South Carolina’s problem is no longer just the losses. It is how the Gamecocks have managed to lose their games. Shane Beamer’s team led Kentucky by 17 points last weekend and still walked away with a 35-34 overtime defeat.
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That came a week after Alabama beat South Carolina 49-18. They have now lost eight straight conference games, and the frustration around the program is becoming harder to ignore. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati is not pretending otherwise.
“The guys are playing their bu–s off. I’m disappointed too,” Donati said, as per The State’s Lou Bezjak. “I share that same frustration. When we win, we all win. When we lose, we all lose. I see a lot of good things on this football team.”
The Kentucky loss was particularly damaging because South Carolina appeared to have the game under control. The Gamecocks raced to a 17-0 lead, then watched Kentucky claw its way back.
South Carolina had a chance to win in overtime but fell 35-34 after Kentucky scored on its two-point conversion. The Gamecocks’ play-calling did little to ease the pressure. They kept trying to run between the tackles against a packed defense, rarely making Kentucky respect the edges.
That left Sellers facing too many long third downs, giving the Wildcats’ pass rush a clear target. The Gamecocks also struggled to sort out Kentucky’s bunch formation, and a crossing route got in the way of the defender chasing Rodriguez. That left Rodriguez alone in the flat with no one close enough to stop the catch.
The problems don’t seem deep, and a tweak in strategy, with LaNorris Sellers’ leverage, can provide a glimmer of hope for Shane Beamer’s team. That’s exactly what AD Jeremiah Donati is signaling.
“We haven’t put it all together. We haven’t seen the turnovers like we are used to,” Donati said. “All those things can be fixed. This team is poised for a breakout. Hopefully, we see it here today.”
South Carolina’s line has had trouble opening holes for its backs, and defenses can often read what’s coming. Pass protection has been just as shaky, with rushers getting through when opponents disguise their pressure.
OC Dowell Loggains needs to give LaNorris Sellers easier answers before the snap. More motion, RPOs, and quick throws to the slant, screen, or flat would make defenses think twice before crowding the line.
Sellers could get the ball out sooner, and South Carolina would not have to ask its offensive line to hold up against pressure on every dropback. Even then, overrelying on Sellers to play hero ball also needs to change.
Sellers has rushed for 391 yards in five games, just 42 behind South Carolina’s leading rusher, Matthew Fuller, who has 433. Even in that, two long runs account for much of Sellers’ rushing production: a 74-yarder against Kentucky and a 58-yard touchdown against Towson.
The QB1 has shown he can break loose and pick up big yards, but South Carolina needs more than scrambles to move the ball. The passing game has to give the offense another way to hit explosive plays, instead of relying on Sellers to create them when a play falls apart.
Defensively, South Carolina’s front goes after the QBs, but the linebackers and defensive backs have struggled to close out games.
Those problems have been most costly late in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Problems that showed against Kentucky. Kenny Minchey threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, taking advantage of the space the defense gave him when it mattered most.
Shane Beamer still has time to fix these problems, but SEC games leave little room for error. The offense cannot keep running into loaded fronts and waiting for Sellers to make something happen with his legs.
Loggains needs to find ways to get the ball out faster and take pressure off the line. The defense also has to get its calls straight when games are on the line. If the Gamecocks can make those changes, they have enough talent to beat teams they are not expected to beat.
If not, the same mistakes will keep costing them games. They have a much tougher test ahead on the road against Florida, which has already shown its dominance against teams like Ole Miss and Auburn.