Gamecocks get right: QB Robby Ashford impresses, South Carolina dominates Akron

Williams-Brice Stadium was just a tad over half full in the third quarter on Saturday. What a beautiful sight!

Three weeks ago, the last time South Carolina welcomed an FCS foe to Columbia, folks had to stay. Had to endure a lighting delay, sitting on metal bleachers biting their fingers while the Gamecocks scraped their way to a tense victory.

There was no need to stay on Saturday and, yes, that’s a good thing. South Carolina rolled to a 50-7 win over MAC squad Akron,bouncing back after a emotionally-draining loss to LSU last week and heading into its first bye week with a 3-1 record.

If there was any night that coach Shane Beamer wanted to avoid drama, any night he might have been OK with some fans exiting early, it was this.

His starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers was on the sidelines munching on sunflower seeds, his right foot in a boot. Sellers missed practice almost all week and was still recovering from a sprained ankle suffered against LSU.

During Saturday’s ESPNU broadcast, the announcers said that Sellers could have played against Akron. The translation: There was no need to risk Sellers’ injury worsening when the Gamecocks can likely win without him.

Auburn transfer Robby Ashford started for the Gamecocks after playing most of the second half against LSU and, well, the thought was he would just hand the ball to tailback Rocket Sanders 35 times and walk out of Willy-B with a win.

If that was indeed the plan, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains threw it out the window of the coaches box five minutes into the game. After just one rush, Sanders left the game and never returned. He spent the second half in street clothes, with his left foot in a boot.

So with South Carolina’s starting quarterback and starting running back hobbling around in boots on the sideline, Saturday became the Robby Ashford show.

Before kickoff, that would have been a somewhat unsettling notion. Ashford was fine against LSU, but fumbled, was ate up by pressure and only threw the ball four times in the second half.

Which might just prove that taking actual reps in practice and playing in an offense that suits your skills matters. Because in a few days, Ashford might be named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He was spectacular.

The redshirt senior completed 15-of-21 passes (71%) for 243 yards and two scores and ran 16 times for 133 yards (8.3 ypg) and another score.

Yes, it was against Akron — one of the worst teams in FBS which nearly lost to *checks notes* Colgate last week. Perhaps any of the USC quarterbacks could have done something similar.

But it was Ashford’s opportunity and he compiled the best offensive performance by a Gamecock so far this season. That’s not nothing.

It helped that the South Carolina defense limited to Akron to just over 150 total yards — more than a quarter of which came on one play — and just nine first downs.

But this game was about the offense. While its two best players were making small talk in street clothes, the Gamecocks dominated anyway.