M
Mike Uva
Guest
Although one could argue that the offensive woes start with the offensive coordinator, I'm not gonna beat a dead horse by talking about Marcus Satterfield. That's been done all week following the Texas A&M game, and even before that. Shane Beamer has made it clear that he’s sticking with Satterfield as his play-caller and has confidence in him. So instead of wasting time on a scenario about a play-caller that won’t be happening anytime soon, here's a few things USC as an offense need to do to be successful coming out of the bye-week.
CREATING SEPARATION IN ROUTES:
One thing I’ve noticed in many of the SEC games this year is the inability of USC receivers to create separation in their routes. When this happens, it allows the defense to bring down an extra guy in the box to stop the run; it basically tells the offense if you want to beat us you’re gonna have to do it through the air.
Texas A&M did just that, and when receivers aren’t able to get open on a team who has struggled to block this year, your QB is gonna be running for his life.
BLOCKING:
You read “blocking” and I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘yeah tell me something I don’t know.’ Well, I’ll try. As a unit, the OL has struggled this year, which in my opinion has a lot to do with the offense struggling to adjust to the new offensive philosophy that is complex. With that being said, the blocking inconsistencies aren't exclusive to the OL. It starts with the QB calling the proper protections at the line as well as the RB and TE also picking up their blocks. Regardless of how complex the offense has been, communication pre-snap to blocking is pivotal and at this time of the year, inexcusable if the offense isn’t on the same page.
My college coach had a saying - if all 11 of us are wrong but we’re on there same page than we’re right, but if 1 out of 10 players is wrong and everyone else is right then we’re wrong. Read that back a couple times if that didn’t make sense, I promise it’s not a riddle.
MORE HELP AT WR:
The emergence of Josh Vann this season as WR1 has been an unexpected but yet enjoyable ride to watch. But with Jalen Brooks having been away from the team these past few weeks, a position group that has looked better than last year at times needs another WR or TE to step up to take the attention away from Vann.
Like we saw with Shi Smith last year, teams know that if you take Vann out of the game by keeping an extra eye on him, USC will need to throw the ball elsewhere. And as we discussed earlier in this breakdown, the Gamecocks have struggled in conference play to create seperation in their routes and could use another weapon to throw the ball to. Jaheim Bell and Xavier Legette are two names I feel like could do just that in the final weeks of the season for USC.
The week of the Vanderbilt game, Satterfield mentioned how they wanted to get the ball more to Bell, and they did just that early when he scored on an 82-yard TD reception with a career-high 6 catches.
Legette on the other hand was impressive in the Vanderbilt game, as he works his way back from an injury sustained in a motorcycle crash, and with the extra time during the bye-week to regroup should be another target USC looks to turn to in hopes of being able to stretch the field.
What about EJ Jenkins? Of course. And while some don’t want to hear it because the transfer WR/TE is 6’7”, Shane Beamer mentioned at the beginning of October that Jenkins wasn’t happy that he wasn’t playing as much as we would’ve liked. Beamer’s response? Practice better. If practice is holding him back then that’s on the player to step up.
We don’t know what goes on everyday in practice and I’m sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but if you’re one of the people that don’t trust that the coaches are gonna play the best guys they believe give them a chance to win than you’re a hambone. Think about that; why on Earth with a first-year coach who has more eyeballs on him than he's ever had before on him not want to play his best players if he believes that gives his team the best chance to win, unless a guy isn’t performing well in practice or (which isn’t the case here) is being disciplined? Come on people, it’s okay to be frustrated but let’s use a little common sense here if anyone believes that.
MORE WHITE AND McDOWELL:
I know this fanbase has trust issues when it comes to the injury report from coaches, because of how it felt like the last head coach wasn’t always completely honest. I don’t think it’s fair to believe anytime Shane Beamer says a guy is banged up but should be ready to go by game time that he is lying if a player isn't out there comes Saturday. What I do believe and know from my days as a former player is that everyone heals differently and sometimes it’s more of a pain tolerance and mental thing more than anything else.
I say all that because I don’t believe MarShawn Lloyd nor Kevin Harris are themselves as they work back from their injuries, and are still trying to find that rhythm at a position that is extremely demanding both physically and mentally. Perhaps the bye-week allowed both players to recharge and will bounce back strong to finish the year off but I wouldn’t bank on that until we see it in the game. Instead, take advantage of using two guys you know are healthy and have continued to be your sparks this season at RB with White and McDowell.
Harris is a stud but I hate to break it to everyone - this is a new year so enough about talking about what he did last season as USC prepares for their ninth game of the season. That’s not to say he’s not a talented back but that isn’t gonna help this offense right not based on what the issues have been for them. Are the plays being called best suited for Harris? Maybe not, but at the end of the day, as a player, you have to control what you can; give the ball to a player who puts you in the best position to succeed. If that’s Harris, then great, but don’t just force handoffs to him thinking he’s due because of the season he had last year; it doesn’t work like that in football.
BOTTOM LINE:
Is USC better than they were a year ago? Well let’s look at it this way to help answer that question.
SPECIAL TEAMS? - Yes
DEFENSE? - Yes (although they can still improve but let’s not forget how things were left a year ago)
OFFENSE? - No
Overall, the team is better than they were a year ago, and at (4-4), regardless if they barely beat Vanderbilt or TikTok Tech, they have shown improvements. The problem is, like being in a nice kitchen that was recently renovated, there’s this nasty smell coming from the trash and anything positive with the upgrades in the kitchen seem like they can’t be fully appreciated because you just can’t get that foul smell out of your mind. That foul smell right now is the offense.
