The South Carolina Gamecocks held the lead for much of the game, but it never really felt like they were winning. In the end, they didn't, as the LSU Tigers came back to beat the Gamecocks at home, 23-14. LSU did a poor job of converting yards into points, but a 50-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Jeremy Hill with five minutes left was the dagger for the Tigers.
South Carolina vs. LSU 2012 Final Score: Tigers come back to beat Gamecocks, 23-21
LSU wore down South Carolina to take a 23-21 win in a tight, intense game.
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The LSU front seven bottled up the South Carolina offense all night. Marcus Lattimore rushed for only 33 yards, and quarterback Connor Shaw had very little time to operate. It felt like LSU was wearing down South Carolina for a while, but the big break came when Shaw threw an interception straight to Greg Reid, after it appeared that Ace Sanders fell down while running his route. LSU converted that turnover into a Drew Alleman field goal to take the lead, 16-14. It was a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
South Carolina would make it interesting, though. With two minutes remaining, Shaw hit freshman tight end Jerell Adams over the middle on fourth down for what was originally ruled a touchdown, but marked down inside the one after a review. The Gamecocks would score on the next play, a one-yard pass from Shaw to Bruce Ellington to make it 23-21. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, but LSU wasn't able to get a first down to kill the game. South Carolina got the ball back with 41 seconds left, but LSU picked off a Hail Mary to hold on for the win.
Box Score Hero: There weren’t a ton of shining stars on offense in this game, but Jeremy Hill was LSU’s best player. He put up 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and caught one pass for 21 yards.
Rankings Ramifications: South Carolina may fall to the bottom of the top ten, if not out of it completely. LSU came into the game ranked No. 9, and could get back into the top five.
But did they cover? The Tigers were favored by three, so they covered the spread.
What’s next?
South Carolina: 10/20, at Florida
LSU: 10/20, at Texas A&M
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