Sophomore tosses three touchdowns en route to victory
Playing host to The Citadel, the No. 14 Gamecocks threw for 217 yards behind a 16-for-18, three-touchdown performance by Connor Shaw, taking down the Bulldogs and their triple option attack 41-20.
"Connor had his best game I think ever here as a Gamecock," said coach Steve Spurrier. "Football's a team sport. It was time the offense sort of picked up the team and had the main part in helping us win the game."
Shaw's first scoring contribution came courtesy of his legs rather than his arm. With first-and-10 at the USC 40-yard line and a 14-10 lead, the sophomore — who finished the day with 90 yards on the ground — found a hole on a draw play and raced 60 yards down the sideline for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
"I set up the defender off of [tailback Kenny Miles], and he had a great block," Shaw said. "I knew if I could get by Kenny I could take it to the house. It was great perimeter blocking."
USC's passing attack managed 110 yards in the first half but began adding points to its name in the second, starting with a first down play just outside the red zone. Ahead 20-13, the Gamecocks extended their lead on a 25-yard pass from Shaw to receiver Ace Sanders, marking the sophomore's first touchdown since the season opener against East Carolina.
"It felt real good (to find success in the passing game)," Sanders said. "There was a confidence boost among the offense. We've taken a lot of criticism for our passing game, so it felt good to get it going."
Carolina's following offensive possession was a similar story. With the ball at the Citadel 32, Shaw launched a deep pass down the left sideline for Alshon Jeffery, who managed to haul it in on a one-handed grab to extend the lead to 34-13.
"We've been trying to hang some balls up to [Alshon] and finally Connor lobbed one up nicely outside and in the corner there," Spurrier said. "He makes some catches like that in practice. We've seen them like that. Obviously we'd like to get some more balls up in the air. We finally got one there."
Jeffery finished the day with 81 yards receiving, his highest total since reaching 95 yards more than a month ago against Kentucky.
"It feels real good, but if we're not having a good offensive game and we're struggling, I know the defense will pick us up," Jeffery said. "All that matters to me is that we get the win. That's all I'm worried about."
The Gamecocks (9-2) capped off the productive second half on their final possession of the afternoon. After driving to the Citadel 20 and with the lead cut to 34-20, Shaw completed his impressive performance with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Rory Anderson, giving USC a 41-20 lead.
The Citadel's triple option proved to be effective over the course of the day, as the Bulldogs (4-7) proceeded to rack up 241 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. USC countered with another strong rushing performance of their own, led by freshman Brandon Wilds' 109 yards and two first-half scores.
"I just work hard in practice, go and watch film every day," Wilds said. "I'm just getting better as a player, and it pays off."