Gamecocks Cruise to Victory, 26-13

Sept. 27, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Stephen Garcia was 13-for-20 for 131 yards and ran for 86 more in the first significant action of his career, giving South Carolina’s offense enough of a kick to beat UAB 26-13 on Saturday night.

Garcia came in on the second possession for the Gamecocks (3-2). Over the next five first half possessions, the redshirt freshman accounted for all but six of the Gamecocks’ yards and either passed the ball or ran it on 26 of the next 32 plays.

South Carolina’s defense took care of the rest, holding the Blazers (1-4) to 207 yards and forced three turnovers as the Gamecocks won back-to-back games for the first time since starting 6-1 last season.

Bobby Wallace ran six times for 51 yards, and Jason Barnes led the eight players for South Carolina who caught a pass with three receptions for 46 yards.

Joe Webb was 17-of-26 for 140 yards and two interceptions for UAB. He also was the Blazers’ leading rusher with 22 yards on nine carries and a touchdown in the final moments. Brandon Carisle had both of UAB’s interceptions.

Even with Garcia’s lift, the South Carolina offense still sputtered at times. Ryan Succop made all four of his field goals, a career best, and the Gamecocks scored 17 points less than the Blazers were giving up to fellow Football Bowl Subdivision foes coming into the game. They gained 353 yards, well below the 568 yards UAB had been allowing major college teams.

Garcia’s biggest contribution to the offense is his mobility. Coach Steve Spurrier’s prize 2007 recruit had 67 yards on 14 carries in the first half, much of them coming on scrambles when he couldn’t find anyone open. His 6-yard touchdown run put South Carolina up 17-3 in the second quarter. He also completed nine of 12 passes in the opening half for 101 yards, including a 13-yard TD on a swing pass to running back Brian Maddox.

Garcia even had a little luck. His first two deep passes were badly thrown, but the Blazers were called for pass interference on the first one and a UAB interception was nullified by an offside penalty on the second long ball. After that, Spurrier rarely let the freshman throw more than 15 yards downfield. Garcia threw a pick in the third quarter on a badly thrown long ball on third-and-11, and Spurrier alternated starter Chris Smelley and third-string Tommy Beecher, who began the year as the starter, to finish the game.

Now Spurrier has to figure out who starts next week when South Carolina tries to break a six-game Southeastern Conference losing streak at Mississippi.

South Carolina’s top 10 in the nation defense was again strong. UAB had just 26 total yards midway through the second quarter and had been penalized seven times for 55 yards. The Blazers didn’t get a first down until 6:39 remained in the second quarter.