Back on stride

It took some time for the USC offense to get rolling. But after it did, the Gamecocks raced past the University of Georgia 45-0 Friday night.

Despite spending much of the first half on the Georgia end and pressing the Bulldogs, the Gamecocks only managed to put in a pair of trys. Eight-man Grant Howard found the try zone at the 17-minute mark, and Pete Blackburn, a lock, scored just before the break.

But the Gamecocks missed two conversions and a penalty kick, leaving 7 points on the pitch.

Challenged at halftime to convert possession to points, South Carolina responded.

Sophomore flyhalf Grant Ruhlen broke through the Georgia defense to score at the 42-minute mark. And hooker Jack Edwards pushed his way into the try zone five minutes later to extend the USC lead to 24-0.

With backs captain Dan Golden back in the line-up after missing last week’s game against Tennessee, the USC backline hummed. Senior scrum-half Jack van Vliet, freshman Gavin Curran, and sophomore wing Nick Dubois added trys in the second half.

For their part, the Gamecock forwards controlled the scrums and moved the ball well. The USC defense was relentless at the tackle point, managing to poach more than a few Georgia balls while keeping their penalty count low.

“Overall, it was a great effort from our team and a fantastic experience for our squad, playing under the lights on Family Weekend,” said Head Coach John Roberts. “Our backline looked better, and our set pieces continued to improve.”

The USC reserves also took home a 12-5 victory.

The Gamecock A-side (2-1), ranked 8th by National Collegiate Rugby (NCR), is idle this weekend and will travel to face Clemson October 6. The Tigers upset Tennessee 27-26 Saturday.

The USC reserves will travel to play Wingate, a developing team, Saturday.