Final thoughts, prediction for South Carolina football’s home game vs. Charlotte
Take a deep breath. It’s OK.
South Carolina’s 48-7 drubbing at the hands of No. 1 Georgia was only a week ago, but it quickly took the wind out of the Gamecocks’ offseason sails.
To be fair, Georgia is mauling just about everyone it faces. But after a summer of hope, alarm bells have sounded in and around Columbia.
Facing a Charlotte team that figures to be overmatched on paper is one way to sort through those early-season sentiments.
“They have elevated their program over the last few years,” Beamer said on Tuesday. “And the team that played the other night against Georgia State is the team that, I think, they felt like they were going to be going into this season.”
Beamer and Charlotte head coach Will Healy never lived in the same neighborhood or worked on the same staff — i.e. Beamer and Kirby Smart — but Saturday’s matchup isn’t without connections.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and Healy have known each other since the latter played at Richmond, where Satterfield was the receivers coach. They’ve remained close over the years and worked together at Chattanooga for a spell.
“He’s like a little brother — (I’m) very protective of him,” Satterfield told The State. “I love watching him on the sidelines. He’s running around. He’s a hoot to watch. You can tell his guys are going to play their ass off for him.”
Speaking of Satterfield, his offense has come under fire after a wayward performance against the defending national champs last week. How much of that was just Georgia being otherworldly remains to be seen.
The Gamecocks are averaging 342 yards per game through three contests. They’re also on pace for an almost 40% increase in passing plays of 10 yards or more compared with last season.
Still, South Carolina has had its issues.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler has coupled his moments of dazzling arm talent and precision with head-scratching interceptions through the season’s first three weeks.
His 603 yards over the last two weeks rank as the best two-game stretch for a single South Carolina quarterback since Jake Bentley’s 849-yard explosion in games against Chattanooga and Clemson in 2018. He also has the most interceptions (5) among SEC passers averaging at least 15 throws per game.
“I have to limit the turnovers, the interceptions — especially because we’ll be throwing the ball a lot,” Rattler said after the Georgia loss. “... We’ve got to get better at everything, I think. Just got to get in a better flow and get ourselves out of bad situations. Not these third-and-longs and this and that. We’ve got to make it easier on ourselves.”
Charlotte hasn’t had much to write home about in 2022, but its offense seems to be finding its footing.
The 49ers return dynamic quarterback Chris Reynolds, who missed two games with an upper-body injury. Charlotte won its first game with Reynolds — a three-time honorable mention All-C-USA selection — last week over Georgia State.
Healy’s squad also has two tailbacks with at least 100 yards rushing this fall between sophomore runners Shadrick Byrd and ChaVon McEachern. South Carolina has had its issues stopping the run in 2022. It’ll have to slow down that tandem on Saturday.
“Every single day, we’re just trying to chop wood and just make sure that we are doing something that’s going to affect the end result,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “And that’s us playing better defense, team defense. If our team is in the fourth quarter, we’ve got to be able to step up and stop the run when it counts.”
South Carolina has had its moments in 2022. It legitimately pushed a Top 10 Arkansas team for four quarters. There were glimpses of the gutsy plays that made the 2021 version of USC so dangerous in the season-opening win over Georgia State.
Now, though, could prove a crucial stretch.
The Gamecocks aren’t behind the eight ball. Bowl eligibility is still well within reach. That said, South Carolina can ill-afford a loss to a team ranked last among FBS teams in total defense.
Satterfield has been maligned for the bulk of his year-plus as offensive coordinator. A stabilizing effort from his unit as the defense hopes to return some of the five starters that missed last week’s loss due to injury would do wonders.
Healy is a good coach. His star has fizzled a little following a fast start to his now four-year tenure at Charlotte, but the 37-year-old knows how to coach offense.
South Carolina shouldn’t have issues scoring Saturday, but don’t be surprised if Charlotte finds ways to put up some points in a loss.
— Prediction: South Carolina 42, Charlotte 21 —
