Although they were trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter, the attitude and effort of the South Carolina football team never wavered.
The Gamecocks scored 17 points in the final 12 minutes to come back and defeat Louisiana Tech 17-16 on Saturday.
“A very gutty performance by our guys, they fought their tails off," head coach Will Muschamp said. “Down 13-nothing going into the fourth quarter and there wasn't a lot of positive things going on and our guys fought through it. Says a lot about the resiliency and the character of our football team.”
The Gamecocks struggled offensively through the first three quarters of the contest. While place kicker Parker White missed two field goal attempts, the Gamecocks never threatened to find the end zone before the final quarter. After the Gamecocks grabbed a one-point lead in the fourth, Louisiana Tech responded with a drive of its own.The Bulldogs capped off the 10-play, 84-yard drive with a Jonathan Barnes field goal to re-take the lead with less than a minute remaining.
While that field goal was a setback, the Gamecocks offense was ready to be called-upon once again.
“Ever since the second touchdown, when we went up by one, we were all excited, but I just went up the [side]line and told the guys it’s not over yet," quarterback Jake Bentley said. “Stay locked-in, stay ready to go and they did a unbelievable job of that. Alan Knott, Bryan Edwards ... Hayden [Hurst] really rallied the offense and kept us focused and kept us locked-in. Just go win the game. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s in our hands now.”
The “locked-in” Gamecock attack was sparked by a 24-yard scramble from Bentley. That gain set up a 41-yard reception to Bryan Edwards, putting the Gamecocks well within field goal range as the clock wined down. White’s kick gave the Gamecocks the win they fought hard for and was the first made attempt of his career.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort of our football team," Muschamp said. “Through a week of a lot of negativity, I’m very proud of how they handled coming back and under very adverse circumstances. That says a lot about the type of young men and the character we’ve got in that locker-room and the leadership that we have in that locker-room.”
The comeback win takes the Gamecocks to 3-1 on the season before they head to Texas A&M for the third SEC game of the campaign Saturday.