Auburn Football: Scouting the South Carolina Offense
Oct 18, 2014; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks running back Mike Davis (28) dives past Furman Paladins linebacker Cory Magwood (46) for a touchdown in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs
The star of the South Carolina offense is Mike Davis. The junior ran for 1,183 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2013 and entered this season with aspirations of becoming an All-SEC first teamer and a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Though he’s struggled with injuries, the 5-foot-9, 216-pound runner has gained a very respectable 662 yards and eight touchdowns on 121 carries this season. He has also caught 15 passes for 138 yards.
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Last week against Furman, Davis ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns. His best game this season was in the loss to Kentucky in which he had 183 yards and three scores. With 2,120 yards across his first three seasons in Columbia, Davis sits 14th on the school’s all-time rushing list – just 121 yards behind a running back with a familiar name, Mike Davis, who ran for the Gamecocks from 2005-08.
Davis’ backups are Brandon Wilds and Shon Carson. Wilds did not play against Furman because of a shoulder injury, but he is expected to be back this week. The junior led the team in rushing twice earlier in the season, and is the team’s second leading rusher with 276 yards on 56 carries. Carson has run for 140 yards in seven games, while freshman David Williams has added 154 yards in five contests.
“Hopefully we run the ball a lot,” Wilds said this week. “We’ve got a lot of running backs. Hopefully, we just keep pounding.”