ERROR PLAGUED GAMECOCKS
DEFEAT SC STATE 38-3
COLUMBIA, S.C.
(AP) -- Blake Mitchell threw three
touchdowns and No. 17 South Carolina defeated South Carolina State 38-3
Saturday to make the Gamecocks 3-0 for the first time in six years.
South Carolina won its sixth consecutive
game and the defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second straight game.
That streak - and South Carolina's perfect
start - will get severely tested next week with a trip to No. 2 LSU.
The numbers looked strong for South
Carolina.
Mitchell finished 14-for-21 for 147 yards.
Cory Boyd (132) and Mike Davis (102) went over 100 yards rushing, but the
Gamecocks' offense looked lost for a half against the Bulldogs (1-2).
Mitchell had three interceptions and a
fumble to go with his touchdown throws. Backup Tommy Beecher added an
interception and a fumble of his own.
It got so bad, Gamecock coach Steve
Spurrier chose to run the ball much of the second half. And that's when
South Carolina finally put away its Championship Subdivision rivals.
Davis rushed for 43 yards and finished a
91-yard TD drive with a 9-yard catch from Mitchell.
Two series later, Boyd broke free for a
29-yard scoring run and the Gamecocks were up 31-3.
Spurrier called only two passes in the
third quarter. Then again, he didn't have to get creative the way South
Carolina's defense played.
The Gamecocks picked off three passes of
their own, lineman Nathan Pepper returning one 19-yards for a touchdown to
put them ahead for good, 7-3.
South Carolina State had just 46 yards
passing through three quarters.
The Bulldogs are celebrating 100 years of
football at the historically black college. It's the first time, however,
they've played their larger state rivals about 45 minutes up the road.
The 73,000 at Williams-Brice Stadium was
the largest crowd South Carolina State had played in front of and it showed.
The Bulldogs got an early chance to make an
impact when Markee Hamlin got Mitchell's first interception to set South
Carolina State up on the Gamecocks 12.
But penalties for an illegal snap and
illegal procedure pushed them back and they took a 3-0 lead on Aaron Haire's
37-yard field goal.
South Carolina settled down after that
shaky start - and looked ready to give Spurrier a Florida-style blowout.
Pepper went 19 yards to the end zone with
Cleveland McCoy's interception to put the Gamecocks ahead 7-3.
Ryan Succop added a 40-yard field goal and
Mitchell hit Kenny McKinley with a 12-yard touchdown pass on the Gamecocks
next two series to increase the lead to 17-3.
Soon enough, though, South Carolina
reverted to the "average stiffs'' Spurrier spoke of two weeks ago in
the opener with Louisiana-Lafayette.
The defense, though, was again above
average. It didn't give up a touchdown at Georgia in South Carolina's 16-12
win a week ago and did not yield this time, either.
The closest South Carolina State got after
its opening drive came in the third quarter after driving to the Gamecock
12, but Darian Stewart recovered Jonathan Woods' fumble to end the threat.
THE GOOD
The Gamecocks defense was good
enough to keep the SC State Bulldogs out of the end zone. The option gave
the Gamecocks trouble again giving up 196 yards rushing but the defense made
big plays when they had to. Also, Cory Boyd and Mike Davis both rushed for
over 100 yards against the SC State defense.
THE BAD
The Gamecocks offense committed
six turnovers, 4 interceptions and 2 fumbles. Those numbers will spell
disaster next week at Baton Rouge VS LSU. The Gamecocks were also 4 for 11
on 3rd down conversions.
THE UGLY
South Carolina backup
quarterback Tommy Beecher was ineffective coming into the game in the second
quarter throwing a ball up for grabs that resulted in an interception for
the Gamecocks. Beecher also tried to throw a ball that slipped out of his
hands resulting in a fumble that was recovered by SC State. It didn't cost
the Gamecocks but that play could have been a key turning point if the
Bulldogs had scored a touchdown with USC only up by two scores at the time.
