South Carolina fans spent much of the offseason living in the momentum that, head coach, Shane Beamer and company built at the end of the 2022 season. After losing the opening matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Gamecocks have to keep focused on what is still in front of them. Fans could stand to do the same. The loss to the Tar Heels exposed some major weaknesses, but there are four ways the Gamecocks can win after the week 1 loss. The Gamecocks can win in Week 2 based on past success, talent level, coaching, and the level of competition. A win regains the momentum.
The Gamecocks Can Win After Week 1 Loss
Keep Up Locker Room Morale
The locker room in Columbia cannot lose focus or grit following an underwhelming, 14 point loss. Beamer has proven in his first two years as the head man for the Gamecocks that he does not lose the confidence of the team after one, or even multiple, bad loss(es). Most notably, the Gamecocks had their worst showing of the 2022 season in Week 10 against Florida. They then went on to defeat back-to-back top 10 opponents in rivals Tennessee and Clemson. While the loss to North Carolina was concerning and surprising in terms of how the loss occurred, it does not wreck the plans for this Gamecock team completely. There are still many accomplishments on the table for South Carolina. This team can still use past successes and improved athletes at the skill player positions to build confidence in Week 2.
Lean On Young Talent
Some younger players will have to grow up on the field to solve the injury issues that South Carolina suffered in Week 1. South Carolina has recruited well as of late and the Gamecocks can win with that talent. There is a precedent of younger players excelling for the Gamecocks as well. In 2022, Nick Emmanwori came in for an injured RJ Roderick, and earned national honors as a freshman All-American and led the team in tackles. Emmanwori entered the 2023 season as one of the top leaders of the defense.
True freshman Jalon Kilgore replaced Emmanwori after the starter went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. The coaching staff has made many positive comments on Kilgore throughout the preseason. He lived up to the hype last weekend. The physical drop-off from Emmanwori to Kilgore is not substantial. However, the Gamecocks will miss Emmanwori’s experience and leadership on defense.
In other positions, such as wide receiver, the injury to, pre-season All-SEC stand-out, Antwane (Juice) Wells Jr. is impactful. But it opened the door for the continued growth of Xavier Legette. Legette had nine receptions for a career-high 178 yards. To replace new offensive line starter, Cason Henry, we will likely see some shuffling of positions from week 1 to week 2 in order to get the best five on the field.
Trust the Coaches
Teasley
Prior to the season, sources inside the building gave great feedback with regard to first-year offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley. He served as the interim offensive line coach for much of last season while Greg Adkins was out with a personal health issue. He has already proven to be an elite recruiter by playing a role in hauling in several four-star prospects in the 2023 class. Adkins also helped secure commitments from top offensive tackle recruits Josiah Thompson (number three offensive lineman nationally according to 247Sports) and Kam Pringle (number four offensive lineman according to 247Sports), among others, in the class of 2024.
The word on Teasley is that he has the ability to diagnose and identify the best way to attack as an offensive line unit. Teasley’s high football IQ, coupled with his ability to relate and communicate with his players should give fans confidence in his ability to coach this group to a better outcome moving forward.
Loggains
Additionally, the new offensive coordinator, Dowell Loggains, may be in his first college offensive coordinator job, but he served as an OC in the NFL for 7 seasons. Critics of the off-season hiring of Loggains noted the lack of productivity from his NFL offenses. A deeper look at why those offenses lacked production shows that a lack of quality personnel kept him from being able to execute. South Carolina, injuries or not, does not lack talent. Loggains has been adamant that his offensive system is not forced upon his players, but, instead, the system adapts to the strengths of his players.
Fans can trust Loggains, based on his experience, to make necessary adjustments moving into Saturday’s matchup with the Furman Paladins. Teams make the biggest jump of improvement from week 1 to week 2. This is partly due to the fact that game action cannot be simulated in practice. After observing how the team performs against real competition, coaches can make more informed changes to maximize potential. Beamer’s teams have improved as the year progressed over the past two seasons. The same result should not be counted out this year. The Gamecocks can win with this staff.
Build Confidence in Week 2
Week 1 resulted in a loss on the field, but every loss comes with lessons learned. The Gamecocks will look to make the most of what they have learned over the course of the week. Although Furman will come into Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday as a highly ranked FCS level team (the Paladins began the season at number six in the NCAA Coaches Poll), the superior athleticism on the part of the Gamecocks will provide an opportunity to try out new players at new positions and continue to iron out wrinkles that are not completely addressed this week in practice. Game action serves as the best way to learn, build the team, and gain confidence. Look for the South Carolina coaching staff to hit the issues head-on against Furman to allow the team to see themselves execute at a high level in the areas of most needed improvement.
The Gamecocks can win in Week 2 and use it to regain momentum for the remainder of 2023.
Photo courtesy: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