So before USC heads into the Florida game, take a good look around that room and take a step outside to appreciate the improvements to your new kitchen without having to think about that nasty smell that’s in there. You know the smell is in there but when you’re able to think clearer without smelling that smell, you can see that there are positives to takeaway so far in a rebuild year; a rebuild that we all knew was gonna take time.
CREATING SEPARATION IN ROUTES:
One thing I’ve noticed in many of the SEC games this year is the inability of USC receivers to create separation in their routes. When this happens, it allows the defense to bring down an extra guy in the box to stop the run; it basically tells the offense if you want to beat us you’re gonna have to do it through the air.
Texas A&M did just that, and when receivers aren’t able to get open on a team who has struggled to block this year, your QB is gonna be running for his life.
BLOCKING:
You read “blocking” and I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘yeah tell me something I don’t know.’ Well, I’ll try. As a unit, the OL has struggled this year, which in my opinion has a lot to do with the offense struggling to adjust to the new offensive philosophy that is complex. With that being said, the blocking inconsistencies aren't exclusive to the OL. It starts with the QB calling the proper protections at the line as well as the RB and TE also picking up their blocks. Regardless of how complex the offense has been, communication pre-snap to blocking is pivotal and at this time of the year, inexcusable if the offense isn’t on the same page.
My college coach had a saying - if all 11 of us are wrong but we’re on there same page than we’re right, but if 1 out of 10 players is wrong and everyone else is right then we’re wrong. Read that back a couple times if that didn’t make sense, I promise it’s not a riddle.
MORE HELP AT WR:
The emergence of Josh Vann this season as WR1 has been an unexpected but yet enjoyable ride to watch. But with Jalen Brooks having been away from the team these past few weeks, a position group that has looked better than last year at times needs another WR or TE to step up to take the attention away from Vann.
Like we saw with Shi Smith last year, teams know that if you take Vann out of the game by keeping an extra eye on him, USC will need to throw the ball elsewhere. And as we discussed earlier in this breakdown, the Gamecocks have struggled in conference play to create seperation in their routes and could use another weapon to throw the ball to. Jaheim Bell and Xavier Legette are two names I feel like could do just that in the final weeks of the season for USC.
The week of the Vanderbilt game, Satterfield mentioned how they wanted to get the ball more to Bell, and they did just that early when he scored on an 82-yard TD reception with a career-high 6 catches.
Legette on the other hand was impressive in the Vanderbilt game, as he works his way back from an injury sustained in a motorcycle crash, and with the extra time during the bye-week to regroup should be another target USC looks to turn to in hopes of being able to stretch the field.
What about EJ Jenkins? Of course. And while some don’t want to hear it because the transfer WR/TE is 6’7”, Shane Beamer mentioned at the beginning of October that Jenkins wasn’t happy that he wasn’t playing as much as we would’ve liked. Beamer’s response? Practice better. If practice is holding him back then that’s on the player to step up.
We don’t know what goes on everyday in practice and I’m sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but if you’re one of the people that don’t trust that the coaches are gonna play the best guys they believe give them a chance to win than you’re a hambone. Think about that; why on Earth with a first-year coach who has more eyeballs on him than he's ever had before on him not want to play his best players if he believes that gives his team the best chance to win, unless a guy isn’t performing well in practice or (which isn’t the case here) is being disciplined? Come on people, it’s okay to be frustrated but let’s use a little common sense here if anyone believes that.
MORE WHITE AND McDOWELL:
I know this fanbase has trust issues when it comes to the injury report from coaches, because of how it felt like the last head coach wasn’t always completely honest. I don’t think it’s fair to believe anytime Shane Beamer says a guy is banged up but should be ready to go by game time that he is lying if a player isn't out there comes Saturday. What I do believe and know from my days as a former player is that everyone heals differently and sometimes it’s more of a pain tolerance and mental thing more than anything else.
I say all that because I don’t believe MarShawn Lloyd nor Kevin Harris are themselves as they work back from their injuries, and are still trying to find that rhythm at a position that is extremely demanding both physically and mentally. Perhaps the bye-week allowed both players to recharge and will bounce back strong to finish the year off but I wouldn’t bank on that until we see it in the game. Instead, take advantage of using two guys you know are healthy and have continued to be your sparks this season at RB with White and McDowell.
Harris is a stud but I hate to break it to everyone - this is a new year so enough about talking about what he did last season as USC prepares for their ninth game of the season. That’s not to say he’s not a talented back but that isn’t gonna help this offense right not based on what the issues have been for them. Are the plays being called best suited for Harris? Maybe not, but at the end of the day, as a player, you have to control what you can; give the ball to a player who puts you in the best position to succeed. If that’s Harris, then great, but don’t just force handoffs to him thinking he’s due because of the season he had last year; it doesn’t work like that in football.
BOTTOM LINE:
Is USC better than they were a year ago? Well let’s look at it this way to help answer that question.
SPECIAL TEAMS? - Yes
DEFENSE? - Yes (although they can still improve but let’s not forget how things were left a year ago)
OFFENSE? - No
Overall, the team is better than they were a year ago, and at (4-4), regardless if they barely beat Vanderbilt or TikTok Tech, they have shown improvements. The problem is, like being in a nice kitchen that was recently renovated, there’s this nasty smell coming from the trash and anything positive with the upgrades in the kitchen seem like they can’t be fully appreciated because you just can’t get that foul smell out of your mind. That foul smell right now is the offense.
So before USC heads into the Florida game, take a good look around that room and take a step outside to appreciate the improvements to your new kitchen without having to think about that nasty smell that’s in there. You know the smell is in there but when you’re able to think clearer without smelling that smell, you can see that there are positives to takeaway so far in a rebuild year; a rebuild that we all knew was gonna take time.
