South Carolina defeats Furman University in home opener

Live Recap

4th quarter

Final: 47-21, University of South Carolina defeats Furman University.

That Paladins score was the first since Furman scored in the second quarter of the game.

The Gamecocks fumbled the ball with about five minutes to play in the fourth, that turnover was South Carolina’s first giveaway in the entire season which led to a Furman Paladin touchdown bringing the score to 47-20.

Furman put in their reserves during the fourth to give younger players experience playing on a big stage.

Sellers made another touchdown pass to extend the lead by 32 with South Carolina having a firm 47-14 lead over the Paladins.

The Gamecocks scored on four of their last five drives, and Sellers picked up right where Rattler left off.

An interception by South Carolina defense linebacker Xavier McCleod virtually sealed the game for the Gamecocks.

Although Furman came out of the gates stunning the Gamecocks, the Paladins did little to build momentum in the second half of the game, a part of that reason was that the defense for South Carolina woke up.

3rd quarter

A big pass from Sellers to Russell got the Gamecocks on the board again, South Carolina led Furman 40-14 heading into the fourth quarter.

A huge catch from a Paladin receiver, the offense started to come alive but the Gamecocks offense remained solid, preventing any true momentum to get started.

At the midway point of the third quarter, the Gamecocks started playing their reserves.

The Paladins’ offense was not as consistent as it was during the first half of the contest with Furman being shut down by the Gamecocks defense.

South Carolina took four plays in one minute and 90 seconds to score to have a firm 34-14 lead.

During the Gamecocks’ first drive of the half Rattler connected with Lewis for a big gain, getting South Carolina nearly in Furman territory.

Wide receiver Ben Ferguson made a big play with a catch and extended the play, getting Furman in South Carolina territory. But the Paladins made some headway but were eventually forced to punt with South Carolina starting their drive around the 10-yard line.

South Carolina’s secondary continued to get hammered by injuries, but the front line of the defense held strong getting a few key stops including a sack.

After letting South Carolina score 20 points unanswered the Furman Paladins started to get motion on the offense with two quick first downs.

2nd quarter

The Gamecocks went 75 yards in three plays. at the half the score was 27-14, South Carolina.

A pass interference call on Furman brought South Carolina to under the 10-yard-line, with Carolina scoring with a touchdown catch from O’Mega Blake

Another long bomb connection, a 54-yard connection between Rattler and Legette had the Gamecocks knocking on a touchdown door again.

Head coach Shane Beamer betted on his offense big towards the end of the quarter by deciding to go for it on fourth and two. which led to a 36-yard bomb connection between Rattler and Doty, giving the Gamecocks the lead before the half.

Throughout the first two quarters the Gamecocks continued to be bitten by the injury bug, a detriment that an already banged-up South Carolina team did not need.

A stop of the defensive end did not ingnite the South Carolina offense in the way the Gamecocks hoped for.

The young South Carolina defense finally stifled the red-hot Furman offense to give their team a chance to get their first lead of the game.

Great quarterback play on both sides of the ball made the battle between the two Palmetto state teams exciting.

Spencer Rattler’s legs carried the Gamecocks over the goal to score and a successful extra point attempt tied the game at 14 a piece.

Joyner started off South Carolina’s fourth drive of the game. The Gamecocks continually tried to establish the ground game with little success so far.

The Gamecocks unsuccessfully tried to prevent the Furman from scoring, however, the combination of trick player and the pure athleticism of the Paladins seemed too much for the Gamecocks to overcome early. Furman’s score made the game 14-7, Paladins.

The Paladins eventually made it to the red zone, the Paladins used a reverse play to gain extra yardage followed by a running play that had the Paladins a few yards away from the first down.

Furman started the second quarter by gaining yards through their running game.

1st quarter

South Carolina could not get anything going their second time on offense. The Gamecocks had a quick three-and-out with Furman starting off their drive on the Paladins’ 31-yard-line.

Furman tried responding to South Carolina’s score but the Gamecocks defense held the Paladins to a three-and-out.

In the red zone, Joyner attacked the endzone and got into the touchdown on first-and-goal for the score, and by making the extra point, South Carolina tied the game.

Rattler completed his first seven passes of the game.

Wide receiver Ahmarean Brown caught a pass to extend the play leading to a 20-yard gain that was followed by a huge gain on the ground by Joyner.

After the Paladins drew blood first, The Gamecocks needed a response.

The Paladins came to play. Furman moved down the field quickly, thanks in part to a 52-yard play. Furman went for the touchdown on fourth down and was successful leading the Gamecocks 6-0, making the extra point with the score being 7-0.

During the Gamecocks’ first series with the ball, running back Dakereon Joyner and wide receiver Xavier Legette were keys in starting the offense the Gamecocks engine. After marching down to the field, the Gamecocks attempted but missed a field goal, resulting in a turnover on downs.

South Carolina received the kick-off after Furman elected to kick after winning the coin toss.

Preview

The South Carolina University football team faces off against Furman University in the home opener of the season.

The Gamecocks are looking to bounce back after a 31-17 loss against the University of North Carolina. The Furman Paladins are not the teams of yesterday, the Paladins started off the season hot with a 45-10 win over Tennessee Tech.

Furman had six takeaways on the defensive end of the ball in their last outing with a combination of a defensive that effectively utilized the pass rush.

South Carolina will rely on the strong arm of quarterback Spencer Rattler who did not have a bad game against the Tar Heels but the consistency was not there.

In order to win, the Gamecocks will need to stay consistent on offense and one of the running backs will need to step up their workload.

The Game between the two Palmetto State universities starts at 7:30 p.m. You can watch the game on ESPN, or ESPN apps.

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