South Carolina struggled with Missouri’s pressure. The reason is multi-layered
Jason Brown’s despondent look said it all.
The jubilation of last week’s win over Florida was gone. Instead, Brown’s sullied eyes looked worn from the wear and tear of South Carolina’s 31-28 loss at Missouri. He’d been sacked three times. He was picked three times, though two interceptions were called back due to Tiger penalties.
The magic of the Week 9 win over the Gators was flushed on Saturday in the other Columbia. It was replaced with an offensive line that struggled with its one-on-one matchups and a quarterback in Brown whose feet grew happier as the game progressed.
“I created a lot of pressures today for myself by just getting out of there too quick,” Brown conceded postgame. “I didn’t think the O-line did a terrible job. I’ve just got to trust them and trust in the game plan and just stay in there a little bit longer and try not to make it harder myself.”
A week after guiding two tailbacks to 100-yard rushing efforts, the Gamecocks offensive line returned to its wayward ways of weeks past against the Tigers.
Pro Football Focus ranks South Carolina as the second-worst pass-blocking team in the Southeastern Conference. The run blocking — albeit bolstered by performances against Eastern Illinois, Florida and East Carolina — hasn’t been appreciably better at eighth in the league.
By PFF’s metrics, Saturday was actually an improvement in pass protection. The Gamecocks finished with a 65.7 out of 100 grade, which marked their second-best effort to date. But facing what head coach Shane Beamer said was a stacked box, the run blocking dipped to a season-low grade outside of a Week 3 loss at then-No. 2 Georgia.
“I don’t think it was anything that we necessarily were completely surprised by,” Beamer said of what Missouri did defensively that might’ve given USC trouble. “Give them credit, they made some plays.”
The issues up front, though, don’t fall entirely on the offensive line. Brown shouldered the blame postgame for a handful of protection breakdowns that he attributed to miscommunications between he and center Eric Douglas.
Brown added the play that ended in Irmo High School product Trajan Jeffcoat recovering a South Carolina fumble for the difference-making third-quarter touchdown came because the former St. Francis (Pennsylvania) signal-caller made the wrong protection call.
“I just called the formation wrong for (the offensive line) off the wristband,” Brown explained. “Called it wrong, which led to (Missouri defensive back Martez Manuel) being free.”
Beamer echoed the sentiments of South Carolina’s third different starting quarterback this season during his Sunday teleconference. He noted there were times Brown held onto the ball too long. He added there were moments when Brown needed to step up into the pocket and deliver a throw rather than spin out early.
In all, the combination of an offensive line that struggled against the five-man fronts Missouri threw its way and a quarterback who’s still getting his feet wet at the SEC level resulted in the Gamecocks’ third-worst yardage output of the season.
“A couple times last night they did bring more than we could protect because of the protection that we had in,” Beamer explained Sunday. “So when that happens, there is going to be a guy running free and we’ve got to have answers of where to go with the ball. And then, frankly, there were a couple times where there was a guy coming that should’ve been picked up and those are the things that can’t happen.”
That South Carolina has struggled to protect isn’t a new issue. It’s plagued the Gamecocks all season. Brown’s struggles were to be expected at some point as 18 of his 20 career starts came at the FCS level.
The win over Florida inspired hope outside the program that a new leaf had been turned. Saturday’s loss at Missouri coupled with Florida’s sluggish win over Southern Conference foe Samford have flipped the script toward negativity once more.
Beamer said on his teleconference the Gamecocks didn’t practice on Sunday and took the day to run through film and lift. Monday, as it has been all season, will be an off day.
Perhaps the brief respite will give South Carolina a chance to regroup as it chases down the one win it needs to get bowl eligible in its final two games against Auburn and Clemson. If it doesn’t, South Carolina will spend its holiday season at home for the third consecutive season.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
