W
Will Helms
Guest
After a week filled with storylines, it shouldn’t be surprising that the actual South Carolina-Georgia game added more to the conversation. With a “quarterback controversy” (that never was) rendered moot by a first-drive injury, a matchup with the best defense in the country and one of the more eventful first halves you’ll see, there’s a lot to break down.
The Lead
Georgia is the most talented team in the country. That’s the lead. If I wasn’t contractually obligated to give deeper analysis than that, I’d move onto the next section.
I predicted (on paper, in writing, out there for the world to see) that Georgia would win the SEC and then National Championship. The Bulldogs are that talented this season. Now, whether it comes to fruition or not (It likely won’t because that would require not choking against Alabama).
Defensively, the Bulldog line is the best in the country. An already loaded defensive backfield added future first-rounder Derion Kendrick in the offseason. South Carolina was a 31-point underdog coming into the game.
This game was to serve as a benchmark for how far South Carolina needs to go to get to the top, not an example of how the Gamecocks have already made it.
I said earlier this week that Luke Doty was likely healthy, but would be held out until the Gamecocks played…. Not the best defense in the country. With Zeb Noland’s first-drive hand injury, that plan went out the window.
So instead, we got Luke Doty and an overmatched group of linemen and skill players against the best defense in the country. And really, that’s what we got — a much-improved Luke Doty dropping dimes ruined by drops, big scrambles marred by penalties and potential passes ended by premature pressure.
The story here though, is that South Carolina has a quarterback. We can discuss the merits of each individual play or coaching decision, but ultimately South Carolina went to Athens and found out it has its quarterback of the future — and the present.
The numbers don’t really tell the story, with two long drops, three big plays called back by penalty and constant pressure. Doty showed that not only has he improved as a passer, but his athleticism, decision-making and arm are better than anything the Gamecocks have had in the past few years.
Georgia’s defense was too much, opening up opportunities for the Bulldog offense to take advantage of an overly-aggressive Gamecock defense. With Shane Beamer playing to win, it made the margin of victory a bit misleading.
Keys to the Loss
1. Georgia’s Talent: Not to beat a dead horse, but Georgia is just in another stratosphere from all but about six teams in the country. The Bulldogs have blue chip players at every position and it shows. The talent level on defense dictated the pace of the game, allowing the Bulldog offense to grind it out on the ground and force the Gamecocks to get aggressive on defense. From there, the array of five-star receivers deployed by the Bulldogs took the top off the defense.
Georgia’s speed at linebacker clogged up rushing lanes and put South Carolina in third and long, from there, the defensive line showed its worth.
2. Miscues: South Carolina was hammered by penalties and drops all game, usually at what seemed like the most inopportune times. On Doty’s second pass attempt, Josh Vann was unable to reel in his second big catch of the night. Although it would have been a tough catch, the drop was a microcosm of the night. South Carolina had to work hard for every small good thing, while Georgia moved the ball at will.
The Gamecocks had three offensive penalties on third down, multiple drops and multiple explosive plays overturned by infractions. Add to that a few unfortunate turnovers, missed blocks and opportunities and the Gamecocks ended up further out of the game than they probably deserved.
3. Third Downs: Entering Saturday, South Carolina’s defense was first nationally in third down defense, allowing 2 of 25 conversions. Georgia converted six of its first nine attempts, averaging 5.8 yards to go and just 7.6 yards per play — or just past the line to gain — in the process.
Conversely, South Carolina struggled in third-and-long situations all night, taking multiple sacks and failing to even attempt a pass beyond the sticks most of the night. A lot of that has to do with Georgia’s defensive front and a lot of that has to do with the lack of talent in South Carolina’s offensive line room (more on that in a minute), but the play calling situation was not ideal without a running game or the time to throw downfield.
4. The Trenches: South Carolina simply couldn’t block Georgia, averaging .7 yards per rush and giving up pressure on 10 of 14 first half passing attempts. I can give the team a bit of a pass this week against a clearly dominant Georgia team (The Bulldogs registered 21 pressures and seven sacks in 45 dropbacks against Clemson), but I’m interested to see what Doty can do in obvious passing situations against other teams.
