Many people were left scratching their heads after Tennessee kicker Michael Palardy kicked through the game-winning field goal against South Carolina this past Saturday, and for good reason.
South Carolina football has had consistency issues all year, but many fans thought that last week’s dominant showing at Arkansas would be a turning point in the season.
Arkansas @ No. 1 Alabama, Sat. 7 p.m., ESPN/WatchESPN Coming off its 48-7 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats, the Alabama Crimson Tide switches focus to an Arkansas team that suffered a 52-7 home loss to South Carolina last weekend. Alabama’s ground game destroyed a mediocre Kentucky defense last Saturday, accounting for five touchdowns from three different players.
No. 16 Texas Tech @ West Virginia, Sat. noon, Fox Sports 1 A pair of Big 12 teams face off Saturday. One of them is Texas Tech, led by first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury. It is uncertain who will start for the Red Raiders this weekend, as freshman quarterback Baker Mayfield missed last weekend’s victory against Iowa State.
While the defensive line did not record a sack at Arkansas last weekend, it performed well, defensive line coach Deke Adams said. Adams said he saw progress in Saturday’s game, even though the unit still made some mistakes.
It is hard to complain about the South Carolina offense when it put up 52 points and more than 500 yards last week at Arkansas. However, coach Steve Spurrier is hoping there won’t be a letdown against Tennessee.
After a three game stretch that saw South Carolina earn a reputation for blowing leads late in games, last weekend’s 52-7 pummeling of Arkansas was just what the doctor ordered for the Gamecocks.
Through its first four meets of the season, No. 3 South Carolina jumped out to an early lead against its opponents. Against No. 1 Georgia on Friday, the Gamecocks did the same thing, jumping out to a 4-1 lead after the first event.
South Carolina dropped a couple of three-set decisions this weekend as they fell to Georgia on Friday and No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday.
The South Carolina women’s soccer team continues to impress this season, defeating Alabama 2-1 with a dramatic come-from-behind victory last Friday.
The South Carolina Athletics Department announced the finalists for the new men’s and women’s basketball student section names Thursday. They are “The Coop,” “Spur Section,” “Martin’s Maniacs,” “Cocky’s Crew,” “Spur Zone,” “Spur Squad” and “The Roost.”
The South Carolina offense turned in its most dominating performance of the season in Saturday’s 52-7 win at Arkansas, collecting 537 yards on 89 plays.
South Carolina’s successful running game helped limit Arkansas to just 37 plays in the Gamecocks’ 52-7 victory Saturday. On 54 attempts, the Gamecocks put up 277 rushing yards, averaging around five yards a carry. Once again, sophomore running back Mike Davis led the rushing attack, finishing the day with 128 yards on 19 carries to go along with a touchdown. Davis now leads the SEC in rushing with 742 yards and is tied for the conference lead with nine rushing touchdowns.
While defensive back Victor Hampton did not get the start, he made sure that he made an early impact on Saturday’s game at Arkansas.
Lost in this week’s Jadeveon Clowney controversy has been senior quarterback Connor Shaw’s heroic effort to play through pain.
It’s a new week for the South Carolina defense as it prepares for Saturday’s clash with Arkansas, but after a third-straight fourth-quarter implosion by the defensive unit, it’s the same story.
There has been a circus on Bluff Road this week, and no, it hasn’t been at the South Carolina State Fair. It has been a short walk away from the fairgrounds at Williams-Brice Stadium and the Gamecocks’ practice fields.