Game balls, five key plays

GamecockCentral.com hands out game balls and selects key plays from today's 20-15 victory over East Carolina.

Offense

Brandon McIlwain - McIlwain was not spectacular in his first start, but he made some nice plays and avoided mistakes. He rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 195 yards. He had particularly nice throws to Hayden Hurst and Bryan Edwards to set up scores, and ran the speed option to perfection on David Williams’ game-clinching run.

David Williams - Williams only had eight touches, but he made the most of them. Williams had the game-clinching 25 yard run, a 20-yard run to set up the Gamecocks; second touchdown, and a 16-yard reception. With the Gamecocks’ offense as limited as it was Saturday, those big plays were huge.

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Defense

Chris Lammons - Lammons forced two turnovers, including a diving interception on the gamecocks’ one-yard line. He also forced a fumble on a corner blitz, chasing down quarterback Phillip Nelson after initially missing the sack.

Jamarcus King - King answered the challenge in his first start. He made a leaping interception in the end zone that survived an official review.

Special teams

A.J. Turner

Turner opened the game with an 80-yard kick return. He got the Gamecocks off to a fast start, something that was a point of emphases after slow starts in the first two games.

Five key plays

1. Kickoff - A.J. Turner fielded the opening kickoff near the goal line and ran straight ahead. A little stutter step allowed time for a hole to open, and he burst through, running 80 yards before being tackled. A horsecollar penalty on the tackle moved the ball even closer to the end zone, and Brandon McIlwain scored on the first snap.

2. Jamarcus King’s interception - East Carolina had a third and goal from the one-yard line, but could not convert. South Carolina brought pressure, and Phillip Nelson backpedaled to avoid the rush. He lofted a pass toward Jimmy Williams, who came open on a corner route, but could not put enough zip on the throw. King made a leaping catch to recover and prevent the touchdown. He lost control of the ball after rolling over twice, but replay upheld the turnover.

3. Chris Lammons’ interception - ECU drove right down the field on its first possession of the second half, picking up yards in chunks. But once again the USC defense came up with a timely turnover. Lammons jumped in front of a pass intended for Williams, and made the diving interception at the one-yard line. It was the second turnover forced for Lammons, and the second time a pass intended for Williams was picked off in the end zone.

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4. Antoine Wilder forces the fumble - Two plays after being called for pass interference, Wilder made up for the mistake in a big way. Coming up in run support, Wilder put his helmet right on the ball, knocking it out of Anthony Scott’s hand. The ball bounced into the end zone, where it was recovered by DJ Smith for a touchback.

5. Fourth and one foot - With East Carolina out of timeouts and 2:08 remaining, South Carolina went for the nail in the coffin. And hammered it in. McIlwain and David Williams line up in the shotgun and ran option left. McIlwain waited until the last moment before pitching the ball, sucking in the defense and opening the field for Williams to race 25 yards for the first down, allowing South Carolina to go into the victory formation.