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ANALYSIS
USC running game slowing to a crawl
Ground game is picking up yardage at a snail's pace, giving it one of the worst rushing attacks in the country
Mike Davis heads to the end zone for a touchdown against LSU safety Curtis Taylor No. 27 during the second quarter on Saturday.
Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com
CommentsOne of South Carolina’s most promising running plays Saturday against LSU gained 5 yards, resulted in a lost fumble and left freshman tailback Eric Baker looking uncertain which sideline to return to.
The play symbolizes a season in which the Gamecocks’ running game has lost its way.
USC ranks last in the SEC and 109th among 119 teams nationally in rushing offense, averaging 100.3 yards per game. The Gamecocks have fared worse against SEC teams, averaging 60.2 ypg. and 2.1 yards per carry. The team has not rushed for 100 yards against an SEC opponent.
In contrast, the Gamecocks’ passing attack has been reinvigorated in recent weeks by the play of quarterback Stephen Garcia, the return of All-SEC receiver Kenny McKinley from a hamstring injury and the contributions of tight end Jared Cook and receiver Jason Barnes.
USC’s passing offense ranks second behind Georgia in the SEC, a fact that has magnified the Gamecocks’ shortcomings running the ball.
So what’s the problem?
Is it the running backs, whose tendency to try to spin past defenders rather than making a move in the open field was pointed out by Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier two weeks ago?
Is it an offensive line that has failed to generate much push against the big, physical defensive fronts in the SEC?
Or is it the fault of Spurrier and his offensive assistants who have tried a couple of running-game wrinkles but mainly have stuck with the same plays?
Try all of the above.
“It’s all of us,” Spurrier said Sunday. “Maybe we need some new running plays. Maybe the linemen don’t block very well at times. Maybe the running backs don’t make people miss very much. Maybe we need to coach better.”
This is not a new problem.
The Gamecocks finished last in the conference and 101st nationally last year when they averaged 113.7 rushing yards per game with hard-charging tailback Cory Boyd, the team’s only NFL draft pick in the spring.
So how to fix it?
As Spurrier said after the Mississippi game, it is tough to try to teach a running back how to run. Some backs have an innate ability to make people miss; some don’t.
Baker seems to have that “shake” quality. But at 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, there are questions about Baker’s durability — concerns demonstrated (especially to the woozy Baker) when he was drilled and fumbled on his only carry against LSU.
Senior Mike Davis is USC’s best blocking back and has a low center of gravity that helps him elude tacklers. But the Columbia native has failed to deliver in a couple of key moments this season: He fumbled at the 1-yard line against Georgia and dropped a pass Saturday when he was alone in the middle of the field.
Spurrier and running backs coach Robert Gillespie are said to be high on freshman Kenny Miles, the Atlanta-area native who is redshirting. The coaches hope to sign another tailback in February, and the Gamecocks received their first commitment from one Monday in Ben Axon of Bradenton, Fla. Axon decommitted from Clemson in the wake of Tommy Bowden's departure.
But just as it’s hard to teach a back to run, it’s equally difficult for a back to run without a lane.
Some fans on talk radio and in Internet chat rooms have questioned whether Spurrier’s reliance on the passing game has instilled a passive mentality among the linemen, who often go backward to get into their pass sets rather than firing off the ball. USC’s tackles line up in a two-point stance for everything but short-yardage and goal-line situations.
To a man, the Gamecocks’ linemen have rejected that theory.
Whatever ails the ground game, don’t look for Spurrier to scrap it completely and start throwing 60 times a game. The Head Ball Coach believes you need a solid running attack to succeed in the SEC.
“We’ve got to try to run the ball better,” he said. “No question about that, just got to practice it more.”
But with four regular season games remaining, USC is running out of time to get its running game rolling.
-----------------------------
Rushing to nowhere
Quarterback Stephen Garcia has become USC’s second-leading rusher in only three games.
| Player | Games | Att. | Yds. | Avg. | Avg./Gm. |
| Mike Davis | 6 | 87 | 354 | 4.1 | 59.0 |
| Stephen Garcia | 3 | 26 | 109 | 4.2 | 36.3 |
| Bobby Wallace | 3 | 16 | 80 | 5.0 | 26.7 |
| Brian Maddox | 5 | 25 | 79 | 3.2 | 15.8 |
| Eric Baker | 4 | 20 | 75 | 3.8 | 18.8 |
| Taylor Rank | 7 | 18 | 42 | 2.3 | 6.0 |
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