The Good, Bad, and Ugly: South Carolina vs. Georgia
Georgia pile-drives everyone they play; their average margin of victory entering play on Saturday was 39.5 points. South Carolina was another victim in their warpath, and Georgia thoroughly handled them.
Much of the game can be attributed to Georgia's historic run over the past thirteen months; however, the Gamecocks had some ugly self-inflicted wounds. Head coach Shane Beamer was not happy with his team's performance, and they will look to regroup in the coming days.
There wasn't much positive to take from today unless you count learning opportunities as good. The Gamecocks need to regroup, focus on their upcoming matchup against Charlotte, and use that as a springboard to propel themselves into conference play.
The Good: Juju McDowell
Running back Juju McDowell was the lone bright spot on the day. He flashed some juice getting out to the edge, ruining Georgia defender's angles on several plays. McDowell found the edge, ran between the tackles, and caught a few balls out of the backfield.
He looked like the only skill player who could make Bulldog defenders miss in the open field. Georgia tried shading to his side of the field, but McDowell's suddenness and speed helped him break free multiple times.
The Gamecocks don't have a marquee playmaker to this point; while tight end Jaheim Bell was expected to be a significant contributor, he hasn't made a massive impact yet. McDowell made his case for an uptick in snaps, and the coaching staff should reward him moving forward.
The Bad: Open Field Tackling
South Carolina has struggled to tackle in the open field this season. The issue presented itself against Georgia State but jumped off the screen against Arkansas. Several defenders missed multiple tackles; according to PFF, two defenders missed three apiece.
Georgia generated tons of yards after the catch, allowing them to make simple progressions and focus on getting the ball into space. Tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Ladd McConkey single-handedly drove Georgia down the field multiple times by breaking short passes into long gains.
Poor tackling is often a mental issue, and South Carolina must correct it before this becomes a season-long issue. They have two games against Charlotte and South Carolina State, meaning they have two weeks to correct mental errors before they enter the meat of their SEC schedule.
The Ugly: Play-Calling
There were many options to choose from here, but the play-calling is an obvious issue. South Carolina consistently repeats concepts, a concern dating back to the beginning of the year, while also making several confusing decisions by running the football on third and long several times in the first half.
Georgia is too technically sound not to notice these tendencies. South Carolina is too predictable pre-snap; furthermore, they often struggle with situational play calls. For example, on the first third-down of the game, the Gamecocks took quarterback Spencer Rattler out to run a quarterback power with the backup.
These head-scratching decisions have fans questioning: who's at fault? The collaborative process has been largely unsuccessful, and things need to change moving forward.
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