South Carolina football: 3-2-1 - Gator Bowl
Three Key Plays
75-yard touchdown
South Carolina led 24-10 and was clicking in all three phases. Notre Dame was scuffling offensively and Tyler Buchner had been very shaky, with a pick-six already.
Everything changed when Buchner dropped off a pass to Logan Diggs in the right flat. There were no Gamecocks anywhere close, and Diggs wasn’t touched until he crossed the goalline 75 yards later. It was the first of two one-play touchdown drives by the Irish, and it got them back into the game.
Blindside Block
South Carolina had a chance to add points before halftime when it forced a Notre Dame punt with 1:35 left. South Carolina should have gotten the ball around midfield, but Dakereon Joyner was flagged for a blindside block. Shane Beamer was upset with the flag, and drew an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The two flags backed South Carolina up 30 yards, and instead of good starting field position the Gamecocks were backed up to their own 20. They got no points out of the drive, and Notre Dame tied the game early in the third quarter.
101 yards
Officially it was 100 yards, but we know O’Donnell Fortune was a yard deep in the end zone when he picked off Buchner and returned it for a touchdown.
South Carolina’s defense was on its heels, worn out and unable to stop Notre Dame’s rushing attack. Inexplicably, Notre Dame called a pass from the seven-yard line, and Fortune gave the Gamecocks a second life.
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Two Game Balls
Xavier Legette
Legette had the best game of his career. He caught seven passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The second touchdown catch was as impressive of a grab as you’ll ever see. He also had two kick returns for 64 yards, and would have had more if not for a penalty behind the play.
Sherrod Greene
Greene seemed to be everywhere. He had 11 tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. He faded in the fourth quarter, like the rest of the defense, but for the first three quarters Greene terrorized the Irish.
One Burning Question
Does the loss make the season a disappointment?
A win certainly would have been an exclamation point on the season. But South Carolina still had wins over top ten Tennessee and Clemson to end the season. It still had eight wins.
The Gamecocks were without their offensive coordinator (inset your comment here) and without 20 players. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they faded in the fourth quarter. This wasn’t a no-show like the Missouri or Florida games. They showed up, they played hard, and they lost a classic game to a top-25 team. There’s enough to build on going into next season.
