Spencer Rattler passed for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns and South Carolina’s defense did the rest as the Gamecocks cruised past South Carolina State 50-10 Thursday night in Columbia, S.C.
The Oklahoma transfer completed 21 of 27 passes and also rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown as the Gamecocks (3-2) posted victories in back-to-back games in the regular season for the first time since winning their first two games of the 2021 campaign. Rattler had two interceptions but both were off passes deflected by his intended receiver.
MarShawn Lloyd rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns — on a 5-yard reception to open the scoring in the first quarter and a 2-yard run in the fourth.
Aside from Rattler’s 6-yard run in the second quarter, other South Carolina scores came on Austin Stogner’s 15-yard reception, 1-yard runs by Jaheim Bell and Christian Beal-Smith, and a 13-yard run by backup Luke Doty .
The Bulldogs (1-3) managed only 220 total yards in total offense. Backup quarterback Tyrece Nick rushed passed for 63 yards but rushed for a game-high 95 to give the offense some life after starter Corey Fields struggled in the first half. Fields was 4 of 13 for 12 yards.
But after Nick capped an 8-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown from a yard out to get the Bulldogs’ deficit down to 22-7 to start the second half, the Gamecocks responded with four touchdowns over the final two quarters.
Gavyn Zimmerman added a 21-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs.
Mistakes stymied the Bulldogs early on. They were penalized 11 times for 112 yards in the first two quarters alone. A holding call nullified Nick’s 33-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a trio of defensive flags accounted for 37 yards of the Gamecocks’ 63-yard touchdown drive that closed out the half. The Bulldogs were penalized only once in the second half.
–Field Level Media