Secondary
Perry Orth, not exactly known as an elite SEC quarterback, found a fair amount of success against a thin UT secondary that was missing Emmanuel Moseley for the first half due to a targeting suspension and Brian Randolph for a majority of the game after he got tossed for targeting early. The group that was in there made Orth earn it the hard way – holding him to just a 51.3% completion rating and just two completions of over 20 yards. But he was able to pick his spots both through the air and on the ground on his way to 233 passing yards, three touchdowns and 42 yards of rushing.
He moved SC down the field quickly on the final drive, setting the Gamecocks up for what looked to be at least a game-tying field goal attempt before the fumble by Jerell Adams. Credit Malik Foreman, who has been much-maligned all season, for finding a way to make that huge play at the end. Also credit the DBs for keeping Pharoh Cooper relatively under wraps after he had a monster game last season. It wasn’t an inspiring performance overall, but this group found a way to get the job done and should have better days when back at full strength.
Grades:
Daniel: B-
Houston: C
Reed: C
Stephen: B+
Average Grade: B-
