The Halftime Report: South Carolina vs Mississippi State

South Carolina's Football team has created more explosive plays than they've given up, as they lead Mississippi State 20-17 at halftime.

In what's widely considered a must-win game for South Carolina, the Gamecocks have had both some good moments and some bad moments so far against Mississippi State, in what has become a game of runs we typically see in basketball games. Spencer Rattler has once again lead the charge for the offense, completing 100 percent of his passes for 162 passing yards and two touchdowns, while O'Donnell Fortune currently leads the defense in tackles with four.

The game started off with a bang for South Carolina, as after the defense forced a 6-and-out from Mississippi State, the Gamecocks saw the Rattler-Legette connection work its magic once again, as the Arizona native connected with the 5th-year senior on a shallow cross that went 76 yards to the house. On the very next drive, South Carolina started on their own one-yard line, and converted on three critical third and fourth down plays, which eventually set up the Gamecocks in the Bulldogs' redzone, where Rattler made an off-script rollout pass to tight end Trey Knox for a 17-yard touchdown.

This however, is where the tide would turn in the first half, as South Carolina would only get one first down on their next two offensive drives, while on the other side, the defense struggled to contain Lideatrick "Tulu" Griffin, who caught passes for 65, 47, and 60 yards to spark Mississippi State's offense and help them score 14 unanswered points in the second quarter. Dowell Loggains managed to fire a counter-punch on their final drive of the half, putting together a thirteen play, 75-yard drive that took 6 minutes and 24 seconds off the clock and lead to a Dakereon Joyner touchdown near the goal-line.

However, the Bulldogs, once again, shredded the Gamecocks' secondary despite Mississippi State only having 38 seconds left in the half, and wound up kicking a field goal to end the half. South Carolina is playing well in only one phase of the game right now, and will to play more complimentary football in the second half if they wish to avoid a 1-3 start.

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