The 3-2-1: Three key plays, two game balls, one burning question from South Carolina's win over Kentucky
Three Key Plays
Loss of four
On its first two drives, Kentucky had a handful of positive plays but couldn’t string anything together. The second play of the third drive was a big 32-yard completion to get into South Carolina territory. But O’Donnell Fortune blew up the next play for a loss of four. The next two plays were sacks and Kentucky punted. The next possession began with another sack, followed by a keeper for a loss of a yard. A throwaway under pressure finally ended the streak of five straight negative plays, but the Gamecock defense had set the tone for the rest of the game.
32-yard catch
The sputtering Gamecock offense had been unable to handle the Kentucky blitz. The protection wasn’t holding up and LaNorris Sellers wasn’t recognizing blitzers even though they were coming from the front side. He finally saw it, avoided the sack, and rolled left. Sellers found Mazeo Bennet, who had broken upfield when Sellers left the pocket, and hit him for a 32-yard gain. It was the Gamecocks’ longest play of the game up to that point, and on the next play Sellers hit Joshua Simon for a touchdown. South Carolina didn’t turn into an offensive juggernaut after this play, but it became solid enough to win comfortably.
Pick Six
South Carolina had come close to forcing a big defensive play all game – there was a muffed punt, two forced fumbles, and two dropped interceptions – but had yet to capitalize. The Gamecocks finally got one to start the fourth quarter. Brock Vandagriff made a bad throw into coverage and Nick Emmawori picked it off. He returned the interception 24 yards for the decisive touchdown.
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Two Game Balls
Dylan Stewart
The entire defensive front should share this game ball. Everyone chipped in, but if I have to pick one player it’s Stewart. In just the second game of his career, Stewart is already drawing triple teams. That opens up a lot of opportunities for his teammates and limits what the offense can run. By the way, the one quarterback hurry Stewart was credited with came despite being triple-teamed, so maybe quadruple teams?
LaNorris Sellers
Everyone knew Sellers needed to play much better than he did against Old Dominion, including Sellers. On the road against a salty Kentucky defense was a tough enough environment, and then Sellers missed most of the second quarter with an injury. He returned to the game only to throw an interception that set up a Kentucky field goal right before halftime. Sellers regrouped at halftime and played well in the second half. He didn’t have to be great, just avoid mistakes and make a few plays when he had the opportunity. That’s what Sellers did, and hopefully he can build on this game going forward.
One Burning Question
How far can South Carolina ride its defense?
South Carolina made significant strides offensively on Saturday, but it is clear that things are still a work in progress on that side of the ball. But for the second week in a row, the defense was lights out. Kentucky managed just 183 total yards, and 79 came in the fourth quarter after South Carolina had pulled some of its starters. Some of Kentucky’s issues were self-inflicted and future offenses (like LSU next week) will be much tougher, but the Gamecock defense is going to keep South Carolina in most games. Will it be enough to get into the win column?
