Trends Of The Game: South Carolina Vs. Jacksonville State

In a game where this South Carolina Football team needed a win, they got it, but they sure didn't make it easy for themselves.

The Gamecocks came into today's game knowing that the team was out of mulligans and that if they wanted to go bowling in December, they couldn't afford another loss. While South Carolina was able to make plays when they mattered the most, it was yet another contest where every phase of the game was inconsistent at times, and certain coaching decisions didn't help matters. What did we see from the offense and defense in today's matchup?

Offense

In the first half, the running game was nonexistent. They had one big explosive with Mario Anderson Jr. that broke off for 40 yards on the first offensive drive of the game. However, outside of that one play, the Gamecocks registered 15 carries for only 9 yards the rest of the first half. Jacksonville State did a better job filling the gaps and stacking the box as the game progressed, which didn't make things easy.

The second half didn't start well for the Gamecocks either, as Dowell Loggains' unit was only able to gain 38 total yards on their first four offensive drives. At times, it almost seemed like they wanted to be balanced so much, in spite of the run game not working, that they put themselves in clear and obvious passing downs, which worked out in Jacksonville State's favor. They did, however, manage to finish the last three drives with 10 points, which, especially Xavier Legette's 65-yard catch and run, was desperately needed.

Defense:

We continue to sound like a broken record when talking about this defense, but more missed tackles plagued them, and they gave up too many explosives in today's game. The defense only conceded 14 points on eight first-half drives for Jacksonville, but they lacked much-needed discipline following through on tackles, which caught up to them as the game went on.

Jacksonville State finished the game with over 400 yards, and 225 of that total came via the ground. However, the defense finally managed to force turnovers, and they came in bunches at the most opportune times. On the final three drives for Rich Rodriguez and Jacksonville State, South Carolina forced a fumble followed and intercepted two passes, with Stone Blanton's pick-six sealing the deal for the Gamecocks.

This was far from a pretty win, as head coach Shane Beamer alluded to in his postgame presser, but it will go in the win column, which is what matters at the end of the day. Now, Carolina has to get plenty of things cleaned up as they prepare for their next opponent: the Vanderbilt Commodores.

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