South Carolina Football: 10 Things We Learned from the 'Cocks Win over Arkansas

South Carolina was a 14-point favorite at home against the struggling Arkansas Razorbacks, and while the Hogs held their own early on, the Gamecocks soon made quick work of the visitors, putting the game away early in the second half en route to a 38-20 victory.

While playing a weaker opponent such as Arkansas often results in lopsided wins, there are still some important takeaways from the game.

Here, we'll highlight 10 things we learned about South Carolina in Saturday's victory.

Red-Zone Defense Won the Game

There's nothing more demoralizing for a football team than to constantly drive the ball into the end zone and continuously come away with three points—or worse.

That was exactly what happened today.  Arkansas was held to just one touchdown on a half-dozen trips to the red zone Saturday.

While those kind of stops don't mean a ton late in the game when you're leading by 21 points, it has a immeasurable effect on the psyche of the opposing offense.

Red-zone defense may be the most underrated defensive stat in college football, but South Carolina excels at it.

Two Losses or Not, Williams-Brice Is Still a Dangerous Place to Play

South Carolina is known for raucous crowds, and the fans in the stands showed up in a huge way this Saturday.

The first half was full of noise, and that made things difficult for the talented Razorbacks.  Sure, Arkansas was overmatched, but there is more than enough talent to have given the Gamecocks a real game today.

But the Hogs are probably the most talented team in the nation that sports a losing record. And the losing continues.

"

College team with the most wasted talent= the Arkansas Razorbacks.

—Kellen Davis (@kellen_davis) November 10, 2012"

D.J. Swearinger Is Dangerous with or Without the Ball

D.J. Swearinger is a big, 210-pound safety with ball-hawking abilities every coach in the country would love to have on his roster.

Fortunately for South Carolina fans, Steve Spurrier is the lucky man to actually have Swearinger's name on the list.  And on Saturday, Swearinger showed us all why he can be so deadly lurking in the defensive backfield.

Every opposing quarterback has to know where he is at all times, and even when they keep one eye on him, Swearinger's ability to get an early break on the ball is matched only by the very best in the nation.

When the ball is thrown in his direction, he can not only make a play on it, he can make big things happen when he comes down with it (as his pick-six today proves).

But the biggest impact on the game Swearinger has may be when the ball is nowhere near him.

He's become so well respected by opposing offensive coordinators that they don't typically throw the ball in his general direction.  Instead, we see five- or seven-yard dump offs, screens and underneath passes.  Swearinger is just too dangerous downfield to risk much else.

Feast or Famine

South Carolina's offense is built for big plays and quick strikes.

Unfortunately, when that doesn't work, we usually see three-and-outs.

In the first half, South Carolina had just five possessions.  Three resulted in touchdowns.  The other two were a combined eight plays for 14 yards.

The second half had just six full possessions, none with more than nine plays, and only one punt (on a three-and-out).

Who Needs Wide Receivers When You Have Tight Ends Like These

We've known for years now that the old-fashioned block-first tight ends are a thing of the past.

But since when did tight ends decide they want to take over as premier passing targets?

South Carolina ends Justice Cunningham, Jerell Adams and Rory Anderson all got into the act today, combining for four receptions, 91 yards and a touchdown.

That's almost 23 yards per catch.

Never mind the soft hands.  What about the ability to get that far down field that fast?

Lattimore Is Missed, but Davis and Miles Are Plenty Good

When any team loses a stud like Marcus Lattimore, it can't help but lose a little something in the rushing game.

But since Lattimore went down to a dislocated knee a couple of weeks back, Kenny Miles and Mike Davis have stepped in and stepped up for Steve Spurrier and their teammates.

The two combined for 90 yards on 27 carries on Saturday—not exactly Lattimore-like numbers, but more than enough to make opposing defenses respect the Gamecocks' admittedly diminished ground attack.

Credit Miles and Davis with keeping SC from becoming a one-dimensional team down the stretch in 2012.

The SC O-Line Is as Good as Any in the Conference

A key to any offense's success is the offensive line.

As South Carolina has had to deal with injuries and at times shaky run play as a result, the O-line has given quarterback Connor Shaw the time he needs to take control of not only the offense, but the game as a whole.

Shaw's progression has improved dramatically this season, and he has the offensive line to thank for that.  The big boys are also opening up holes for Kenny Miles and Mike Davis who have stepped in nicely for the injured Marcus Lattimore.

Without a line this good, South Carolina doesn't win eight games this season.

Connor Shaw Could Be the Quarterback to Watch Next Season

Connor Shaw's performance Saturday (15-of-23 for 279 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) wasn't the most spectacular we've see from him all season.

Then again, he didn't need to be all that great.

But he was exactly what he needed to be: solid, confident and controlled.

With both teams wrestling for control early on, Shaw was methodical in his progression, with a killer ability to spot the blown coverages.  And when most quarterbacks would get amped up and overthrow the ball, Shaw put it right on the money, time and time again.

Shaw is unafraid to use any and all tools in his belt to get those extra yards, and his maturation into one of the SEC's most solid quarterbacks is nearly complete.

Next season, with all of the talent he'll have both in his own arm and in the bodies of those surrounding him, South Carolina could be a clear SEC-East front-runner.

And postseason awards for Shaw may follow.

The HBC Love to Gamble, Regardless of the Opponent

With his team leading in the second quarter, and facing a fourth down near midfield, most college football coaches would punt.

Steve Spurrier isn't most football coaches.

It's one of the things we love about the Head Ball Coach: his tenacity and penchant for making the bold, video game-esque play call, even when the situation doesn't necessarily demand it.

Saturday's result?  A long pass completion for a touchdown.

Bravo, coach.

BCS Hopes Are Still Alive

Yes, it's a long shot.

Maybe too long.  But South Carolina kept the pressure on the other soon-to-be non-champions in the conference to keep winning, lest they fall behind the Gamecocks.

It's also worth noting that South Carolina's two early losses could be attributed to drawing the short stick when it came to scheduling.  In a conference where every team doesn't play every other team, sometimes chance plays as big of a role as anything else.

Maybe the pollsters will take that into consideration.  After all, the computers still love the Gamecocks.