3-2-1: Vanderbilt
In a new feature, we look at the key moments and players from Saturday’s South Carolina football game and one burning question on our mind.
Three Key Plays
4th down stop
Way back in the second quarter, when the game was still in doubt, Vanderbilt had a fourth and goal from the South Carolina two. Rather than try a game-tying field goal (Pierson Cooke had already missed one), Vanderbilt went for the lead. They went with a play-action, roll right, and slip the running back into the flat. It’s a play that has a very high success rate at the goal line. But the South Carolina defense didn’t bite on the play-action. Everybody stayed home. John Dixon had coverage on the back, and Ernest Jones was able to chase down the quarterback for a sack.
Fake punt
Vanderbilt got the ball to start the second half, but went three-and-out. Looking for a spark, Derek Mason called for the fake punt. South Carolina was ready for it. Everybody stayed home, and Jaylen Foster and Keveon Mullins easily chased down Eljah Hamilton short of the first down. South Carolina took over with great field position and needed just two runs by Kevin Harris to score.
Hill's 10-yard run
With it’s backs against the wall, Vanderbilt had just marched the length of the field, picking up big chunks of yardage on the way to the end zone. South Carolina still led 17-7, but it felt closer than that. The Gamecocks needed to answer, and they got two critical third down plays from Collin Hill to do it. First, he stood in against the blitz to deliver a pass to a wide-open Nick Muse for a 29-yard gain. Six plays later, the drive had stalled at the ten-yard line. Hill dropped back and as the pocket collapsed, the left side of the line opened up. Hill took off and showed surprising agility for someone with three ACL injuries. He picked up a big block from Josh Vann and skipped into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game.
Two Game Balls
Kevin Harris
Harris rushed for a career-high 171 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He also had four catches for 29 yards (and dropped a screen pass that might have scored). Harris managed to be both the short-yardage bruiser and the explosive big-play back. His two scores came on runs of 25 and 88 yards, the latter a career-long.
Ernest Jones
Jones had 13 tackles, including a sack and three for a loss. He didn’t bite on the play-action and ended up sacking Ken Seals on a critical fourth down play at the goal line, just his second career sack. The 13 tackles tied his career-high, and the three tackles for loss set a new career-high.
One Burning Question
How much carries over?
Vanderbilt is the closest thing to a get-right game on the schedule this year, and South Carolina got right. It put up big numbers on both sides of the ball, thanks in part to a fourth quarter spent padding stats. Still, there was a lot to like. But how much of it can South Carolina count on next week against Auburn. Kevin Harris is the real deal, and the run game as a whole has been impressive. The pass game was solid, with Collin Hill able to spread the ball around to different receivers and pick up some big chunks of yardage, but Vanderbilt was down three starters in the secondary. Hill also missed a few receivers and was under pressure a lot. Will it be enough next week?
By the same token, the Gamecocks held the Commodores to just 249 yards of total offense and there were a lot of really nice defensive plays. They cleaned up some of the breakdowns in the secondary and got good play from the front seven. Young players like Zacch Pickens, Jordan Burch, and Tonka Hemingway keep making plays. But there were still some breakdowns and missed tackles, especially on the lone scoring drive. In particular, coverage from the safety position continues to be a liability. The Gamecocks made up for it Saturday, but was that because of improved play or the competition?