Defensively, South Carolina wore down against a Georgia front that loves to run. This game isn’t an obvious benchmark, so next week’s contest at Kentucky will be important in terms of actually sizing up the Gamecocks’ offensive and defensive fronts.
Players of the Game
Luke Doty: Ignore the numbers, this was a good game from a guy that hasn’t played a normal game yet in his career. He delivered accurate passes over and over under pressure and when he didn’t, it was a matter of timing, not arm talent. For a guy that hasn’t had many fall reps in a new system, those things are easily correctable and given just a little bit of time in the pocket, he should put up better numbers.
Jaylan Foster: Foster had a productive afternoon against Georgia’s medium passing game, picking off two passes and staying in front of his guys most of the night. There weren’t many opportunities to praise the defense, but Foster was a bright spot.
Darryle Ware: I thought Ware was destined to star at a Group of Five school when I scouted him in high school because his recruitment just hadn’t taken off. He’s an old-school thumper that I thought would have to adjust to SEC speed, but he played well when thrust into action. He had a couple of nice tackles and a pass breakup in the end zone after walking on to the team a year ago.
Josh Vann: Vann now has career-highs in touchdowns and yards this season after a huge game against Georgia’s elite defense. The first 100-yard receiver against the Bulldogs this season, he also scored the first touchdown of the year against Georgia. He’s become the clear number one option on a team that lacked one before the season.
Final Thoughts
I saw nothing Saturday to make me think Shane Beamer isn’t the man for the job. This may be Georgia’s year and if Nick Saban coached the Gamecocks they’d still need another year or two to compete with the truly elite.
That being said, Luke Doty’s performance should excite Gamecock fans. Josh Vann convinced me he’s a number one receiver and Doty has shown incredible improvement from year one to year two, even with a small sample size.
South Carolina has questions along the offensive line, at linebacker and in the running game but six wins does not seem out of the question this season, which would be a huge win for Shane Beamer and company. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which South Carolina beat this Georgia team. In a loss, I left more impressed than concerned.
The Lead
Georgia is the most talented team in the country. That’s the lead. If I wasn’t contractually obligated to give deeper analysis than that, I’d move onto the next section.
I predicted (on paper, in writing, out there for the world to see) that Georgia would win the SEC and then National Championship. The Bulldogs are that talented this season. Now, whether it comes to fruition or not (It likely won’t because that would require not choking against Alabama).
Defensively, the Bulldog line is the best in the country. An already loaded defensive backfield added future first-rounder Derion Kendrick in the offseason. South Carolina was a 31-point underdog coming into the game.
This game was to serve as a benchmark for how far South Carolina needs to go to get to the top, not an example of how the Gamecocks have already made it.
I said earlier this week that Luke Doty was likely healthy, but would be held out until the Gamecocks played…. Not the best defense in the country. With Zeb Noland’s first-drive hand injury, that plan went out the window.
So instead, we got Luke Doty and an overmatched group of linemen and skill players against the best defense in the country. And really, that’s what we got — a much-improved Luke Doty dropping dimes ruined by drops, big scrambles marred by penalties and potential passes ended by premature pressure.
The story here though, is that South Carolina has a quarterback. We can discuss the merits of each individual play or coaching decision, but ultimately South Carolina went to Athens and found out it has its quarterback of the future — and the present.
The numbers don’t really tell the story, with two long drops, three big plays called back by penalty and constant pressure. Doty showed that not only has he improved as a passer, but his athleticism, decision-making and arm are better than anything the Gamecocks have had in the past few years.
Georgia’s defense was too much, opening up opportunities for the Bulldog offense to take advantage of an overly-aggressive Gamecock defense. With Shane Beamer playing to win, it made the margin of victory a bit misleading.
