M
Mike Uva
Guest
I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Gamecock Central and getting to interact with y’all on here. I love talking football so feel free anytime to reply back and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
For my first piece with GC, I’ll share my thoughts on what we’ve seen five games into the Shane Beamer era and there’s no reason to sugarcoat it - this program is still a work in progress, especially when it comes to eliminating self-inflected wounds.
Defensive:
With how the Will Muschamp era ended, any improvements on defense is much welcomed. While limiting explosive plays and stopping the run, especially on third downs, are areas where USC still needs to improve on, they have took positive steps forward under first-year defensive coordinator Clayton White.
One of the reasons why USC has been able to have this success is because the 4-2-5 defense allows teams to disguise blitzes pre-snap and play more freely. The fact that the Gamecocks currently rank 1st in FBS in takeaways and interceptions with Jaylan Foster leading the way, as he’s t-1st nationally with four interceptions, further proves that the players are playing fast, which means they’ve been able to pick up the playbook quickly and aren’t thinking as much.
On the other hand, when you blitz a lot in a 4-2-5 scheme, understanding your responsibilities to run gaps become even more important and it’s clearly an area as a defensive unit USC needs to improve on.
Special Teams:
Call it “Beamer Ball 2.0” or whatever you’d like but making the investment into a full time special teams coordinator with the pedigree of Pete Lembo has paid off greatly so far for USC.
I don’t care what level you’re playing at, one of the toughest things to do as a new coaching staff that you face is having guys buy into playing special teams. Did Debo Williams come to USC to be a special teams wiz? No, but having two blocked punts in USC’s season opener against EIU only helps you in the short-term (getting on the field now) and long-term (raising your stock for NFL scouts) when you’re able to show that you can make an impact on special teams. With the Gamecocks currently ranking t-2nd in FBS for blocked punts (3), it’s clear guys truly want to play special teams on this team and are bought in.
Let’s be honest, everyone knows that friend or relative that gets up to go the bathroom or grab another beer before there’s a punt because they assume nothing is going to happen. With this special teams unit, it’s become must watch TV because they’re capable of changing the game by blocking a kick or having a long return on punt or kickoff.
Offense:
Like I-77 towards Rock Hill, USC’s offense feels like it’s been under construction forever. Five games in, the Gamecocks have started two different quarterbacks and have struggled to get their run game back to where it was a year ago.
With that being said, against a good Troy defensive line, Luke Doty had his best game so far this season and threw for a career-high 255 yards. For the most part, this offensive line is the same OL who helped Kevin Harris lead the SEC in rushing last season, so the talent is there. They’ve struggled, as a unit, to adjust to the blocking schemes new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has implemented but that doesn’t mean it’s time to write the OL or Satterfield off.
As Doty continues to get healthier and healthier and, more importantly, begins to think less about his foot when he’s out there and instead can just react and play, the initial plans that Satterfield had for this offense will begin to show more and the offense should be more in sync.
Bottom Line:
Has USC played perfect football? No. But to put things into perspective, their two loses this year have come against two teams who are currently ranked 5-0 each and are ranked No.2 & No.16, respectively, in the AP Top 25.
This is year one for a new coaching staff, and as much as we all hate wasting time about morale victories, this year is about building the foundation for what Beamer and this staff will do moving forward.
For my first piece with GC, I’ll share my thoughts on what we’ve seen five games into the Shane Beamer era and there’s no reason to sugarcoat it - this program is still a work in progress, especially when it comes to eliminating self-inflected wounds.
Defensive:
With how the Will Muschamp era ended, any improvements on defense is much welcomed. While limiting explosive plays and stopping the run, especially on third downs, are areas where USC still needs to improve on, they have took positive steps forward under first-year defensive coordinator Clayton White.
One of the reasons why USC has been able to have this success is because the 4-2-5 defense allows teams to disguise blitzes pre-snap and play more freely. The fact that the Gamecocks currently rank 1st in FBS in takeaways and interceptions with Jaylan Foster leading the way, as he’s t-1st nationally with four interceptions, further proves that the players are playing fast, which means they’ve been able to pick up the playbook quickly and aren’t thinking as much.
On the other hand, when you blitz a lot in a 4-2-5 scheme, understanding your responsibilities to run gaps become even more important and it’s clearly an area as a defensive unit USC needs to improve on.
Special Teams:
Call it “Beamer Ball 2.0” or whatever you’d like but making the investment into a full time special teams coordinator with the pedigree of Pete Lembo has paid off greatly so far for USC.
I don’t care what level you’re playing at, one of the toughest things to do as a new coaching staff that you face is having guys buy into playing special teams. Did Debo Williams come to USC to be a special teams wiz? No, but having two blocked punts in USC’s season opener against EIU only helps you in the short-term (getting on the field now) and long-term (raising your stock for NFL scouts) when you’re able to show that you can make an impact on special teams. With the Gamecocks currently ranking t-2nd in FBS for blocked punts (3), it’s clear guys truly want to play special teams on this team and are bought in.
Let’s be honest, everyone knows that friend or relative that gets up to go the bathroom or grab another beer before there’s a punt because they assume nothing is going to happen. With this special teams unit, it’s become must watch TV because they’re capable of changing the game by blocking a kick or having a long return on punt or kickoff.
Offense:
Like I-77 towards Rock Hill, USC’s offense feels like it’s been under construction forever. Five games in, the Gamecocks have started two different quarterbacks and have struggled to get their run game back to where it was a year ago.
With that being said, against a good Troy defensive line, Luke Doty had his best game so far this season and threw for a career-high 255 yards. For the most part, this offensive line is the same OL who helped Kevin Harris lead the SEC in rushing last season, so the talent is there. They’ve struggled, as a unit, to adjust to the blocking schemes new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has implemented but that doesn’t mean it’s time to write the OL or Satterfield off.
As Doty continues to get healthier and healthier and, more importantly, begins to think less about his foot when he’s out there and instead can just react and play, the initial plans that Satterfield had for this offense will begin to show more and the offense should be more in sync.
Bottom Line:
Has USC played perfect football? No. But to put things into perspective, their two loses this year have come against two teams who are currently ranked 5-0 each and are ranked No.2 & No.16, respectively, in the AP Top 25.
This is year one for a new coaching staff, and as much as we all hate wasting time about morale victories, this year is about building the foundation for what Beamer and this staff will do moving forward.
