South Carolina has dropped two games in a row and dropped to 2-4 overall on the season. They will face a number of challenges as they travel to Missouri this weekend. The Tigers have beaten the Gamecocks the last four seasons. Their offense this year will present significant matchup issues for the Carolina defense. To, literally, add insult to injury, Shane Beamer gave injury updates in his Tuesday afternoon press conference. The injuries continue to plague this Carolina team at key spots. South Carolina is in danger of missing a bowl game this season if they can’t get things turned around quickly. The Gamecocks will look to end the losing streak this season and end a four-year streak to Mizzou all in one game.
Offensive Outlook
Missouri’s defense is giving up 25 points, 118 yards rushing, and 226 yards passing per game. South Carolina will likely need to exceed 25 points in order to beat the Tigers on Saturday. The task of scoring has largely been up to Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette this season. But the emergence of Mario Anderson, averaging nearly 100 yards per game on the ground over the last three games, brings more balance to the offense.
In the loss to Florida last week, the Gamecocks ran the ball with running backs 24 times. Rattler attempted 30 passes and ran (scrambled) seven times on plays that were intended to be pass plays. This comes out to roughly 60% passing and 40% running. That formula was good for 37 points against a Florida defense that was giving up only 17 points per game. Needless to say, the offense can perform at a high level. It’s likely they will need to win a shootout on Saturday. This will require having an exceptional day and not missing many opportunities to score. Empty possessions will not help the Gamecocks end the streak in the battle for the Mayor’s Cup.
More Injuries
To make matters a bit more challenging, starting offensive lineman, Vershon Lee is “doubtful” for Saturday, according to Beamer. The Gamecocks offensive line had ended the streak of shuffling positions and personnel in the first half on Saturday. Lee, who had played the first five games at center, moved to right guard to fill a void that caused problems for Carolina all season. This allowed veteran transfer, Nick Garguilo, to return to the position he played at Yale, center. Trai Jones saw his first significant action of the year at guard. Standout freshmen Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh rounded out the five big guys up front. However, when Lee went down to an injury, a noticeable dip in performance occurred for the offensive line as a unit. If Lee cannot play on Saturday, establishing the run with Anderson will be more difficult.
The Gamecocks have eight offensive linemen, counting Lee, who are currently injured. Of the eight, seven have started this season or would have challenged for a starting position if they had been healthy when the season started. Luckily, Anderson is gaining confidence and showing his ability to find holes and push forward. Carolina will need him to be productive for the remainder of the season. This offensive line also needs to perform well in protection against a Missouri defense that ranks in the top half of the league in sacks and third in passes deflected.
The Weekly Segment Is Over
The Gamecocks defense has not found the success or improvement that the offense has seen over the course of the season. In their last two home games, the Gamecocks have faced run-first schemes and given up career nights to the quarterbacks from both Mississippi State and Florida. The weekly segment, “Stack the Box,” in this column is canceled, effective immediately. The perceived best strategy for the Gamecocks was leaning on their strength in the back end and loading up to stop the run against opponents on this schedule. Unfortunately, for the Garnet and Black, the defensive backs have not lived up to the hype as the strength of this defense and Mizzou runs a well-balanced offense with the best wide receiver that the Gamecocks will face all season.
Defensive Challenges
Leaving corners on islands will not end well for Carolina this weekend. However, Beamer said, “That’s what we do,” in reference to playing man coverage and defending Luther Burden. There is no intention to change the scheme or primarily “play two deep and protect our corners over the top with safeties,” said Beamer. He went on to say that the Gamecocks have to “mix it up” in the way they present the defense, but they won’t abandon who they are. Quarterback Brady Cook has been surprisingly effective for the Tigers this season. Talking points around Cook during the offseason were that he wasn’t the guy in CoMo and Eliah Drinkwitz was searching the transfer portal for a better signal caller. Cook is third in the SEC in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and total QBR.
In addition to a dangerous passing attack from Cook and Burden, the Tigers are running the ball well. Cody Schrader is second the league in rushing yards and touchdowns. He averages over five and a half yards per carry. The Gamecocks will have to be disciplined overall in order to stop the balanced attack from the Tigers. Beamer mentioned after the loss to Florida, that players were in position, but simply didn’t make plays.
The NFL mentality that a handful of plays changes an entire season rings true in the SEC, as well. Gamecock players will need to end the streak of missing plays and show up when it counts most. To complicate this challenge, starting linebacker Stone Blanton is “questionable” for the game against Missouri, according to Beamer. This will certainly press freshman Pup Howard into more snaps. It could also mean bringing in a fourth linebacker into the two-deep that has not played significant football at the college level.
Where is Beamer Ball?
In a game that likely needs to be a shootout for the Gamecocks to win, non-offensive touchdowns could make a world of difference. The Gamecocks scored six non-offensive touchdowns in 2022. They have yet to record one this year. Adding a special team or defensive score could go a long way toward tipping the scales in Carolina’s favor. Not only does it add to the scoreboard, but scoring on a return, a fake, or a turnover swings momentum heavily.
Coaches also need to be held accountable for player usage. Last season, fans complained about former OC Marcus Satterfield’s use of stars on offense. This season, it’s Clayton White’s defense that is receiving heavy criticism. Beamer listed the team’s top five corners in his press conference Tuesday. Notably not on the list was sophomore safety, and former freshman All-American, Nick Emmanwori. However, Florida’s coaches managed to move their best receiver into positions where Emmanwori would be matched up with him in man coverage multiple times on Saturday. While Emmanwori held his own at times, he lost his share of matchups with Ricky Pearsall, as well. This included a deep post for the game-winning touchdown.
White and his staff have to do a better job of putting the right players in the right positions. Emmanwori and fellow sophomore safety DQ Smith both received honors after their freshman season. But in the matchup with Mississippi State in Week 4, Smith was also the target of one one-on-one matchup with the best receiver. Tulu Griffin had a career night and caught passes for almost 300 yards. Coaches cannot expect to put a safety one one-on-one with Burden this weekend and win.
What to Expect
Rattler and company will have some success against the Mizzou defense as the Gamecocks look to end their losing streak. There has been no mention of Juice Wells returning this week. So, Legette will once again receive double teams from the opposing secondary. The Gamecocks will need to get Anderson going and have long methodical drives that dominate the time of possession and protect the defense from being on the field for too long.
In the end, the Missouri Tigers will present too many challenges for a reeling Gamecocks squad to end their losing streak. The Tigers’ success against Carolina will extend to five years in a row and The Mayor’s Cup will continue to reside in CoMo.
Final Score: Missouri 33 South Carolina 20