Keys to the Loss
1. Georgia’s Talent: Not to beat a dead horse, but Georgia is just in another stratosphere from all but about six teams in the country. The Bulldogs have blue chip players at every position and it shows. The talent level on defense dictated the pace of the game, allowing the Bulldog offense to grind it out on the ground and force the Gamecocks to get aggressive on defense. From there, the array of five-star receivers deployed by the Bulldogs took the top off the defense.
Georgia’s speed at linebacker clogged up rushing lanes and put South Carolina in third and long, from there, the defensive line showed its worth.
2. Miscues: South Carolina was hammered by penalties and drops all game, usually at what seemed like the most inopportune times. On Doty’s second pass attempt, Josh Vann was unable to reel in his second big catch of the night. Although it would have been a tough catch, the drop was a microcosm of the night. South Carolina had to work hard for every small good thing, while Georgia moved the ball at will.
The Gamecocks had three offensive penalties on third down, multiple drops and multiple explosive plays overturned by infractions. Add to that a few unfortunate turnovers, missed blocks and opportunities and the Gamecocks ended up further out of the game than they probably deserved.
3. Third Downs: Entering Saturday, South Carolina’s defense was first nationally in third down defense, allowing 2 of 25 conversions. Georgia converted six of its first nine attempts, averaging 5.8 yards to go and just 7.6 yards per play — or just past the line to gain — in the process.
Conversely, South Carolina struggled in third-and-long situations all night, taking multiple sacks and failing to even attempt a pass beyond the sticks most of the night. A lot of that has to do with Georgia’s defensive front and a lot of that has to do with the lack of talent in South Carolina’s offensive line room (more on that in a minute), but the play calling situation was not ideal without a running game or the time to throw downfield.
4. The Trenches: South Carolina simply couldn’t block Georgia, averaging .7 yards per rush and giving up pressure on 10 of 14 first half passing attempts. I can give the team a bit of a pass this week against a clearly dominant Georgia team (The Bulldogs registered 21 pressures and seven sacks in 45 dropbacks against Clemson), but I’m interested to see what Doty can do in obvious passing situations against other teams.
Defensively, South Carolina wore down against a Georgia front that loves to run. This game isn’t an obvious benchmark, so next week’s contest at Kentucky will be important in terms of actually sizing up the Gamecocks’ offensive and defensive fronts.
Players of the Game
Luke Doty: Ignore the numbers, this was a good game from a guy that hasn’t played a normal game yet in his career. He delivered accurate passes over and over under pressure and when he didn’t, it was a matter of timing, not arm talent. For a guy that hasn’t had many fall reps in a new system, those things are easily correctable and given just a little bit of time in the pocket, he should put up better numbers.
Jaylan Foster: Foster had a productive afternoon against Georgia’s medium passing game, picking off two passes and staying in front of his guys most of the night. There weren’t many opportunities to praise the defense, but Foster was a bright spot.
Darryle Ware: I thought Ware was destined to star at a Group of Five school when I scouted him in high school because his recruitment just hadn’t taken off. He’s an old-school thumper that I thought would have to adjust to SEC speed, but he played well when thrust into action. He had a couple of nice tackles and a pass breakup in the end zone after walking on to the team a year ago.
Josh Vann: Vann now has career-highs in touchdowns and yards this season after a huge game against Georgia’s elite defense. The first 100-yard receiver against the Bulldogs this season, he also scored the first touchdown of the year against Georgia. He’s become the clear number one option on a team that lacked one before the season.
Final Thoughts
I saw nothing Saturday to make me think Shane Beamer isn’t the man for the job. This may be Georgia’s year and if Nick Saban coached the Gamecocks they’d still need another year or two to compete with the truly elite.
That being said, Luke Doty’s performance should excite Gamecock fans. Josh Vann convinced me he’s a number one receiver and Doty has shown incredible improvement from year one to year two, even with a small sample size.
South Carolina has questions along the offensive line, at linebacker and in the running game but six wins does not seem out of the question this season, which would be a huge win for Shane Beamer and company. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which South Carolina beat this Georgia team. In a loss, I left more impressed than concerned.
