South Carolina is now 2-0 on the season after taking down East Carolina on the road by a score of 20-17. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Gamecocks got the job done. Shane Beamer’s bunch will need to play much better on Saturday to possibly upset the Georgia Bulldogs, but there were a few sensational stats to take away from the victory over the Pirates.
The defense played lights out for a second straight week, allowing just 268 total yards. Nearly a third of that yardage came on the game’s opening play, with the Pirates using trickery to score a 75-yard touchdown on an end around pass. With the performance, the Gamecocks now rank fourth in the nation in total defense.
That same defense has been able to score twice already this year, with Damani Staley returning an interception last week for a touchdown right before halftime to get the Gamecocks on the board. That score was the team’s first of the game, and it began a 20-3 run that South Carolina used to earn a come from behind win.
On offense, things were stagnant for most of the game, though we did see a breakout performance from wide receiver Josh Vann. The senior totaled his first career 100-yard game, and has emerged as the Gamecocks’ top receiving threat. Had it not been for two very questionable calls on booth reviews, he would’ve hauled in touchdown receptions three and four on the year.
Josh Vann laughing when asked whether he thought he caught that TD that was overturned:
— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) September 11, 2021
"Definitely. I don't know what the ref saw."
Let’s take a look at a few key statistics that helped South Carolina get out of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium with a win over the Pirates this past weekend.