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[taylorjefferson]

South Carolina Season Recap

With the Gamecocks regular season coming to a close, there is a lot to be proud of. While the loss to Missouri and the blowout loss to Florida were among the hiccups in this South Carolina's up-and-down football season, the Gamecocks closed it out in historic fashion. It was the first time in program history that the Gamecocks defeated two top-ten teams in a row. South Carolina finished the season at 8-4 and 4-4 in SEC play, finishing third in the SEC East behind Georgia and Tennessee. While there were certainly games the program would like to have back, Shane Beamer led the Gamecocks to a great season in just his second year. The three top 15 wins against Kentucky, Tennessee, and Clemson are huge for the program's momentum and recruiting over the next few years. With what looks to be a top 15 2023 recruiting class, the Gamecocks future is bright.

Sunday 11/27 7:51pm

[taylorjefferson]

South Carolina Win Over Clemson Recap

The South Carolina Gamecocks defeated Clemson 31-30 for the first time since 2013 and broke Clemson's 40 game home win streak. An early Rattler pick 6 and another interception thrown in the end zone did not deter him from having another great game. Rattler threw for 360 yards, two touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown on top of that. His primary target, Juice Wells, caught for 131 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winning first down conversion. The South Carolina defense and special teams also had a great performance, forcing three total turnovers to help the team regain momentum. This win cemented an 8-4 regular season for South Carolina, with two program changing wins to close out the year. While bowl game announcements won't come out for some time, this win ensured the Gamecocks into a big bowl game.

Sunday 11/27 7:38pm

[taylorjefferson]

Looking Ahead at South Carolina vs. Clemson

The South Carolina Gamecocks travel to Clemson to face off against the No. 7 Tigers at noon. While South Carolina is coming off a huge win, they will need some more magic to beat the Tigers. Clemson heads into the game at 10-1. However, they lost by three scores to Notre Dame only two weeks ago and have played plenty of close games throughout the season. While Clemson is a bit vulnerable, they still have plenty weapons on both sides of the ball. At running back, Will Shipley, has almost rushed for 1,000 yards this season along with 13 touchdowns. To complement that, their defense only allows 20 points per game. For another Gamecock win, both sides of the ball will need to be clicking along with another great effort from the coaching staff.

11/20/22 7:14pm

[taylorjefferson]

South Carolina Pulls Off Huge Win Against Tennessee

What a game for South Carolina! The Gamecocks offense was firing on all cylinders in last nights upset win against No. 5 Tennessee. Spencer Rattler threw for 438 yards and 6 touchdowns without throwing an interception. He even had a reception for 15 yards. The South Carolina offense was extremely versatile as well. Jaheim Bell was the leading rusher with 82 yards on the ground, and he also had 39 yards receiving along with 2 touchdowns. The South Carolina defense also had a solid performance considering the weapons Tennessee has on their offense. Cam Smith held Jalin Hyatt to only 65 yards receiving and no touchdowns. The gamecocks also forced a turnover as Jordan Burch recovered Hendon Hooker's fumble.

11/20/22 6:55pm

[taylorjefferson]

South Carolina vs. Tennessee Outlook

The Gamecocks are set to host their final home game of the season at 7pm against Tennessee. Tennessee comes into this game 9-1 on the season with their lone loss being at Georgia. Tennessee averages over 47 points per game. So, in order to win this game, the Gamecocks will need to put up a lot of points. In addition, South Carolina will need to try and limit the Tennessee offense as much as possible. With Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt being some of the best players in college football, this will be a tall task for the Gamecock defense. With all of this being said, South Carolina will probably need a little bit extra luck in order to pull this one off.

Sunday 11/13 5:21pm

[taylorjefferson]

Tough Loss on the Road Against Florida

It was another poor performance for the Gamecocks - this time on both sides of the ball. Offensively, South Carolina couldn't get anything going. The lone gamecocks touchdown came on a fake punt 48 yard touchdown throw to Dakereon Joyner. Defensively, South Carolina got off to a rough start, allowing 21 points in the first quarter. In particular, the South Carolina run defense was really weak. As a team, Florida rushed for 374 yards and 3 touchdowns. In comparison, South Carolina only rushed for 44 yards and without a touchdown. Next week, the Gamecocks come back to Williams-Brice Stadium to face Tennessee in a very tough matchup.

