Rough road trip: South Carolina defense hobbled as Arkansas wins SEC opener
There was a recurring image Saturday afternoon — one that brought no joy to the South Carolina sideline. Seemingly every few minutes, a Gamecocks defender found himself down on the grass, circled by athletic trainers and coaches, grimacing in pain.
Head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks already knew they’d be short-handed defensively at No. 16 Arkansas. But in Saturday’s Southeastern Conference opener, Razorback Stadium felt more like a battlefield than a football field.
Led by quarterback K.J. Jefferson and tailback Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, the electric Hogs (2-0, 1-0 SEC) torched USC’s banged-up defense, putting up 295 yards on the ground en route to a 44-30 win.
The Gamecocks (1-1, 0-1) came into the game without veteran defensive back R.J. Roderick — who injured his right arm in Week 1’s win over Georgia State. Fellow defensive back David Spaulding also didn’t travel due to a lower leg injury. Both losses were significant, but they’d only continue to mount throughout the game.
At various points of the contest, USC defensive lineman Alex Huntley and Jordan Strachan, linebacker Mo Kaba and defensive backs Darius Rush and Cam Smith all suffered injuries. Smith — one of USC’s top NFL prospects — struggled to walk to the locker room with a towel over his head just before halftime, according to the ESPN broadcast.
Huntley and Rush both returned to the game, and Beamer said he expects Smith to “be fine.” But the coach said it “doesn’t look good” for Strachan and Kaba.
Led by the explosive tailback Sanders and a stout offensive line, Arkansas gashed USC on the ground from the very beginning, and USC’s defensive injuries only opened more holes. Sanders ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts, while Jefferson added 67 yards on 19 carries and a rushing touchdown as part of a vicious running attack. The quarterback added 162 passing yards and a touchdown throw on 18-of-21 passing.
Even with a hobbled defense and a near-unstoppable Arkansas running attack, the Gamecocks had moments where they seemed on the verge of a comeback.
In one of Arkansas’ few mistakes, receiver Matt Landers dropped a wide-open deep shot in the first drive of the second half, forcing the Hogs to punt and giving quarterback Spencer Rattler and the USC offense a sliver of momentum.
Rattler took advantage, finding transfer wide receiver Antwane Wells in space, who then used his speed to race for a 62-yard touchdown. With the touchdown, USC trailed by just five points. On the very next drive, defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway forced a stop on fourth-and-2 at USC’s 18-yard-line, giving the Gamecocks a prime opportunity to take a late lead.
But USC couldn’t find the right formula on the offensive end, going three-and-out on the subsequent drive as the Razorbacks wrestled back control of the game. A fourth-quarter fumble by running back MarShawn Lloyd on a short pass and in interception by Rattler in the end zone helped fuel the Arkansas attack.
Rattler finished the game with 371 passing yards and one touchdown, completing 61% of his passes (23 for 38) in an uneven effort. The emergence of Wells at receiver was one of the few offensive bright spots for USC. The junior transfer from James Madison made eight catches for a game-high 185 yards.
Much like Week 1, USC’s offensive line struggled to open running lanes with USC rushing for just 40 yards on 29 carries. Rattler was sacked six times behind that line.
Next USC football game
Who: USC vs. Georgia
When: Noon Saturday, Sept. 17
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia
Watch: ESPN
USC Arkansas box score, stats
First Quarter
ARK—R.Sanders 1 run (Little kick), 6:42.
SCAR—FG Jeter 28, 3:32.
Second Quarter
ARK—R.Sanders 11 run (Little kick), 14:28.
ARK—Dubinion 1 run (Little kick), 8:13.
SCAR—Lloyd 7 run (kick failed), 2:56.
Third Quarter
SCAR—A.Wells 62 pass from Rattler (Jeter kick), 8:51.
Fourth Quarter
ARK—Jefferson 2 run (Little kick), 14:55.
ARK—W.Thompson 23 pass from Jefferson (Little kick), 12:09.
SCAR—McDowell 1 run (Ah.Brown pass from Rattler), 6:25.
ARK—Green 1 run (Little kick), 6:00.
SCAR—Bell 1 run (pass failed), 3:21.
ARK—safety, :59.
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING—South Carolina, McDowell 6-36, Lloyd 6-19, Bell 4-5, Rattler 13-(minus 19). Arkansas, R.Sanders 24-156, Jefferson 19-67, Green 9-43, Dubinion 8-15, Hornsby 1-8, Landers 1-6, Haselwood 2-5, (Team) 1-(minus 4).
PASSING—South Carolina, Rattler 24-39-1-370. Arkansas, Jefferson 17-20-0-156, (Team) 1-1-0-6.
RECEIVING—South Carolina, Wells 8-189, Lloyd 6-72, Stogner 4-30, McDowell 3-32, Brooks 2-29, Brown 1-18. Arkansas, Haselwood 5-30, Landers 4-45, W.Thompson 3-36, R.Sanders 3-30, Hornsby 1-9, K.Jackson 1-7, Knox 1-5.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Arkansas, Little 50.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 3:52 PM.
