Report card from South Carolina football's blowout win over the Akron Zips

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Akron Zips. Robby Ashford wasn't perfect against Akron, especially in the instances in which he held onto the ball for too long. However, he was really good on Saturday for the Gamecocks. Putting up over 360 yards from scrimmage, he also was responsible for 3 touchdowns (2 passing and 1 rushing). Outside of putting a few balls in jeopardy (his receivers typically drew a flag or caught the ball in these opportunities), the transfer quarterback performed almost as well as possible against Akron. Fellow transfer QB Davis Beville was good in limited action late in the game, too.. QUARTERBACK. QUARTERBACK. A-

RUNNING BACK. RUNNING BACK. B-. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Akron Zips. Any talk about the running backs on Saturday has to start with Rocket Sanders' ankle injury, but the other backs' performances should be discussed, too. Partially due to performance (missing holes, not making obvious cuts or bounces, etc.) and partially due to inconsistent offensive line play, the non-Robby Ashford Gamecocks combined to average less than 4 yards per carry against a bad Akron defensive line.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Akron Zips. The Carolina wide receiver room continues to be full of ups and downs as the team's pass-catchers mix in some bad moments with strong play. Mazeo Bennett and Gage Larvadain were pretty good as they got open and had success drawing flags. However, some drops and bobbles from Dalevon Campbell, Nyck Harbor, and others were glaring mistakes.. WIDE RECEIVER. WIDE RECEIVER. B

Four Gamecock tight ends caught a pass in this game as Josh Simon, Brady Hunt, Michael Smith, and Connor Cox all secured one reception. Cox scored his first career touchdown, and the A-gap shift was helpful in short-yardage tries. However, there also were multiple instances of plays failing because of a missed block, penalty, or poor route from a tight end. . TIGHT ENDS. TIGHT ENDS. B-. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Akron Zips

OFFENSIVE LINE. C. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Akron Zips. Saturday's blocking effort wasn't as dominant as offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley would have liked to have seen from his unit. Despite Akron's bad defense, the Gamecocks coudln't generate much push in the run game (getting many of their yards on the ground thanks to missed assignments by the Zips or via broken tackles by Gamecock ball-carriers. In pass protection, USC allowed Robby Ashford to be sacked 3 times, and he was running for his life on plenty of other plays.. OFFENSIVE LINE