USC breaks free of S.C. State

COLUMBIA -- Steve Spurrier predicted a dogfight with South Carolina State.

He was right. For a half.

South Carolina turned a three-point halftime lead into a 38-14 rout Saturday night in front of a crowd of 77,066 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Gamecocks scored 28 consecutive points against their FCS counterpart before the Bulldogs punched a second score in with four seconds left in the game.

Spurrier had warned all that would listen that the Bulldogs weren't to be taken lightly.

"South Carolina State is a good team," Spurrier said. "They played with us. They played just as well as we did in the first half -- maybe a little bit better."

Despite being down a field goal, the Bulldogs (3-1) did in fact outgain the Gamecocks (4-1) 159-149 through two quarters.

The word used to describe the first half for the offense -- by both quarterback Stephen Garcia and running back Kenny Miles -- was flat.

Spurrier said it was a start similar to the one two weeks back against Florida Atlantic.

The Owls were tied at the half with USC before the Gamecocks turned on the offensive jets. Saturday, a two-minute-drill drive by the Bulldogs got them to within 10-7 at the break.

"When you're an SEC team and you've got a team you should beat handily, that's what you should do," said senior captain Moe Brown, who led the third-quarter revival with two touchdown receptions. "I took it personally."

Brown fumbled on the second play of the game, negating good field position by the Gamecocks.

But Garcia said Brown atoned with his second-half performance. And Garcia wasn't so bad himself.

The sophomore didn't even practice fully until Thursday because of a bruised left side. He warmed up in the third quarter Saturday.

"Stephen Garcia made the best throws he's made since he's been here," said Spurrier, who's not exactly wont to compliment his QBs.

Garcia finished the night with unimpressive numbers overall -- 13-for-19 passing for 132 yards and two touchdowns, plus another TD rushing -- but he had only 44 yards at the half.

Garcia threw a perfect pass on a deep ball down the sideline for a 40-yard score to Brown, putting the Gamecocks up 24-7 with 5:22 to go in the third quarter.

A 9-yarder to Brown followed on the next possession. That was a third-down corner route on the money from Garcia. A 23-yard Garcia-to-Brown connection set up that score.

"I guess it took us a half to realize (they were pretty good)," Garcia said. "That's just the way we've played the last two games against, you know, sub-level teams. The second half we came out there and played a lot better."

The only time the ribs affected Garcia, he said, came on his 1-yard touchdown dive that left his midsection exposed.

Garcia was eventually able to grab a seat, with 8:58 to play. Redshirt freshman Reid McCollum relieved him, with the Summerville native orchestrating a long scoring drive in his debut in earnest.

McCollum found Alshon Jeffery for a 20-yard touchdown.

Brown had a hand in McCollum's drive, too, taking a reverse for 21 yards on the first play.

USC ran for 213 yards.

The running game showed flashes of brilliance, with moments such as Kenny Miles' hard-earned 22-yard touchdown run early in the third. Miles, the freshman who got his first start, finished with 60 yards on 10 carries.

Freshman Jarvis Giles led the team with 74 yards on 11 carries. He had a 33-yarder that set up USC's first-half touchdown on Garcia's sneak.

Demoted to the third team, Brian Maddox chipped in 45 yards on seven carries.

The Bulldogs picked up 326 total yards, but the Gamecocks were stingy in scoring defense.

USC didn't have a sack, which made S.C. State coach Buddy Pough proud.

And Spurrier did make the point that S.C. State moved the ball better against the Gamecocks than then-No. 4 Ole Miss.

Quarterback Malcolm Long led a lengthy drive just before the half, rumbling 5 yards for the school's first-ever touchdown against an FBS opponent.

Long also had a 1-yard sneak that got the Bulldogs back in the end zone with four seconds to play, making the game look a little closer than it was.

"We felt like we could do this," S.C. State receiver Terrance Smith said. "Everyone came into the locker room with an attitude like, 'This is where we're supposed to be.'

"Just being able to score and be this tight against a top team like South Carolina is an accomplishment."

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the South Carolina blog at www.postandcourier.com/weblogs/gamecocks.