M
Matt OBrien
Guest
Hey guys - below is my breakdown from Saturday's win over ECU. I switched it up this time and also added in some offensive thoughts, as well as handing out my game ball. Please feel free to comment your thoughts or ask questions. Thank you!
Sinking the Pirates
I believe much of this past game was shaped by the opening kickoff return by A.J. Turner. Getting the ball down to the nine-yard line was huge for the Gamecocks, as it not only setup a quick touchdown for the offense, but also took some of the weight off of the defense’s shoulders early in the game. With a seven-point lead and added energy from that quick score in front of a home crowd, the defense was allowed to play loose out of the gate.
On the opening possession for the Pirates, they made it just 19 yards on four plays before being forced to punt the ball back to the Gamecocks. Led by Brandon McIlwain, the South Carolina offense marched down the field and produced another touchdown, extending the lead to 14 points. The South Carolina defense then followed up accordingly, as Chris Lammons forced a fumble on Pirate quarterback, Philip Nelson, on a perfectly called backside cornerback blitz on a play-action pass.
Lammons missed the initial sack attempt, but true freshman Keir Thomas was there to keep Nelson from escaping, and Lammons followed up with a great second-effort to knock the ball loose; Dante Sawyer would recover the fumble. This set up a Gamecocks field goal, extending the lead to 17 points for the Gamecocks.
Takeaways were the biggest story for the South Carolina defense on Saturday. Aside from the Lammons forced fumble, the unit was able to force three turnovers in the red zone that helped save the team from defeat. JaMarcus King and Chris Lammons intercepted two poorly thrown footballs; the first where Keir Thomas created pressure and forced Nelson to throw the ball off his back foot, and the second where Nelson got rid of the ball quickly because he saw a blitz coming. Creating pressure was critical in those situations, as it led to those two interceptions rather than any ECU points. The fourth takeaway came when safety Antoine Wilder forced a fumble on running back Anthony Scott, which was recovered by D.J. Smith in the end zone for a touchback.
With no help to the wide side of the field, Wilder, who has earned playing time in place of the injured Chaz Elder, was the only player who really had a chance to make a tackle on Scott. Wilder reads run quickly, takes a good downhill angle, squares up the ball carrier, puts his helmet on the ball, and wraps up, ultimately forcing the ball out. This was textbook perfect run support from a safety, and just a big play in a key moment of the game.
Other Defensive Thoughts
Red Zone Resilience
I was impressed by the red zone resilience of the defense on Saturday. Yes, they gave up 519 yards of total offense, but being able to come up with four takeaways –three of which were in the red zone – was huge. Allowing just one touchdown and 15 points from an offense with as many weapons as ECU has, was a job well done by the South Carolina defense.
Soft Cushion
I saw a bit more cushion in pass coverage this week from the South Carolina secondary. This was done to prevent the explosive passing plays that the ECU offense likes to dial-in and instead forced them into short-to-intermediate passes. Pirate receiver Zay Jones was the biggest beneficiary of this, as he hauled in 22 catches for 190 yards. As video game-like as those numbers are, the Gamecocks kept his longest reception to just 15 yards and didn’t allow Jones, or any other Pirate wide outs, to score. (The ECU touchdown catch was made by running back Devin Anderson who was matched up on a South Carolina linebacker in man coverage.)
New Kids on the Block
It was promising to see 2016 newcomers making positive impacts on defense against ECU on Saturday. JaMarcus King came up with that big interception in the end zone and was effective against the run, totaling six tackles. King’s former JUCO teammate, Steven Montac, made his debut for the Gamecocks and also tallied six tackles from his spot in the secondary. True freshmen Keir Thomas and D.J. Wonnum made impacts along the defensive front, as they each logged a sack, and were disruptive on a number of plays throughout the game. Another true freshman, T.J. Brunson, also received some reps at linebacker, logged one tackle, and impressed me with how vocal he was when setting the defense – which is a good indication that Brunson could develop into a leader for the team down the road.
