USC struggles with third downs, extending drives in loss to Georgia
South Carolina’s loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday didn’t necessarily come as a surprise. Still, some expected USC to look more competitive on offense.
The team struggled to move the ball down the field, going 4 of 13 on third down. The Gamecocks didn’t convert any third downs in the first half, falling behind 24-0. The 48-7 loss South Carolina suffered was the biggest margin in the history of the rivalry.
USC ran the ball on half of its third-down attempts, mostly by the design of Shane Beamer.
“A lot of those, I told (offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield) on the headphones, ‘We’re gonna go for it on fourth down, so you’ve got two downs here’, ” Beamer said. “But obviously, we’ve got to look at that. ‘OK, it is two downs and we’re gonna go for it on fourth down. Let’s be smart about what we’re calling as well.’ ”
Third-down struggles have been a theme three games into the season. The team went 3 of 14 against Georgia State and 3 of 10 against Arkansas in those situations.
South Carolina was tied for No. 124 in the country (among 131 teams) in third-down conversion percentage entering Saturday’s games.
“We’ve got to clean up everything,” Rattler said. “Just get in a better flow and not get ourselves in these bad situations and not get into these third-and-longs. We just gotta make it easier for ourselves. And we’re not right now.”
On Saturday, South Carolina ran the ball seven times on third down, with an average distance of 4.4 yards required to pick up the first down.
USC averaged 3.6 yards on those runs, and two of those efforts yielded first downs.
Beamer cited a specific sequence in the first half where the team planned to go for it, if needed, on fourth down. After a short run from Christian Beal-Smith on third down, Spencer Rattler found Jalen Brooks open on fourth. Brooks came up short of the sticks, however.
“We thought we’d get man coverage and got man coverage,” Beamer said. “Spencer got a little bit of pressure, and you’d love to be able to just catch that ball on the run. And if Jalen does, he’s gonna catch it on the run, probably run for the first down. Ball’s a little bit behind him.”
South Carolina’s offense had seven plays with gains of more than 10 yards. In the first quarter, Rattler connected with Bell for a 46-yard gain.
Just a few plays later, however, he was intercepted while targeting Juju McDowell.
McDowell had a drive in the second quarter where he picked up two first downs in three plays, but the Gamecocks’ drive flamed out quickly after.
The team needs to trust its preparation during the week when facing third-down situations, McDowell said.
“Coach puts you in those positions for a reason,” McDowell said. “Obviously, they see something. ... It’s just up to us to make a play.”
Playing the No. 1 team in the country didn’t help.
Georgia entered Saturday having surrendered just three points in its first two games. The late scoring toss from Luke Doty to Traevon Kenion was the first touchdown the Bulldogs allowed this year, though the game was long decided by then.
With the talent UGA possesses, the team so far is keeping every opponent from moving the ball consistently. The Bulldogs’ 49-3 rout of then-No. 11 Oregon in the first week of the season proved that.
Beyond that, South Carolina is mired in a trend that it must learn to snap.
“That’s probably the best defense in the country, and we put ourselves in some bad situations,” Rattler said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2022 at 8:40 AM.
