Timely turnovers, third-down coverage power Gamecocks to victory
After allowing opponents to average 372 yards and 33 points through the first three games, the unit provided one of the best performances in program history against upstart Vanderbilt Saturday night in a 21-3 victory.
The then-No. 12 Gamecocks held Vandy to just 77 total yards and one third-down conversion while adding three timely turnovers, overshadowing a shaky offensive performance.
"Our defense came to play tonight," coach Steve Spurrier said. "That was by far our best game of the year. We basically had a shutout and limited Vandy to not much at all. I'm glad we had a good defense tonight, because our offense did very little."
The defense kicked off its resurgent performance with a bang in the second quarter. Facing a 3-0 deficit and a third-and-7 situation at the Vanderbilt 39-yard line, Jadeveon Clowney powered his way into the backfield, sacking quarterback Larry Smith and forcing him to fumble.
Antonio Allen managed to scoop the ball and race toward the Commodore goal line, but also fumbled at the 11. The ball bounced into the end zone where Melvin Ingram proceeded to fall on top of it for his third touchdown of the season, giving the Gamecocks a 7-3 lead.
"Melvin was on the spot there, no question about it," Spurrier said. "He seems to be around the ball, and Antonio was around the ball. Those two guys combined for that play. It's sort of neat, because they're the ones making the plays all year."
The play marked the second time this season that a forced fumble by Clowney resulted in an Ingram score, with the other sealing USC's victory at Georgia two weeks earlier.
"I thank [Clowney] every week in the hotel," Ingram said. "If it weren't for him, there would be no me, so I feel like if there was no me, there'd be no him. We're like brothers. I love him to death."
The defense came up big again two possessions later. After being forced to punt on the previous drive, Smith threw a pass 20 yards down the USC sideline for Jonathan Krause on third-and-4, but cornerback Stephon Gilmore managed to out-muscle the sophomore receiver, hauling in his first interception of the season.
Vandy's final turnover of the night came in the waning moments of the third quarter, sparked once again by Clowney. On the first play following a missed field goal by Jay Wooten, Clowney broke through the Commodore line to sack Smith and force another fumble. Linebacker Quin Smith was there to pounce on the ball this time, giving USC the ball at the Vandy 31.
"We wanted to come out here and be fast and physical," Clowney said. "We've only been winning by three points here, three points there. We just wanted to be better this week."
While USC's defense provided its strongest performance of the season, the offense fell on the opposite side of the spectrum. The Gamecocks turned the ball over four times Saturday night, with all four coming from Garcia interceptions and posted a season-low 14 points on the offensive end.
"Our offense sputtered around most of the game, had a bunch of penalties after some big plays here and there, a lot of bad plays and interceptions," Spurrier said. "We'll see how it goes this week in practice and try to get some guys ready to play. [I] apologize to Gamecock fans for such a putrid offensive performance."
One of the few bright spots offensively was Marcus Lattimore, who finished with 77 yards, a score on the ground and 73 through the air. The sophomore's key play, however, came in the final seconds of the first half. Catching a short pass from Garcia near midfield, the Hesiman Trophy candidate weaved through the Vandy defense, eventually running in for a 52-yard touchdown to give USC a 14-3 lead at the break.
"We just wanted to get a field goal, at least," Lattimore said. "They were playing a deep zone, and it was a good call. [Receiver Nick Jones and receiver Alshon Jeffery] made great blocks on that play, and I hit it full-go."
The true story of the night, however, was the revival of USC's defense, particularly in third-down coverage. The Gamecocks entered the night allowing opponents to convert 51 percent of their third downs, but they didn't allow a conversion until the final minutes of the game, capping off a one-for-14 third-down performance against the Commodores.
Associate head coach for defense Ellis Johnson said the unit's performance was a step in the right direction, but said the group has much to improve with tougher opponents looming on the schedule.
"When you're talking about this conference, there's nothing special about the talent on this defense," Johnson said. "I've been coaching 36 years and I've been around some great defenses, and this is not one of them. This is a damn good defense that, if we learn how to practice and play hard, could be pretty good, and I think they're starting to realize that."