Gamecocks mailbag: Recapping ECU, expectations for Georgia and the deep passing game

South Carolina survived.

In case you missed it, USC left Greenville, North Carolina 2-0 after a knock-down, drag-out 20-17 victory over East Carolina on Saturday.

Shane Beamer also became the first South Carolina head coach to win his opening two career games since Richard Bell did so in 1982.

So what all does it mean? Let’s get to some questions before USC hits the road for No. 2 Georgia this weekend.

“What does Coach Beamer, Coach Satterfield and Coach Adkins plan to do this week to improve the O-line and give our QBs and RBs better protection and blocking?” — Scott T.

I addressed this in bulk on Monday, so I won’t reinvent the wheel here.

To reiterate, South Carolina’s offensive line has struggled mightily in pass protection through two games. The Gamecocks currently rank as the Southeastern Conference’s worst pass blocking team, according to Pro Football Focus.

Coincidentally, the run blocking hasn’t been quite as bad as it might appear on paper. South Carolina currently sits No. 6 in the SEC in run blocking, per PFF, though that’s assuredly bolstered by a solid effort against Eastern Illinois in Week 1.

Beamer told reporters on Sunday that some of the blame fell on protections being called the wrong direction, resulting in ECU defenders running free. That ultimately falls on Zeb Noland.

South Carolina has plenty of talent on the offensive line and returned more than 100 appearances within this year’s group. It’s not quite early enough to sound massive alarms. But if this keeps up against Georgia and then Kentucky the following week, it might be time to worry.

“Why don’t we run more to the outside when we keep getting stuffed inside? USC finally did it at the end of ECU game and it worked!” — Jason S.

This falls in line a bit with the last question, but it’s a good observation.

South Carolina clearly made an adjustment midway through the third quarter and into the fourth quarter where offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and his crew up top saw something they liked and went with it.

Freshman tailback Juju McDowell was a direct beneficiary as he notched 11 carries for 71 yards, a chunk of which came on outside run concepts.

I don’t think it’s a matter of forcing the outside run more often, but, more importantly, South Carolina’s staff saw something they felt they could exploit and made the adjustment. That’s simply good coaching.

“Hey Ben, thanks for doing this! If you can tomorrow, please ask coach Beamer, in regard to teams stacking and loading the box, is it because the opponent does not respect our passing and vertical pass game? And what is his plan to get these defenses to back off some? Is it simply just will power in the run game or will there be an emphasis to hit some deep balls?” — Stephen A.

Thanks for the question, Stephen. This is a good one.

Beamer alluded to it after Saturday’s win. ECU stacked the box for the bulk of the contest, forcing South Carolina to get creative in the running game and take a few more deep shots.

For the most part, the Gamecocks did what they needed to.

Noland was less efficient than he was in the season opener, but found a groove late — finishing 13 of 24 for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

He also finished the contest 5 of 8 on passes of 11 yards or longer and 2 of 3 on throws beyond 20 yards with the only misfire coming on Josh Vann’s called-back touchdown, per SEC StatCat. That’s about as good as it gets.

South Carolina should expect to see a stacked box again Saturday against Georgia. Whether Noland — or Luke Doty, if he’s healthy — can exploit the deep ball again, remains to be seen.

“What are realistic expectations for this week against Georgia?” — Sterling T.

There’s a reason Georgia opened as 32-point favorite heading into Saturday, but the expectation in Athens shouldn’t be a win.

If I’m following in line with my season-long thoughts, I think South Carolina needs to just be marginally competitive. Keep this thing close for a quarter or half. Sure, Georgia probably pulls away, but stick around some.

I think we can all agree South Carolina isn’t exactly positioned to win an SEC East title any time soon. However, give Beamer and his staff some credit, a lot of teams don’t win that contest Saturday at ECU.

The Gamecocks probably should’ve been trailing by a lot more than seven at any given time against the Pirates. Instead, South Carolina found a way to win. That’s admirable.

Again, most sane prognosticators don’t think USC wins Saturday in Athens. If the Gamecocks do hang around, though, that’ll go a long way heading into a crucial stretch against Kentucky, Troy, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

Ben’s best

Last week I ranked Pirates. I don’t know about y’all, but I sure had fun with it. This week I’m rolling with another mascot-related endeavor with the best live mascots in college football.

1. Ralphie — Colorado
2. Bevo — Texas
3. Smokey — Tennessee
4. Mike the Tiger — LSU
5. Leo III — North Alabama

Honorable Mentions

• Sir Big Spur — South Carolina

• Ramses — North Carolina
• Uga — Georgia
• Bully — Mississippi State
• Reveille — Texas A&M
• Tusk — Arkansas
• War Eagle — Auburn
• Dubs — Washington

This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 9:39 AM.

Ben Portnoy

The State

Ben Portnoy is The State’s South Carolina Gamecocks football beat writer. He’s a 10-time Associated Press Sports Editors award honoree and has earned recognition from the Mississippi Press Association and the National Sports Media Association. Portnoy previously covered Mississippi State for the Columbus Commercial Dispatch and Indiana football for the Journal Gazette in Ft. Wayne, IN.