Thumbs up, thumbs down from South Carolina’s big win over Texas A&M
Here’s a look at what went right (and wrong) the South Carolina football team in Saturday night’s 30-24 win over Texas A&M.
USC thumbs up
Special teams: Beamer Ball remains in full force. Under Shane Beamer and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo, the Gamecocks have developed a reputation for producing game-changing plays in an often underlooked phase of the game. The Gamecocks started from the very beginning on Saturday night, with return man and wide receiver Xavier Legette taking the opening kickoff 100 yards to the end zone to open the game. It was the second-longest kickoff return in USC history, behind legend Sterling Sharpe’s 104-yard return in 1985. Beyond the kickoff return, USC punter Kai Kroger pinned the Aggies consistently deep, averaging 49 yards on six punts.
Defensive effort: USC coordinator Clayton White had his defense humming for most of the night, setting the tone early by forcing turnovers on Texas A&M’s first two drives. Defensive back Darius Rush intercepted Haynes King to set up a scoring drive, then A&M fumbled on the second drive of the game. Throughout the contest, USC’s defense consistently stood strong in the red zone and on third downs, forcing the Aggies to settle for two field goals in the first half as they tried to climb back into the game.
MarShawn Lloyd: Coming into the contest, USC’s starting tailback led the Gamecocks with nine total touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the team’s go-to playmakers. Curiously, Lloyd had just three carries in the first half — for 28 yards — as the USC offense sputtered to get drives going. But the Gamecocks seemed to make a more concerted effort to get Lloyd the ball in the second half, and he responded with his 10th and 11th touchdowns of the year on an 18-yard scamper to the end zone.
USC thumbs down
Spencer Rattler: Essentially gifted a 17-0 lead to start the contest thanks to Legette’s kickoff return for a touchdown and two turnovers, Rattler never seemed to find his groove for the Gamecocks. He completed roughly half his passes, and though he connected on 20-plus-yard strikes to Antwane Wells, Austin Stogner and Josh Vann, the Gamecocks couldn’t string big plays together. A fumble by Rattler at the end of the third quarter proved costly as the Aggies turned the short field into a touchdown.
Gamecocks pass catchers: Rattler didn’t get help from his receivers in key moments. In the first half, he fired a rocket to Jalen Brooks streaking down the middle of the field, and though Brooks put his hands on the ball in the end zone, he dropped the ball as he was falling backward, landing awkwardly and leaving the game briefly due to injury. Tight end Jaheim Bell also dropped a ball on a potential first-down play, and as a whole, no USC receiver was able to separate himself from the pack. Tight end Austin Stogner paced USC in receiving.
First-half offense: Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has drawn flack from fans for his offensive play calling this season, and the first half was especially sluggish for the Gamecocks on Saturday with just 98 yards of offense. Strangely, Lloyd got just three first-half carries, and all 17 of USC’s points came in the game’s first three minutes — in large part thanks to USC’s special teams and defensive efforts.
This story was originally published October 22, 2022 at 11:28 PM.
