Running game, OL and our struggles

[Baltcock96]

The current state of the offensive line reminds me of Lou's first year. We had stud running backs but started a bunch of freshman OL and redshirt OL. Not ready for prime time. Injuries to Bailey and our other 2 starters has led to a hodge podge patch work line.

The result has been evident and the defense teeing off on Jake. Don't think you can blame Jake for everything nor should you blame Roper. It is what it is. Luckily the injuries to our 3 starters are not season ending. Just a matter of how fast they heal. I believe better days are ahead of us this year. Just have to be patient and stay the course.

 

[GarnetCocky1]

When your offensive line sucks, you can scheme to mitigate the damage done to your QB. For example, you can throw bubble screens, regular screens to the RB, quick slants, catching your RB in the backfield, etc.

What you CANNOT do, is to continue with 5-7 step drop-backs and runs up the middle. The fact that Roper continued this idiotic practice shows that he is in no way shape or form capable of being the offensive coordinator of a power five program.

 

[Dingus MaGee]

The "run up the middle" is the Inside Zone which is the staple play in college football now. I agree there needs to be a little more quick game, but to sit there and say that we can just screen away is easier said than done when your OL is poor and every DC knows it. Against La Tech they would not let us screen due to alignment. Everyone is making us have to throw the ball down the field and removing much of the run game and short stuff. They are banking on us not being able to get the pass off before they can get to us and their gambling is paying off in return. We are on our second OL coach, this is a recruiting issue. The injuries are only exacerbating the problem.

 

[JGH 35]

I don't recall a single time when we have executed a good fake to the running back and run a boot leg to the opposite side of the field to keep the defense honest. It would surely be open given the way other teams are playing gap defense.

 

[92Pony]

I don't recall a single time when we have executed a good fake to the running back and run a boot leg to the opposite side of the field to keep the defense honest. It would surely be open given the way other teams are playing gap defense.

Now you're just talking about things that are waaay too exotic!

 

[Judson1]

The current state of the offensive line reminds me of Lou's first year. We had stud running backs but started a bunch of freshman OL and redshirt OL. Not ready for prime time. Injuries to Bailey and our other 2 starters has led to a hodge podge patch work line.

The result has been evident and the defense teeing off on Jake. Don't think you can blame Jake for everything nor should you blame Roper. It is what it is. Luckily the injuries to our 3 starters are not season ending. Just a matter of how fast they heal. I believe better days are ahead of us this year. Just have to be patient and stay the course.

Except our line are a bunch of upperclassmen.
I think a HUGE reason the uproar is so loud is ALL of us are having to deal with the day to day reminders from Clemsin fans. They may not be saying it to our face. I got a co worker who never really says much. But he's always playing clips out loud on his phone. It's either the fans or a sportswriter proclaiming them a new Bama. And at this point it appears our chances to beat them will be as low as it has EVER been this November.
Simply stated: Gamecock fans are ready to have a football team!

 

[GarnetCocky1]

The "run up the middle" is the Inside Zone which is the staple play in college football now. I agree there needs to be a little more quick game, but to sit there and say that we can just screen away is easier said than done when your OL is poor and every DC knows it. Against La Tech they would not let us screen due to alignment. Everyone is making us have to throw the ball down the field and removing much of the run game and short stuff. They are banking on us not being able to get the pass off before they can get to us and their gambling is paying off in return. We are on our second OL coach, this is a recruiting issue. The injuries are only exacerbating the problem.

The staple play in college football and WE CAN'T RUN IT! So who cares if other schools are utilizing it effectively. We can't.

Screening, especially to the RB, helps when defenses realize they can pin their ears back and get home to the QB non-stop. It makes them wary of blitzing.

So they're removing the running game and? A&M lined up 4 men and loaded up on DBs because they KNEW we couldn't run the damn ball. And when they blitzed Jake, the line, and the RBs couldn't recognize it and he got sacked for it.

 

[01fatboy]

When your offensive line sucks, you can scheme to mitigate the damage done to your QB. For example, you can throw bubble screens, regular screens to the RB, quick slants, catching your RB in the backfield, etc.

What you CANNOT do, is to continue with 5-7 step drop-backs and runs up the middle. The fact that Roper continued this idiotic practice shows that he is in no way shape or form capable of being the offensive coordinator of a power five program.

defenses are forcing them to do that and until they show they can do it effectively we will continue to struggle...

 

[DarkCock]

Just keep repeating a passing threat will open up the run game over and over and it's bound to come true

a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game

 

[Poultry King]

The current state of the offensive line reminds me of Lou's first year. We had stud running backs but started a bunch of freshman OL and redshirt OL. Not ready for prime time. Injuries to Bailey and our other 2 starters has led to a hodge podge patch work line.

The result has been evident and the defense teeing off on Jake. Don't think you can blame Jake for everything nor should you blame Roper. It is what it is. Luckily the injuries to our 3 starters are not season ending. Just a matter of how fast they heal. I believe better days are ahead of us this year. Just have to be patient and stay the course.

The OL has been no better nor worse with or without Bailey and Helms. They could not run block them either. NONE ARE IRREPLACEABLE STARS.

 

[USCBatgirl21]

We'd find a way to screw up even if we had the HOGS.

 

[FWB4294]

Playing OLINE is 30% talent and 70% toughness and determination . Guys like Tony Mandarich and Michael Oher were physical and athletic freaks and washed out in the NFL because the simply didn't have the guts . That's what I see with our guys . We blamed Elliott for years but at some point you just gotta acknowledge that the guys we have just don't want it enough . 5 star OL guys are extremely rare to come by even for the elite programs . If you look at Bama or Clemson's OLine you don't see a group of 5 stars . They just have tough kids with a mean streak and they weed out the ones that don't have it .

