'He's got to play for us:' Gamecocks' Vicari Swain has to stay on field

Oct. 28—COLUMBIA — The first was a case of retaliation, the assailee unable to hold back when he was tussling with the assailant in the end zone. South Carolina defensive back Vicari Swain and Tennessee wide receiver Radarious Jackson each got flagged for “blow to the head” when Jackson began the scuffle and Swain tried to end it.

(Replay showed that Jackson got two shots off before Swain countered, at which point Jackson immediately threw up both hands)

The penalties offset. No big deal.

The very next play, Jackson came off the line and Swain greeted him with a stiff arm to the face. Jackson didn’t swing back. The officials — who probably had it in mind to watch the duo since they had just viewed the first — didn’t miss it.

Personal foul, Swain. A third-and-goal from the 11-yard line became first-and-goal from the 3. Tennessee scored three plays later.

The phrase of “live and learn” didn’t reach its ending with Swain. He nearly knocked receiver Mike Matthews clear to the Buc-ees in Sevierville after Matthews caught a pass on the sideline, and Swain was strutting a bit until he saw more yellow laundry.

Targeting is always debatable, but Swain left his arms at his side. That’s exactly what you want when something like the Jackson plays occur.

It isn’t when you’re viewed as launching yourself at a player, since it becomes your helmet leading the way. Swain was ejected and forced to watch the end of the Gamecocks’ comeback over the No. 11 Volunteers from the locker room.

USC won, so Swain could feel a bit better. And when it comes to talking about it, he owned up when he blew the coverage on Kentucky’s Willie Rodriguez as Rodriguez caught the game-winning two-point conversion a few weeks ago.

But …

Just cannot do that. None of the things he was called on.

Cannot.

Beamer talked about their postgame and Sunday conversations before practice on Sunday night. It was blunt.

“That he’s got to play for us,” Beamer said. “And he knows that.”

Swain has done that, becoming USC’s career leader in punts returned for touchdowns and twice winning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for those returns. He’s been solid at corner, the thinnest position on this year’s team.

Perhaps Damarcus Leach playing so well in his stead against Tennessee will hammer the point home. No, there isn’t much depth at that spot.

But kiddo, you can be replaced if you keep committing these boneheaded penalties.

“I wouldn’t say he had a bad game at all. We’re not going to hold that against him,” lineman Noah Clark said. “Talk to him, let it go, we got Oklahoma coming up.”

Beamer broke it down, saying (and most likely correctly) that Swain was goaded into it on the first play and was still seething about it on the next (who knows if that lasted to the targeting play). But look what Jackson did.

He got Swain hot under the collar and then immediately put up his hands, not doing anything on the next play. Swain has to keep his wits about him and simply cool down.

“Don’t have a problem with necessarily the technique that he played at the line of scrimmage. We’ve got to be better about where we’re putting our hands,” Beamer said. “But then after that, we’ve got to play the coverage that’s called a little bit better. And then we got to be smarter on the targeting penalty that they called.”

Swain focuses on the job and only the job and he’ll be OK. Not doing that led to him losing the fundamentals of the position.

Lost that and then lost his temper, and that nearly helped lose the Gamecocks the game.

They didn’t but they can’t lose Swain for any more time.

Follow David Cloninger on X @DCPandC. Want the latest updates on Gamecock athletics sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to Gamecocks Now!