South Carolina Football: 3 takeaways from shootout loss to Ole Miss

Nov 14, 2020; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Collin Hill (15) hands the ball off to South Carolina Gamecocks running back Kevin Harris (20) during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2020; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Collin Hill (15) hands the ball off to South Carolina Gamecocks running back Kevin Harris (20) during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 14, 2020; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Darius Rush (28) and defensive back John Dixon (22) celebrates during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2020; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Darius Rush (28) and defensive back John Dixon (22) celebrates during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Gamecocks couldn’t do much of anything defensively

Both teams struggled with defense, but Ole Miss had the stronger unit and was able to stop the Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks also had to deal with injuries early on. Isreal Mukuamu was hurt first but was able to walk off of the field on his own, then Jammie Robinson went to the sidelines with an injury not long after. Robinson returned to the game before the end of the quarter.

In the Rebels’ final possession of the game, Matt Corral was sacked by Kingsley Enagbare causing him to fumble the ball and giving South Carolina the opportunity to recover it, which was almost a missed opportunity, but upon review, South Carolina took possession of the ball. However, they were unable to convert this turnover into any points.

The Gamecocks defense didn’t show much improvement at the beginning of the third quarter either as they let the Rebels put a touchdown up during their first drive of the quarter. The Rebels were up by 10 points and then in the next Ole Miss drive, they put another touchdown on the board and took the three-point lead over South Carolina, who prior to this possession had taken a five-point lead. The Rebels would keep this lead heading into the final quarter.

I’m not sure anyone expected the high-scoring affair that took place on Saturday, but Ole Miss outplayed South Carolina on both sides of the field until the very last minute.

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