South Carolina Gamecocks Football Field Report: Mississippi State

South Carolina beat Mississippi State 14-12 on Saturday in Starkville.

Breaking it Down…1st Quarter…South Carolina received the opening kickoff, picked up a first down and punted.  The defenses then took over for a while.  South Carolina forced a three and out; Mississippi State’s defense then did the same thing.  On their second possession the Bulldogs made a first down before punting.  The Gamecocks did the same.  Then Miss State found its offense.  MSU traveled 69 yards on 10 plays capped by a 19 yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead.

2nd Quarter…The Gamecock offense still couldn’t get going, and after a 16 yard punt momentum was squarely on the Bulldogs side.  They took over at the South Carolina 48 yard line, but they were unable to pick up a first down and punted into the end zone.  The Gamecocks took over at their 20, and the offense awoke.  Bruce Ellington caught three passes, threw two and rushed once to get the offense going.  Connor Shaw and Marcus Lattimore did the rest with Lattimore carrying the ball in over the right side to tie the game 7-7.  Reginald Bowens then promptly intercepted MSU and returned the ball to the 11.  The Gamecocks had all the momentum and were threatening to put pressure on the Bulldogs, but a tipped ball was intercepted in the end zone.  Nonetheless, the defense allowed only one first down before forcing a punt.  The Gamecocks were moving into field goal range when a deep throw was intercepted.  MSU ran out the clock.

3rd Quarter…Mississippi State’s offense gained a first down and punted giving the Gamecocks good field position.  They drove the ball to the State 25 and faced fouth and two.  Rather than attempt the 42 yard field goal, they went for it and didn’t make it.  State’s offense starting moving and covered 52 yards on 10 plays.  They settled for a field goal attempt, but they missed wide left from 40 yards out.  The Gamecocks picked up a first down before punting.

4th Quarter…On a drive spanning the quarter break, State made two first downs and lined up for a 53 yard field goal.  The attempt was well short.  The Gamecocks couldn’t do anything on offense and punted without a first down.  Mississippi State’s ensuing drive covered 70 yards on 12 plays.  The Bulldogs couldn’t punch the ball in and kicked a field goal from 22 yards out.  Connor Shaw and the offense answered.  Ellington, Brandon Wilds and Shaw moved the offense down the field.  Lattimore was hurt on the drive and unavailable near the goal line.  After two unsuccessful runs from the 5, Shaw threw a jump ball to Alshon Jeffrey who hauled it in for the touchdown and a 14-10 lead.  State tried to answer, and they made two first downs, but D.J. Swearinger intercepted the ball with 1:45 left.  SC had just enough time to run out the clock without punting, but they had to run plays to take the time off the clock.  On fourth down the offense came out; Connor Shaw dropped back, and as soon as the clock showed all zeros, he stepped out of the back of the endzone to end the game 14-12.

Stars of the Game…Connor Shaw…20-28, 155 yards, TD, 16 rushes, 60 yards…Bruce Ellington, 4 rushes 25 yards, 2-3 passing 24 yards, 4 receptions for 32 yards…D.J. Swearinger…12 tackles, INT…Antonio Allen…10 tackles, 1 for loss…

What to Take Away From the Game…South Carolina wasn’t firing on all cylinders on offense on Saturday, but they found a way to make the plays when they had to and got an important road win.  The defense played another great game and is turning into the elite defense we hoped we’d have.

You can’t talk about what this game means for the season and the program without talking about Marcus Lattimore.  On the final scoring drive Lattimore’s knee was hurt while he was blocking.  To the team’s credit, they were able to sustain the drive and continue down the field for the winning score.  Whether the injury is for a few weeks or for the rest of the season, the look and strategy of the offense will change dramatically.  The off week is coming at just the right time, so we’ll all have to wait and see how the coaches and players are able to respond.

This and that…South Carolina improved to 6-1 (4-1) on the season.  They are tied for first place in the SEC East and are bowl eligible…The Gamecocks are now #12 in the Coaches Poll and #14 in the AP…Marcus Lattimore went over 2000 yards rushing for his career…Alshon Jeffrey now has 20 touchdown receptions, 2nd all tine…Steve Spurrier has now won 50 games at South Carolina…The win was the 5th road win in a row (Vandy ’10 – Florida ’10 – Clemson ’10 – Georgia ’11 – Mississippi State ’11)… South Carolina has now won 6 games in a row against Mississippi State.  That is the Gamecocks’ longest current streak over another conference opponent.

Up next…South Carolina has its bye week before continuing the road trip at Tennessee on October 29 in Neyland Stadium.