South Carolina Football: Ranking the top plays in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s No. 9 Greatest Play of All-Time:
“Brandon Bennett over the Top” vs. Georgia
The Situation: South Carolina football was on the road in Athens in 1993 against a superior Georgia Bulldogs team. With under 30 seconds remaining and trailing by five, Steve Taneyhill handed the ball to Bennett who was tackled trying to leap over the line for the score. As the clock ticked down to almost nothing, the Gamecocks had time for one more play.
Impressiveness: Overall, while this is an athletic play, it will rank lower than most on this list in terms of pure impressiveness. However, to fail at the first attempt, rush back to the line, and try (successfully) the same thing again? That adds to this moment.
Impact: Being that this play was the ultimate decider between which team won the game and which team lost the game, “Bennett over the Top” has to be one of the most impactful plays on this list. The Gamecocks were not a great team in 1993, and Sparky Woods went on to get fired after the season, but the win gave the team some needed confidence for the ’94 campaign in which the Gamecocks won their first-ever bowl game.
Improbability: It is not often that a team will run a play, have that play fail, and then, with just enough time for one more play, try the same play again. However, that’s exactly what happened that day. Bennett gave the ‘Cocks just the program’s 10th-ever victory over the ‘Dawgs in 1993, making the play that much more improbable.