Gamecocks Let a Heartbreaker Slip Away

There are losses that hurt, and then there are losses that stay with you. South Carolina’s heartbreaking overtime loss to Kentucky falls into that second category.

The Gamecocks had this game in their hands. They led by 17 points in the first half, by 10 at halftime, by three in the fourth quarter, and then took a seven-point lead in overtime. And somehow, they still walked away with a loss.

This one was not just heartbreaking. It was devastating because South Carolina had opportunity after opportunity to put Kentucky away and simply could not finish the job.

If there was one Gamecock who deserved to walk off the field a winner, it was quarterback LaNorris Sellers.

Sellers put the South Carolina offense on his back and carried it for much of the game. He accounted for 373 yards of total offense, rushing for 147 yards and passing for 226.

Time after time, Sellers made something happen with his arm or his legs. When plays broke down, he created something. When Carolina needed a big run, he delivered. When the Gamecocks needed a big throw, he often put the football where it needed to be. Unfortunately, too many times his receivers didn’t finish the play.

South Carolina’s receivers and tight ends repeatedly dropped passes when they were open. Some of those drops came at critical moments when a catch could have extended a drive, changed field position or helped put the game away.

You cannot consistently beat SEC teams by leaving plays on the field. But as frustrating as the dropped passes were, the biggest concern coming out of this game has to be the Gamecock defense. For the third straight week, South Carolina’s secondary was burned for touchdowns by receivers running wide open. Not receivers making unbelievable catches with defenders draped all over them. Kentucky scored on three touchdown passes to wide-open receivers, and the most painful defensive breakdown came on the final play of the game.

After South Carolina scored a touchdown in overtime to go ahead by seven, Kentucky answered with a touchdown of its own and decided to go for two points and the win. Everything came down to one play. South Carolina went man-to-man; there was a breakdown in coverage, and a Kentucky receiver was left wide open for the winning two-point conversion.

Kentucky had completed the largest comeback in school history, and the Gamecocks were left wondering how a game they controlled for so long had gotten away.

That final play will receive most of the attention, but this loss wasn’t caused by one play. It was the accumulation of missed opportunities. It was dropped passes. It was defensive breakdowns. It was allowing wide-open receivers to run through the secondary. It was having a 17-point lead and not delivering the knockout punch. And it was having another seven-point lead in overtime and still not being able to finish.

Football games in the SEC are rarely going to be easy. When you get a team down, especially by 17 points, you have to find a way to keep your foot on the gas and finish the job. South Carolina didn’t.

I have said before that I believe in this coaching staff, but supporting a coaching staff doesn’t mean ignoring the problems staring you in the face. When the same defensive breakdowns happen for three consecutive weeks, they are no longer isolated mistakes. Something has to be corrected – whether it is communication, assignments, technique, scheme or a combination of all four.

Players have to make plays, but coaches also have to put them in position to succeed. Offensively, somebody besides LaNorris Sellers has to step up and make a play when the opportunity is there. Your quarterback cannot account for 373 yards and repeatedly escape pressure, make throws and pick up yards with his legs only to see opportunities disappear because the football isn’t caught. Sellers gave South Carolina a chance to win.

The Gamecocks simply didn’t finish. That’s what makes this loss so painful. They weren’t dominated. They weren’t blown out. They weren’t out of the game. They had it. They had Kentucky down by 17. They had the lead at halftime. They had the lead in the fourth quarter. They had the lead in overtime. And they still couldn’t close the door.

Now comes the real test. A heartbreaking loss can destroy a football team, or it can force that team to look in the mirror, correct its mistakes and become better because of it.

South Carolina has to decide which direction it is going to go. Because in the SEC, nobody is going to feel sorry for you. And nobody is going to give you back a game you let slip away.