Three Gamecocks who have to perform to get South Carolina bowl eligible vs. Auburn
Another week, another chance at bowl eligibility.
South Carolina’s playing with house money this season after being projected for somewhere between three and four wins by most outlets prior to the fall. But with three shots at bowl eligibility, the Gamecocks already fanned on their first pitch at Missouri last week.
Saturday, USC needs these three players to perform if it hopes to beat Auburn:
QB Jason Brown
By now you’ve probably heard Brown’s story in one fashion or another. He was under-recruited out of high school despite plenty of promises from college coaches. He ended up at St. Francis, where he set program records for passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense in his lone season as the starter. Now after injuries to Luke Doty and Zeb Noland, Brown is QB1 in Columbia.
Brown was solid in his first career Southeastern Conference start, completing 12 of his first 15 passes in South Carolina’s 40-17 rout of Florida. The former FCS quarterback finished the night 14 of 24 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
His encore at Missouri, though, was less impressive. Brown looked the part of a player adjusting to the pressure that comes against SEC defensive fronts. Head coach Shane Beamer noted after the game that Brown peeled out of the pocket too quickly too often. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield echoed those sentiments this week.
Brown took the blame for not stepping into the pocket more after the loss, but the negative-50 sack yards he surrendered last week won’t fly against Auburn on Saturday.
Despite being thrust into a borderline impossible situation, Brown has been largely solid in his two starts. South Carolina could use another productive outing from him under center if it’s to spring an upset on Saturday.
CB Cam Smith
When Karon Prunty’s short tenure at South Carolina concluded, all eyes shifted to Smith in holding things down at cornerback. Injuries limited Smith early this season, but he’s looking the part of a legitimate No. 1 corner of late.
The Blythewood product has had his moments to shine this year, but ill-timed penalties and a misstep here or there have overshadowed how well he’s played most of the season.
Smith had an interception in the Florida game that effectively put the contest on ice. He added another pick at Missouri and has recorded a handful of crucial third-down pass break-ups.
Auburn’s offense isn’t an air raid scheme, but the Tigers are tossing the ball around the yard more than they have in any of the past 10 years. Bryan Harsin’s group currently averages the third-most pass attempts per game in the SEC behind only Missouri and the pass-happy bunch at Mississippi State. Auburn is also averaging 42 passes per game in November.
With quarterback Bo Nix out and T.J. Finley replacing him, expect the Tigers to test the Gamecocks secondary given Finley’s herculean arm. If Smith can show up as he has in recent weeks, don’t be surprised if he adds another pick to his ledger.
WR Josh Vann
Will the real Josh Vann please stand up?
Vann has been a maddening mix of top-flight production coupled with games where he’s disappeared entirely. He seems to be getting back on track, though.
After opening the season with 127- and 128-yard efforts against East Carolina and Georgia, respectively, Vann had five straight games in which he never went over 45 yards.
Enter Florida. Like just about every piece of the South Carolina offense, the former four-star recruit exploded against the Gators for 111 yards and a touchdown. Vann was again productive with a five-catch, 62-yard effort at Missouri in which he added his fourth touchdown of the year.
Brown gives South Carolina some upside in the passing game and isn’t afraid to sling it downfield. Vann has been USC’s best pure receiver in 2021 and it seems he’s finding better ways to account for the increased coverage he’s seen for the bulk of the campaign.
South Carolina hasn’t thrown for more than 200 yards in a game in almost a month. That won’t cut it on Saturday. If Vann can get loose, like he has of late, USC has a chance to get bowl eligible this weekend.
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Three Gamecocks who have to perform to get South Carolina bowl eligible vs. Auburn."
