Advertisement
football Edit

Youngsters Turner, Edwards shine in Gamecocks' come-from-behind win

USC freshman running back A.J. Turner stiff arms a Vanderbilt defender during Thursday night's 13-10 Gamecock victory in Nashville. Turner had a team-leading 70 yards on 13 carries in his collegiate debut.

Fry's field goal lifts Gamecocks to 13-10 win

NASHVILLE, TENN.—The Gamecocks' season opener Thursday night began exactly how one would expect a game with a freshman-laden team to start.

On the opening kickoff, redshirt freshman A.J. Turner took a step out of the end zone with the ball before going back to take a knee. The Gamecocks nearly missed out on a safety call when the play was ruled a touchback.

“It was a mistake; I made a mistake. I didn’t listen to my off returner and it cost us. We ended up getting it on the 20 (actually the 25), but I know next time you have to listen to your guy,” Turner said. “Honestly I was confused myself.”

Turner said most of that with a smile on his face because, well, he could.

Even though it started rough, the game ended in euphoria with the Gamecocks coming from behind to beat Vanderbilt 13-10 on a late 55-yard Elliott Fry field goal.

The old saying “winning cures everything” held true, and Turner soon became the butt of the joke after the game.

“I was like what is he doing,” Deebo Samuel, who was on the field when it happened, said laughing. “I saw his foot step out and he was about to take a knee and I was like oh this ‘bout to be a safety.”

The Gamecocks (1-0, 1-0 SEC) can laugh and poke fun at Turner now because the back—along with a host of other young talent—helped South Carolina complete the comeback.

Turner finished his first collegiate game as the Gamecocks’ leading rusher with 70 yards on 13 carries. He also caught three passes for 27 yards, including a perfectly executed wheel route for a first down.

A lanky speedster, Turner can race past defenders, but also power through them with deceptive strength, which he put on full display against the Commodores.

“Man, he’s a good back. Y’all see why we like him,” head coach Will Muschamp said of Turner. “He runs hard; he gained a lot of positive yards, a lot of yards after contact. He’s a guy that can create a big play run because he’s got a lot of top-end speed.”

Another big-time freshman making a big-time impact on the game was true frosh wide out Bryan Edwards.

Freshman wide receiver Bryan Edwards skies for one of his game-high eight catches as USC head coach Will Muschamp looks on during the Gamecocks' season-opening 13-10 win over Vanderbilt Thursday night in Nashville.
Advertisement

An early-enrollee, Edwards shone from the start of spring practice, and he showcased Thursday what coaches and players have seen for the past eight months.

He made big catch after big catch, totaling 101 yards on eight receptions. His most impressive catch came in the second half when the 6-foot-3, 210 pounder made a leaping, twisting grab against the sideline for a 33-yard gain.

Eyes opened on Edwards after that catch, and again when he racked up 21 yards receiving on the Gamecocks’ eventual game-winning drive.

Edwards, who started alongside Samuel, left a big impression on his teammate after the game with Samuel saying he’s a “big-time play maker.”

“Y’all saw tonight what he’s capable of,” quarterback Perry Orth said. “He’s been doing that since we started spring ball back in March. He’s that kind of talent. He’s going to be huge for us the rest of the season.”

And next Saturday when the Gamecocks take the field in Starkville, Miss., it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see those young players step up once again.

Plenty of other newcomers saw the field tonight like Brandon McIlwain (5-for-11 passing, 35 yards) and defensive back Jamarcus King (three tackles, one pass breakup).

And with so much untapped potential on this team, it makes Muschamp and the rest of the team encouraged about what the Gamecocks can accomplish this year.

“Regardless of the results tonight, I’m really optimistic of where we’re headed. I mean like over the top optimistic of where we’re headed,” he said. “It’s just going to keep getting better.”

Advertisement