COLUMBIA, S.C. — Connor Shaw, a Flowery Branch grad, threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns, including Alshon Jeffery's first scoring catch in more than a month, and No. 14 South Carolina defeated The Citadel 34-20 on Saturday.

The Gamecocks (9-2) reached nine victories in back-to-back years for the first time in school history and held out hope for even more milestones.

A Kentucky win at Georgia later Saturday would send South Carolina back to the Georgia Dome as Southeastern Conference Eastern Division champions.

For now, though, the Gamecocks were happy to get their sluggish offense moving again and bring Jeffery back into the mix. Jeffery caught a 32-yard scoring pass using just his right arm as Citadel defender Joseph Boateng pinned him near the left sideline of the end zone.