The 3-2-1: Three key plays, two game balls, one burning question from South Carolina's win over Akron
Three Key Plays
1. Fourth down conversion
South Carolina’s second possession bogged down at the Akron five. Shane Beamer kept the offense on the field on fourth and two. Michael Smith ran a short out and Robby Ashford fired a pass to him in the flat. It only gained three yards, but it accomplished a lot. South Carolina scored a touchdown on the next play, but it also showed that the Gamecocks could trust Ashford in the passing game.
2. Touchdown Akron
Nearly a quarter of the Zips’ total offense came on one play. Ben Finely threw a jump ball to Adrian Norton, and Judge Collier badly misplayed it. The ball went over his head, Norton made the catch, and Akron had a touchdown. For a while, it was enough to put a scare into the Gamecocks.
3. Robby Ashford puts the game away
South Carolina led 29-7 going into the fourth, and the game still felt a little dicey. Ashford took care of that with a 36-yard touchdown scamper. He faked the handoff, all the defenders followed the running back, and Ashford zipped around the left side for a 36-yard touchdown. That ended whatever remote hopes Akron had for a comeback and the Gamecocks pulled the starters.
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Two Game Balls
Robby Ashford
Ashford quietly put together a pretty impressive stat line: 15-21 for 243 yards, 16 rushes for 133 yards, and three total touchdowns. It wasn’t always the prettiest game for Ashford, but he was plenty effective and avoided turnovers.
Dalevon Campbell
Campbell had a 27-yard reception to open the fourth quarter. That set up Ashford’s 36-yard touchdown run, but Campbell gets a game ball for chasing down a punt in the third quarter. He managed to knock the football out of bounds at the one instead of it bouncing into the end zone for a touchback. It may not have made a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, but hustle plays like that deserve to be recognized.
One Burning Question
Will LaNorris Sellers and/or Rocket Sanders be available in two weeks?
As effective as Robby Ashford was, he’s still a more limited version of Sellers, and Sanders might be South Carolina’s best player on offense. South Carolina has an off week for them to get healthy, which played into the decision to hold Sellers out. On the other hand, Sanders was limping badly on his injured left ankle and didn’t look capable of playing, although Shane Beamer said it doesn’t appear to be a long-term injury. It’s going to be a tough task against Ole Miss regardless, but it might be nearly hopeless without QB1 and RB1.
