To the surprise of many, the Gamecocks were able to reach six wins and receive\u00a0an invite to the Birmingham Bowl<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0Getting that seventh win will not be easy, as South Carolina will face a 10-win South Florida<\/a><\/strong> team on December 29th<\/sup>. With expectations as low as they were heading into 2016, ending the season with a winning record would be a huge boost.<\/p>\n Coach Muschamp\u2019s team is very young, and the extra bowl practices alone should benefit this program moving forward. \u00a0With the extra practice time, this young team could show further progress before next season. The offense should benefit most from the extra work, with so many freshman contributing this year. After a disappointing first half to the season, South Carolina was able to change the program\u2019s trajectory by winning four of its final six games.<\/p>\n The Gamecocks struggled mightily through the first half of the season. Six games in, and South Carolina was among the worst in the country in scoring offense. During the bye week, coach Muschamp decided to pull the redshirt off of Jake Bentley<\/strong><\/a> and give him a chance to lead the offense.<\/p>\n He took his chance and never looked back. \u00a0The young signal caller finished his half season with 1,030 yards, six touchdowns and only two interceptions. His decision-making and energy galvanized the sputtering Gamecock offense. Bentley showed progress over his six games as the starter, and now has a platform of experience to build on.<\/p>\n Bentley\u2019s emergence coincided with the return to health of freshman tailback Rico Dowdle<\/a><\/strong>, who\u00a0missed the first handful of games recovering from a preseason injury. Once he was able to step into the lineup, South Carolina\u2019s running game began to show promise. He finished with over 700 yards for the year, and ran for more than 85 yards in each of the Gamecocks’ final four wins. The freshman from Asheville, NC, has shown a toughness when running, and also shown the ability to make guys miss as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n True freshman, which is a theme with this team, Bryan Edwards<\/strong><\/a> showed from the beginning that he could become a star. He had eight catches and 100 yards in his first career game at Vanderbilt. He has the frame, athleticism, and skill set to follow in the footsteps of former Gamecocks standouts\u00a0Sidney Rice<\/strong><\/a>, Alshon Jeffery<\/strong><\/a>, and Pharoh Cooper<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The Gamecocks were also able to utilize its tight ends this season.\u00a0Hayden Hurst<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0K.C. Crosby<\/strong><\/a> were both able to contribute this season, and the two tight end sets helped with the lack of depth at receiver. Standing at 6’5″ with wide receiver skills, Hurst showed his potential as a match-up nightmare for defenses. Crosby showed considerable athleticism and the ability to make tough grabs in traffic, despite now having typical tight end size.<\/p>\n Sophomore Deebo Samuel<\/strong><\/a> was arguably the Gamecocks’ best offensive player this year. He is and explosive player, making big plays in both the passing game and running the football. He led the team with 45 catches and nearly 600 yards, despite missing three games with a hamstring issues. Samuel also contributed five rushing touchdowns on only fourteen carries. The speed sweep inside the red zone became a fixture in the offensive game plan.<\/p>\n The previous two seasons for the Garnet and Black defense were record-breaking. Unfortunately, none of the records broken were very good ones. Will Muschamp,\u00a0known for his defensive prowess, brought a more aggressive approach to that side of the ball, which was evident from the beginning of the year. After allowing an average of over 30 points per game for the two previous seasons, it took until the eleventh game for an opponent to surpass that mark this year.<\/p>\n With basically the same talent as a season prior, the defense showed progress early.\u00a0 The Gamecocks were very much a ‘bend but don\u2019t break’ defense. They also feasted on turnovers, and were especially good at forcing mistakes in the red zone. Depth\u00a0and team speed were the biggest\u00a0issues, which eventually caught up to them. The defense did not look the same over the last few weeks, possibly being worn down from a long season and a roster short on depth.<\/p>\n At 6-6 overall, there will undoubtedly be negatives to counter the positives. This season for the South Carolina was no different. The poor offensive showings during the 2-4 start to the year and the dismal defensive effort in the rivalry game, are prime examples.<\/p>\n South Carolina was awful in road games this year. Struggling on the road is not totally unexpected with such a young team,\u00a0however, the degree to which they struggled is concerning. The Gamecocks managed only one touchdown in the first half of its five road games this season. Their only victory away from Williams-Brice Stadium was the season opener in Nashville against Vanderbilt. They scored 14\u00a0points in a loss at Mississippi State,\u00a0the most points they scored away from home. We all know how the last road game went, so no need to mention that again.<\/p>\n The kicking game was solid this year; the same\u00a0cannot be said for the rest of the special teams performances. Punter Sean Kelly<\/strong><\/a> and kicker Elliot Fry<\/strong><\/a>, who became the school\u2019s all-time leading scorer, had solid\u00a0seasons. Otherwise, the kick return and coverage units were poor. Coach Muschamp mentioned multiple times that lack of depth and team speed hindered his special teams units, in addition to the aforementioned affects on his defense.<\/p>\n The punt return team was a mystery all to itself. Early in the year, fumbled punts were a recurring problem. By mid-season, fans and coaches alike were just hoping to find someone who could field a punt cleanly and secure possession.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, they were never able to solve this issue. Often the Gamecock returners just let punts land without fielding them, costing the team valuable yards in field position in almost every game.<\/p>\n South Carolina was beaten up at the point of attack in most of their losses this season. The defensive and offensive lines both had some very poor performances throughout the year. Having your lines on either side of the ball get manhandled can be demoralizing for a team, regardless of talent or depth issues. That happened to both lines for Carolina, in multiple games this year. The offensive line was looked at as a strength heading into the year, but injuries and inconsistency stifled its progress.<\/p>\n Offensive line coach Shawn Elliot recently accepted the head coaching job at Georgia State<\/a>. In addition, reports that strength assistant Cedric Williams will also join Elliott<\/a>\u00a0as offensive line coach, so there will be a new look to the offensive line next year.<\/p>\n As stated before, this team was one of the youngest in the country this season. Doubling its win total from a year ago and earning a bowl bid, showed progress and laid a foundation to build on. Young players emerging at skill positions show promise for the future, and\u00a0should continue to grow together. Ten of the 11\u00a0offensive starters will return next season. The defense will lose some veterans, but will also gain one back in All-SEC linebacker Skai Moore<\/strong><\/a>, who missed 2016 due to injury.<\/p>\n Will Muschamp has built a good energetic staff, one that values the hard work needed in recruiting.\u00a0 He said after the upstate loss that the only way to fix things is through recruiting. He has shown already that he\u00a0will not be outworked in that regard. The Birmingham Bowl against South Florida comes up next, and with it a chance for the Gamecocks to end the season with a winning record.<\/p>\n Main Photo<\/p>\nThe Positives<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Freshman Backfield<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Catching On<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Defensive Upgrade<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The Negatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Game Didn\u2019t Travel<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Not So Special Teams<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Shaky Line<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Progress and Move Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n