South Carolina Football: Gamecocks win shootout against Ole Miss

The Rebels and Gamecocks played a defense-free SEC game in Oxford. South Carolina football prevailed over Ole Miss on the road in a shootout.

South Carolina moved within a game of bowl eligibility on Saturday as they held on for a 48-44 win over Ole Miss on the road in Week 10 action. The Gamecocks earned their fifth win of the year despite giving up nearly 100 more yards of offense against the Rebels on the road.

Deebo Samuel made the biggest difference in the showdown on Saturday. The Gamecocks receiver and return man only caught three passes for 17 yards, but he did major damage on kick returns. Samuel ripped off a 90-yard return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the game, setting up the Gamecocks with an instant advantage. He also added a 38-yarder along with returns of 20, 18, and 16 yards on the day.

Though Jake Bentley didn’t find Samuel much, he did finish with two touchdowns and 363 yards through the air on 22-of-32 passing. Bentley found Bryan Edwards and Josh Vann for scores, and contributed eight yards and a touchdown on the ground. A.J. Turner and Ty’Son Williams added rushing scores for the Gamecocks, while Mon Denson led the way with 102 yards on 12 carries.

South Carolina’s defense struggled against Ole Miss, as the two teams traded punches all day long. Jordan Ta’amu finished with 379 passing yards on 31-of-47 passing, but was unable to find the endzone with his arm. Instead, Ta’amu ran for 66 yards and a score, helping contribute to a day where the Rebels ran for 237 yards and five touchdowns.

Scottie Phillips led the effort with 141 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Isaiah Woullard added 28 yards and another score on a half-dozen touches. But, while the Rebels racked up more than 600 total yards of offense at home, they couldn’t get enough critical stops against the Gamecocks to make it count in the end.

South Carolina should have no problem reaching bowl eligibility this year, with FCS Chattanooga and a date against Akron both still on the schedule. The Gamecocks face Florida on the road next weekend in their final SEC game of the year, and Will Muschamp‘s team must also take on Palmetto State rival Clemson in non-conference play.

Ole Miss has three more chances to get to six wins, and all three are against conference foes. The Rebels take on Texas A&M next weekend at Kyle Field, with a trip to Vanderbilt preceding the Egg Bowl showdown at home against Mississippi State to close out the regular season.