The Good, Bad, & Ugly: South Carolina vs North Carolina
Many mixed emotions are coming from the Carolina fan base heading into week two after a disappointing start to the season. While it’s hard to see now, some good things happened Saturday night in Charlotte that may get overlooked, but there are some issues that we must discuss as well.
The Good
The goods are new OC Dowell Loggains, Spencer Rattler, and Xavier Legette. Despite the inconsistency from the offensive line, those three remained consistent. Loggains may not get the credit he deserves with this game, but he continuously gave Spencer reads to find someone open and even tried to help the offensive line with their struggles. Rattler and Legette were clearly on the same page, and if you read their stat line, you wouldn’t have assumed they only managed 17 points.
The Bad
The bad thing is not being able to capitalize on mistakes. Carolina won the turnover batter and recovered an onside kick at the start of the second half but only managed three total points. Every team preaches to win the turnover battle by protecting the football and making your opponent pay for their mistakes. The Gamecocks did precisely that but failed to capitalize. The opportunities were there for the offense, but one group didn’t play well. And that leads us to the ugly.
The Ugly
The offensive line, there’s no easy way to put this, struggled from snap until the final whistle. They got beat almost every snap. One of the concerns, for most, was the offensive line, and this game didn’t ease many of those concerns. As we alluded to earlier, Loggains tried his best to script plays to give them chances to gain momentum and confidence, but when they were called upon in the most critical moment, they didn’t make it happen.
If there’s a positive the Gamecocks can take away from this game, it’s that despite all the troubles on the offensive line, you still had a chance. You created turnovers, you got some critical second-half stops, and early in the game, you answered when you had to. The schematics of this offense may need to change a bit, but in the “doom and gloom,” there’s a bright side, but it’s not entirely up to the coaching staff to fix it.
You Might Also Like:
- The Halftime Report: South Carolina Vs. North Carolina
- What Else To Watch: Week One
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