South Carolina needs better red zone efficiency if it hopes to upset Georgia

Let’s be honest.

It doesn’t really matter who’s under center for South Carolina when it plays at Georgia in Saturday night’s pivotal SEC East matchup in Athens if the Gamecocks can’t do a better job of executing in the red zone.

Coach Steve Spurrier’s team managed five trips within Kentucky’s 20-yard line last weekend, but walked away with just one touchdown for their efforts. Three other drives ended with field goals, while quarterback Perry Orth threw an interception in the game’s waning moments to kill another.

Not exactly championship-caliber efficiency.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get enough touchdowns,” Spurrier said following the 26-22 loss. “We went down there and kicked a bunch of field goals, just didn’t connect and threw a pick there at the end of the game.”

South Carolina will have to do considerably better if it hopes to somehow shock the seventh-ranked Bulldogs and avoid an 0-2 conference start to stay in contention in the SEC East.

Sticking with the running game is what conventional football wisdom says is typically the best offensive answer for a condensed field with defenders everywhere, but whether Spurrier has the patience to do so is another matter entirely.

Frustrated Gamecocks running back Brandon Wilds sounded off following the Kentucky game about the need for more touches within the red zone after the game and his statistics from last week – 16 carries for 106 yards – would suggest that he might be on to something.

Running the football not only lessens the chances of negative plays that result in the loss of yardage or perhaps a turnover, but would also greatly take the pressure off Perry Orth, the former walk-on who will be starting at quarterback in place of the injured Connor Mitch this weekend.

But grinding out yards won’t be easy against a stingy Dawgs defense loaded with future pros.

So it’ll be up to Spurrier and his coaching staff to be creative in their thinking. But finding more creative ways to get the ball into the hands of wide receiver Pharoh Cooper would never hurt. The junior recorded nine catches for 100 yards in the loss to UK, marking the fifth time in his career he’s eclipsed the 100-yard receiving plateau. The versatile Cooper is also a threat to run and throw the ball as well.

Regardless of what his coaches devise, Orth, a redshirt junior who will be making his first career start, will need to consistently make good decisions with the football and get it out of his hands quickly against an aggressive Georgia front seven that is especially loaded with playmakers in the likes of stud linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd.

Spurrier should be careful about expecting too much, too soon from Orth in the kind of hostile environment he’ll be facing for the first time between the hedges.

Or he should at least if he wants to see more touchdowns on the board.

John Hollis

John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.