The Gamecocks cruised in their season opener Saturday, taking care of the Chanticleers pretty easily 49-15.
It was arguably the best offensive performance under Will Muschamp to date, and the Gamecocks had a few position groups stand out in the season-opening win.
Below, GamecockCentral hands out grades to each group based on the performances Saturday.
Quarterbacks: A
The yardage stats aren't gaudy—294 passing yards—but both Gamecock quarterbacks that got in the game played virtually mistake-free football with no interceptions. They completed over 71 percent of their passes and Jake Bentley connected with four different receivers for a career-high four touchdown passes.
Michael Scarnecchia also had three completions, including tossing his first touchdown pass on a beautiful deep ball to Randrecous Davis for 44 yards.
Also see: Which plays mattered the most Saturday?
Running backs: A
This is the position group that shined the most in Saturday's opener, picking up 263 yards on the ground. It was the second-highest rushing total in 27 games under Will Muschamp as the Gamecocks pounded their way for 6.9 yards per carry.
Rico Dowdle led the way with his fourth-career 100-yard game and two total touchdowns while Ty'Son Williams had 82 yards rushing, the most he's had in almost a year.
Receivers/tight ends: B+
Eleven different players caught passes Saturday with Shi Smith leading the way with four catches for 61 yards. Deebo Samuel (seven catches, 56 yards) fell right back into form in his first game back with a viral touchdown grab, and Bryan Edwards, Rico Dowdle and Kiel Pollard all caught touchdowns as well. For Pollard it was the first of his career.
The receivers did say, though, they didn't stretch the field as much as they wanted to, missing on a few deep balls over the middle Saturday.
Also see: Josh Low gives his in-depth breakdown of what happened Saturday
Offensive line: A+
After an offseason of speculation, the offensive line put a lot of questions to bed Saturday. It looked like the most cohesive unit on the field, plowing through the defensive line for 263 rushing yards and not giving up a sack.(Bentley was sacked once but the protection breakdown was on a running back).
Both the first and second team lines played in the opener and both looked incredibly talented.
Defensive line: B
The Gamecocks rotated in 12 different defensive linemen Saturday with all getting their fair share of snaps. The first group of Javon Kinlaw, Keir Thomas and D.J. Wonnum looked solid, and Wonnum (three tackles, one for loss) looked unstoppable before leaving the game with an ankle sprain.
When the second string and more back-end guys got in, there were some consistency gaps, but in all the group looked solid. Kinlaw said postgame he thinks this year's rotation could be really good.
Linebackers: B+
One of the more productive groups last season, the linebackers didn't skip a beat Saturday. T.J. Brunson led the Gamecocks (again) in tackles with six and Bryson Allen-Williams slipped right back into form post-injury with five tackles, three for a loss, with one sack.
The newcomers are still getting adjusted to the college game but did show flashes Saturday. Rosendo Louis Jr. picked up a fumble recovery on the first play of his career.
Also see: What's different about Jake Bentley this year?
Secondary: B-
There are still some pieces to figure out in the Gamecock secondary, but it didn't allow much Saturday. Coastal threw for just 112 yards and completed just 13 passes. The Gamecocks made a few standout open-field tackles.
Jaycee Horn looks every bit as advertised at the nickel spot, picking up three tackles and a sack in his first game.
Special teams: A
There was nothing major to report with the special teams, and that's probably a good thing. Parker White and Will Tommie had all eight of their combined kickoffs go for touchbacks. White was a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points with no snags. Joseph Charlton's only punt Saturday went for 46 yards.
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- WDE
- S
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- PRO
