Gamecocks Outlast Mississippi State In A Close 37-30 Victory

It wasn't always pretty, but South Carolina's Football team secured a much-needed win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

In the first half of the football game, South Carolina and Mississippi State both did what most thought the other team would do, as the Gamecocks were the ones who used the ground game to grind out multiple successful offensive drives, while the Bulldogs hit multiple deep shots down the field. This lead to a really tight margin as both teams went into the break, with South Carolina leading 20-17 at the half.

In the second half, the Gamecock offense started much like they did in the first half, with Spencer Rattler connecting with Xavier Legette on a 75-yard go route down the Bulldog sideline to put Carolina back up by 10 points in the blink of an eye. Mississippi State, however, refused to back down despite the quick strike by the Gamecocks, as the Bulldogs put together a nine play, 75-yard touchdown drive that saw Will Rogers throw two explosive passes to Jordan Mosley, and Tulu Griffin, who broke a Bulldog single-game receiving yard record.

After a three-and-out by each team, Dakereon Joyner would get a mid-third quarter handoff, and lose the football after being hit by a second-level defender, which gave the Bulldogs great field position being only down three points. Despite allowing Mississippi State to get inside the 10-yard line, the Gamecocks' defense held the Bulldogs' to a field goal, which tied the game at 27 a piece.

Needing a drive in order to turn the momentum back in their favor, Carolina would string together two consecutive scoring drives of 58 yards and 22 yards, the latter being thanks to a Will Rogers strip-sack fumble, once again gaining a ten point advantage over Mississippi State. The Bulldogs would have two chances in the final ten minutes to try to cut into that lead, and while the Gamecocks' defense bended, they didn't break, as they would only allow a field goal late, and get a fourth down stop with 2:13 left to seal the deal.

This win puts South Carolina at 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. The Gamecocks will play next weekend against the Tennessee Volunteers, who are currently 3-1 and 0-1 in SEC play.

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