Miscellaneous Offensive Thoughts
I was glad to see Brandon McIlwain get the start and I believe he had a solid debut as the starter. McIlwain’s confidence started out really high, scoring on two running touchdowns early, one of which came after he drove the offense down the field on six plays for 84 yards. McIlwain missed on a number of his throws, but he didn’t force any bad balls or turn the ball over. It wasn’t a great performance, but I liked what I saw from the starting debut of a true freshman at quarterback.
Another true freshman whom I was happy to see get opportunities was receiver, Dreak Davis. One of his two receptions on the day was a tremendous catch along the sideline for 26 yards. Davis also logged seven yards rushing on his one attempt. I don’t want to place any unfair expectations on a young player, but Davis’ style of play reminds me of my college teammate, Bruce Ellington, in many ways. I’m looking forward to seeing what Davis can do in the Garnet and Black for South Carolina.
The offensive line play was disappointing. Last week, Mississippi State’s A.J. Jefferson exposed the Gamecock O-line, but I expected the unit to look better against a less-talented ECU defensive front. The offense won’t be able to have any success if the line doesn’t play better, and unfortunately, there are still some opponents with really good defensive fronts left on the South Carolina schedule. I know there are some injuries and the talent isn’t great overall, but I believe they need to shakeup the starting personnel a little bit, or at the very least, use tight ends to help out more in the blocking game.
Stemming off the offensive line’s issues, there continues to be some frustrating play calls. With how much the line is struggling, I would rip the QB-draw out of the Gamecocks play book – it just doesn’t work. Instead, the perimeter quarterback runs, away from the teeth of the defensive line, seem to be more effective; like the two rushing touchdowns McIlwain had, or the option he tossed to David Williams for 25 yards, which sealed the game late for the Gamecocks.
Just like the players adjusting to a new system, the coaches are also adjusting to the personnel and talent on the offense. A better offense not only means more points scored, but also allows the defense opportunities to get rest and implement key adjustments on the sideline while the offense is on the field. There are still plenty of kinks to be worked out on offense, but I believe the young talent is quite promising for South Carolina, and I really do expect them to keep improving throughout the season.
Defensive Game Ball
Chris Lammons: After being called out by coaches for his performance against Mississippi State, Lammons responded with a huge game against ECU. The junior logged eight tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack, while also forcing one fumble and coming away with a red zone interception that kept ECU from scoring.
Sinking the Pirates
I believe much of this past game was shaped by the opening kickoff return by A.J. Turner. Getting the ball down to the nine-yard line was huge for the Gamecocks, as it not only setup a quick touchdown for the offense, but also took some of the weight off of the defense’s shoulders early in the game. With a seven-point lead and added energy from that quick score in front of a home crowd, the defense was allowed to play loose out of the gate.
On the opening possession for the Pirates, they made it just 19 yards on four plays before being forced to punt the ball back to the Gamecocks. Led by Brandon McIlwain, the South Carolina offense marched down the field and produced another touchdown, extending the lead to 14 points. The South Carolina defense then followed up accordingly, as Chris Lammons forced a fumble on Pirate quarterback, Philip Nelson, on a perfectly called backside cornerback blitz on a play-action pass.
Lammons missed the initial sack attempt, but true freshman Keir Thomas was there to keep Nelson from escaping, and Lammons followed up with a great second-effort to knock the ball loose; Dante Sawyer would recover the fumble. This set up a Gamecocks field goal, extending the lead to 17 points for the Gamecocks.
Takeaways were the biggest story for the South Carolina defense on Saturday. Aside from the Lammons forced fumble, the unit was able to force three turnovers in the red zone that helped save the team from defeat. JaMarcus King and Chris Lammons intercepted two poorly thrown footballs; the first where Keir Thomas created pressure and forced Nelson to throw the ball off his back foot, and the second where Nelson got rid of the ball quickly because he saw a blitz coming. Creating pressure was critical in those situations, as it led to those two interceptions rather than any ECU points. The fourth takeaway came when safety Antoine Wilder forced a fumble on running back Anthony Scott, which was recovered by D.J. Smith in the end zone for a touchback.
With no help to the wide side of the field, Wilder, who has earned playing time in place of the injured Chaz Elder, was the only player who really had a chance to make a tackle on Scott. Wilder reads run quickly, takes a good downhill angle, squares up the ball carrier, puts his helmet on the ball, and wraps up, ultimately forcing the ball out. This was textbook perfect run support from a safety, and just a big play in a key moment of the game.
