Game balls and Five Key Plays

Five key plays

Deebo Samuel pulls up

On the first offensive play of the game, Samuel got behind his man with no safety help. Perry Orth lofted a pass, leading Samuel by a couple of steps. Samuel pulled up at the last moment, grabbing his hamstring. Instead of an almost certain touchdown,South Carolina went three-and-out and found itself in a quick 7-0 hole.

Nick Fitzgerald goes 74-yards

The wheels came off for the Gamecocks on this play. Fitzgerald kept on a read-option and went off the right tackle for 74 yards, outrunning most of the Gamecock defense in the process. The Bulldogs’ drive ended with a failed fourth down attempt, but those moments were few and far between as Fitzgerald set a school rushing record for quarterbacks.

T.J. Holloman’s interception

A fumble had just given Mississippi State a short field with a chance to go up three scores. But Holloman read Fitzgerald’s eyes and stepped in front of the receiver for a turnover at the goal line. He returned the pick to the 18 to temporarily ease the bleeding.

D.J. Smith isn’t tall enough

Fitzgerald lofted a high pass to Jordan Thomas in the end zone. The 5-11 Smith had position, went up for the ball, and with full extension, got his hands on it. But he wasn’t tall enough, and at 6-5, Thomas was able to wrestle the ball for the touchdown, and the rout was on.

Kelsey Griffin’s hands to the face

Griffin was flagged for illegal hands to the face, negating another interception by Holloman. The pick would have given South Carolina a short field and some momentum for its first series under Brandon McIlwain.

Game balls

Offense

Brandon McIlwain

Nobody really deserves a game ball on offense, but McIlwain showed some glimpses of life. He made some good plays, though he lacked consistency. McIlwain led both scoring drives, capping each with a touchdown pass. More importantly, he did not turn the ball over.

Hayden Hurst

Hurst had a solid night, finishing with team highs of eight catches for 68 yards. He was the reliable target for McIlwain that Will Muschamp predicted he would be during the offseason.

Defense

T.J. Holloman

Holloman made an interception at the goal line to end a Bulldog scoring threat. He also had a second interception wiped out due to a penalty. He finished with seven tackles.

Bryson Allen-Williams

Allen-Williams had seven tackles and two tackles for loss.

Special teams

Sean Kelly

Kelly averaged 49.1 yards on his seven punts. Two were downed inside the 20, and two went for over 50 yards, including a 66-yarder.