After LaNorris Sellers’ sprained ankle injury sidelined the Gamecocks starting quarterback in the third quarter of a 36-33 loss to LSU Saturday afternoon, backup Robby Ashford was pressed into action for the second time in two weeks. 

This time, however, Sellers didn’t return, leaving the Auburn transfer as QB1 in the midst of a tight game at home against a ranked opponent, one that very well could become the most consequential result of the season. 

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How did Ashford perform? It was a mixed bag. The team only attempted five passes in the second half, with one of those attempts coming from Sellers. While focused on establishing the run with Ashford in the game, the South Carolina offense cooled off significantly compared to their 24-point first half performance. 

Of the nine points scored in the second half, however, six came off of a long breakaway touchdown from Rocket Sanders. Would he have been able to pull off that run if Ashford posed no threat with his legs? There’s no way of knowing for sure, but the ability of Ashford to improvise certainly made the Tigers choose which player to commit to.

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As previously mentioned, Ashford didn’t make many attempts through the air and two of those came on the final drive that ended in Alex Herrera missing a 49-yard field goal as time expired.

That drive, however, was the setting for his best throw, a 31-yard completion to Vandrevius Jacobs on third down, a toss that would at least give South Carolina a chance to put points on the scoreboard down three with under a minute left. 

But one of the reasons that Herrera had to attempt a field goal from 49 yards out was because the Gamecocks had to burn a timeout after Ashford got sacked on 2nd and 1 the play prior to the strike to Jacobs. 

“I took accountability for it because there were definitely moments where I could have been better, and I still feel like I could have set up Alex with better field goal range, and I hate that I didn’t,” Ashford said after the game. 

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Again on the last drive, was Ashford powering himself through several LSU defenders to the first down marker to stop the clock and set up the field goal try, putting his body on the line. 

Despite the offense’s clear change of gameplan once Ashford came in, (16 passing attempts vs. 10 rushing attempts for Sellers, 4 passing attempts vs. 11 rushing attempts for Ashford) there wasn’t as big of a gap in efficiency as it may seem at first, especially given certain penalties. 

If there’s not a false start on the last drive, Herrera gets a 43-yard attempt vs. 48 yards. If there’s not an unnecessary roughness call on Emmanwori’s pick-six, South Carolina goes up by at least ten points in the fourth quarter. It’s a game with what ifs.

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