Where South Carolina Must Improve During the Bye Week?

What must the Gamecocks get better at before going on the road to LSU in two weeks?

Sep 27, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) hands off to running back Oscar Adaway III (27) against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The (3-2) South Carolina Gamecocks are getting a much needed bye week following a 35-13 win over Kentucky. This is a time for Shane Beamer's squad to get healthy and develop before going on the road to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

A quick look back on the first month of the season shows a team that is still trying to figure things out on both sides of the ball. After a neutral site win over Virginia Tech and a home win against South Carolina State, South Carolina's offensive and defensive issues were brought to light in back to back losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri. With that said, let's focus on where the Gamecocks have to improve on this week, starting with injuries.

Health

South Carolina has been plagued with injuries so far this season, specifically along the offensive line. Markee Anderson went down late in Saturday night's win over Kentucky with a knee injury. Starting right tackle Cason Henry was sidelined this past week along with center Nolan Hay, who were both nursing injuries from the Missouri game. For a team that has struggled running the ball (more on this later), injuries up front is the worst possible scenario.

In addition to the offensive line injuries, edge rusher Brian Thomas Jr. and defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy both went out of the game and returned later. QB LaNorris Sellers, DB Buddy Mack III, DB DQ Smith, DB Judge Collier, TE Michael Smith, TE Brady Hunt, DL JT Geer, and others have all missed at least some time during the first few games. South Carolina has to get and stay healthy during the bye week before the toughest part of their schedule coming up.

Play in the Trenches

Last week, Shane Beamer talked about his team's plan to win for each game and it all started with running the ball and stopping the run, two areas that are severely lacking in the Gamecocks' play so far through five games. Currently South Carolina has the worst rushing offense in the SEC. They are averaging less than 100 yards per game and only 2.9 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, the defense ranks 12th in the SEC in rushing. They give up 143.2 yards per game and 3.63 yards per carry.

For context, Vanderbilt and Missouri rank in the top three of rushing offenses and defenses in the SEC could mean South Carolina just played great teams. Or it could be an issue that continues to show its head all year. That has to be a point of emphasis this week.

Finding Success on Offense

Lastly, the offense has to be better. As mentioned above, the rushing offense is dead last in the conference, the team ranks second to last in scoring offense (24.8 points per game), 13th in passing offense (208.8 yards per game), and last in total offense (308.6 yards per game). For a team that had a projected first round quarterback and talent at the wide receiver position, the offense has been a disappointment. Fixing that has to be a must otherwise the next few games won't be pretty for the Garnet and Black.

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