South Carolina Football Offseason Autopsy, Offensive Superlatives:
Offensive Top Team Performance
A few games belong in the conversation around the best performance from the Gamecock offense in 2023.
Games against Furman, Vanderbilt, and Jacksonville State won’t be considered because of the competition level (though, JSU almost won the Battle of the Gamecocks).
The matchups with the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Florida Gators were the top contenders for this superlative, but the Gator game takes the cake.
Against Florida, the Gamecocks scored 39 points (their most against any team other than Furman and Vanderbilt) and put up a season-high in rushing yards with 152. Spencer Rattler also threw for 313 yards in the game and completed over 75% of his passes. The team’s 465 total yards were more than any game other than Furman, Vandy, and JSU.
Some of USC’s best highlights came in the contest, as well. Running back Mario Anderson hurdled a Florida defender on a touchdown run, Josh Simon ran over a defender and scampered 20 more yards for a score, Xavier Legette caught two 50-50 balls downfield for big gains, and Nyck Harbor reeled in his first deep ball.
The game is not remembered well, however, as the Carolina defense collapsed in epic fashion late, and head coach Shane Beamer broke his foot kicking a water cooler after the game.
The Florida game was the 2023 Offensive Top Team Performance.