The South Carolina Gamecock's young offense was put on display when they set a season high for points scored in their 44-point win over Western Carolina.
The Gamecocks' rushing game was difficult to ignore. South Carolina racked up 422 yards over the course of the game — the most rushing yards the team has accumulated in a game since 2013.
This statistic was the work of Gamecock underclassmen. Each of South Carolina's leading rushers in the game were freshmen or sophomores.
Freshman running back Rico Dowdle set the tone for the Gamecock offense. Dowdle scored two touchdowns and reached a new career high for rushing yards in one play en route to a total of 226 rushing yards. Western Carolina's offense rushed for 236 yards.
Dowdle's performance marked the most rushing yards in a game since Gamecock legend Marcus Lattimore rushed for 246 yards in South Carolina's 2013 game against Navy.
Redshirt sophomore running back A.J. Turner and sophomore wide receiver Deebo Samuel also left their mark on the run game. Turner rushed for 97 yards, while Samuel scored two touchdowns, including a 100-yard kickoff return.
Underclassmen scored all four of South Carolina's touchdowns in its win over the Catamounts, which also marked the last home game for 19 seniors.
"You know, it's incredible to look at guys that were in high school last year and that are competing at a high level," senior offensive lineman Mason Zandi said. "And I owe them so much for making this season possible, for not quitting, because it would've been easy, but to step up, handle situations maturely and make plays when we needed them to make plays."
The passing game also featured young players, but it experienced more ups and downs throughout the course of the game.
Freshman wide receiver Bryan Edwards led the Gamecocks in receiving yards with 61 yards. Samuel and Dowdle were the other two of the team's top four receivers in the game, combining for another 61 yards.
However, the Gamecocks' passing game was delayed against the Catamounts. South Carolina did not earn its first receiving yards until less than five minutes remained in the first quarter.
Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley's performance against Western Carolina was also mixed. Bentley lacked consistency, completing only 37.5 percent of the passes he attempted in the third quarter. However, the starting quarterback also made a number of noteworthy passes, including one for 40 yards to Bryan Edwards.
The Gamecocks play their final game of the season Nov. 26 against Clemson.