Zack Bailey has been Gamecocks’ best lineman in 2016

The South Carolina offensive line hasn’t been truly consistent as the halfway point of the season approaches.

But Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said he’s seen progress and singled out the lineman who’s led the way.

“Zack Bailey’s been our best lineman through five games, right now,” Muschamp said. “But I do think that was the best front seven we’ve seen this year, Texas A&M. And I thought we blocked them well at times. In our league, when you face dominating lines, it’s hard to sustain as much as you’d like.”

The Gamecocks did allow three sacks, not a total surprise with a first-time starter at right tackle and facing a slew of top talents on the line. The Gamecocks averaged 5.75 yards per non-sack carry.

That group hasn’t been the “real deal” one coach promised in the offseason, though a part of that is because of attrition. The Gamecocks are down a starting guard and a starting tackle, who can play guard. Of their top seven linemen out of camp, four played against Texas A&M. Muschamp did praise third-string tackle Malik Young for his effort in that game.

Help should be on the way after one more game as the coach said he still expects guard Donell Stanley to return after the bye week following the Georgia game. He had said tackle Blake Camper was available against Texas A&M, but Camper did not play.

The Bulldogs won’t boast quite the defensive talent the Aggies had and represent another chance for the group to find its footing.

“I thought we did a nice job against Texas A&M,” Muschamp said. “I think we’ve made some progress. Has it always been perfect? Has it always been exactly what we want all the time? No. But I certainly think that we’ve improved.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Zack Bailey has been Gamecocks’ best lineman in 2016."