1. The chance missed
The Gamecocks managed to build a 17-point lead, on the road, against a ranked team. They were on the edge of arguably the program’s biggest win in years (last year’s bowl game is up there). But they came apart, needing one stop or one score across six possessions, and couldn’t pull it off in the 35-31 loss.
2. The late plan
One can argue the finer points, but down the stretch, the Gamecocks ran more than they passed, and failed to move the ball. Then a late chance at a scoring drive was derailed by a hold before it even started.