Clayton White Talks New Defensive Looks, Players Getting More Opportunities
It hasn't been the best of seasons for South Carolina's defensive unit. Heading into their week nine matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies, the Gamecocks had given an average of 289.3 passing yards per game and was just the primary symptom of their defensive problems in their first seven games.
Clayton White and South Carolina's defensive coaching staff knew they had to change things up when they headed to College Station this week and did just that, especially in the first quarter, showing a three-down lineman look on multiple occasions, particularly on passing downs. On Wednesday, White was asked about the decision to incorporate more 3-3-5 looks defensively this past and explained how it could be incorporated into the Gamecocks' gameplan moving forward.
"One of the things that we want to continue doing here is just finding ways to get some of our instinctive football players on the field, and like I said, the defense that we have, we can almost do just about any single front, and we found a way just to add that package, but it was also to get a little bit more speed on the field, and the guys liked it. They had fun, and they enjoyed it. It had some success, [so we'd] love to keep growing with it."
Two players who greatly benefited from this new defensive look being implemented were Bam Martin-Scott and Jaron Willis, as they frequently appeared on the field when White elected to go with more of a 3-3-5. According to the third-year defensive play-caller, the skillset both players possess is tailor-made for that defensive look.
"Those guys are very similar when it comes to their skill set. Those guys are long athletic; they can run. You know, everybody has different traits, strengths, and weaknesses in their game, and we just trying to showcase them as much as possible, and that's how it's been with BAM, but it's nice to have two of those kind of guys."
Bam Martin Scott trying to tackle A&M receiver Ainias Smith (28th Oct., 2023)
Dustin Safranek | USA Today Network
Willis specifically seemed to be given a good amount of freedom on third down, standing straight up in a two-point stance, all while jumping from gap to gap pre-snap, which can create confusion for the opposing team's offensive line and also draw enough attention that it benefits the guys around him. Should Clayton and his staff continue to figure out a way to best utilize all of the personnel they have, Carolina could make some marked defensive improvements in November.
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