How first game showed Muschamp the ‘sorely missing’ dynamic Jalen Brooks adds
Game 1 for Jalen Brooks in South Carolina football wasn’t a loud one.
Three balls went his way against LSU. One was caught for a short gain. One was intercepted. One was overthrown when he broke open deep. There was also another pass that ended up drawing a penalty.
But just his presence showed off a little something to his coach, Will Muschamp.
“We targeted him several times and there are the two deep balls we took shots with him,” Muschamp said Wednesday during his weekly call-in show. “He is a guy that can stretch the field and gives us that dynamic offensively, which we’ve been sorely missing outside of Shi (Smith).”
The Gamecocks had been running the passing offense in essence through Smith, a senior receiver, tight end Nick Muse and a pair of running backs.
Brooks, a transfer from Wingate and Tarleton State, was coming off being granted an NCAA waiver four games into a season that won’t count against his eligibility anyway. That 6-foot-3 speedster was a terror on the Division II level, and all indications out of South Carolina’s practices were that he was getting open against the Gamecocks’ starting secondary.
His first game wasn’t exactly a showcase for much in terms of the Gamecocks’ passing game. A set of sacks and the Tigers dominating possession meant USC QB Collin Hill got off only eight passes in the first half, one of which was essentially a handoff. One overthrow to an open Brooks was followed by the pick.
“We missed Jalen on a big over route there,” Muschamp said. “Overthrew him a little bit. We had Nick Muse coming out the other side. We had both guys open.”
That Gamecocks are in the midst of a week off, which can’t hurt in bringing Brooks more into the fold. They’ll get the Texas A&M Aggies off the break, and that could be an opportunity.
The Aggies rank in the bottom 20 in the country in yards-per-attempt allowed and opponents’ passer rating. That’s in part because half their schedule is Alabama and Florida, two of the best offenses in the country. But after South Carolina showed explosiveness against LSU, perhaps that trend, and Brooks’ role in the offense, can continue to expand.
Next South Carolina football game
Who: USC vs. Texas A&M
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia
When: 7 or 7:30 pm (TBD) Saturday, Nov. 7
TV: ESPN or SEC Network (TBD)
