Three weeks before Saturday, South Carolina waged a close battle against then-No. 16 LSU. The Gamecocks stayed in the game until the very end, when the Tigers pulled ahead with a late score to win 36-33. That day, self-inflicted mistakes, among other things, held South Carolina back. The Gamecocks committed 13 penalties for 123 yards, which remain season highs in both categories. Those self-inflicted wounds flared up again when South Carolina faced No. 12 Ole Miss, its second top-25 opponent of the 2024 campaign. Despite multiple big stops made by its defense, the Gamecocks were unable to reco…