The 3-2-1: Three key plays, two game balls, and one burning question from South Carolina's lopsided win over Wofford
Three Key Plays
- 3rd down conversions early
South Carolina didn’t come out sharp against Wofford. The Gamecocks gave up a 63-yard completion, and LaNorris Sellers threw a pick. However, after the defense stiffened, the offense responded with a 90-yard scoring drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock.
The Gamecocks converted four separate 3rd downs on the drive, two of them by mere inches. With how rough the opening few minutes of the game were for South Carolina, the long scoring drive helped settle things down. USC led 7-3 after the drive. - Moe Brown touchdown
It’s an indictment of how the 1st half went to say that the Gamecocks’ third touchdown was important. The Gamecocks surrendered a late touchdown that reduced their lead to 14-9. It took a quick score to give USC a bigger lead, and Maurice Brown II was the man who found the end zone.
After a couple of big gains from Dalevon Campbell (who had a great 1st half), Brown caught a 1-yard pass in the flat for his first career touchdown. 21-9 made things feel a lot better than 14-9 would have. - Bryan Thomas, Jr. sack
Wofford’s last-ditch effort to make things competitive came at the start of the 4th quarter as they trailed 28-9. As the Terriers had the ball inside the Gamecock 20 at the start of the final frame, Thomas picked up a 3rd-down sack that kept Wofford to a field goal. A comeback wasn’t likely, but without a touchdown, it became (essentially) impossible.
Then, the Gamecock offense answered with a touchdown to put the game far out of reach.
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Two Game Balls
- Dalevon Campbell
After not playing much during the first nine games of the season, Dalevon Campbell played hero against Missouri. The big wideout caught two long passes that helped the Gamecocks win the wild contest.
On Senior Day against Wofford, he showed much of the same big-play ability. In the first half, he logged 106 yards on just three catches. (He would have had a touchdown and close to 150 yards, but a penalty canceled another big play.) After the intermission, he added another pair of catches. However, most players in the rotation (including Campbell) didn’t play much late. He finished the game with five catches for 120 yards. - LaNorris Sellers
Despite coming out of the game before the 3rd quarter was over, redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a great game. He made a bad decision early that resulted in an interception but was nearly flawless after that. Following up his 5-touchdown performance against Missouri, Sellers threw for three scores and rushed for another against Wofford.
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One Burning Question
Will South Carolina play up to its potential against the rival Clemson Tigers?
Shane Beamer’s team has played some of its best football in the second half of the season. However, there have been lulls. Most recently, parts of the Missouri 2nd half and Wofford 1st half have been less-than-stellar. Can the Gamecocks play up to their capability next Saturday in the Palmetto Bowl? They will need to do so to pick up the win.
South Carolina finishes up the regular season next week with a road trip to the Upstate. The Gamecocks and rival Clemson Tigers will play at noon on ESPN.
