Gamecock Tackling Must Improve
Great teams make people miss in the open field, which is why the Georgia Bulldogs generate sustained offensive success. Unfortunately, South Carolina has dealt with tackling woes this season and must improve this Saturday.
According to PFF, the Gamecocks missed a staggering amount of tackles against Arkansas, with multiple players registering multiple missed tackles. Two defenders missed three tackles each, which cannot happen against the Bulldogs.
Georgia finds ways to make good tackling teams look foolish; they have many weapons that can beat you in different ways, making defenses pick their poison. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken prides himself on winning multiple ways, which shows in the variance of their offensive personnel.
Wide receiver Ladd McConkey and running back Kenny McIntosh are two of the shiftiest players in college football, consistently stopping on a dime and reverting across the field. Both have impressive contact balance and create extra yards that don't seem possible initially.
Furthermore, they have a tight end room littered with generational athletic talents. Tight end Brock Bowers may be the best tight end in college football, while his counterparts in Darnell Washington and Arik Gilbert are two of the most physically imposing players across the sport.
The list continues, but the point remains; Georgia will make you pay if you can't wrap up upon the first impact. South Carolina struggled in their first two games with consistently stopping ball carriers, but both head coach Shane Beamer and defensive coordinator Clayton White spoke about this issue in their press conferences.
It appears they have focused more attention on the issue this week, which can hopefully resolve itself. If this problem cannot be solved within the next few games, it may become mental, affecting players and plaguing them the entire year.
South Carolina's winning formula defensively includes trying to make quarterback Stetson Bennett do too much. While Bennett is immensely talented, he does tend to make poor decisions when extending plays. While he has cleaned this issue up this season, bad habits can always come roaring back.
All this becomes moot if the Gamecocks don't get ball carriers to the ground because Bennett will happily take the yards after catch any chance he can get. Saturday is about making the offense revolve around him; Bennett is nearly unstoppable when he plays the point guard role, efficiently distributing to his weapons.
Things could get uncomfortable if the Bulldogs consistently break off yards after contact. Conversely, the Gamecocks can make the game competitive by forcing them to make play after play, something no team has done to this point in the season.
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