USC exits bye week with a lingering concern on offense. There are signs of progress
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer opened his weekly press conference Tuesday by offering his definition for a balanced offense.
“The ability to run and throw, both, when needed. ... Is it 50/50? No,” he said. “It’s the ability to run when you need to run and throw when you need to throw.”
The Gamecocks offense, which is last in the SEC in total yards per game, has struggled with both aspects. But there is still some deficit between their passing and rushing attack. Of the 308.6 per-game average, 208.8 yards come from the pass while only 99.8 yards come from the run.
So, does Beamer feel his offense is balanced?
“I mean, it is what it is. We’re not running the ball consistently enough right now, and we haven’t been as effective running the ball as we need to be,” he said. “We’ve done what we needed to win three games but we’ve got to be able to run it more consistently than what we have. And we’ve got to be able to throw it even more consistently than what we have.”
Beamer’s thoughts seem to ring true. The Gamecocks have had good passing games, like a 302-yard performance from quarterback LaNorris Sellers against Missouri. They also had their best rushing game against Kentucky, totaling 178 yards in 48 carries in a 35-13 win.
The problem is, USC has yet to have a game where both the passing and running games have excelled. But Beamer feels offensive coordinator Mike Shula’s unit is developing, and that the Kentucky game was a foundation it can build on.
“The brand and identity that we played with, there was a lot of signs of that against Kentucky last Saturday night,” he said.
All 16 of South Carolina’s plays in its final fourth-quarter drive against Kentucky were runs. Tailback Matt Fuller had 13 of those carries; quarterback LaNorris Sellers had the other three runs.
“That’s a pretty strong freaking identity right there that we put on tape against Kentucky that we want to continue to put on tape,” Beamer said.
But the Wildcats are the second-worst SEC defense in yards allowed, and bottom-five in rushing yards allowed. South Carolina’s upcoming game against LSU (7:45 p.m. Saturday, SEC Network) will present the Gamecocks with a defense that’s top-six in both categories.
LSU’s defense, led by coordinator Blake Baker, features a versatile front led by Harold Perkins, Whit Weeks and a transfer class of 14 defensive players.
“Yeah, ton of respect for Blake Baker, their defensive coordinator. He does an awesome job,” Beamer said. “He did when he was at Miami and and Missouri. We saw plenty of film when we played against Missouri my first couple years, and now at LSU. It’s as good as secondary as there is in this league. So yeah, they present a lot of problems.”
Beamer and Shula are hoping their developing offense can rise to the occasion Saturday against the Tigers.
