The South Carolina Football team returned to Atlanta to take on the Florida State Seminoles in the 2010 Chick Fil-A Bowl and lost 26-17.
Breaking it down….1st Quarter…South Carolina won the toss and elected to receive. That seemed like a good idea until Marcus Lattimore fumbled and was knocked out of the game. Florida State recovered the fumble and returned it 46 yards to the South Carolina 29. After two first downs Florida State had to settle for a field goal and a 3 point lead. South Carolina made a first down on its next possession, but Stephen Garcia then threw his first interception. The Florida State offense responded by going 3 and out. On South Carolina’s first play of their third possession, Stephen Garcia threw his second interception deep in South Carolina territory. The Seminole offense wasn’t able to do much and had to settle for a field goal to make the score 6-0. The Gamecocks avoided a turnover on their next possession but had to punt. A 53 yard punt return set the Seminoles up at the South Carolina 37 yard line.
2nd Quarter…Frustrated by his offense’s inability to capitalize on turnovers and good field position, Jimbo Fisher decided to go for a fourth and one from the Gamecock 2 yard line. There was an open receiver in the flat, but Christian Ponder threw the ball at this feet, and the South Carolina defense was keeping the team in the game. South Carolina ran the ball on the first 7 plays of their next possession and picked up two first downs. On the first pass attempt of the series, Stephen Garcia threw his third interception of the half. FSU picked up a first down but then had to punt. The Gamecock offense was also beginning to feel desperate and went for a fourth down at the FSU 40. They couldn’t convert, and FSU had good field position again. The defense couldn’t hold again, and the Noles scored on a 27 yard rush to push the lead to 13-0. South Carolina came out throwing, picked up three first downs and put Spencer Lanning in position to attempt a 40 yard field goal. As time expired in the half, the kick sailed between the uprights to cut the FSU lead to 13-3.
3rd Quarter…The Florida State offense took the first possession of the second half and moved the ball down the field for a field goal to extend their lead to 16-3. South Carolina began the comeback by picking up some quick first downs before Alshon Jeffrey fumbled and FSU recovered at their 42. They picked up two first downs before trying to throw the ball deep. Stephon Gilmore intercepted the ball deep in Carolina territory. The Gamecocks took over at their 8 and moved the ball all the way to the Seminole 3 when they faced a 3rd and two. Ace Sanders took a hand off and threw a pass back to a side open Stephen Garcia for the touchdown. Lanning’s extra point made the score 16-10. The teams traded punts, but a good FSU return started their next drive at the South Carolina 30. They didn’t get a first down, but they did get a field goal to extend the lead to 19-10.
4th Quarter…South Carolina put together a 7 play, 79 yard drive to start the fourth quarter that ended with a Brian Maddox touchdown run from the 7 to cut the lead to 19-17. The South Carolina defense couldn’t stop the Seminoles when they needed to, and FSU converted 4 third downs, the last one for a touchdown. South Carolina gave the ball back to Florida State after being unable to cross midfield. The Seminoles ran the clock out and ended the game.
Stars of the Game…Kenny Miles…10 rushes 70 yards….Brian Maddox…12 rushes for 53 yards, 1 TD…Alshon Jeffrey 9 receptions for 130 yards…
What to take away from the game…There’s not much to take away from the game good or bad. It should come as no surprise that 5 turnovers were too many to overcome. Bowl games are always strange because they are so separated from the regular season, so it’s often difficult to draw too many conclusions format hem. In a worst case scenario, this loss stays with the team and bleeds into next year. In a best case scenario, the memory of losing twice in the Georgia dome motivates the team to a great off season. We won’t know which one it will be until next season.
This and that…South Carolina falls to 9-5…Total Offense: SC 414, FSU 308…Turnovers: SC 5, FSU 1…3rd downs: SC 7 of 14, FSU 6 of 14…Time of Possession: SC 26:32, FSU 33:28…Red Zone: SC 2 of 3, FSU 3 of 5…
Up next…Spring Practice, times and dates TBA. When that information becomes available, we’ll let you know.
