South Carolina traveled to Atlanta to play Auburn for the SEC Championship and lost 56-17.
Breaking it down…1st Quarter…The Gamecocks kicked off to Auburn and were unable to stop Cam Newton. The Tigers scored quickly on a 4 play, 77 yard drive. Just like recent games, South Carolina was down 7-0, and just like the games against Clemson and Florida, the Gamecocks answered. Stephen Garcia found Patrick DiMarco from 25 yards out for the tying touchdown. Auburn answered with a touchdown to make the score 14-7. After picking up a first down on its next possession, South Carolina was unable to drive any further and had to punt. Auburn then scored again to make the score 21-7.
2nd Quarter… South Carolina quickly punted on their next possession. Auburn took over looking to put the game way out reach, but the South Carolina defense stiffened and forced a Cam Newton fumble on third and long. The Gamecocks recovered the fumble, but Stephen Garcia threw his first interception of the game on the second play of the drive. The South Carolina defense was on the brink of a blowout but was able to get a stop and force an Auburn punt. South Carolina drove into Auburn territory but missed a long field goal. Auburn then drove down the field and missed a field goal of their own. The Gamecocks put together a nice drive and scored with 0:16 seconds left in the half to make the score 21-14. At that point, it looked like South Carolina might still be in the game. Two plays later Cam Newton connected on a hail mary to effectively end all Gamecock momentum and give Auburn a 28-14 halftime lead.
3rd Quarter…South Carolina received the second half kickoff and drove down the field, but then missed another field goal. Auburn then drove down the field against a deflated USC defense and scored to make the score 35-14. South Carolina’s next possession started out poorly and then got worse. As he was being sacked, Stephen Garcia threw his second interception of the day, which was then returned for a touchdown to make the score 42-14. The Gamecock offense got the ball back and made two first downs before punting.
4th Quarter…On Auburn’s next possession, they scored again to extend the lead to 49-14. Connor Shaw entered the game at quarterback for South Carolina and led the team to a field goal to make the score 49-17. On Auburn’s next drive they turned the ball over, and Cam Newton got hurt. Just kidding, Auburn scored another touchdown, and the lead was 56-17. The Gamecocks mercifully ran out the clock and the slaughter was over.
Stars of the Game other than Cam Newton…Patrick DiMarco…2 receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown…Marcus Lattimore…16 rushes for 84 yards…3 receptions for 36 yards…
What to take away from the game…Its pretty clear that if South Carolina doesn’t play well against a really good team, then the results are going to be ugly. There may be teams that can win championships when they don’t play their best, but this Gamecock team isn’t one of them. The game itself was disappointing for the players, the fans and everyone, but it wasn’t a total loss. This South Carolina team is still the SEC East Champion, and they’ve had a good season. After last night’s game that might be all you can say.
This and that…South Carolina falls to 9-4 on the year…They are #19 in the AP and #20 in the new Coaches poll…Auburn scored a touchdown on 7 of their 10 offensive possessions, including 3 of 3 in the second half…Third Down Conversions: AU 9 of 12, SC 5 of 12…Time of Possession: AU 31:01, SC 28…Total Offensive Yards: AU 589, SC 349…
Up next…As of the writing of this report, it’s still not clear, but it looks like the Gamecocks are headed back to Atlanta for their first Chick Fil-A Bowl against Florida State.