Sunday 11/13/2022 4:30pm

[taylorjefferson]

USC at Florida Outlook

This week is an interesting matchup for the Gamecocks as they face the Florida Gators. The South Carolina defense will need to adapt to the Gator's quarterback, Anthony Richardson, because of his ability to run. The Gamecocks will also need to continue their offensive prowess if they want any chance to win this game. Both teams are coming off of wins and this game has big implications for both teams. For the Florida Gators, winning this game means they are bowl eligible with two games still left to play. And for the South Carolina Gamecocks, winning this game would be big to get to 7 wins before having two very tough games against Tennessee and Clemson to finish off the regular season.

Sunday 11/6 8:13pm

[taylorjefferson]

USC vs. Vanderbilt Recap

The Gamecocks picked up a nice road win against the Commodores thanks to a solid offensive effort. The Gamecocks utilized much more of their weapons this week. Jaheim Bell, who had been under utilized, was a major factor in this weeks win. He was the leading rusher for the gamecocks with 56 yards on the ground and had another 27 yards receiving on 3 catches. South Carolina also added Dakereon Joyner to the offense this week throwing 3 completions for 82 yards, including 1 touchdown. With this win, the Gamecocks are now bowl eligible and will need to clean up some things on defense next week to pick up the win in Gainesville.

Sunday 11/6 7:54pm

[taylorjefferson]

USC vs Vanderbilt Looking Ahead

The Gamecocks take on 3-5 Vanderbilt on the road in a must win matchup for the Gamecocks. The Cocks haven’t lost to the Commodores in their last 13 appearances, and are favored again this week by a little more than a touchdown. While South Carolina is the favorite this week, the Commodores are coming off a bye week and trending nicely this season. I expect to see Marshawn Lloyd return to form and have another big week this week. I think South Carolina will win this game and get a bowl bid, but it is important not to overlook this year’s Commodores. 

Sunday 10/30 11:35pm

[taylorjefferson]

South Carolina comes up short against Missouri

The South Carolina Gamecocks struggled to create offense the entire game. Rattler’s lone rushing touchdown to end the half was pretty much the extent of the gamecock’s offensive effort. However, Rattler’s struggles continued this week as he had a fumble and an interception, while not throwing for a touchdown. The tigers were also able to maintain Marshawn Lloyd on the ground and only allowed the gamecocks to get a total of 32 rushing yards. On the other hand, the Tigers utilized the run and picked up 143 rushing yards as a team. Brady Cook also had a solid game at quarterback, throwing for a total of 224 yards. The Gamecocks came up short 10-23 against the Tigers. While the Gamecocks struggled this week, they play on the road at Vanderbilt next week in hopes of securing a bowl bid.

Sunday 10/30 8:22pm

[taylorjefferson]

South Carolina Week 9 vs Missouri

This game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Missouri Tigers has many implications on standings in the SEC East and a win would give South Carolina a bowl berth. While South Carolina has won four straight and opened up as 6 point favorites versus the Tigers, this will be no gimme for the gamecocks. Both quarterbacks have had subpar seasons and both offenses will likely lean pretty heavily into their run games. South Carolina does have the advantage on the ground though led by Marshawn Lloyd, who has already notched 9 rushing touchdowns and over 500 yards on the ground. I do see the gamecocks picking up the win at home and moving to 6-2 on the season and likely jumping a few more spots in the rankings. 

[taylorjefferson]

Gamecocks Football Week 8 Takeaways

While the offensive effort and performance by Spencer Rattler was subpar, the gamecocks handled business against Texas A&M. South Carolina was propelled by their quick start thanks to their defense and special teams unit. The opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown by Xavier Legette. Shortly thereafter, the South Carolina defense made an interception that was returned to the five yard line and resulted in a field goal putting the Gamecocks ahead 10-0. Again, the gamecocks defense forced another quick turnover on the next drive. This time, however, the gamecocks were able to convert and score a touchdown giving them a 17-0 advantage only five minutes into the game. From there, the gamecocks scoring streak slowed down, but they were able to hold on for the 30-24 win. This win placed them into the top 25 in the AP rankings for the first time in awhile. The Gamecocks will face Missouri next Saturday at home.