South Carolina football: 2020 midseason awards
By Jacob Elsey
Handing out midyear awards for South Carolina football.
The South Carolina football team has experienced some ups and downs so far in 2020, having pulled off a huge win against No. 15 Auburn, losing a nail biter to Tennessee, running roughshod over Vanderbilt, and being blown out by LSU.
As it stands, the Gamecocks sit at 2-3 half way through the 2020 season, right where most experts pegged the program to be at this point. There have been surprises at a number of spots, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has made a significant impact.
Through five games, South Carolina has the SEC’s second leading rusher and the third leading pass catcher.
On defense, the Gamecocks have the conference’s leading tackler and leading sack getter, but they’ve also struggled at times with consistency. The group has room for improvement, but the talent is certainly there. If the defense can clean a few things up, they’ll be able to keep the Gamecocks in every game from here on out.
With the Gamecocks off this week, let’s take some time to look at South Carolina’s most impactful players to date, as we hand out the 2020 midseason awards.
OFFENSE
The South Carolina offense currently ranks 10th in the conference, averaging 378.6 yards a contest. Collin Hill has come in and done a nice job of managing the game, and the Gamecocks’ run game has made a huge leap, moving up from 10th to 7th in the SEC. While the numbers may not jump off the table, there is visible improvement, which provides hope for the future.
Team MVP
Harris is currently ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in rushing, running for 107 yards a game. His eight touchdowns on the ground also rank second in the league, behind only Alabama’s Najee Harris.
Harris has easily been the most impactful player on the offense, producing three 100-yard performances through five games. That number would be four, had a 75-yard touchdown run versus Auburn not been wiped out by a phantom holding call.
Harris has also posted 99 yards and another touchdown as a receiver, and is on pace to be South Carolina’s first 1,000 yard rusher since Mike Davis back in 2013. Pretty impressive with the Gamecocks only playing a 10-game, all-conference schedule.
Most Improved
Smith has been the Gamecocks’ only real weapon at wideout. So far, he ranks third in the league in catches with 36, and eighth in yardage. He’s accounted for nearly 40% of the production in the passing game, and he’s caught three of Collin Hill’s five touchdown throws.
Smith has always been a solid contributor for the Gamecocks, with 1,986 career receiving yards, but this year he’s made the leap to being the go-to target.
On pace for over 800 yards and six touchdowns, he’s having his best season in a South Carolina uniform.
Best Newcomer
Hill came to South Carolina as a graduate transfer, and won the starting quarterback job in the offseason. He’s done a great job guiding the offense, with the Gamecocks averaging 29.2 points a contest. That’s a touchdown more than the team averaged last season, when they finished 104th in the nation in scoring.
Hill is on pace for over 2,000 passing yards on the season, and should really be able to take the team to the next level if the Gamecocks can cut down on dropped passes and find a reliable receiving option outside of Shi Smith.