Finally, the rivalry week every University of South Carolina Gamecocks fan anticipates all year long. It only happens once every 52 weeks, and this year’s annual contest seems more intensified because of the success both teams have enjoyed this season and the primetime national television exposure (ESPN). But before I jump into the South Carolina/Clemson game, let’s take a look back at USC’s outcome versus FCS opponent The Citadel. Carolina won by three touchdowns and pretty much went up & down the field the entire game with little resistance from The Citadel defense. One alarming theme from this past Saturday’s game was the M.A.S.H. unit over on the South Carolina sidelines, especially regarding defensive personnel. I was pleased with the balance demonstrated by the USC offense as the Gamecocks rolled up almost 475 yards of total offense. Connor Shaw improves to 6-1 as a Starter this season and he continues to exhibit the evolution of his development as a starting quarterback in the SEC Conference. Let’s take a look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The Good:
→Steve Spurrier won his 53rd game as Head Football Coach at the University of South Carolina. SOS is now 53-35 in less than seven full seasons at South Carolina. That is a 60% winning percentage. Spurrier is second all-time on USC’s Career Wins List for USC football coaches, trailing only Rex Enright (64 all-time wins).
→Steve Spurrier improves to a perfect 44-0 all-time against schools outside of BCS automatic qualifier conferences, including an 18-0 mark since coming to South Carolina.
→South Carolina has achieved back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time ever in school history. The landmark accomplishment is only the fourth nine-win season in USC history.
→Regular season recipe for success as the Gamecocks have won 12 of their last 14 games.
→Protect this house has become the mantra for the USC football team inside the cockpit. South Carolina is 19-3 (86%) over the last 22 games at Williams-Brice.
→The Gamecocks finally grabbed an early lead against an opponent that ended 13 straight games of facing an early deficit.
→Wide Receiver Alshon Jeffrey has now caught a pass in 34 straight games. The Calhoun County native is nine games shy of tying the school leader, Kenny McKinley, at 43.
→Alshon Jeffrey needs two more touchdown receptions to tie Sidney Rice’s all-time TD receptions record (23) at USC, after the junior recorded his first touchdown reception since his game-winning catch at Mississippi State.
→The USC Rushing attack eclipsed 200 yards rushing for the seventh time this season. Carolina rushed for greater than 200 yards versus ECU, UGA, Navy, UK, UT, UF and The Citadel. The Gamecocks rank 29th in Rushing Offense (less than 197 rushing yards/game), after its output against the Bulldogs and improved to 17-0 under Steve Spurrier when USC runs for 200-plus yards.
→The 256 yards rushing is the second-best rushing output since the Gamecocks grinded out 288 yards on the ground against Kentucky, per The State newspaper.
→Freshman Brandon Wilds eclipsed the century-mark for the third time in four starts, rushing the football for 109 yards on 20 rush attempts, with two touchdowns. Wilds’ first multiple touchdown performance, per The State newspaper.
→Connor Shaw’s accuracy was almost impeccable minus a first quarter interception. The sophomore completed 16-18 passes (89%), 217 yards and three touchdown passes with one INT. The completion percentage (89%) was Shaw’s best since his 20-28 performance (71%) versus Mississippi State.
→Run Connor Run, as the Flowery Branch, GA native raced 60 yards, splitting two Bulldogs’ defenders, for a touchdown in the second quarter. Shaw gained 90 yards on 11 carries. Shaw is now the SEC’s leading rusher among quarterbacks.
→DE Melvin Ingram is averaging 43.5 yards rushing on two carries for 87 yards and one touchdown this season. Ingram had a 19-yard run on fake punt versus The Citadel.
→USC did not attempt a single Punt in the entire game. Carolina lined up to punt in the fourth quarter but executed a perfect fake punt play that would lead to Alshon Jeffrey’s TD reception.
→Third-down conversion rate for USC was 6-9 (66%). Carolina was perfect on fourth down conversions (3-3).
The Bad:
→The USC rush defense surrendered 241 rushing yards to The Citadel. The Bulldogs ran the football 54 times averaging almost 4.5 yards per carry.
→Shaw has thrown an interception in five straight games, per The State. If you go back to the ECU game, Shaw has at least one turnover in six of his seven starts this season.
→Four Citadel fumbles that the USC defense did not recover. When defenses are flying to the football, those mistakes turn into fumble recoveries for the Gamecocks instead of second chances for the opponent!
→The USC special teams, especially the Kickoff coverage unit, allowed multiple 30-yard returns by The Citadel Kickoff Return squad.
The Ugly:
→The M.A.SH. Unit that began piling up on Saturday afternoon along the Gamecocks’ sideline. Seven USC players were injured during Saturday’s contest. Six defensive players (DE Jadeveon Clowney, Safety DeVonte Holloman, LB Quinn Smith, LB Qua Gilchrist, LB Reginald Bowens and Spur DaMario Jeffery) and one offensive player, WR Bruce Ellington, suffered injuries. Currently, according to Ellis Johnson, Spur Damario Jeffrey sustained the most serious injury, high ankle sprain, and most likely would miss the Clemson game. Status of the other injured players is yet to be determined.
Clemson Preview:
A top 20 match-up features two teams that sit at 9-2 with one monumental game yet to be played come Saturday night. One of these schools will attain the 10-win plateau. For USC, it has only enjoyed a 10-win season once (1984). The Gamecocks currently enjoy a modest two-game winning streak against the Clemson Tigers. Only once in school history has USC won three straight games (’68, ’69 & ’70) versus its instate rival. The dynamics in this game basically boil down to two key elements. First, can South Carolina’s front four, d-line, get consistent pressure on Tajh Boyd to force the Clemson quarterback into mistakes? IMHO, the past three Clemson games, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest & N.C. State, have shown multiple blueprints on how to slow down the Tigers offense. Secondly, will the Gamecocks eclipse 200 rushing yards, which means Carolina’s offense is on the field controlling the time of possession, while Clemson’s explosive offense is over on the sideline. I will have more on these keys and others on Friday, when I reveal my top five keys to victory. The drama leading up to this game will be enormous, as both team’s strengths, CU passing game vs. USC pass defense & USC rush offense vs. CU rush defense, are an advantage against the other team’s weakness.
My next blog will be Wednesday when I look at three key personnel match-ups of the Clemson/Carolina contest.
Go Gamecocks!
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