undisciplined, sack-prone, bad choices vs Ole Miss

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football had a chance to shock people.

It fell way short.

The Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2 SEC) couldn’t compete with the execution of No. 11 Ole Miss, and a flat offense from an undisciplined South Carolina team lost 27-3 in Williams-Brice Stadium.

Here are three overreactions from the loss to the Rebels (5-1, 1-1) on Saturday:

South Carolina’s lack of discipline may be a long term problem

No more blaming the refs.

South Carolina’s 13 penalties in the game against LSU was brushed over as many blamed controversial calls for the loss. In the next big game, the Gamecocks garnered eight penalties for a loss of 80 yards.

Freshman edge rusher Dylan Stewart sacked Jaxson Dart on third down, but his celebration afterward led to unsportsmanlike conduct call for an automatic first down and a field goal. A huge moment taken away by immaturity.

By the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks had jumped offsides on four Ole Miss third-down plays, all by different players.

South Carolina made poor coaching decisions vs Ole Miss

After the LSU game, which some said came down to one play, it’s expected the Gamecocks learn to value one play a bit more. The decision to fake a punt and go for it on fourth down with over 12 minutes remaining in the opening quarter was poor.

It allowed Ole Miss, the best offense right now, to have the ball South Carolina’s 36-yard line, which translated to an easy score and arguably gave the Rebels all the momentum really early on.

Late in the second quarter, Kyle Kennard sacked Jaxson Dart and Ole Miss was called for a hold. Coach Shane Beamer accepted the penalty to replay the first down, instead of taking the result of the play to make it second-and-17. The Rebels then completed a 41-yard pass that set up the 1-yard rushing touchdown.

On the opening drive of the second half, the Gamecocks settled for a field goal after a successful drive, and Alex Herrera missed. Down 21, South Carolina could have used the gutsy play then.

South Carolina succeeds through its defense. Ole Miss exposed that

The Gamecocks have managed to win three games with some shaky offense simply because their defense has been so strong.

South Carolina’s missed tackles against Ole Miss, there was weakness in the secondary, and failure to pressure Dart. Against Kentucky Week 2, the defense was exceptional, which meant turnovers, sacks, missed catches on offense weren’t that impactful.

Right now, South Carolina looks like a team that’s only as powerful as its defense, and after three strong performances on defense, it was bound to suffer at some point.

The Gamecocks can’t go touchdown for touchdown with SEC teams right now, which is what the defense allowed on Saturday.

UPDATES: South Carolina vs Ole Miss score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 6 game

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

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