Gamecocks’ offense taking off, looking to soar to win

A day after experiencing great success with an improved offensive playbook, Shawn Elliott said it was just the beginning.

He’s hoping he gets to use them during a win.

“There’s a lot left,” Elliott said. “We basically had the open week and then the A&M week to really prepare and kind of put your flair and feel over the offense. There’s always new wrinkles that we’re toying with that you’ll continue to see.”

South Carolina’s offense produced its most yards of the season in 35-28 loss at Texas A&M on Saturday and the next goal is to try and equal the production at Tennessee. The Volunteers are similar to the Aggies offensively – a multi-tooled quarterback in Joshua Dobbs and very skilled receivers. They also boast one of the SEC’s best running backs (Jalen Hurd).

USC couldn’t stop the Aggies’ rushing attack, but it was quarterback Kyler Murray who was running a lot of it. Dobbs can run, but may not be as much of a threat as Murray.

Elliott has watched the Vols’ defensive tape, but not the offense. That’s probably a good thing – USC’s defense hasn’t been capable of stopping much and Elliott remembers how Tennessee shredded USC in the fourth quarter of last year’s defeat — the Gamecocks’ second straight to UT.

“They got a big back. Their quarterback’s a little bit different,” Elliott said. “That guy could really get on the edge and scoot, and this guy can, too.”

Elliott mentioned that he had plans on using Lorenzo Nunez more – Nunez scored the Gamecocks’ first touchdown against Texas A&M. He’ll be the backup quarterback to Perry Orth, but his role may be a Pharoh Cooper-type.

As for the rest of the team, Elliott continues to be impressed with its energy and enthusiasm. The Gamecocks are facing a mountainous climb of having to win three of their final four games to get to a bowl game, but Elliott hasn’t stressed it.

“Now you see a little bit different feel, a little bit different look in your eye,” Elliott said. “Right now, we’re just trying to win each day.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Gamecocks’ offense taking off, looking to soar to win."