Safety Kadetrix Marcus might be out ‘a while’
Sophomore running back Mike Davis took advantage of his new opportunity as a starter with 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the Gamecocks’ Thursday night win over North Carolina.
The crowd saw an impressive display of speed in that run. Three-quarters of the way through his run, it looked like a UNC defender took the proper angle to keep Davis from scoring, but he was able to pull away to finish off the play.
“I guess my speed shows for itself,” Davis said. “I think some people thought I was probably slower. I just wanted to show my talents.”
Davis finished the game with 115 yards on 12 carries. His partner in the backfield, sophomore Brandon Wilds, tallied 12 carries for 64 yards.
Davis set the tone early with runs of five yards and 12 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage for South Carolina.
North Carolina played the run on the next play, and it led to one-on-one coverage on sophomore receiver Shaq Roland with no safety help. Roland beat his man and scored a 65-yard touchdown. Head coach Steve Spurrier was pleased with the work of his running backs.
“Brandon and Mike had some good runs,” Spurrier said. “I thought North Carolina was pretty sturdy to tell you the truth.”
Kicking Situation
There has been a lot of talk about the uncertainty in the Gamecocks’ kicking game, but for the most part, it went smoothly against the Tar Heels.
True freshman Elliot Fry connected on both of his field goal attempts in his first collegiate game. The walk-on had a 39-yarder in the first quarter and a 26-yarder late in the second quarter.
Sophomore Landon Ard handled kickoff duties. His first kickoff of the game went out of bounds, allowing the Tar Heels to get the ball on their own 35-yard line. Ard was able to keep the rest of his kickoffs in-bounds.
“Elliott made eight out of nine in high school and made 49 out of 50 extra points,” Spurrier said. “In games, he’s good, but in practice, he misses a few. I just said, ‘Elliott, you’re pretty good in games. I’m not going to worry about you; just kick like you do in games.’ So he answered the bell. He’s a confident young man.”
**Victor Hampton*
Redshirt junior Victor Hampton sprained his neck on a punt return in the second quarter, but came back on the field in the third quarter on defense. He also returned to field punts for the rest of the game.
Hampton said he thought the hit was late, but added that he learned from the punt return, because he probably should have called for the fair catch.
“I’m anxious to make a play, but sometimes you got to be smart,” he said.
Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward agreed with Hampton that the cornerback needs to be smart on returns. Ward said that if Hampton keeps taking huge hits like he took against North Carolina, he would not last the entire season.
Academic Issues/Injury Report
Junior defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and redshirt freshman receiver Kwinton Smith did not play the first half because of academic issues, but Spurrier said they will be ready to go the rest of the season.
As for boundary safety junior Kadetrix “JJ” Marcus, Spurrier said he might be out a while with a dislocated left shoulder.
Ward said that sophomore T.J. Gurley and redshirt freshman Chaz Elder will both see time to replace Marcus. Junior defensive tackle J.T. Surratt was also on the injury list with a foot contusion.
The loss of Marcus could prove to be a big one for the Gamecock defense, but in practice earlier this week, Ward said Gurley would be ready to step in and perform when needed.