Gamecocks hit best stride near finish
Posted on Sunday, November 9, 2008
COLUMBIA, S. C. — The SEC’s least Productive rushing offense ran the ball at will on Arkansas when the Razorbacks had to make a stop.
South Carolina clinched a 34-21 victory over Arkansas on Saturday by driving 72 yards for a touchdown without attempting a pass.
The Gamecocks ran the ball on 11 consecutive snaps, capped by senior tailback Michael Davis’ 13-yard touchdown run that put them ahead 34-14 with 6: 21 remaining.
“We were able to run the ball for the first time all year,” South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier said. “We’re not a great running team, but we stayed around until the fourth quarter.”
Spurrier said he resisted a suggestion from an assistant coach to call a pass play even when Kenny McKinley — who had seven catches for 130 yards in the game — had single coverage on the outside.
Spurrier said he preferred to run the ball and the clock with a two-touchdown lead.
South Carolina, which came into the game averaging an SEClow 100. 3 rushing yards per game, held the ball for 6: 22 on that runpowered drive to eat into valuable comeback time the Razorbacks could have used.
“On that drive they were just more physical than us,” Arkansas senior safety Dallas Washington said. “They came out and executed and ran it down our throats, and we didn’t answer. I give good credit to them.”
Washington, who had six tackles and an interception, said it was demoralizing not to be able to stop the Gamecocks on that drive, or at least force them to pass.
South Carolina was 3 of 3 on third-down conversions, with Davis running for first downs each time.
“It makes you drop your heart, especially if you love the game,” Washington said. “You understand the situation, to still have a chance, and then for them to run the ball down your throat like that, it will make you question yourself as a man. Do you really want to play ?”
Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said the Razorbacks were geared up in their play calls to stop the run when South Carolina got the ball at its 28 and leading 27-14 with 12: 43 left.
“That’s where it was really disappointing, because we had really loaded up the box, and we did not execute like we needed to,” Robinson said. “It was just execution, individuals not doing what they’ve been taught to do, and doing it at a high pace.”
Robinson said it wasn’t fatigue that caused the Razorbacks to yield a 72-yard touchdown drive with all running plays.
“They blocked us, and we didn’t execute,” he said. “We didn’t tackle.”
South Carolina had 34 rushing attempts for 132 yards, its high against an SEC opponent. The Gamecocks’ previous rushing high in an SEC game was 101 yards on 44 carries in a 27-6 victory over Tennessee last week.
“Their offensive line executed very well. It’s a credit to them,” Arkansas defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said. “But it’s frustrating to have them rush 72 yards on you without throwing the ball. That shows weakness on our part.”
South Carolina scored on three of its first four possessions in the second half, but had to go only 34 yards for a field goal after 41-yard kickoff return by Chris Culliver and 15 yards for a touchdown after a Jordan Lindsey interception return.
“It nice to get a short field,” Gamecocks offensive line coach John Hunt said. “But I told our guys, ‘Let’s one time put them on our backs for a scoring drive and feel good.’”
The Gamecocks’ back-breaking drive in the fourth quarter left Robinson feeling disappointed in the second-half effort overall by the defense.
“The performance in the second half wasn’t even close to being good enough,” he said. “Especially when we needed to stop them.”
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