Film breakdown: So how different was Bryan McClendon’s USC offense? A lot

Offseasons are funny things.

Hype builds. Narratives spring to life and gain momentum. Promises are made. (How many teams have heard about a veteran offensive line ready for the next step?)

This year, South Carolina fans were treated to a few, notable varying degrees of, “The offense will be different.” Considering how the last two years went, it’s a promise a staff wants to make, but it’s tricky given the fact most modern offenses run a lot of the same stuff and USC already had a fair amount of that.

We got our first look at USC’s 2018 attack under Bryan McClendon in the 49-15 win against Coastal Carolina. In a lot of ways, it was in fact a lot different.

Some big things

Tempo

South Carolina’s offense wasn’t exactly going at warp speed, but it was certainly quicker than last year’s group that was in the bottom 10 nationally in pace.

The Gamecocks had only two drives last longer than 3 minutes and 47 seconds. Those were a 10-play, 4:38 touchdown and a 14-play, 5:58 scoring drive one possession later. That’s generally pretty quick, especially considering USC didn’t have any really big plays to speak of (long was 29 yards).

The team also looked plenty comfortable at the end of the half, going 70-plus yards in 45 seconds and five plays.

Stretch zone

This is a base play for some offenses, where a back takes a wider angle on his runs and looks for a gap to cut up into. USC ran it five times in the first 27 plays, after maybe running it once the past few seasons.

It worked to good effect, creating wide holes in a Sun Belt defense, though it looked as if the Gamecocks turned back toward their usual inside zone once the second half started. South Carolina also ran a decent amount of it out of the pistol, something they did sparingly last season.

All told, USC’s run game relied a lot on its sweep plays and used almost none of the gap blocking that had been a staple the past two years.

Some smaller things

Not going all that deep

In Game 1, Jake Bentley had what seemed like a limited number of deeper passes in favor of working short and keeping the chains moving. Of 27 true attempts before garbage time, USC threw farther than 9 yards five times and farther than 14 only three. (There was a 13-yard toss on a free play after an offsides and a 14-yard fade to Deebo Samuel.)

Instead, USC seemed more content to work the flats, slants and hitches and let their playmakers work.

It was effective and efficient, keeping the ball moving, at least against a not-great defense. It remains to be seen if this is a trend or just a plan against an overmatched opponent.

The RPOs

Although it was a big topic of the offseason, it’s not like USC hadn’t been running some run-pass option plays though the last few years.

The Gamecocks threw at least nine passes off RPOs, averaging 5.7 yards per play despite a pair of drops at least one batted ball against the blitz.

At times it’s hard to tell exactly which runs come from RPOs. (Is that receiver actually running a route, or just doing it as a decoy?) Either way, USC did post a good day on the ground, its second best since 2014.

The short-yardage question

This was an issue at points last year. Against the Chanticleers, USC faced:

▪ A third and 3 where Bentley hit OrTre Smith on a slant after standing tall vs. the blitz. USC’s protection was outnumbered, but Bentley fired a bullet.

▪ A third and two where Rico Dowdle got the ball on a sweep. It’s not the traditional call, and he had to fight through contact, so that outcome wasn’t ideal.

▪ A fourth and 1 when Bentley sneaked it over.

▪ A third and 3 where Bentley hit Josh Vann on a drag route short of the sticks as pressure came.

▪ A fourth and 1 where Dowdle converted on a fullback dive (more on that later).

▪ A third and 1 where four receivers went vertical and Samuel drew a flag.

All told, there’s more diversity in there than usual, and the willingness to sneak Bentley, which happened once last season, is worth watching.

Some fun stuff

The real, honest-to-goodness I-formation

Dowdle got to notch off a first in his career. The Gamecocks faced a fourth and 1 and came out in a look not seen in a while: A tailback behind a fullback with the quarterback under center.

It was the first time Dowdle, who played some QB in high school, had lined up as a fullback.

He ended up converting the play on a dive. He admitted after the game that spot would usually go to the injured Mon Denson. In either case, it’s a change-up USC hasn’t shown in a while.

Deebo the running back

At one point on USC’s second possession, South Carolina’s staff pulled all the running backs off the field and instead had Samuel line up in the backfield. He took a power read carry around left end set up a touchdown.

Odds and ends

▪ Bentley looked good putting some passes in spots to lead receivers. It might not be as easy against faster defenses, but that can be a big thing.

▪ In his first start, freshman corner Jaycee Horn seemed to have a generally solid day, but it was notable the staff seemed to have little problem putting him tight to the box. That’s where his first career sack came from as he worked through traffic fairly well.