Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina vs. Kentucky
Here’s a look at what went wrong and right for South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ 16-10 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.
South Carolina thumbs up
Jaylan Foster: It’s hard for a defensive back to get off to a better start than Foster has for USC. Already the SEC’s leader in interceptions, Foster tallied his fourth interception of the young season in the first half against the wildcats, picking off a deep shot by Kentucky quarterback Will Levis near the end zone. Though the Gamecocks couldn’t take advantage of the turnover on the offensive end, Foster’s pick helped keep Kentucky at bay as USC worked on a second-half comeback.
Juju McDowell: Though the South Carolina offense struggled to get anything going in the first half, it wasn’t because of the freshman McDowell. Lining up at slot receiver and also sharing backfield touches with starter Kevin Harris, the running back was employed all over the field and used his explosive speed to pick up chunk gains. In the first half, McDowell produced 32 of USC’s 80 yards of offense.
Turnovers: USC won the turnover battle — and did so handily. After a rough start on the team’s first drive, Clayton White’s defense tightened up and produced four forced fumbles (two recovered) and one interception. That defensive effort gave USC’s offense multiple opportunities to climb back into the contest. Though the USC offense never turned the ball over, it also failed to generate consistent yardage.
South Carolina thumbs down
First-half offense: The Gamecocks couldn’t put points on the board in the first half, even with excellent field position on two punts downed near midfield. USC generated just 80 yards of offense. Starting his first game at quarterback for USC this season, Luke Doty completed just six of nine first-half passes for 46 yards, and USC converted just one of six third-down attempts as the Gamecocks struggled to sustain drives.
Rushing defense: Kentucky running backs gashed South Carolina on the ground, especially in the first half with 109 yards. On the first drive alone, the Wildcats rushed eight times for 65 yards, punching in a 15-yard touchdown on a rush by Kavosiey Smoke. Tailback Chris Rodriguez rushed for 31 yards on his first three carries. USC’s defense did a better job of containing Rodriguez in the middle part of the game, but he helped the Wildcats salt away the game late and finished with 144 rushing yards.
3rd-down conversions: Executing on third downs is one of the key areas where the USC offense struggled Saturday night. The Gamecocks converted just three of their 12 attempts, with an average of 7.2 yards to go on third downs. The Gamecocks were also unsuccessful on three fourth-down attempts, with receivers Jalen Brooks and Dakereon Joyner both dropping fourth-down passes in the fourth quarter.
