Wofford coach praises USC for thwarting an offense it only sees ‘once in a blue moon’

Coming into Saturday’s matchup against Wofford, one of the biggest worries for South Carolina supporters was how the Gamecocks would handle the Terriers’ triple-option offense, an increasingly rare system that throws many defenders for a loop.

It’s the same system FBS teams like Navy and Army have used to give more talented opponents trouble in the past.

As it turns out, USC was just fine, limiting Wofford to 155 rushing yards and 3.8 yards per carry on the afternoon. The Gamecocks even managed to force a fumble and cause Wofford coach Mike Ayers to switch quarterbacks late in the game in hopes of jump-starting his offense. It didn’t work, and after the game, Ayers gave credit to South Carolina’s defensive front for keeping his team in check.

“The one thing they did, they chased the ball, and when they tackled us, they tackled us,” Ayers said. “We had a few things that worked for us ... but at the end of the day, I thought they did a great job.”

This was despite the fact that South Carolina has not faced an option offense since 2015, and never under coach Will Muschamp, or as Ayers put it, “but once in a blue moon.” And that inexperience seemed to show early on, as the Terriers marched 79 yards on their first drive, eating up 7:22 of game clock on 14 plays, 12 of them runs.

“We gave them some fits with some of the option stuff, we felt like we had a pretty good plan,” Ayers said of that opening drive.

But for the rest of the first half, Wofford’s offense sputtered as USC ate up clock itself and limited the Terriers to one first down while grabbing an interception. Ayers credited that success to South Carolina’s personnel and size.

“They’ve got some fighters,” Ayers said of the Gamecock defense. “They’re tough kids, they’ve got some athletes. I mean, they’ve got big kids. They’re skilled kids.”

In the first drive of the second half, Wofford seemed to regain some of its momentum, going 75 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown to make the score 14-10. But once again, South Carolina’s defense adjusted and recovered, shutting out the Terriers the rest of the way and forcing two more turnovers to put the game on ice.

“Turnovers kill you every time. Whether you’re playing an SEC team or a Southern Conference team, you give them too many opportunities, especially when they’re a big, physical team, you’re going to run the risk of getting worn out defensively,” Ayers said.

Ayers said if his team could have avoided giving the ball to USC’s defense, it would have been “a completely different ballgame.”

Ultimately, however, the Gamecocks were able to contain Wofford’s triple option, which they had planned for all season, according to Muschamp.

“We spent a lot of time on these guys in the offseason because they are very different from what we’re used to seeing,” Muschamp said.

Ayers agreed, and praised the Gamecocks’ focus on stopping the Terriers considering the more high-profile opponents on their schedule this season.

“I don’t think they’re going to play another (option) team in the SEC, and I don’t think Clemson has gone (option),” Ayers said.

This story was originally published November 18, 2017 at 8:50 PM.