Cocks Stomp Southern Miss

Say goodbye to the off-season blues … and say hello to great expectations.

The University of South Carolina football team erased a bitter January bowl loss and the stigma of numerous off-season investigations with a 41-13 thumping of Conference USA foe Southern Mississippi Thursday night at Williams-Brice Stadium – a performance that should land USC (1-0, 0-0) in the Top 25 next week. Now all the Gamecocks have to do to justify the preseason hype and establish themselves as legitimate SEC East contenders is prove they can compete in conference play – which they’ll get a chance to do next Saturday when the Georgia Bulldogs come to town for the first of six critical “swing games” this season.

Led by junior quarterback Stephen Garcia – whose consistency and work ethic was criticized by head coach Steve Spurrier during the off-season – the Gamecock offense exploded against the Golden Eagles, crossing the 40-point threshold for the first time since the 2006 Liberty Bowl against Houston (another Conference USA foe).

USC’s surprisingly effective ground game ripped off 224 yards rushing the football – nearly double last season’s anemic 121.2 per game rushing average.  Fifty-four of those yards (and a pair of touchdowns) came courtesy of true freshman Marcus Lattimore, who gave Gamecock fans their first glimpse of the skill set that made him 2009′s “Mr. Football” in the state of South Carolina as well as the No. 2 running back prospect in the entire nation.

Lattimore – a punishing back with speed, vision and remarkable cutting ability – also caught a pair of passes for 22 yards.

“Lattimore had good solid runs for us,” Spurrier said. “Obviously we have to get him more involved in the offense.”

Speaking of impact rookies, USC got an impressive outing from true freshman Ace Sanders of Bradenton, Florida, who ripped off a 52-yard gallop on a reverse and caught a pair of passes for 47 yards. Sanders’ run was USC’s longest rushing play from scrimmage in four years.

The win gave Spurrier his eighteenth consecutive season-opening victory … and no doubt a bit of added confidence in his starting quarterback.

Garcia completed 16 of 23 passes for 193 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns, including a gutsy 22-yard scramble for the Gamecocks’ first score of the game (and the 2010 season). Yet while Garcia’s night wasn’t statistically superfluous, the junior displayed remarkable poise in the pocket and solid decision-making ability – two areas where he struggled in 2009, his first full year as a starter.

In addition to benefiting from an enhanced ground game, Garcia also wasted little time in reestablishing the connection with his favorite target, sophomore wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Against and undermanned secondary, Jeffery caught seven passed for 106 yards and drew a pair of defensive holding penalties that resulted in USC first downs.

“Just throw the ball up there, and he’ll come down with it,” Garcia said of his star receiver.

Garcia did sit for a handful of series, giving USC fans a look at yet another impact freshman – Connor Shaw.

Shaw completed 4 of 5 passes for 32 yards and a touchdown pass to D.L. Moore. He also showed tremendous potential as a scrambler, rushing 4 times for 44 yards.

Defensively, USC gave up more than 400 yards to the Golden Eagles, but the Gamecocks’ “bend, don’t break” mentality kept Southern Miss out of the end zone until the closing minutes of the game, when junior wide receiver DeAndre Brown hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Martevious Young.

South Carolina won without three starters – tight end Weslye Saunders, offensive tackle Jarriel King and defensive back Chris Culliver.

Saunders has been suspended indefinitely while the NCAA investigates whether he received improper gifts from an agent. Meanwhile, King is one of several players being investigated for allegedly receiving reduced room rates at a Columbia, S.C. hotel.

USC did not say why King and Culliver were scratched from the lineup.

“It was a relief that we had basically our entire team ready to play here tonight,” Spurrier said. “At one time it looked like a lot of them might not play, so it worked out.”

WEB EXTRAS
USC-Southern Miss Pictures
USC-Southern Miss Official Game Statistics (.pdf)
USC-Southern Miss Postgame Quotes

Pic: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina