South Carolina pummeled Eastern Illinois 46-0 in Shane Beamer’s head coaching debut. Quarterback Zeb Noland looked right at home in throwing for four touchdowns to four different receivers. ZaQuandre White, starting in place of Kevin Harris (illness), rushed for 133 yards on just a dozen carries. White also led all receivers (39 yards) and punctuated his performance with a 63-yard touchdown.
Overall, the offense produced five scores and 448 yards, but the Gamecocks’ defense was even better. Defensive coordinator Clayton White seemed to have all the answers as his unit limited the Panthers to 109 yards and just 1.4 yards per carry. Defensive end Jordan Burch capped the scoring with a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Pete Lembo’s special teams also shined with a fake PAT for a two-point conversion and two blocked punts. Once the outcome was clear, South Carolina leaned on its running game to salt the game away. Seven Gamecocks combined for 263 rushing yards.
Beamer and his new staff will get their first road test next week when South Carolina visits East Carolina.
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