Well, glad that is over. The South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Vanderbilt Commodores by the score of 21-3. Again, a win by USC that is not pretty but it is a win.
The first half was bad for the offense but great for the defense. USC’s Melvin Ingram had a key touchdown on a Antonio Allen assist after Jadeveon Clowney got the key pressure on the Vandy quarterback to cause the fumble. The defense in the first half played with aggression and it was a welcome sight. Coach Ellis Johnson must have struck a match under the boys as they responded nicely. Now for the offense, well…it was ugly. Stephen Garcia threw three interceptions in the first half and why he stayed in only proves the Coach Steve Spurrier has more patience than I. Marcus Lattimore was quiet on the ground in the first half but got a key 52 yard touchdown thanks to a key block by Nick Jones.
Now for the second half, well it was all USC defense. Not much else to say really. There were some bright spots here and there. Alshon was found. Connor got some reps. But really this game was won thanks to great defense from S. Carolina and a sucky performance from Vandy. Thank goodness Vandy could only get three points off four Garcia interceptions.
Going forward, even a blind man could see that the USC offense must improve.
Quick thoughts
—USC defensive line played great. Rose to the challenge. The line is truly becoming one of the best as they seem to get better each game.
—What can you say about Melvin Ingram in the first half as he had four tackles (three for loss, two sacks), a pass breakup and a fumble recovery for his third TD of season. That was just in the first half.
—USC held Vandy to 1-14 on third downs. Good stuff there.
—USC held Vandy to 71 total yards on offense. Wow.
—Marcus Lattimore had a well balanced game as he had 3 catches for 73 yards and a score. He also had 20 rushes for 78 yards and a score.
—Loved the defense tonight as they were aggressive. Need that every night.
—USC’s offense needs a quarterback that has ice in his veins under center. Quarterback play is the only thing holding this team back.
UP NEXT: The Gamecocks face the Auburn Tigers in Columbia for the first time since the 2006 season. Auburn holds an 8-1-1 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads, including a pair of wins over the Gamecocks last season. Kickoff time is TBD.
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