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South Carolina needed a bounce back game after dropping the season opener against North Carolina.
After a somewhat scary first half where they trailed for a little while, the Gamecocks did what they needed to do to drop Furman easily, 47-21.
The Gamecocks leave plenty of questions to be answered after their first 2 games, and unfortunately for them next week will be the toughest game of the season as they head to Athens to take on the top team in the country in Georgia. While South Carolina isn’t going to be contending for an SEC title, the win against Furman gives fans at least a little bit of confidence that can pull of a decent record in year 3 of the Shane Beamer era.
Player of the Week: Spencer Rattler
Shane Beamer said before the beginning of the season that he felt his starting quarterback was slept on amongst the national media. Now, Spencer Rattler is proving that he was probably underrated heading into the year.
After a 353-yard performance in Week 1 against North Carolina, Rattler had 345 yards and 3 touchdowns. Oh, and he only threw 2 incomplete passes on 27 attempts. Rattler is making his case as one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and he’s doing it with a relatively weak offensive line.
Freshman of the Week: Jalon Kilgore
Jalon Kilgore is putting together a nice freshman year. He’s already up to 18 total tackles on the season and on Saturday, he was the star of the Gamecocks’ defense.
Kilgore had 5 solo tackles and 6 total, anchoring the Gamecocks on defense and preventing several big plays from Furman. Kilgore is sure to be a star for South Carolina on defense this season.
Biggest Surprise: Allowing 21 points
Ultimately winning big is all that matters, but it is somewhat surprising that South Carolina gave up 21 points to an FCS team after giving up just 10 more the week before against North Carolina’s offense.
For what it’s worth, one of Furman’s touchdowns came in the fourth quarter when the game was essentially over, but in the first half, South Carolina was in a dangerous position, trailing by 7. Perhaps South Carolina overlooked the Paladins early on, but the defense will have to come out with more energy when it faces strong SEC teams down the line.
Biggest Concern: Finding Balance
It’s fair to say South Carolina’s pass game has been really good in the first 2 games of the season. The Gamecocks have already racked up 816 yards through the air and had 463 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns on Saturday against Furman.
Now, the question is will the run game be able to step up and take some of the load off of Rattler and the receivers.
The Gamecocks were in the negative column for rushing yards against North Carolina (Rattler being sacked 9 times didn’t help that number) and had just 108 rushing yards against Furman. If South Carolina wants to have a shot at beating some big SEC opponents later this season, the Gamecocks will need to find a more balanced offense.
Developing Trend: Pass Defense
South Carolina’s run defense was strong on Saturday, allowing just 80 yards on 31 attempts. The Gamecocks pass defense couldn’t keep up, however.
They allowed 243 yards through the air and 2 passing touchdowns, raising questions about the level of South Carolina’s secondary. The Gamecocks struggled to make open field tackles throughout the game, which won’t play well against some of the top receivers in the country that they will see later this season.
Key Stat: Only 1 Sack
When South Carolina lost to North Carolina in the season opener, it seemed like Rattler was being taken down every other play. The Gamecocks gave up just 1 sack against Furman, and while it’s a much weaker opponent than the Tar Heels, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for South Carolina’s front 7.
First Impression about Georgia: Bulldogs will be a good measuring stick
There probably isn’t a single person in the country that things South Carolina will march into Athens and take down Georgia, besides maybe Shane Beamer and his squad. Sure, South Carolina managed to take down Tennessee and Clemson last season, but Georgia is just too good to lose to teams that they should beat.
The Bulldogs will win on Saturday, but the game will be a good chance to evaluate where the team is at. Putting up a decent score against Georgia and avoiding a complete blowout will give the team and fans some confidence that this team is better than the team that lost to North Carolina a few weeks ago.
On the flip side, South Carolina could easily get shutout by Georgia and look more like a bottom-tier SEC team than one that can’t compete for 2nd or 3rd place in the SEC East.
The game will come down to playing mistake-free football and limiting the sacks that hurt the Gamecocks so much against North Carolina.
