South Carolina Football: Ranking the top-15 offensive performances in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
Former South Carolina football greats Alshon Jeffery and Stephen Garcia at the Gamecocks’ 2012 Pro Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina Football’s No. 3 Greatest Offensive Performance of All-Time:
Stephen Garcia and Alshon Jeffery vs. Alabama
South Carolina football welcomed the Alabama Crimson Tide to Williams-Brice Stadium in 2010 with revenge on their minds. In ’09, Carolina played a close game with the ‘Tide but couldn’t score enough to win. The Gamecocks were determined to see their fortunes changed when ‘Bama made the return trip to Columbia. Change they did.
In front of a raucous crowd, Carolina dominated Nick Saban’s squad. The best performers on the day were quarterback Stephen Garcia and his favorite target, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Jeffery, after having a pretty good day in Tuscaloosa in 2009, could not be stopped in the Gamecock victory. He went off for 7 catches and 127 yards, including a ridiculous one-handed grab with All-American Dre Kirkpatrick hanging all over him. Jeffery found the end zone twice as one of many highlights of his 2010 campaign, a season that is still one of the best in SEC history.
The man who got Alshon the ball was Stephen Garcia. #5 was near perfect on this day as he went 17-20 for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t run for many yards (just 11), but he escaped pressure most of the day and picked up two critical first downs with his legs. All-in-all, as great as the #1-ranked Crimson Tide were, they had no answer for Jeffery and Garcia.