South Carolina Survive Shootout Against Jacksonville State, Winning 38-28
Complementary football has eluded Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks throughout the 2023 football season. That was once again the case against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, but Carolina was able to prevail when it mattered the most, winning 38-28.
In the first half, South Carolina missed multiple first quarter opportunities to go up multiple scores on Jacksonville State, and as the first 30 minutes wore on, old negative trends reared their ugly heads for the Gamecocks, and carried over into the second half. On the first play of the second half, Spencer Rattler uncorked a deep ball to true freshman wideout Nyckoles Harbor, who was unable to catch the ball as it was underthrown and therefore landed in the hands of a Jacksonville State defender.
Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez would then string together good playcalls for his offense, which led to the Gamecocks driving 73 yards down the field in just three minutes and two seconds, tying the ballgame at 21 a piece. The next three drives would see just one combined first down between both teams before the Gamecocks from Jacksonville, AL stunned the Carolina faithful in Williams-Brice, torching the Carolina secondary on a 54-yard seam route to take the lead.
South Carolina would then go five-and-out on their next possession, leaving fans increasingly agitated and unsettled about the game's direction. Then, the Gamecocks from Columbia would snatch back the game's momentum, forcing a three-and-out from Jacksonville State and immediately following that up with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Legette, who went for over 200 yards on the afternoon.
Both teams would then trade three more punts before Carolina would retake the lead on a 26-yard field goal from Mitch Jeter. With just less than six minutes remaining in the ballgame, Jacksonville State mounted a methodical drive deep into Carolina territory, running the clock down under two minutes.
It looked like it was only a matter of time before the Gamecocks would score, and that would be the case, but it would be the Carolina Gamecocks that found the endzone, as Stone Blanton jumped a wheel route for an interception and pick six, putting South Carolina up ten points, and effectively ending the ball game. A win is a win at the end of the day, and while there's plenty to clean up, the Gamecocks are still alive as far as fighting for a bowl game is concerned. They be back next week to take the Vanderbilt Commodores.
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