South Carolina Football: Report card vs. Kentucky Wildcats

Stop if you’ve heard this one before: Spencer Rattler was good again on Saturday. As has happened multiple times this season, he was limited at times with what he could do because of poor offensive line play, but Rattler went 19-27 for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns to Xavier Legette. He held onto the ball for too long, both when taking sacks in the pocket and as a scrambler, but he also picked up some needed yardage with his legs. Freshman LaNorris Sellers got a few carries, including a 1st down conversion in the 1st quarter. A good day for the quarterback position was needed as the Gamecocks couldn’t get anything going in the ground game.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. QUARTERBACK PLAY. B+

South Carolina Gamecocks. RUNNING BACKS. B-. The Gamecocks still can’t run the ball. The offensive line hurts the efforts on the ground, but a few Mario Anderson carries could have been bounced out for a bigger gain, as well. Anderson had a drop as a pass-catcher, as well. However, both Anderson and freshman Djay Braswell had nice days as pass protectors, including a huge Braswell block on the touchdown from Rattler to Legette that ultimately was the game-winner..

South Carolina Gamecocks. PASS CATCHERS. A-. The Carolina wide receivers and tight ends did a great job on Saturday night. If Spencer Rattler would have been given more time to throw, their numbers would have been better, but even still, Xavier Legette put up 94 yards and 2 scores while Trey Knox and Ahmarean Brown combined for 8 catches, including several 1st down conversions. Nyck Harbor and Josh Simon each had a catch, Harbor’s on a big 3rd down early in the game. Perimeter blocking was pretty good from this unit against Kentucky, as well..

C-. There isn’t much to say about the USC offensive line that hasn’t already been said. They are a banged-up group as they have been all year, but the guys on the field didn’t play their best football, either. Pass protection was worse than the 2-sacks-allowed number might indicate, and Carolina got very little push in the run game. However, the big uglies up front had some of their best moments in some of the game’s most critical situations, providing Rattler with enough time to pass on an impressive opening drive and getting just enough movement in the run game to earn a 1st down (and bleed some clock) on one of the later drives when the Gamecocks had the lead.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. OFFENSIVE LINE