Other Defensive Thoughts
Red Zone Resilience
I was impressed by the red zone resilience of the defense on Saturday. Yes, they gave up 519 yards of total offense, but being able to come up with four takeaways –three of which were in the red zone – was huge. Allowing just one touchdown and 15 points from an offense with as many weapons as ECU has, was a job well done by the South Carolina defense.
Soft Cushion
I saw a bit more cushion in pass coverage this week from the South Carolina secondary. This was done to prevent the explosive passing plays that the ECU offense likes to dial-in and instead forced them into short-to-intermediate passes. Pirate receiver Zay Jones was the biggest beneficiary of this, as he hauled in 22 catches for 190 yards. As video game-like as those numbers are, the Gamecocks kept his longest reception to just 15 yards and didn’t allow Jones, or any other Pirate wide outs, to score. (The ECU touchdown catch was made by running back Devin Anderson who was matched up on a South Carolina linebacker in man coverage.)
New Kids on the Block
It was promising to see 2016 newcomers making positive impacts on defense against ECU on Saturday. JaMarcus King came up with that big interception in the end zone and was effective against the run, totaling six tackles. King’s former JUCO teammate, Steven Montac, made his debut for the Gamecocks and also tallied six tackles from his spot in the secondary. True freshmen Keir Thomas and D.J. Wonnum made impacts along the defensive front, as they each logged a sack, and were disruptive on a number of plays throughout the game. Another true freshman, T.J. Brunson, also received some reps at linebacker, logged one tackle, and impressed me with how vocal he was when setting the defense – which is a good indication that Brunson could develop into a leader for the team down the road.
Miscellaneous Offensive Thoughts
I was glad to see Brandon McIlwain get the start and I believe he had a solid debut as the starter. McIlwain’s confidence started out really high, scoring on two running touchdowns early, one of which came after he drove the offense down the field on six plays for 84 yards. McIlwain missed on a number of his throws, but he didn’t force any bad balls or turn the ball over. It wasn’t a great performance, but I liked what I saw from the starting debut of a true freshman at quarterback.
Another true freshman whom I was happy to see get opportunities was receiver, Dreak Davis. One of his two receptions on the day was a tremendous catch along the sideline for 26 yards. Davis also logged seven yards rushing on his one attempt. I don’t want to place any unfair expectations on a young player, but Davis’ style of play reminds me of my college teammate, Bruce Ellington, in many ways. I’m looking forward to seeing what Davis can do in the Garnet and Black for South Carolina.
The offensive line play was disappointing. Last week, Mississippi State’s A.J. Jefferson exposed the Gamecock O-line, but I expected the unit to look better against a less-talented ECU defensive front. The offense won’t be able to have any success if the line doesn’t play better, and unfortunately, there are still some opponents with really good defensive fronts left on the South Carolina schedule. I know there are some injuries and the talent isn’t great overall, but I believe they need to shakeup the starting personnel a little bit, or at the very least, use tight ends to help out more in the blocking game.
Stemming off the offensive line’s issues, there continues to be some frustrating play calls. With how much the line is struggling, I would rip the QB-draw out of the Gamecocks play book – it just doesn’t work. Instead, the perimeter quarterback runs, away from the teeth of the defensive line, seem to be more effective; like the two rushing touchdowns McIlwain had, or the option he tossed to David Williams for 25 yards, which sealed the game late for the Gamecocks.
Just like the players adjusting to a new system, the coaches are also adjusting to the personnel and talent on the offense. A better offense not only means more points scored, but also allows the defense opportunities to get rest and implement key adjustments on the sideline while the offense is on the field. There are still plenty of kinks to be worked out on offense, but I believe the young talent is quite promising for South Carolina, and I really do expect them to keep improving throughout the season.
Defensive Game Ball
Chris Lammons: After being called out by coaches for his performance against Mississippi State, Lammons responded with a huge game against ECU. The junior logged eight tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack, while also forcing one fumble and coming away with a red zone interception that kept ECU from scoring.
