Blythewood High product has 137 rushing yards
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Marcus Lattimore's season-ending injury against Mississippi State two weeks ago left many questioning whether South Carolina could salvage its running game over the remainder of the year.
It's safe to say that those concerns can be put on hold for the moment.
Starting in place of the All-SEC tailback Saturday night at Tennessee, true freshman Brandon Wilds proceeded to rack up 137 yards on the ground and added 31 yards receiving to lead the No. 14 Gamecocks past the Volunteers 14-3.
"We weren't pretty on offense most of the game, but we did run the ball some there," coach Steve Spurrier said. "Brandon Wilds gained a bunch of yards in his first start, got a bunch of carries. We're not a very good passing team right now, but we managed to run the ball to win the game."
Wilds' biggest contribution of the night came on Carolina's 98-yard scoring drive in the third quarter that consisted of 20 plays over 11:35, a record for the Spurrier era. Over the course of the possession, the Blythewood native ran the ball 11 times for 51 yards, including three carries to convert on third downs.
"He's a good back," Spurrier said. "I mentioned coming in that if we could block a little bit for him he'd make some yards. He runs forward, he has good body lean and he can break some tackles."
After Wilds set the Gamecocks up at the UT five-yard line, Connor Shaw — who finished with 64 rushing yards of his own — capped off the drive with a quarterback draw, diving into the end zone to give USC a 14-3 lead.
Despite being his first collegiate start and having to play in front of a UT crowd of 96,655. Wilds said he wasn't surprised by his successful performance.
"It was everything I expected," Wilds said. "I worked hard all throughout the summer and my high school years. I expected to get 100 [yards rushing], not being cocky. I just worked hard."
The freshman credited Lattimore — who traveled with the team and watched from the sideline — for offering words of encouragement throughout the night.
"We were just talking about how the game goes; hold the ball, just keep driving, lower your pads," Wilds said. "We always talk all week before a game and just communicate on how the defense is."
Carolina's other score came midway through the second quarter. Trailing 3-0 and facing fourth-and-one at the UT 23, Shaw faked a handoff to Wilds, rolled right and found a wide-open Rory Anderson near the 10, who ran into the end zone untouched to put the Gamecocks ahead 7-3.
"We hadn't done that all year so it was time to pitch one down the field," Spurrier said. "[Anderson] sort of bumped into the guy and got off of him and Connor did a good job laying it in there nicely."
Carolina's defense provided several key plays on the other side of the ball, including a pair of timely turnovers that kept the Volunteers out of the end zone. Two plays after a Prentiss Waggner interception return put Tennessee at the USC two in the third quarter, D.J. Swearinger managed a pick of his own at the two, setting the Gamecocks up for their 98-yard scoring drive.
The next one came in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Following a Wilds fumble recovery that gave the Vols possession at the USC 27, Stephon Gilmore intercepted UT quarterback Justin Worley in the end zone, putting an end to their last real scoring threat of the night.
"One thing our defense has done over the last five or six weeks is just play relentlessly," said associate head coach for defense Ellis Johnson. "They were put in some tough situations tonight and they responded. It would've been easy to give up some scores. To not give up a touchdown reflects the character."
Despite being unable to get the passing game into a rhythm — finishing with just 87 yards on the night — Spurrier said he was pleased to leave with a victory, but said a better effort will likely be needed in the coming weeks.
"I know it wasn't real pretty for television, but we're glad to get to 7-1 and we know we've got to beat Arkansas next week," Spurrier said. "If we're going to win the East, we've got to keep winning. Hopefully we can start throwing the ball a little bit better next week, but we'll just have to wait and see."