Gamecocks Display Multiple Bad Trends In Loss To UNC
The season opener against the Tar Heels was a tale of two halves for the Gamecocks. Going into halftime, they were still in the game, only being down 17-14, having seen some success on offense by creating explosive plays while limiting the big plays on defense. However, once they came back out, it slowly went downhill with busted coverages and inconsistent offensive line play.
The offensive line, unfortunately, was very inconsistent tonight in the Dukes Mayo Kickoff Classic, creating a domino effect in the second half. They couldn’t generate any push in the run game, finishing the game with negative two yards on 32 attempts, and could hardly keep Spencer Rattler clean in the second half. Rattler was sacked nine times tonight and could never get into any kind of rhythm.
One of the significant areas of improvement needed for the Gamecocks this season was third down conversion rates on offense and defense. Offensively, the Gamecocks had a 29% success rate, and that wasn’t even the most alarming stat; the average distance to go for the Gamecocks was 8.9 yards. On the other hand, the defense allowed North Carolina a 62% conversion rate. The Tar Heels didn’t have to work nearly as hard to convert, averaging 5.5 yards to go on third down.
Another trend that plagued the Gamecocks a bit was the tackling. A handful of times, the front seven made contact with the running backs at or behind the line of scrimmage but couldn’t get them down. The Tar Heels rushing attack had over 170 yards rushing at 4.6 yards per carry.
The last trend that will keep the gamecocks up tonight is the inability to capitalize off turnovers. The Gamecocks forced two turnovers, recovered an onside kick at the beginning of the second half, and only managed 3 points collectively. Winning the turnover battle typically allows you to be competitive in the ball game, but you must be able to convert them into points.
There is much to build on from this performance and grow on. Hopefully, coach Shane Beamer and company can right the wrongs and gain much-needed momentum against Furman next week.
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