The No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks crushed the Wofford Terriers 56-12, winning their fifth game. Here are all the keys plays and takeaways from the game:
A Shaky Start
Heading into the game, Wofford knew their only chance was a scorching start to the game. The Terriers got exactly what they were looking for on the first play from scrimmage, as receiver Kyle Watkins ran a screen pass 66 yards down to the South Carolina 12-yard line. The Gamecocks defense stiffened from there to force a field goal, making the score 3-0 Terriers.
When Carolina’s offense took the field, it wasn’t long before they gave the ball right back. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw an interception three plays into the drive, setting the Terriers up with field position in plus territory.
Back on Track
South Carolina’s defense was able to calm things down by forcing a Wofford punt. The Gamecocks marched 90 yards in 17 plays and took up 8:47 off the clock. Rocket Sanders topped it off with an 11-yard rush to make the score 7-3.
The Gamecocks forced another punt, and got back into the end zone, this time a lot quicker. Receiver Dalevon Campbell started his second straight monster game with a 58-yard reception on the drive’s first play. Rocket Sanders rushed three straight times to get the ball to the 1 yard line, but Sellers was the one to score on the QB sneak. 14-3 South Carolina.
Three drives later, Wofford made this game interesting with a Dylan Djete 6-yard touchdown grab, closing the gap to 14-9. With 1:48 to play before half, it looked like an upset might be beginning to brew.
With frustration over a slow start building on the South Carolina bench and in the stands, the offense was tasked with going 68 yards in a two-minute-drill before the half ended. They showed dong so was no problem, taking only 1:01 over eight plays to reach the end zone. The drive was highlighted by two Campbell 20+ yard receptions and the first touchdown of the season for fourth-string tight end Maurice Brown II.
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That play made the score at halftime 21-9, South Carolina. That was the start of six straight touchdown drives (including all five second-half possessions) to close the game.
Second Half Dominance
The Gamecocks used the momentum from the first half and commanded all aspects of the second half. It all started with Nyck Harbor breaking free into the end zone for six.
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The Gamecocks followed that up with a touchdown reception from Gage Larvadain, breaking the score open to 35-9. This was Sellers’ last drive of the day.
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After Wofford added a field goal off a special teams turnover, the Gamecocks backups got to work. They picked up right where the starters left off, with a Robby Ashford quarterback-keeper touchdown run from five yards out.
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The touchdown party continued after a Terriers’ missed field goal led to an angry run from Jawarn Howell, who found the end zone to pad the lead.
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But arguably the most important touchdown of the night was the final one. It came from Bradley Dunn, a 5’8″ senior running back who was born and raised in Columbia, SC. The score was Dunn’s first collegiate touchdown, and it came in his last collegiate home game, on Senior Night. Entering the day, Dunn had only two carries for 10 yards on the season, and only seven carries at the college level. When he broke the plane, the entire sideline knew the significance of this and began to huddle up around him. His emotions were clear, and it was also clear this was a moment he’ll never forget. Here is the reaction:
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Final score: South Carolina 56, Wofford 12.
What We Learned
Way Too many Penalties
A 50-yard touchdown was called off the board for ineligible receiver downfield on Vershon Lee who had no reason to be six yards beyond the line of scrimmage. An interception returned all the way to the 21 yard-line was nullified for a roughing the passer penalty, on a late hit from Bryan Thomas Jr. Those are just two examples of careless penalties that South Carolina made Saturday evening. In total, they committed an abysmal eight penalties for 67 yards.
Terrible Special Teams
For a head coach so focused on special teams, you’d think the team wouldn’t have many problems dominating in that phase of the game against one of their worst opponents of the year. But South Carolina’s special teams play was horrible. Here is a list of some of the things that went wrong for the Gamecocks:
- Allowed a fake punt for a first down.
- Fumbled on a punt.
- False started prior to a punt, backing them up nearly to their own goal line.
- Allowed a fake field goal touchdown (which was called off the board for a false start).
Mistakes like these and the lack of discipline resulting in penalties need to be fixed prior to next week’s game against Clemson, or rivalry week could take a bad turn for the ‘Cocks.
Another Huge Week From Campbell
Campbell’s five receptions tied the team lead and his 120 yards led by far. His big-play ability has given the coaching staff a lot to think about when scheming for rivalry week and the post-season. In a year lacking a true WR1, Campbell has a chance to come steal that role as the season wraps up.
Sellers, Almost Perfect
After throwing an opening drive interception, LaNorris Sellers couldn’t be stopped. He finished the day with only four incompletions, going 23/27 for 307 yards (11.3 yards per completion) and three touchdowns. Sellers was also effective using his legs, with multiple well-executed quarterback draws. He did a great job extending plays and hitting receivers as he rolled out of the pocket. The QB also tallied 53 yards and a touchdown in the ground game.
Receivers Step Up
Without Joshua Simon, the team’s leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, other pass-catchers stepped up for USC. 12 different Carolina players recorded a reception and in total the group accumulated 343 yards and three touchdowns.
Running Away With It
South Carolina’s running game can be described by only one word: dominance. With five rushing touchdowns (all by different players) and an average of 5.8 yards per carry, the ground game was a huge reason the Gamecocks were able to dominate in time of possession and on the scoreboard.
A Tremendous Senior Day, For a Tremendous Senior Class
The leap this program has taken this year was all made possible by the best senior class of the Beamer era. Now that this class has wrapped up their final game at Williamas-Brice Stadium, they have plenty of reason to smile when looking back on this game and, more importantly, their senior season as a whole, so far.
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SEC Power-Houses Go Down
In addition to Carolina’s win, Gamecock nation got other great news regarding their playoff hopes from around college football on Saturday, with three conference rivals picking up their third losses. The Auburn Tigers upset No. 15 Texas A&M in 4 OTs, the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide got blown out by Oklahoma, 24-3, and the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels lost to Florida in the swamp. All of these teams falling to 8-3 leaves the back door ajar for South Carolina to possibly sneak in.
