Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina falls to Arkansas in SEC opener
South Carolina struggled throughout in its 44-30 loss to No. 16 Arkansas, but there were some positives from the game.
Here’s what went right — and wrong — for the Gamecocks on Saturday.
SOUTH CAROLINA THUMBS UP
Marshawn Lloyd: Lloyd was a bright spot among the Gamecocks’ offensive players. He came up with crucial plays for USC, including a fourth-down conversion to extend its touchdown drive in the first half — a touchdown he scored out of the backfield — and a 43-yard catch and run earlier in the half. Lloyd ended the game with 84 total yards. He’s accounted for three of South Carolina’s five offensive touchdowns this year. Despite his fumble early in the fourth quarter, he gave a lift to the offensive unit.
Antwane Wells Jr.: Wells brought the Gamecocks back into the game after quarterback Spencer Rattler found him for a 62-yard touchdown. He ended the game with 185 receiving yards. He was South Carolina’s leader in catches for the second week in a row. His continued chemistry with Rattler is working in the passing game so far, which could help moving into next week’s Georgia game.
Jordan Burch: Burch made some important plays for the South Carolina defense on Saturday. He came away with 10 tackles and was the first Gamecock on a few of the team’s run stops. Burch made one of USC’s two sacks on KJ Jefferson as well. While the team struggled defensively throughout the game, his performance stood out among defenders.
Offensive players returning: Dakereon Joyner and Christian Beal-Smith returned to the lineup for the Gamecocks. Neither made big contributions on the stat sheet, but it improves the depth on that side of the ball. Both missed the season opener, so their availability down the line could help the struggling USC offense, especially with Corey Rucker missing another game Saturday.
SOUTH CAROLINA THUMBS DOWN
Rush defense: USC’s run defense struggled mightily against the Razorbacks. Arkansas came in with arguably the best rushing attack in the SEC, and their duo of Jefferson and Raheim Sanders proved why that was the case. Sanders picked up 156 of Arkansas’ 295 yards on the ground, including two touchdowns. Jefferson added 67 yards and a touchdown run of his own, as the Gamecocks struggled to find answers.
Defensive injury bug: The Gamecocks were plagued with injuries on Saturday, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Cam Smith, Darius Rush, Jordan Strachan, Alex Huntley and Mo Kaba all left the field at one point with injuries — Rush and Kaba leaving on the same play. Though some of them returned, losing key players on that side of the ball made it difficult on the Gamecocks to find consistency defensively.
Rattler’s accuracy: Rattler struggled with accuracy Saturday. He overthrew receivers multiple times on deep passing plays, and the offense struggled once again to move down the field. There were more plays that USC attempted to go vertical compared with last week, but Rattler couldn’t always connect with the receivers. He ended the game 23-of-38 passing for 371 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Special teams: Special teams play gave USC a big advantage over Georgia State, but that same success was not attained against Arkansas. The first punt of the game for USC was a 21-yard shank, setting up the Razorbacks with good field position. South Carolina also missed a PAT after scoring its first touchdown of the game. Toward the end of the game, the Gamecocks attempted an onside kick down 35-24, and the Razorbacks returned it 34 yards to the USC 9-yard line. Arkansas scored a touchdown a few plays later.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 4:06 PM.
