Offensive Position Grades: South Carolina at Texas A&M
South Carolina got off to a pretty good start against the Aggies early on in their matchup on Saturday. They jumped out to an early 7-0 lead; however, they beat themselves on multiple first-half drives, rather than forcing A&M to. An early drop on a third down and some back-breaking intentional grounding penalties killed chances to build a lead. Considering this with their second-half performance, how did everyone grade out?
Quarterback - C
This was the first game where we've seen Spencer Rattler make multiple questionable decisions. There are several different factors and reasons for that, but for someone who's done a great job of not making mistakes this year, the first half was a rather rough one. However, he did have a better second half, returning to the Rattler we are used to seeing.
Spencer Rattler looking to throw the football
Dustin Safranek | USA Today Network
Running Backs - B+
Carolina's backs weren't given many opportunities in this game, but when they were, they delivered outside of the late fumble. Mario Anderson Jr., a name we continuously praise, had another great game and had over 100 total yards. They could still improve in pass protection, but there shouldn't be too many complaints regarding this room's week nine performance.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - C-
Xavier Legette wasn't 100%, and that showed yesterday. Nyckoles Harbor grew up in a significant way after the early drop, becoming Rattler's go-to target in this game. We just continue to not see others step up. As a group, they had more drops, the perimeter blocking still wasn't where it needs to be, and they are still struggling to create separation. This offense needs another consistent threat, and things may get better when you have a healthy Legette and Harbor, but it may also be too late.
This offense has a crucial stretch in the next four games, which are all at home. For them to attain bowl eligibility, they must win their remaining games, and the offense will have to play a more prominent role than they have in the previous two games.
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