South Carolina football: five takeaways from win over Auburn

4. John Dixon has earned a starting role

Horn got the headlines after his big performance against the Tigers, but teammate John Dixon had a huge impact, too. Dixon was responsible for matching up three other Auburn receivers, including speedster Anthony Schwartz, Eli Stove, and Ze’vian Capers.

He fared well.

Dixon’s emergence could play a huge role in the Carolina secondary, allowing Will Muschamp to move corner/safety Israel Mukuamu all over the field. That could be huge this weekend as the Gamecocks will need someone to match up with athletic tight end Arik Gilbert in Baton Rouge.

5. Special teams finally settling in

Parker White has been a constant in the South Carolina special teams unit all season long, connecting on 6-of-his-7 field goals, and all 14 of his extra points. His only miss thus far has been a 50+ yarder in rainy conditions against Vanderbilt in week three.

But outside of White, the special teams group has struggled. Over the first few weeks of the year, the Gamecocks had muffed a punt to set up a potential winning drive, dropped a kickoff that gave the offense terrible field position, and struggled to flip field position with a freshman punter.

Play has steadily improved, as the return issues seem to have been cured and Kai Kroeger’s punt average has increased with each week. In fact, Kroeger was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week by the SEC for his performance this past weekend.

The freshman from Illinois booted five kicks for an average of 48.4 yards. He drilled a long of 53 yards, and pinned Auburn inside their own 20-yard line on three occasions (twice inside the 10). Field position played a huge role in the Gamecocks’ win, and Kroeger’s ability to force the Tigers to drive the length of the field was one of the keys of the game.

South Carolina will gear up for a matchup with LSU next Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 7 PM start and will be aired on ESPN. The Gamecocks have opened as a 6.5 point underdog.