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After torrential rains, a home game played in the state of Louisiana, an unexpected coaching change and a first SEC win last Saturday against Vanderbilt, South Carolina has packed about as much drama as a football team can endure into the last few weeks.
Things are a little more quiet around Columbia this week as the Gamecocks enjoy a well-timed bye.
Don’t let the lack of headlines fool you, though. There is (or at least should be) important work being done this week that will shape the rest of the season for interim coach Shawn Elliott and his team.
There are five games left in the season for the Gamecocks (3-4, 1-4 SEC) and right now, it’s easy to imagine a range of scenarios ranging from a doom-and-gloom 4-8 to a eternal optimist’s 8-4.
As with most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
But for South Carolina to maximize its potential for the rest of the season, here are a few things it should be concentrating on:
STAY FOCUSED
Elliott is in a unique position right now. He’s in charge of a program that is actively seeking his replacement, while leaving the door slightly cracked for him to win the job with an inspired end to the season.
The noise has already begun, with names like Memphis’ Justin Fuente, Alabama assistant Kirby Smart or Houston’s Tom Herman being bounced around as possible replacements for Steve Spurrier (and Elliott).
And the volume of that sort of thing is only going to rise in the weeks ahead — particularly after Gamecock losses.
The worst part for Elliott is that it’s really out of his hands. He has to do the best job he can staying out of the coaching debate in the press, keeping his head down and doing his best to prepare his team to play each week.
If he can do that, his players will likely follow his lead, tune out the outside noise and likely play better on Saturdays.
FIND A QUARTERBACK
The quarterback shuffle has been well documented as Connor Mitch, Perry Orth and Lorenzo Nunez have all started games this season.
All of them are dealing with shoulder injuries during this bye week, and it’s far too early to tell which one, or what combination of them, we’ll see on Halloween when the Gamecocks visit Kyle Field to face Texas A&M.
While all three bring different things to the table, I’m a firm believer in the premise that when you have two or three quarterbacks, you really don’t have any.
I think it’s important for Elliott and quarterback coach/play-caller G.A. Mangus to settle on one of them as soon as possible. All of them are short on SEC experience, so you’re going to be dealing with youthful errors with any of them.
Last time out, Mangus dialed up 37 running plays and 29 passes. If that sort of balance is the plan, Mitch — probably the best dual-threat QB on the roster — should probably get another crack at the position.
No matter the choice, the coaching staff needs to stick with him and let him build some confidence. There can always be another quarterback derby in the spring.
COMMIT TO THE RUN
This one is fairly obvious, but with the team’s issues at receiver (other than Pharoh Cooper) and on defense, a ball-control offense makes a lot of sense.
Brandon Wilds has missed some time this season due to injury, but he had 119 yards on 24 carries last week. He’s an effective runner with six 100-yard games to his credit in his South Carolina career.
A heavy dose of Wilds, supplemented by David Williams and maybe some wildcat snaps for Nunez, is a game plan worth trying.
FINISH DRIVES
South Carolina has entered the red zone 21 times this season. Only Missouri (16) has been there less often.
That’s a bad enough stat by itself before you consider that the Gamecocks have only scored 6 touchdowns on those trips, a league-worst percentage of 28.6.
Now, some stability at quarterback and a more run-focused approach will likely help boost that number. But South Carolina also needs to eliminate the mistakes that have plagued it this season near the opposing goal line.
It’s hard to make a living in the SEC kicking field goals.
GET DEFENSIVE
If a defense can’t be dominating, it should at least strive to be opportunistic.
South Carolina certainly isn’t the former, ranking 14th in scoring and 12th in total defense in the SEC, but it showed signs of being the latter last week.
You hate to draw definitive conclusions from one game, but the Gamecocks forced 5 turnovers against Vanderbilt. The offense managed to turn those into 9 points, which also happened to be the eventual margin of victory.
South Carolina has some playmakers on that side of the ball. Skai Moore has 4 interceptions from his linebacking spot, and the pass rush has been a little better of late as well.
The Gamecocks are already tied for 3rd in the conference with a +3 turnover margin. It’s important that they stay near the top of that chart, both by taking care of the football and by taking it away.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
