These three Gamecocks are x-factors in South Carolina’s SEC tilt with Tennessee
South Carolina’s bowl chances don’t necessarily hinge on Saturday’s trip to Tennessee, but postseason aspirations could grow increasingly dim with a loss in Knoxville.
The Gamecocks head into the matchup fresh off a wild and weird win over Troy, but still searching for an identity and general consistency on offense.
Here are three x-factors for South Carolina’s date with UT this weekend:
RBs Kevin Harris and Juju McDowell
I circled Kevin Harris in my x-factors to watch in last week’s game, but I’ll throw McDowell in here too this go around.
South Carolina has struggled to run the football in 2021. This isn’t exactly a secret, but it continues to cause problems for offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s unit.
The Gamecocks currently rank 11th in the Southeastern Conference in rush yards per game and 103rd nationally. Harris, who led the SEC in rushing a season ago, hasn’t eclipsed 49 yards in any of his four games this season.
The Georgia native did miss the season opener after undergoing a back procedure, while head coach Shane Beamer said this week that he also lost time due to an undisclosed illness. Asked how he was feeling on Tuesday, Harris told reporters he’s fully healthy.
McDowell, by contrast, has been as effective a runner as South Carolina has had this season. The freshman quickly climbed the depth chart and showed out in USC’s Week 2 win over East Carolina.
South Carolina has made a conscious effort to try and get Harris and McDowell going early this year to no avail. If USC hopes to control tempo to any degree against Tennessee’s high-flying offense, it’ll have to find a running game.
South Carolina’s defensive line
It’s hard to single out one player here, but South Carolina has to find a way to slow the run on Saturday in a way it hasn’t all season.
Tennessee heads into the contest tied for seventh nationally in rushing offense at 255 yards per game. The Volunteers also ran for an absurd 458 yards on 59 carries a week ago at Missouri and are averaging more than 6.3 yards per touch in SEC play.
UT running backs Tiyon Evans (3rd) and Jabari Small (11th) both rank in the top 12 in the league in rushing with more than 230 yards each.
South Carolina, by contrast, has been leaky against the run through the first month of the season. The Gamecocks have surrendered at least 116 yards and one touchdown in each of its four contests against FBS competition in 2021. USC is also allowing 207 yards per game on the ground against SEC teams this year.
The Gamecocks have been ahead of schedule defensively in Clayton White’s first season running the show, ranking tied for first in the league in turnover margin and sixth in total defense.
That said, if USC hopes to win at Tennessee for just the fourth time since 1916, it’ll fall on the defensive line to find a push up front and seal the edges on rushing downs.
Gamecocks’ third-down offense
I wrote about this at length on Wednesday, but it bears bringing up again.
South Carolina has struggled mightily against FBS competition in converting on third down. Some of that comes with what plays are called on first and second down. The other piece is simply misfiring on third down.
In fairness, the Gamecocks haven’t exactly given themselves tons of good looks. South Carolina has attempted 39 of its 68 third downs this year from 3rd and 5 or more. Of those, USC has only converted seven times.
That said, South Carolina has been good in short-yardage situations, sitting at 10 of 15 on third downs of four or less and 5 of 10 on fourth down.
USC can’t afford to get into a shootout with Tennessee this weekend. The Volunteers are averaging more than 40 points per game this year, and the Gamecocks have yet to score more than 13 points against SEC competition in 2021.
South Carolina will need to string together long drives and control the pace of play as best it can Saturday. That starts with being efficient on first and second down, but ends with needing to convert on third down.
