Through two games, South Carolina still has a lot of work to do to reach its full potential. But this past Saturday was undoubtedly a big step in the right direction.
After narrowly escaping with a victory against Old Dominion, the Gamecocks went into Lexington and earned a 25-point win over Kentucky. The defense has continued to play very well, as did the special teams units. However, the offense is still very much a work in progress.
The results from the first to second game were an improvement. South Carolina was able to play more balanced with a better passing attack. That’s not to say it was anything special, though.
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Making his first SEC start, LaNorris Sellers looked more comfortable in the pocket, as he completed 11-of-15 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw a pass that sailed over his receiver for an interception late in the second quarter and fumbled twice while being sacked.
As the offense continues to develop, it starts with Sellers continuing to show more of what he can do as a passer and limiting his mistakes.
“It was good to see us make some strides and we did it with different schemes or different concepts, if that makes sense,” head coach Shane Beamer said during his Sunday teleconference. “I mean, we opened up the second half, we were in empty with two tight ends. And I don’t think we had a running back on the field on that first play of the second half in empty. And then we hit a little quick route underneath to Mike Smith. We’ve got to be able to continue to do that.”
Beamer was happy with some of the more explosive plays South Carolina was able to make. He specifically pointed out a third down conversion pass play from Sellers to Jared Brown for a 13-yard gain in the third quarter. And more so in general, he liked the way Sellers was “improvising and being able to keep his eyes downfield.”
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Ultimately, though, the offense still isn’t where it needs to be. As a team, the Gamecocks only mustered 252 total yards, 86 of which came in the run game. This was a departure from rushing for nearly 175 yards in Week 1, though South Carolina had 22 less carries on Saturday. It only averaged 2.5 yards per carry.
“We’ve got to be able to one, protect, and like I said, the offensive line did a really good job of that yesterday,” Beamer said. “(Deone Walker) got some pressure on us early in the game in the first couple series. But after that, most of the pressures we gave up were essentially quarterback or tight end. So we’ve got to be a little bit better about that for sure. Got to be more efficient running the ball.”
But if South Carolina really wants to do well in conference play, it may come down to how the passing game looks. Of those 252 total yards, 166 of them were through the air, with two receivers and tight ends combining for 12 catches.
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It wasn’t just what Sellers did that made the passing offense look more effective. It was also what his pass-catchers were able to do, especially with creating good separation to make plays. Yet, the Gamecocks still don’t have a true top target.
To put it into perspective, South Carolina’s leading receiver right now is Mazeo Bennett Jr. with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. As a whole, the receivers and tight ends have only had 22 catches for 280 yards this season. It seemingly proves just how much of a by committee product this will be until somebody steps up.
“As we’ve told those guys, we’re still trying to figure it out. We’re waiting for two or three or four guys to really take this thing and go,” Beamer said. “I feel pretty confident right now saying Jared Brown and Mazeo Bennett are probably our top two receivers right now. Well, are they going to continue to evolve or not? And then who else? We need more than two. So we’re waiting on these other guys to come on and take this thing.”
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