Through the ups and downs, what a ride the 2022 football season was.
Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks proved to be a resilient bunch, fighting their way to an 8-5 overall record with memorable wins over Tennessee, Clemsux and more.
Today, we look back at the season that was and reflect on the top plays from the 2022 season.
5. MarShawn Lloyd’s Hurdle Leads To Paydirt
South Carolina’s offense got off to a much slower start this season than most anticipated, with the offensive line struggling early and Spencer Rattler adjusting to a brand new offensive scheme.
The bright spot was MarShawn Lloyd, who used this 25 yard touchdown run in week four to show his knee was 100% healed and he was ready to take the SEC by storm.
Despite his recent exit via the transfer portal, this play stands out as one of the most jaw dropping of the 2022 season.
4. BEAMER BALL Strikes Twice In The Season Opener
The Gamecocks relied heavily on Special Teams in 2022, finishing T-2 in blocked punts for the year.
The tone was set from game one for Shane Beamer & Pete Lembo’s squad, blocking a pair of punts that proved to be major difference makers in the season opening victory at Williams-Brice Stadium against Georgia State.
After Pete Lembo’s massive extension, expect to see much more of this for years to come.
3. Xavier Legette’s Jaw Dropping Catch In Jacksonville
Xavier Legette was quietly one of the best stories of the Gamecocks 2022 season.
Written off by most of the fanbase after his tough outing against SC State earlier in the year, Legette provided a few highlight plays and became a dependable contributor for South Carolina’s offense.
No catch, however, was better than what we saw just last week when he hauled in this ball from Spencer Rattler.
While it didn’t come in a winning effort, this arguably serves as the best catch of the 2022 college football season.
2. Only One Hand Necessary For Nate Adkins Against The Tigers
When it comes to ranking the best plays, pressure & impact of said play go a long way.
There were few bigger plays made this season than Nate Adkins one handed catch at Memorial Stadium. Down 14-0, South Carolina was looking for a spark. It came in the form of the former East Tennessee State tight end.
The play energized the Gamecocks offensively and was a huge part of USC finally ending the streak against the hated rival.
1. The Gamecocks End The Streak Against The Aggies In Style
In my opinion, there was no bigger play in the 2022 season than Xavier Legette’s kickoff return for a touchdown against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Over the course of seasons, there are plays that serve as a “turning point”, a moment you can look back to when things changed for that respective team.
For this group, that moment was the opening kickoff against the Aggies. The hot start led to the first win over TAMU in school history and set the tone for what was to come down the stretch of the 2022 season.