South Carolina Football: What went right for the Gamecocks against UNC?
By Kevin Miller
It was a borderline disaster for the garnet and black, especially up front on both lines of scrimmage. Adding to the problem, injuries were a major storyline from the game, and several of the bumps and bruises are going to keep players out of the lineup for multiple weeks. With so much having gone wrong, what actually went right for the Gamecocks against UNC?
More than one might expect.
The positives have to start with the passing game connection between quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receiver Xavier Legette. Despite less than zero production from the running game (literally less than zero: the Gamecocks finished with -2 yards on the ground), the two seniors had great performances for the South Carolina football team.
The #7-#17 combination was elite, a tremendous accomplishment considering the pass protection woes experienced by the South Carolina offensive line. Rattler was sacked nine times but still managed to go a remarkable 30-39 passing for 353 yards (despite two drops), with 9 of those completions and 178 of those yards belonging to Legette.
Legette’s performance set a record for the most receiving yards in a South Carolina football season opener, and his 178 receiving yards led all of college football for the weekend.
On defense, the linebacker duo of Debo Williams and Stone Blanton had solid performances, tallying 24 total tackles between them. Blanton also forced an errant throw from Drake Maye that resulted in an O’Donnell Fortune interception.
The secondary didn’t have a great day in coverage (other than Marcellas Dial), but they tackled well. DQ Smith and Jalon Kilgore were among the team’s leaders in tackles, and O’Donnell Fortune had several strong stops, as well.
Placekicker Mitch Jeter was perfect on his kicks, and he had a perfectly executed onside kick and recovery to open the second half.
Gamecock fans are hoping to see these positives remain this Saturday when Furman travels to Columbia for the USC season opener (and, hopefully, have a few more to speak of, as well). Kickoff is set for 7:30 at Williams-Brice Stadium on the SECNetwork+.
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