#41 South Carolina – 16
#24 West Virginia – 21
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Yet another high-profile Blue-Red matchup came down to the wire late Thursday night, and once again Blue narrowly escaped with a win. #24 West Virginia jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on two touchdown rushes by Junior HB Noel Devine. The Mountaineers opened up holes and threw some good blocks downfield, helping Devine rack up 92 yards on 13 carries.
#41 South Carolina came storming back, though, quickly tying the game with touchdown passes by QB Stephen Garcia on their next two possessions. WVU held USC to -7 yards rushing, causing the Gamecocks to abandon the run early. The passing game had mixed results, as Garcia went 9/20 with 248 yards, 2 TDs, and 4 INTs. The two teams remained tied until one of those interceptions gave WVU the ball back halfway through the 3rd quarter. WR Terrance Moore then made a 55-yard TD reception for the eventual winning score.
South Carolina's next possession again resulted in an interception, but this one pinned West Virginia close to its goal line. Two plays later, Junior MLB Rodney Paulk sacked QB Jarrett Brown for a safety, cutting the deficit to five.
Another USC miscue quickly followed, though, as Stephen Garcia threw his fourth interception of the game. This one proved to be costly, as South Carolina got the ball back in the final minutes, but turned it over on downs on their last possession. The Gamecocks went 0-4 on third down and 0-2 on fourth down for the game.
Another trend continued as WVU became the 8,000th team this year to win while being outgained by their opponent (number not yet confirmed by sports information staff). The Mountaineers will likely travel to Norman in the second round, barring an upset by #56 Navy.
Stats:
West Virginia
HB Noel Devine –13 carries, 94 yards, 2 TDs, 2 fumbles
SS Sidney Glover – 2 INT
CB Brandon Hogan, CB Jerome Swinton – INT each
FS Jonathan Scott – FF
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