PM.
