South Carolina garnered its 1st win of the 2020 season this past Saturday, 41-7 over Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks were anchored offensively by the effort of running back Kevin Harris and his 171 yard, 2-touchdown day.

The Vanderbilt defense was ravaged with injuries and covid-19 measures, leaving only 56 scholarship players to take the field in Nashville, Tenn. South Carolina exposed these deficiencies in the 2nd half, allowing their offensive line to create great push in the run game.

The Gamecocks (1-2) welcome Auburn to Williams-Brice Stadium for the first time since 2011. Auburn has struggled so far on offense.

The Tigers (2-1) could easily be 1-2 or even 0-3. Bo Nix and offensive coordinator Chad Morris have yet to mesh and it shows in the Tigers’ inability to move the ball consistently.

The mood outside of the football program in Columbia hasn’t shifted greatly since that 34-point victory last week. However, the Gamecocks offense just scored their most points against a power 5 team since 2018.

Defensively, the Gamecocks looked better at specific spots. Young talented freshmen like Jordan Burch of Hammond School and Tonka Hemingway flashed on the field in multiple areas.

Certainly, Vanderbilt isn’t the elixir that will turn the Gamecocks’ season around. However, a team finally positive momentum.

Expect Harris and Auburn’s Tank Bigsby to be the stars of the show Saturday at noon in Columbia on ESPN. Both offenses have had their share of struggles and as always, it will be of utmost importance for quarterback Collin Hill to continue to incorporate wide receivers Xavier Leggette and Nick Muse into the passing game.

Defensively, Israel Mukuamu’s health is a serious question as he continues to battle a groin injury. If Mukuamu is playing half a game each week, it seriously limits what South Carolina can do defensively in terms of man coverage and neutralizing one side of the field.

Without Mukuamu, Jaycee Horn typically moves around in the defensive alignment.

If Mukuamu is 100% this weekend or anywhere close to that, South Carolina has a great shot to continue to improve defensively.

This game doesn’t look nearly as challenging as it did when the revised schedule was sent out a few months ago. Expect this game to be lower scoring than games last week in the SEC.

South Carolina will continue to run the ball well, Hill will continue to grow within the offense, and the Gamecocks will get the upset win at home to move to 2-2.

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).