South Carolina vs. Georgia: Defensive Grade Report
Inconsistency plagues both sides of this South Carolina team, but the defense in particular continues to be frustrating. They flash real ability in spurts, but otherwise struggle to bring down ball carriers.
They get more of a break than South Carolina's offense, as the Gamecocks were down five defensive starters. However, they struggled to match day-one offensive concepts. Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken exploited them on the boundary, using extensions of the run game to beat them on the outside.
South Carolina was thoroughly out-schemed in this one, something that was expected. That shouldn't happen again, but they will have to correct multiple fundamental issues to improve.
Tackling Remains A Concern
The most basic part of defense is getting the ball carrier to the ground. While the concept is elementary, South Carolina continues to struggle in the open field.
They missed forty-four tackles against Georgia, a putrid number. According to PFF, six players missed three or more tackles, illustrating how the issue has become team-wide. Tackling is a mental process, and bad stretches can create a collective mental stink.
South Carolina has two weeks to ensure this problem doesn't plague the rest of their season. Charlotte and South Carolina State shouldn't challenge them in the open-field, which should help them gain confidence.
Perimeter Youth
The secondary competed on Saturday, which is all you can ask for against the top team in college football. Their youth limited what they could do, and they got attacked all afternoon.
However, there is reason for hope here. They started several true freshman in the backend; of course there will be deficiencies. This group got a great chance to learn how to play together in a competitive environment, an opportunity that shouldn't be taken for granted.
They should fare better the rest of the way, but their inexperience cost them against Georgia. There's a lot of negative tape that they can learn from and implement the changes into their game plan.
Overall: C-
The grade may seem surprisingly high to some, but a ceiling was set for this defense before kick off. They were down five defensive starters, and their offense didn't do them many favors.
Georgia scored with ease, but they should do that against any team this year. That Bulldog offense can score forty points on almost any team in the country, so the scoreboard isn't a direct reflection on the defense.
The tackling is concerning, but they can still correct things moving forward. Their performance was discouraging, but it seems many defenses will feel that way after facing Georgia.
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