Three and out: Enjoy the 'W'

'Three and out' features three observations from South Carolina's win over Western Carolina with perspective from the Gamecocks season to this point.

Smile - Gamecocks are bowl eligible - There's a portion of the fan base still upset about the way South Carolina played -- particularly on defense -- in Saturday's 44-31 win over Western Carolina. It's a free county and fans can feel however they please, but the big picture here is far more important than worrying about the closer-than-expected win over an FCS opponent. Those games have always been a win-and-advance proposition where getting a 'W' and moving on to the next opponent is far more important than anything in the actual game, particularly when you're talking about a team that we already knew has deficiencies. By this point, 11 games into the season, it should come as no surprise that the Gamecocks are going to struggle at times. By now, It is what it is.

What is a bit of a surprise, if you listened to any of the national expectations prior to the season, is that Carolina lost its two best players and still managed to double its win total and get bowl eligible. As I profiled in this article last week, South Carolina getting its sixth win and becoming bowl eligible is nothing to take for granted, and it really doesn't even matter what bowl Carolina ends up participating in. There are a number of reasons that going to a bowl game is important, but two of the most compelling are that it gives the team extra practice time and that it shows progress to prospects interested in becoming part of the program.

For a team that starts more freshmen (seven) than any other FBS school in the country and that is made up of primarily freshmen and sophomores, getting what is essentially an extra round of spring practices is essential for a young team to continue its development. Not only that, but a bowl game has always been at least one determining marker for whether a season is successful. It only reinforces to prospects the notion that Will Muschamp has South Carolina on the rise.

ALSO SEE: The Insider Report - Did Gamecocks make a move with four-star OL and former commit T.J. Moore? | Four-star DL Stephon Wynn discusses visit | Top 2018 back impressed with rushing attack

Offensive line did what it was supposed to - For all of the South Carolina offensive line's faults displayed this season, the Gamecocks' offensive front did exactly what it was supposed to do against a smaller, "lesser" opponent Saturday. While some will chalk that up simply to the lesser opponent, I'd counter with the fact that this unit hasn't had such success against lesser opponents in the past and that any time a team puts up the dominant numbers it did Saturday, it should be considered an impressive day.

The South Carolina offensive line (and tight ends) were physically dominant up front to the tune of 422 yards rushing, including 226 yards from freshman Rico Dowdle, who was impressive with his vision, balance and strength as always. Carolina got several other players involved as well as A.J. Turner nearly had 100 yards of his own, Jake Bentley had a few solid runs, and Deebo Samuel was again effective on the jet sweep (that play has been money for Carolina all season). South Carolina was also good in pass protection when Carolina did throw it, though the coaches relied heavily on the running game as the offense moved the ball all game.

Let's not pretend that the Gamecocks' offensive line woes are over. Football is a game of matchups and this matchup clearly was in Carolina's favor. But let's not be so cynical as to not recognize that it was a dominant performance from a line that struggled to do much of anything positive last week against Florida. It's something to build off of going into a very tough task at Clemson this week.

Clemson matchup isn't pretty - Football games aren't played on paper (what fun would that be?), but on paper, this isn't a pretty matchup for South Carolina. Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams was able to keep his offense on the field by using his legs on third downs and that's something that Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has always excelled at -- be it by actually running for the first or extending the play then throwing for a first down. Watson is the best quarterback that South Carolina will face this season and he's got an array of weapons around him to go along with one of the best defenses Carolina will face this season.

If Carolina is going to have any chance, it's offensive and defensive lines will need to play their best game of the season and Clemson will have to turn the ball over -- something they've been prone to do and Carolina has certainly been opportunistic. That's not to say an upset is impossible, but the early odds are not with the Gamecocks in most of the discernible matchups that heavily factor into football games.

Never miss a moment with the GamecockCentral app: App Store - Google Play