Three Takeaways From Florida Loss
Following a win against Vanderbilt last week, the South Carolina Gamecocks were looking to improve upon their 2021 regular season record and win their seventh game. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, Saturday's game against the Florida Gators felt over since the opening kickoff.
The frustrating thing for the Gamecocks is that many of their problems seem to be reoccurring. The strengths and weaknesses of this South Carolina football team are no secret, yet it feels like they aren't improving.
With South Carolina's remaining opponents, Tennessee and Clemson, both being ranked top-10 in the country, they have a few things to clean up. The takeaways from Saturday's game against Florida are a good place to start, considering many of them have been common themes this season.
Front Seven Woes Continue
Coming into Saturday's game, South Carolina's defensive front seven knew they would have their hands full trying to stop Florida's run game. The Gamecocks knew they had to get into the backfield and disrupt the Gator's running game; unfortunately, they could not do that.
Florida's offensive line set the tone early and continued to dominate throughout the game. The Gamecocks' inability to disrupt the Gators' running game allowed Florida to have three players with at least 95 yards on the ground. The Gators averaged 6.9 yards a carry, a testament to the strong play from the offensive line.
The Gamecocks' inability to beat Florida's offensive line at the line of scrimmage also allowed Florida plenty of time to throw the ball. Though his stats don't indicate so, Anthony Richardson had plenty of time to sit in the pocket Saturday.
Turnovers Kill Momentum
Though the game felt lopsided from the opening kickoff, the Gamecocks did have opportunities to come back and make the game competitive. Coming into the second half, the Gamecocks were down by 18 and set to receive the ball. The game was still very manageable at that point, but turnovers derailed any hope.
After receiving the ball at the start of the second half, the Gamecocks fumbled on three of the following four plays. Fumbling on three straight drives is bad enough, but when you do it on three of your first four plays in the second half, you do not deserve to win a football game.
South Carolina's offense wasn't moving the ball well to start with, but turnovers are the quickest way to kill momentum. South Carolina must clean up the turnovers if they want to beat Tennessee or Clemson.
Playcalling Issues Peak
In an offense as talented as South Carolina's, 237 total offensive yards are unacceptable. To make matters worse, South Carolina's sole touchdown came from their punter, Kai Kroger. South Carolina's offense has to perform better, but a lot of that falls on the playcalling.
For much of the game, South Carolina looked like they were playing not to lose instead of playing to win. The conservative play style South Carolina utilized wasn't working all game, and it felt like there was no adaption mid-game.
Many Gamecocks fans have aired their grievances towards offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield this season, and performances like Saturdays will not quell those talks.
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