South Carolina vs. LSU: Game Grades, Analysis for Gamecocks and Tigers

After a sluggish and lackluster first half of play by both squads, No. 7 LSU surged in the second for an expected blowout victory of conference foe South Carolina, 45-24. Behind the efforts of a trio of Tigers halfbacks and quarterback Brandon Harris, LSU secured the win and maintained its unblemished record. For further details, check out the NCAA box score here. 

Next up for the Tigers, they will host No. 11 Florida at Death Valley as they aim to improve their already impressive resume. Meanwhile, South Carolina will travel back to Columbia still in search of its first conference victory as it hosts a struggling Vanderbilt squad. 

	First Half	Second Half
Pass Offense	A-	A
Rush Offense	B-	A+
Pass Defense	B+	C+
Rush Defense	A	A
Special Teams	C	B
Coaching	B+	A

Pass Offense: Harris finally showed his passing ability against the Gamecocks. It turns out that the kid can sling it when the Tigers need him to. The starting quarterback racked up 228 yards on 18-of-28 passing for two scores and no interceptions, silencing any doubters who had popped up in weeks past. 

Rush Offense: The Leonard Fournette Show split three ways during the second half of the contest, with the star back not even leading his team in rushing yards. Following a tough first half where he racked up just 49 yards, the sophomore scored his lone touchdown on an 87-yard blast before finishing the day with 158 yards on 20 carries. 

Alongside Fournette, Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams racked up a combined 25 carries as well, with Guice putting together 161 yards and a score of his own. Williams found the end zone twice during the game along with his 58 yards. 

Pass Defense: After allowing just 80 yards while snaring an interception in the first half, the LSU pass defense failed on multiple occasions during the second to slow down Perry Orth and Pharoh Cooper, giving up two scores and 120 yards through the air. 

Rush Defense: Incredibly, the LSU rush defense was impenetrable throughout the entire game, allowing just 74 yards on 24 carries with no scores to Shon Carson and David Williams. While the Gamecocks abandoned the run game early as they were forced to play catchup, the Tigers defense was still effective in containing the South Carolina ground game. 

Special Teams: In summary, an average performance during the second half shored up an overall bad performance during the first. The Gamecocks' lone spark of the night came on a 96-yard kickoff return in the second quarter, which allowed South Carolina to stick around much longer than expected. 

Coaching: Les Miles and his staff deserve credit for the strong second-half performance LSU put together. After a lackluster first half overall, the Tigers rush attack was suddenly not only effective but rather decisive against South Carolina, while the defense held its ground in crucial plays down the stretch. 

	First Half	Second Half
Pass Offense	C	A-
Rush Offense	C	C-
Pass Defense	C-	D+
Rush Defense	B+	D
Special Teams	A	B
Coaching	B	B+

Pass Offense: Perry Orth went 14-of-28 for 200 yards and two touchdowns after settling down in the second half. The lone interception during the first half didn't provide a crazy momentum swing, and Orth was consistent overall. 

Rush Offense: In all honesty, it's fair to assume South Carolina abandoned its rush attack because of the constant deficit it was fighting throughout the game. However, the LSU defense held the Gamecocks to just 74 total yards on 20 carries, which is dismal even for a team that turned to the passing game more and more throughout the matchup. 

Pass Defense: Brandon Harris had his way against the Gamecocks secondary, compiling a 228-yard, two-touchdown performance with no turnovers. After South Carolina focused on stopping Fournette in the first half, it was obvious the game plan was aimed at forcing Harris to throw the ball; however, the downside was that he can toss the ball around with some accuracy. 

Rush Defense: It was excellent against Fournette but only all right against everyone else. The first half was stellar, even though the Gamecocks allowed 103 total yards, as they contained Fournette and force LSU to revert to its passing game. The second half was a different story, though, as Fournette, Guice and Williams plowed ahead for 293 yards for three scores. It was not exactly a model performance. 

Special Teams: The first-half 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Rashad Fenton provided just the spark South Carolina needed, but the offense and defense were unable to maintain the momentum going into the second half. The field-goal unit drilled the first score of the game, and the kickoff team almost converted on a beautiful onside kick during the second half. 

Coaching: Head coach Steve Spurrier took risks, utilized his players to the best of their ability and forced LSU to throw the ball. Unfortunately, a lack of talent across the board and the Tigers' overall skill wrecked any chance of the upset on the road at Death Valley. Better luck next time, coach.