The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: South Carolina vs. Notre Dame
While Carolina put together an impressive second season with head coach Shane Beamer, they head into the offseason with a sour taste in their mouth. The Gamecocks suffered defeat at the hands of Notre Dame, their first loss since early November.
The Fighting Irish illuminated some flaws that this team has that must be addressed moving forward. Fans shouldn't despair, as this program proved they could compete with high-caliber programs.
Nonetheless, these few elements keep them from taking the next step. The coaching staff must fix them in the offseason if they hope to continue their linear growth.
The Good: First Quarter
South Carolina is at their best when they play complementary football, which they do better than most programs. They scored an offensive, defensive, and special teams touchdown in the first quarter alone.
Beamer has harped on getting out to fast starts, and they did just that. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 21-7 advantage to end the first quarter, and everything was trending their way.
The offensive game script was encouraging. Despite not having a true offensive coordinator, they found strengths and used them to exploit the Fighting Irish defense.
The Bad: Late Game Offensive Execution
The second-half offense resembled the early season woes. The offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Spencer Rattler, who often was left running for his life.
Furthermore, several key injuries hampered South Carolina. Wide receiver Antwane Wells and tight end Nate Adkins were banged up for most of the game, and it showed down the stretch.
Notre Dame figured out how to slow the garnet and black after halftime. They devised a strong plan and exploited the nonexistent South Carolina running game.
The Ugly: Run Defense
While South Carolina's defense didn't have any easy task staying on the field for most of the fourth quarter, they didn't do themselves any favors. Notre Dame routinely marched up and down the field courtesy of their run game.
Eye discipline has been an issue for the Gamecocks all season. The linebacker group is young and had their growing pains in this one, specifically on inverted veer. Quarterback Tyler Buchner had several large runs on that play alone.
Furthermore, the defensive front tired over the contest and began to fade in the fourth. Buchner even picked up a quarterback sneak when the ball was spotted three yards from the first-down marker, a dismal representation of the night.
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