Recap: Gamecocks get bowl eligible with 44-31 win over WCU
Scott Hood
•
GamecockScoop
GamecockCentral.com
Jake Bentley (4) scrambles past a WCU linebacker in Saturday's game (USA Today)
Needing one victory to secure bowl eligibility, South Carolina faced FCS foe Western Carolina Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium. WCU came into the game with a 2-8 record and owning the worst defense in the Southern Conference.
FINAL: South Carolina 44, Western Carolina 31
WCU: 14-3-8-6 = 31
USC: 21-14-3-6 = 44
FIRST QUARTER: It didn’t take South Carolina long to assert its dominance over WCU. The Gamecocks took the opening kickoff and quickly drove 80 yards in five plays for the game’s first touchdown. Rico Dowdle capped the drive with a 43-yard run on his third carry of the game. Dowdle has three carries for 65 yards on the drive. They didn’t have to drive the length of the field for their second TD as WCU’s backwards pass was ruled a fumble and the Gamecocks recovered at the WCU 23. On the sixth play, Dowdle powered over form the 1-yard line to give USC a 14-0 lead with 10:12 left in the first quarter. WCU responded with a 7-play, 82-yard TD drive. RB Detrez Newsome raced 39 through the Gamecocks defense for a 39-yard TD camper. But Deebo Samuel got those 7 points back quickly as he caught the ensuing kickoff at the goal line and raced 100 yards for the second kickoff return for a TD by the Gamecocks in two seasons. After more special teams gremlins showed up for the Gamecocks, WCU drove 46 yards for their second touchdown to cut the definite to 21-14. Backup RB Connell Young ran 19 yards for the score. With USC driving, Dowdle lost his grip on the football at the WCU 35 and the Catamounts recovered at the WCU 30. The first quarter ended with WCU at the its 47 yard line. Both teams combined for 260 rushing yards in the 1Q. Gamecocks 119, WCU 141. Dowdle had 75 yards on 8 carries.
END FIRST QTR: South Carolina 21, Western Carolina 14.
SECOND QUARTER: WCU had the ball near midfield at the outset of the second quarter and, continuing to gouge the Gamecocks on the ground, drove as far as the USC 14 before settling for a 32-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-17 with 11:18 remaining in the second quarter. After being slowed by injuries, A.J. Turner returned to the lineup and took over on the ensuing drive, carrying nine times for 43 yards as the Gamecocks drove inside the 5-yard line. On third-and-2 from the WC 2, Deebo Samuel got the ball on a jet sweep and he cruised into the end zone for a 28-17 lead with 6:07 left in the second quarter. The Gamecocks had 220 total yards when the drive ended. When WCU got the ball back, Jamarcus King was burned on a 57-yard completion to the SC 2. However, the defense held firm, stopping the Catamounts on three straight rushes to set up a 4th-and-goal from the 1-1/2 yard line. The WCU quarterback rolled right and, after initially looking to run, flipped a pass to the right corner of the end zone. However, the ball fell incomplete to hand the ball back to the Gamecocks. Refusing to concede the final two minutes, Bentley completed a 40-yard pass down the middle of the field to Bryan Edwards to move the ball to the WCU 38. Two more completions + some trickeration on a throwback pass from Hurst to Bentley moved the ball inside the red zone. A pass interference call on WCU moved the ball to the 2, where the Gamecocks again ran the jet sweep to Deebo Samuel for his third touchdown of the afternoon. The Gamecocks took a 35-17 lead into intermission. The Gamecocks had 306 total yards in the first half (175 rushing, 131 passing), but WCU had 270 yards, 194 on the ground. Bentley was 9-13 passing for 119 yards in the first half.
THIRD QUARTER: The defenses finally showed up early in the third quarter as the first three possessions ended with punts. Dowdle ran for 31 yards on USC’s first play of the ensuing possession, then caught a pass for 19 yards. The Gamecocks moved into the red zone beforer the drive stalled, bringing out Elliott Fry for a 32-yard field goal with 7:35 left in the third quarter. After 43-yard kickoff return, WCU started near midfield and drive 54 yards for a touchdown. Young ran 4 yards for a touchdown + the Catamounts converted the 2-poiunt conversion to slice the Gamecocks’ lead to 38-25 with 4:52 left. After Dowdle ran four times for 28 yards, the Gamecocks faced a 4th-and-3 from the WCU 34. Bentley’s pass to Dowdle lost 6 yards and WCXU took over. The Catamounts faced a 4th-and-1 from the USC 32 when the 3Q ended.
END THIRD QTR: South Carolina 38, Western Carolina 25.
FOURTH QUARTER: The final quarter began on a positive note when WCU was stopped inches short on fourth down. The Gamecocks took over at their 32 and promptly handed the ball to Dowdle, who picked up 16 yards. The Gamecocks continued to keep the ball on the ground, mixing in Turner as well. Tuner gained 21 yards on four straight carries to move the ball to the WC 22. The Gamecocks moved down to the WC 7-yard line but a silly and ill-timed unsportsmanlike penalty on OL Cory Helms pushed the ball back to the 18 and they eventually had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Elliott Fry for a 41-25 lead. However, disaster for USC’s special teams struck on the kickoff as Newsome returned the kick 93 yards for a touchdown. The Catamounts went for 2 and the pass was batted down to keep the score at 41-31. Dowdle went over the 200-yard rushing mark by rumbling for 44 yards down to the WCU 16. But three runs gained just 7 yards and Fry was called upon to boot another short field goal from 32 yards out to give USC a 44-31 lead with 6:23 left. When the possession ended, Dowdle had 226 yards rushing on 21 attempts. The Gamecocks defense forced a 3-and-out and WCU punted with just under 4 minutes left. Perry Orth entered the game with about a minute left and ran out the clock. Rico Dowdle had 226 yards rushing + 2 TDs on 21 carries, while A.J. Turner had 97 yards on 17 carries. Bentley was 14-23 passing for 154 yards. Deebo Samuel scored 3 TDs on KO return + 2 rushes.
