Five key plays and Game balls

Five Key Plays

1. Dowdle breaks loose

Rico Dowdle made quick work of the Catamounts on the first drive of the game. He capped a five play drive – all runs – with a 43-yard touchdown scamper. Dowdle took the handoff, started up the middle, then bounced left into a huge hole. He raced down the sideline for a touchdown that gave the Gamecocks a quick, early lead.

2. Fumble

On Western Carolina’s second play from scrimmage, quarterback Tyrie Adams tried to throw a swing pass to his receiver in the flat. He was pressured and the pass was high – and backwards. The receiver couldn’t make the catch and the ball hit the ground as a fumble. D.J. Smith pounced on the ball to give South Carolina the short field. Dowdle scored another touchdown on the drive. The turnover was the only defensive stop in Western Carolina’s first four possessions.

3. The umpire dropped it

Western Carolina faced a third and two in the second quarter down 21-14 and trying to keep pace with South Carolina. Adams dropped back to pass and was pressured by Bryson Allen-Williams. Adams threw over the middle to an open receiver, but the receiver was wearing stripes. The pass hit the umpire and was incomplete. Western Carolina settled for a field goal and missed its chance to tie the game.

4. Third down conversion

After a goalline stand, the Gamecocks took over on their own two with 2:35 left in the half. They marched 98 yards for a touchdown with 14 seconds to go, but the drive almost didn’t get started. They faced a third and two from their own ten. It was a precarious situation. Make a mistake and the Catamounts get excellent field position. Gain nothing and they still get good field position. The Gamecocks did not make a conservative play call, letting freshman Jake Bentley air it out. He made the smart read and hit Deebo Samuel for a 12-yard gain. The conversion kept the drive alive and got the offense out of the shadow of its own end zone.

5. Deebo to the rescue

Western Carolina cut the lead to 41-31 in the fourth quarter. A comeback was unlikely, but still possible, and South Carolina had no momentum. Deebo Samuel took care of those slim chances. After Western Carolina scored, he returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the South Carolina 40. The play was a blow to Western Carolina, and on the next play Dowdle picked up 44 yards on a rush. South Carolina was able to drain the clock on this drive, and after a defensive stand, ran out the clock for the win.

Game Balls

Offense

Deebo Samuel

Samuel was everywhere Saturday. He rushed for two touchdowns, carried the ball five times, and caught four passes for 56 yards. He also drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone late in the second quarter that set up his touchdown run with 14 seconds left in the half.

Rico Dowdle

Dowdle has mostly been a workhorse back this season, but against lower competition he was much more explosive. He rushed 21 times for 226 yards and two touchdowns. His rushing total was the most by a Gamecock in five years (since Marcus Lattimore had 246 yards against Navy in 2011). He also caught two passes for 13 yards, including a spectacular grab on a scramble play. Dowdle rushed for a 43-yard touchdown on the first possession of the game and 1-yard score on the second drive.

Offensive line

The five starters on the offensive line were Mason Zandi, Zack Bailey, Alan Knott, Cory Helms, and Malik Young. They cleared the way for South Carolina to rush for 422 yards and average 7.5 yards per carry. They did not allow a sack, and only allowed one negative rushing play on 56 attempts. That one negative play was a five-yard loss by David Williams on which he ran backwards.

Special Teams

Deebo Samuel

Samuel returned a first quarter kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. He added a critical 36-yard return in the fourth quarter that swung momentum. In total Samuel had five kick returns for 194 yards, a39-yard average.

Elliott Fry

Fry was perfect on his kicks. He made all three field goals and all five PATs.

Defense

Deebo Samuel (Probably)

The defense allowed 236 yards rushing to an FCS school. The defense gave up 31 points, the highest scoring total of the season, to a 2-9 FCS school. The defense was not good, although it was markedly less ineffective in the second half. Samuel did it all on offense and special teams; he probably would have helped the defense.