{"id":2750,"date":"2016-10-22T19:07:18","date_gmt":"2016-10-22T23:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordoncollegefootball.com\/?p=2750"},"modified":"2016-10-22T19:07:18","modified_gmt":"2016-10-22T23:07:18","slug":"umass-minutemen-vs-south-carolina-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2016\/10\/22\/umass-minutemen-vs-south-carolina-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: UMass Minutemen vs South Carolina Gamecocks"},"content":{"rendered":"

UMass Minutemen at South Carolina Recap<\/h2>\n

It wasn’t pretty by any stretch, but Coach Will Muschamp<\/strong> got it done. The South Carolina Gamecocks<\/strong> (3-4, 1-4 SEC) scored a season-high 34 points and held the\u00a0UMass<\/strong>\u00a0(1-7) to 28. Steeled by losses at Gainesville<\/strong> and Starkville,<\/strong> the Minutemen<\/strong> were barely fazed by the crowd of 73,428. The Carolina defense made some plays early on, forcing three turnovers in the first half. Special teams left a lot to be desired. After a botched PAT, a turnover on a punt return, and a near disaster late in the fourth, Muschamp will surely re-evaluate.<\/p>\n

Enter Jake Bentley<\/h3>\n
\"10
10 September 2016: South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley (4) before the Mississippi State Bulldogs 27-14 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Andy Altenburger\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The big story this afternoon was the Carolina offense, or more specifically, Jake Bentley.<\/strong> Much of the buzz the past 13 days centered around the untried freshman quarterback. The early enrollee should have been playing at his high school in Spartanburg<\/strong> last night. However, he didn’t look the part of an upstart true freshman. Cool and calm, Bentley displayed excellent judgement well beyond his years. The first-timer completed 17 of 26 passes for 201 yards and two scores. Incredibly, that is double Carolina’s airborne touchdowns from the first six games of the season.<\/p>\n

USC’s green coach is no doubt prouder than a kid with a new puppy about his revamped offense. Rallying around Jake Bentley and feeding off his poise and energy, the offense cranked out a season record: 395 yards of total offense. Bentley’s freshman counterpart Brandon McIlwain<\/strong> got a bit of action as well, netting 17 yards on the ground.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Up Next<\/h3>\n

The Gamecocks have now matched last season’s win total, and need to double that if they’ve want to go bowling. A total of give games remain on USC’s schedule. With another win under his belt, Muschamp now looks ahead to prepping his young team for their next match-up.\u00a0His defense buckled and bent this afternoon against Minuteman quarterback Andrew Ford,<\/strong> but they didn’t break. UMass’s record may be poor, but it does not define their offense. They put an impressive five touchdowns on the board against Mississippi<\/strong>\u00a0State.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With some\u00a0adjustments, South Carolina\u00a0may be able to give Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs<\/strong> and Jalen<\/strong> Hurd<\/strong> some trouble next weekend.\u00a0Western Carolina<\/strong> and Mizzou<\/strong> are the two most winnable games after that, but the Florida<\/strong>\u00a0will require an upset. Bowl eligibility may very\u00a0well come down to a showdown in the Palmetto Bowl against Clemson.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n