Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina vs Auburn
A look at what went right and wrong for South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ 30-22 win against Auburn Saturday.
South Carolina Thumbs Up
Jaycee Horn: Regarded by many NFL Draft analysts as one of the best cornerbacks in college football, the junior played like it Saturday. Horn got his first two interceptions of his career and had four pass break-ups, one which led to another interception by Jaylin Dickerson.
Shi Smith: The senior is the unquestioned leader of the Gamecocks’ receiving corp and made a couple of highlight-reel catches against the Tigers on Saturday. The first came when Smith jumped over Auburn’s Travion Leonard in the corner of the end zone for a TD pass from Collin Hill.
Later in the second half, Smith hauled a tipped pass on his back for a big gain that led to a South Carolina field goal.
Kai Kroeger: The freshman averaged 48.4 yards a punt and had three of them go inside the 20-yard line and two inside the 10.
Running game: The one-two punch of Kevin Harris and Deshaun Fenwick was tough for the Auburn defense to stop. The two combined for 151 yards on the ground. Both runners have a bruising and physical style, which was able to wear down the Tigers as the game went along.
Last drive: Auburn was able to get inside the 20-yard line on the final drive but the Gamecocks’ defense stood firm. Ernest Jones made the stop of Bo Nix to end the game.
South Carolina Thumbs Down
Third-down defense: South Carolina’s third-down defense came into the game ranked as third-best in the country, allowing just 19.4% of conversions. On Saturday, Auburn converted on 7-of-16 tries on third downs as USC got better as the game went along.
Touchdown erased: The Gamecocks had a 78-yard TD run by Harris wiped out on a holding call by Jovaughn Gwyn in the first half. The touchdown would have given the Gamecocks the lead at the time.
Trash talking: Both teams did their share of jawing with each other throughout the game. Auburn’s Jamien Sherwood and USC’s Shi Smith went back and forth a few times, and Smith had to be restrained by teammates following the game.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina vs Auburn."
