The South Carolina Gamecocks placed in an absolute clinic on how not to win a football game, failing miserably in all three stages of the game in a 52-24 loss to host LSU Tigers on Saturday night.
LSU got off to a hot start with the freshman quarterback TJ Finley on the reins, leaning forward in his racing game to dig deep into Gamecock territory and converting a crucial fourth spot in the red zone to keep a promising campaign alive. A South Carolina fumble recovery in a failed 1-yard line change was overturned by an offside penalty, and yet another fumble exchange recovered by the Gamecocks was again removed from the board by an offsides. The Tigers finally found the final zone in the next play, gaining a 7-0 lead in an attempt by Finley to close a move that consumed almost half of the first quarter.
The Gamecocks began work on the first move in their possession, with Shi Smith advancing 36 yards on a jet sweep. After a penalty kick supported South Carolina, Kevin Harris made the contest with a 45-yard touchdown and tied the game at 7.
LSU went back, mixing some races with the short passing game (and using some Gamecock penalties) to knock on the door again. The South Carolina defense held a pass split in the end zone by Jaycee Horn, with LSU taking a 10-7 lead towards the end of the first quarter.
Unfortunately, the Gamecocks took a quick shot every three to close the first stanza, ending up in a huge Collin Hill bag. LSU continued to beat South Carolina’s defense to start the second quarter, with the Gamecocks failing to generate any pressure on Finley and allowing the newcomer to be even more comfortable in the short passing game. The Tigers capitalized, throwing a 7-yard fade to Terrace Marshall to set LSU to 17-7.
After a 44-yard bomb at Keveon Mullins to open the Gamecocks’ next drive, South Carolina did nothing but return, taking two bad bags and a false start penalty. Parker White was sent on a 54-yard field goal attempt, but despite his accuracy in the middle, he failed.
Fortunately, Israel Mukuamu announced his return to the field in an important way in the next LSU possession, taking Finley and returning him 56 yards to put Gamecocks in good shape. However, South Carolina stagnated once again, forcing another field goal attempt for White, who sent through the side bars to make the goal 17-10.
The Tigers recovered the Gamecocks, taking advantage of the poor tackle in a 51-yard Marshall reception to increase 24-10. Things only got worse with the next South Carolina possession when Hill threw a pick-six to Eli Ricks to put the Tigers on 31-10 before the break. To make matters worse, White lost a 34-yard field goal and the Gamecocks ended the stanza low.
South Carolina got off to a good start in the second half, however, recognizing that the racing game was really effective and allowing Harris and Deshaun Fenwick to work (along with a good move by fresh quarterback Luke Doty). Harris finally entered the end zone in the third and final goal, pushing Gamecocks into 31-17.
However, in what was emblematic of this game, the Tigers returned to the kickoff for a touchdown, despite making a mistake at the reception, returning to 38-17 in the blink of an eye. The Gamecocks responded with another bomb to Mullins, immediately knocking on the Tigers’ door with a 57-yard reception. But after Hill took another drive-kill sack, the Gamecocks chose to kick another field goal, and White went to the left for 40 yards to keep the score at 38-17.
Tyrion-Davis Price made things worse with a quick 4-yard score on LSU’s next ball possession, betting on Tigers for a 45-17 lead with a few minutes left in the third quarter. John Emery Jr. increased the pain in the middle of the fourth period after more offensive (and defensive) Gamecocks ineptitude, becoming 52-17 Tigers.
South Carolina returned to the table with a touchdown reception from Josh Vann to make the 52-24 margin, which remained the final score after LSU replaced backups and ran out of time,
Gamecocks drop to 2-3 and will have a much-needed farewell this weekend before facing No. 7 Texas A&M in Columbia at 7:30 pm