It wasn’t the biggest win of the Will Muschamp era, but the Gamecocks showed grit rarely seen in Saturday’s 30-22 win over previously 15th ranked Auburn.

Jaycee Horn finally had his national coming out party, recording 2 interceptions and forcing a 3rd earning him the Walter Camp National and Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week awards.

South Carolina now sits at 2-2, with back-to-back conference wins steadying a ship that was taking on water after starting 0-2. The road doesn’t get easier in week 5, with a trip to Baton Rouge, La. on the horizon.

The defending national champions are certainly not the same team they were in 2019, having lost many key contributors to either the NFL draft or opt outs due to coronavirus.

New defensive coordinator Bo Pelini has been stubborn in sticking with man coverage, allowing the Tigers to be shredded by both Mississippi State and Missouri, 2 losses that no one saw coming in 2020. Offensively, quarterback Myles Brennan has performed very well in taking over following Joe Burrow, scoring 34 points or more in each of the 1st three games. However, the Tigers are 1-2 and haven’t played since the loss to Missouri due to the postponement of their game with Florida. The Gamecocks come in with renewed optimism and momentum. The offense has found their true weapon in running back Kevin Harris, who bullies his way up and down the field. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is still trying to establish weapons on the outside, but wide receiver Shi Smith has begun to make his move as the leader in the wide receiver room. Bobo and quarterback Collin Hill will look to spread the ball around on the LSU defense and this could be the week Keveon Mullins and Xavier Leggette make the transition to reliable 2nd and 3rd options for the Gamecocks.

Defensively, players like John Dixon and Shilo Sanders established themselves on Saturday with lockdown coverage and big hits. Jaylin Dickerson played nearly every snap, along with Horn. South Carolina will need their defense to make 1 or 2 big plays on Saturday night to win the turnover battle in Baton Rouge.

Expect a shootout on the Bayou, with both offenses capable of putting up big numbers on the scoreboard. Does a week off help the Tigers? Will momentum from a big home win rollover for Will Muschamp and company?

Gamecocks win a shootout 45-38. Saturday’s game will air at 7 pm on ESPN.

Lexington County Blowfish assistant general manager Justin Hall, radio host Rob Thomas and former University of South Carolina wide receiver Tim Frisby co-host “The 5th Quarter Post-Game Show” following Gamecock games on WVOC (103.5 FM or 560 AM). All South Carolina football games can be heard on WNKT (107.5 FM).