South Carolina grinds out win over Vanderbilt
It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the Shawn Elliott era as head coach at South Carolina began with a 19-10 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium. Four Elliott Fry field goals and a bit of magic from Pharoh Cooper was enough to hold off the mistake-prone Commodores, who emptied an entire clip into their collective foot with 5 turnovers.
5 TAKEAWAYS
Pushing the tempo: The Gamecocks offense operated at a much quicker tempo than it has for most of the season, denying Vanderbilt time to rest and substitute fresh players. This led to plenty of success between the 20s, but not so much inside the red zone.
Playing hungry: South Carolina’s defense did a nice job of getting in the face of Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary, and that cumulative pressure forced him into 3 interceptions. A pair of fumble recoveries added to the mix made for 5 takeaways for the Gamecocks — 3 of which came in the final quarter.
Changing it up: Elliott decided on the team’s black-on-black uniforms and the playing of “Hells Bells” on third downs (to mixed reviews on Twitter). Small changes, sure, but still enough to serve as a stamp of his new authority.
Playmaker: Pharoh Cooper took a simple slant route in the third quarter and created a 78-yard touchdown reception. It was a play that energized the crowd and gave the Gamecocks a lead they would not relinquish.
Red zone woes: Elliott Fry is a good college kicker, but he got way too much work in this game. He went 4 of 6 on his field goal tries, but the key stat is that four trips inside the Commodores 20-yard line resulted in three Fry field goals.
REPORT CARD
Offense: C+ — I like the balance with 152 yards on the ground and another 272 through the air for the Gamecocks. Perry Orth was solid thanks in large part to Cooper, and Brandon Wilds broke through for 119 yards in his return from a rib injury. But a couple of turnovers and the inability to punch the ball into the end zone holds the grade down a bit.
Defense: A — The South Carolina defense made almost every single play it needed to in this game. The Gamecocks had 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 sacks and got better as the game progressed. Skai Moore was everywhere, leading the way with 11 tackles and a handful of other impact plays.
Special Teams: A- — One of Fry’s misses was from 55 yards out, so he only missed one inside his normal range. The Gamecocks covered their kicks and punts well, and Sean Kelly had a 42.6-yard average and downed a pair of punts inside the 20.
Coaching: B+ — Considering that Saturday was the first day since 1999 that South Carolina had a head coach on the sideline that didn’t have a national championship to his credit, Elliott was solid. The team was ready to play, and the guys in the trenches on both lines were especially good.
Overall: B — It could have been an easier day, considering that the Gamecocks were gifted 5 turnovers in their home stadium. A first SEC win is always a welcome sight, no matter how bumpy the road leading there happened to be.
GAME PLAN
Elliott wanted to run the ball well and put Orth in positions to succeed, and his team did that. On defense, the plan clearly was to key on Ralph Webb and put pressure on McCrary, hoping that he would eventually make some mistakes. That happened, too. Considering that he didn’t find out he was the head coach until the wee hours on Tuesday, the Gamecocks were remarkably well prepared.
GAME BALLS
WR Pharoh Cooper: The junior had 7 grabs for 160 yards and the aforementioned score. He made the most important play of the game, giving the Gamecocks the lead for good in the third quarter.
RB Brandon Wilds: Wilds averaged nearly 5 yards per carry while piling up his 119 yards. He got plenty of help from his offensive line, but he ran hard.
LB Skai Moore: On top of leading the team with 11 tackles, he had his 4th interception of the year, a fumble recovery and a sack. Linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams gets an honorable mention for his work in replacing T.J. Holloman, who was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.
INJURY UPDATE
-CB Rico McWilliams left the game with a concussion in the third quarter.
-C Alan Knott was suspended for the first half. Elliott did not say why in the postgame press conference.