 

[bucketdad]

Just keep repeating a passing threat will open up the run game over and over and it's bound to come true

a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game
a passing threat will open up the run game a passing threat will open up the run game

A passing threat alone will not but I believe respect for one will. In general.

 

[DarkCock]

A passing threat alone will not but I believe respect for one will. In general.

Sure, I wouldn't disagree, but fans often say it as if it's a certainty.

 

[coolcock2001]

I thought firing Elliott was gonna fix the problem??

 

[eyelikechicken420]

We have to get a damn good lead and hold on for life. We have the depth on the Oline to survive the first 2 1/2 or 3 quarters, but not enough to make it through 4. If we can get a 3td lead against teams with good depth, I feel like we can get the dubya. Our defense can only hold em down for so long before they get tired as hell.

 

[flatwoodcock]

The current state of the offensive line reminds me of Lou's first year. We had stud running backs but started a bunch of freshman OL and redshirt OL. Not ready for prime time. Injuries to Bailey and our other 2 starters has led to a hodge podge patch work line.

The result has been evident and the defense teeing off on Jake. Don't think you can blame Jake for everything nor should you blame Roper. It is what it is. Luckily the injuries to our 3 starters are not season ending. Just a matter of how fast they heal. I believe better days are ahead of us this year. Just have to be patient and stay the course.

Yeah but his second year we improved .

 

[JGH 35]

I don't recall a single time when we have executed a good fake to the running back and run a boot leg to the opposite side of the field to keep the defense honest. It would surely be open given the way other teams are playing gap defense.

Somebody must be paying attention!!!!!!

After not running it at all in the first 5 games we finally ran the boot leg - TWICE! Results: First time early in the second half we completed a pass to the tight end that set up a field goal. Second time was later in the second half when we scored a TD off the bootleg on the goal line.

 

[Athenscock1]

Playing OLINE is 30% talent and 70% toughness and determination . Guys like Tony Mandarich and Michael Oher were physical and athletic freaks and washed out in the NFL because the simply didn't have the guts . That's what I see with our guys . We blamed Elliott for years but at some point you just gotta acknowledge that the guys we have just don't want it enough . 5 star OL guys are extremely rare to come by even for the elite programs . If you look at Bama or Clemson's OLine you don't see a group of 5 stars . They just have tough kids with a mean streak and they weed out the ones that don't have it .

Come on. You need to reexamine Bama's ol. Blue chips all over the place. Clemmers signed a blue chip in Mitch Hyatt, a Gwinnett county kid, and some of the experts on here ridiculed him. I saw him in hs and he was a stud. Don't know a lot about their other ol but bet they rated higher than you are claiming. By the way, for years the ol coaches have been ridden like a mule for lack of coaching ability Maybe just maybe some folks are understanding lack of talent might be an issue. How many ol have we had named All-SEC?

 

[TheReelEss]

The current state of the offensive line reminds me of Lou's first year.

If I recall correctly (sometimes I don't) we had to resort to asking for students to come try out to walk on on both lines. But that group didn't win a game. For the rest of their lives they'll be able to say they played in the SEC.

 

[Athenscock1]

If I recall correctly (sometimes I don't) we had to resort to asking for students to come try out to walk on on both lines. But that group didn't win a game. For the rest of their lives they'll be able to say they played in the SEC.

I don't remember that but we did resort to having a frosh dl switch to ol on a Monday and was a starter that Saturday against a veteran SEC dl. Think about that. A freshman who had not played in a game, switching positions just to have a body for Saturday's opponent. That's the state buffet boy left Lou in.I recall we went to a bowl the following 2 years and tommy bowdown pointed out we did it with fat boy's recruits. Lou retorted yeah we lost 11 games with them last year.

 

[wolverine 2]

When your offensive line sucks, you can scheme to mitigate the damage done to your QB. For example, you can throw bubble screens, regular screens to the RB, quick slants, catching your RB in the backfield, etc.

What you CANNOT do, is to continue with 5-7 step drop-backs and runs up the middle. The fact that Roper continued this idiotic practice shows that he is in no way shape or form capable of being the offensive coordinator of a power five program.

But how do you run these patterns when they are playing press man and jamming at the line. Now I will say screens to the backs would work.

 

[myrtlecock]

Screens will work a couple of times a game. You can't just make that your base offense. Part of what makes the screen go is that the blockers let the defensive lineman run by them and set up to block for the screen. If a linebacker or safety has diagnosed the screen they blow the whole thing up and the quarterback has nowhere to go with the ball. I see it all the time. Sitting here on Monday morning calling plays because you think they will work when the play that was called didn't work is the essence of hindsight.

 

[JGH 35]

Somebody must be paying attention!!!!!!

After not running it at all in the first 5 games we finally ran the boot leg - TWICE! Results: First time early in the second half we completed a pass to the tight end that set up a field goal. Second time was later in the second half when we scored a TD off the bootleg on the goal line.

This makes TWO weeks in a row!!! The above was the Arkansas game. Last week before the UT game I posted in another thread that we never read the option where Bentley keeps the ball and runs to the corner to keep teams honest. What did he do in the second half Saturday that really sparked the running game???? He faked the option on 2 occasions and ran to the outside for good yardage.

Hmmmmm.....Think this is coincidence?

 

[HI Cock]

I thought firing Elliott was gonna fix the problem??

not overnight

 

[OLineman76]

We're soft up the middle . Our center & guards get pushed backwards especially on short yardage plans . Our OC should have figured that out by now so why keep running the ball up the middle on crucial 3rd /4th & shorts ? Teams know our run game consists of like 2 plays & know Bentley rarely pulls the ball to run .Losing Deebo really hurt the threat of the speed sweep. We're way too predictable in our run game with this offensive line. We can't just knock people off the ball , at some point Roper needs to figure that out.