Wide receivers have strong showing against Wildcats
While the late-game defensive woes continued, the South Carolina offense shined in both the running and passing game against Kentucky.
In the first half alone, nine different receivers caught passes from quarterbacks Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson. Shaw was at the helm for most of the game, and the senior showed trust in his receivers by spreading the ball out.
Junior Damiere Byrd said the receivers always compete in practice, but when game time arrives, they root hard for each wideout to contribute in some way. Byrd kept up his strong play as sophomore receiver Shaq Roland’s suspension continued.
He helped set the tone early in the first quarter when he caught a deep ball from Shaw against one-on-one coverage for a 62-yard touchdown. Byrd led the Gamecocks with five catches and 98 yards to go along with his first score of the season. With Roland still out, Byrd has filled in the role of a deep threat and has shown ability to make tough catches in traffic.
“When somebody is out, somebody has to step into that role,” Byrd said. “Right now, that is what I am doing, trying to make plays for the team. Whatever I have to do to make those plays, that’s what I will do.”
Byrd also said the team expected the game to be a dogfight and the offense kept up the pressure for four quarters. He said that the offense came out strong against the Wildcats and the Gamecocks hope to have quick starts every game.
Sophomore running back Mike Davis was a major contributor to the strong opening. After Byrd’s long score, Davis scored the next two Gamecock touchdowns and finished the game with 106 yards on 21 carries.
When the game got close at 35-28 after a Wildcat touchdown, Davis helped run out the clock to seal the game. After fumbling last week late in the game against UCF, he preserved the win on Saturday, running for two first downs on the last South Carolina possession.
Through five games, Davis has 614 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. There is still a lot of the season left, but if he stays healthy, Davis is on pace to outmatch former USC running back Marcus Lattimore’s best year. Lattimore’s freshman year, his only full season, consisted of 1197 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In a year in which some fans worried Lattimore’s departure would hurt the team, there has been no slip in Davis’ production.
Davis said his success has come from working hard in the weight room and during each practice.
“I expected some of the success, but I wasn’t expecting the numbers I’m putting up now,” Davis said. “The more and more I play, the more I guess the game is slowing down for me.”
South Carolina’s 453 yards of total offense included 178 rushing yards. With sophomore Brandon Wilds out, redshirt sophomore Shon Carson had a few carries but was not much of a factor. Shaw and true freshman Pharoh Cooper picked up the slack in Wilds’ absence, combining for 76 yards on the ground.
Head coach Steve Spurrier said he was pleased with the offense’s performance, noting that Davis had crucial runs when the team needed it.
Because the defense had problems late in the game again, Spurrier said the offense should always be ready to put up points.
“It was a good win. It’s always fun to be tested,” Spurrier said. “You have to move the ball and score every time you touch it if you want to win the game. We’ve got a good offense. We should go out there and score a bunch of points if we can get a bunch of possessions.”