The 3-2-1: Three key plays, two game balls, one burning question from South Carolina's win over SC State
In The 3-2-1, we break down the three key plays, two game balls, and one burning question from South Carolina’s win over SC State.
Three Key Plays
1. Vicari Swain’s first punt return
With almost 10 minutes elapsed in the second quarter, South Carolina had just 51 yards of total offense, four first downs, and no points. Special teams to the rescue. Swain fielded the punt, spun out of a tackle, slipped through another attempt, and then picked blockers for his second return touchdown of the season.
2. Vicari Swain’s second punt return
On the very next punt, South Carolina deflected the kick and Swain picked up the bouncing football. Again, he spun free of a tackle and picked up a wall of blockers. The score gave Swain three touchdowns on five punt returns this season.
3. Vandrevius Jacobs’ 35-yard touchdown
Offensively, South Carolina looked stuck in the mud almost the entire game. But late in the third quarter, Jacobs got behind the defense, and LaNorris Sellers hit him in stride for a touchdown. It was one of the only plays where South Carolina’s big, strong, fast players looked like big, strong, fast players. It’s a ray of hope for the coming weeks.
Two Game Balls
Vicari Swain
With South Carolina’s offense once again stuck in park, Swain came to the rescue with a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown. Four plays later, Swain returned another punt for a touchdown. Through six quarters this season, Swain has three punt return scores, tying Dickie Harris’ single-season record set in 1971. The career record is four by Ace Sanders. Swain also had a forced fumble, just for fun.
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Dylan Stewart
Stewart was one of the only Gamecocks who played like he should have. He dominated SC State’s offensive line and got into the backfield seemingly at will, finishing with two tackles for loss, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. He sat for much of the second half.
Bonus: The grounds crew
Despite torrential rains before the game, the field was in great shape. Nobody had any footing issues, and the freshly painted end zones still looked good. The football may have been sloppy, but the field wasn’t.
One Burning Question
Blame it on the rain?
The nearly four-hour rain delay clearly had an impact on the game. South Carolina started noticeably flat, and the Gamecocks were not sharp. If they had flipped the switch after the first quarter or so, we’d be understanding. Most of us had lost focus after that delay. But South Carolina never flipped that switch, never got to playing focused, disciplined football, and, perhaps most troubling of all, never took control of the offensive line of scrimmage. Was the rain really to blame?