Offensive Concerns Resurface In Loss To Missouri
An adage in sports rings true for the Gamecocks and their current situation on offense; winning cures all. The Gamecocks were on a four-game winning streak heading into the Missouri contest. Even though the offense arguably didn't play a complete game in any of their previous four matchups, many fans dismissed those concerns.
On Saturday afternoon, South Carolina's offensive issues were brought back to the forefront as an improved Tigers defense dominated the Gamecocks every way they could've, especially with the pressure they brought up front, which led to four sacks and 11 tackles for loss for Missouri.
"Credit to Missouri, they gave us tough looks all night long with their blitzes, their pressures, the way they got after us, and it was tough to get the drop-back pass game going," Rattler said after the game. "I don't feel like we had a good idea of knowing what to do. So I say that's what we need to get better at is just preparing and knowing what to do."
One key area where the Gamecocks struggled was third down, especially in the first half, as the Gamecocks had an abysmal zero for three starts. They possessed the ball for ten minutes and three seconds the entire first half, something Spencer Rattler conveyed was flat-out unacceptable.
"We went three and out too many times; you're not going to win when you have the ball for two minutes at a time [and] just giving it back to [the opponent]. That starts with all of us."
Paired with a quiet rushing attack compounded by star running back MarShawn Lloyd going down with an injury, the combination of all these factors was a recipe for disaster for South Carolina's offense on Saturday afternoon against a Tigers defense that could ill-afford to make mistakes against.
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