Davis, Jones offer big-play threat in early season
If you take special teams out of the equation, South Carolina played one of its more impressive games in recent memory Saturday. For the students that decided to stay, they got to see the Gamecocks rack up nearly 579 yards of offense and 31 first downs.
Those two totals are the second most in the Steve Spurrier era at South Carolina. What makes the performance more impressive is the fact that it came against Vanderbilt, a team that South Carolina has struggled against recently. Before Saturday, the Gamecocks failed to score more than 21 points against the Commodores in each of the past six meetings.
That was definitely not the case against Vanderbilt this time. But perhaps more encouraging than the offensive performance was the defensive performance.
After allowing over 500 yards against Georgia, the Gamecocks came back a week later and allowed less than 300 yards to the Commodores. Yes, at first glance the 25 points may seem a bit disappointing, but they came in large part to the short fields that South Carolina’s special teams gave its defense.
If you take away the two special teams turnovers and the Dylan Thompson interception, which the Commodores returned to the South Carolina one-yard line, the Gamecocks could have easily held Vanderbilt to 10 points or under.
The first half was the high point of the defense, as the Gamecocks held the Commodores to under 100 yards of offense.
But back to the offense. South Carolina appears to be getting better as each week goes by. Coach Steve Spurrier is starting to utilize the pass-catching abilities of runningbacks Mike Davis and Brandon Wilds more and more.
Against the Commodores, both backs racked up at least 65 yards receiving. Quarterback Connor Shaw must be loving life right now, being able to throw a short pass and letting Davis and Wilds run for an additional 30 yards.
In addition, the wide receiving core has stepped it up this season. Nick Jones has established himself with three touchdown catches in the past two games and Bruce Ellington looks like he is finally back in rhythm. Tight end Rory Anderson caught three passes against the Commodores after being virtually non-existent in the first two games.
With a bye week to get the defense even more in shape and to get Jadeveon Clowney healthy, things are looking up for South Carolina. However, a daunting trip to an underrated Central Florida team looms on the horizon, and if the Gamecocks aren’t prepared for it, they could easily lose that game.