JUSTIN HALL

South Carolina was unable to overcome their 4th quarter woes against Florida this past Saturday, falling 38-27 at home.

Aside from the poor officiating (see Sports Grouch), which I believe did not necessarily cost the Gamecocks a win, there were several takeaways from this game that are both positive and negative.

First off, freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski just played 2 of the 3 toughest defenses he will see all season. However, there is a growing concern the young quarterback is struggling diagnosing defenses before the snap.

This may go back to the injuries he’s suffered early this season, limiting his practice reps during the week. With Tennessee and Vanderbilt up next, we will soon find out how much growth Hilinski is experiencing.

The loss of running back Rico Dowdle certainly hurts, as he was having the best season of an injury-plagued career. However, the Gamecocks are lucky to have the talented Tavien Feaster in the backfield.

Feaster carried the rock 25 times for 175 yards on Saturday and it appears he will be the bellcow back for the Gamecocks for the foreseeable future.

Don’t expect to see a falloff in the running game, as Feaster and Mon Denson will be hauling the mail behind a much improved offensive line.

Defensively, the Gamecocks played extremely well for the 3rd game in a row. South Carolina held Florida under 100 yards rushing and allowed just 200 yards from Kyle Trask through the air.

Unfortunately, there were some calls that did not benefit the Gamecocks’ effort defensively. Whatever head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson are teaching, it’s finally sinking in for this defense. They simply aren’t getting gashed on the ground nor are they giving up the big passing plays.

South Carolina faces Tennessee this Saturday in Knoxville. The Gamecocks haven’t lost to the Volunteers since 2015, and Muschamp is undefeated against them.

It’s an overused phrase, but Saturday is a must-win game if South Carolina wants to make a bowl game.

My prediction is the Gamecocks will enjoy Rocky Top on Saturday, even with that horrendous song, and win 34-20.

The game will air at 4 pm on the SEC Network and can be heard on radio at WNKT

(107.5 FM) or a smartphone through the TuneIn Radio app.

Justin Hall is the director of media/broacasting for the Lexington County Blowfish. He’s also the co-host of the ‘Fifth Quarter Post-Game Show’ on WVOC (560 AM) with former Gamecock Tim Frisby.