South Carolina football: five takeaways from win over Auburn

The South Carolina football team took down No. 15 Auburn in its week 4 matchup.

The Gamecocks pulled off their first upset of the year, taking down Auburn by a score of 30-22 on Saturday. The win was the second straight for South Carolina, who suddenly has turned its season around and provided a bit of hope for the fanbase.

South Carolina used some timely turnovers and a few redzone stops to pull the upset, as Jaycee Horn had a career day from his cornerback position. Horn shut down the Tigers’ top target in receiver Seth Williams, and also recorded the first two interceptions of his career.

Kevin Harris, again, was productive. Shi Smith shouldered the load at wideout. Collin Hill made enough plays to keep the offense moving as the Gamecocks battled back from an early 9-0 deficit.

Looking back on the win, let’s take a peek at five takeaways from week four.

1. Jaycee Horn is elite

Horn picked off Auburn quarterback Bo Nix on two occasions, returning one for 34 yards and a near score. He also deflected a pass just before the half that was intercepted by safety Jaylin Dickerson. The Gamecocks cashed in touchdowns on all three picks, outscoring the Tigers 21-0 following turnovers.

But the interceptions weren’t the only things that showed off Horn’s elite abilities. The junior effectively shut down the Tigers’ top wideout Seth Williams, holding the talented pass catcher to just four catches on his 13 total targets. The frustration boiled over in the second half as Williams and Nix got into it on the sidelines.

Statistically speaking, it was the best game of Horn’s career, but much of that is due to the fact that he’s rarely targeted on a consistent basis. Auburn tried and failed. We’ll see if future Gamecock opponents will try to do the same.