When I made my preseason predictions, my crystal ball told me that Arkansas was the biggest pitfall on the 2011 schedule. Primarily because USC’s defensive personnel does not match-up well with Arkansas skill players (WRs mostly). Well Saturday night, Gamecock fans’ worst nightmares played out on national television as we watched Razorbacks wide receivers running wide open without a USC defensive player in the television screen (at least not on my 32” Toshiba non-flat, non-HD screen). Folks let’s be honest, Arkansas easily could have put up 60-plus points on South Carolina if not for WRs having a case of the dropsies and an inaccurate place kicker (two misses) in the first half. I was most disheartened as I watched in the first half and USC stubbornly tried to pass the football instead of running the football. Did Carolina’s coaching staff not receive the Vanderbilt/Arkansas game tape from Halloween weekend? Did the Gamecocks coaching staff not read my five keys to Victory on Friday? Arkansas was surrendering 248.5 rushing yards per game versus six BCS-level schools. South Carolina ran for a paltry 79 yards rushing on 33 attempts. I still do not understand what kind of philosophy Steve Spurrier wants to implement in year seven. I guess we should be happy we are 7-2 with all of the injuries and off the field distractions, plus a shot to still win the SEC East Division if Auburn beats UGA. So let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Good:
→Wide Receiver Alshon Jeffrey surpassed former Gamecocks great WR Sterling Sharpe to become the 2nd all-time career leader in receptions at USC. Jeffrey currently has 170 career receptions and needs 38 more receptions to eclipse Kenny McKinley as the all-time leader in school history.
→Wide Receiver Alshon Jeffrey has now caught a pass in 32 straight games. The Calhoun County native is 11 games shy of tying the school leader, Kenny McKinley, at 43.
→DE Devin Taylor became the third Carolina defensive player to score a touchdown this year, when the junior from Beaufort, SC rumbled 48 yards in the second quarter to give USC a brief 14-10 lead. It was Taylor’s second career interception returned for a touchdown. Taylor returned an INT for a touchdown last year versus Tennessee.
→Third-Down Conversion Rate for South Carolina on offense was 8/12 (66%).
→Turnovers gained continue to increase as the season grows long. USC recorded one interception (17 total INTs) against Arkansas, which runs USC’s turnovers gained total to 27 (3rd in FBS). That interception stopped a streak of Wilson not throwing an interception in 185 consecutive pass attempts.
The Bad:
→The USC rushing attack was non-existent! South Carolina managed a meager 21 yards on 16 rushes in the first half, per The State newspaper. Arkansas was ranked 89th in the country prior to Saturday night and USC could not even muster 100 yards against the Razorbacks. USC’s leading rusher was QB Connor Shaw with 24 yards on 14 carries. Brandon Wilds had 10 carries for 21 yards.
→Pass protection is what it is for South Carolina. It is abysmal and there are no answers for this problem until some of these young players get stronger and mature more physically. We have more issues than redshirt freshman Cody Gibson at right tackle. Let’s be fair to this redshirt freshman. This kid missed all of preseason camp with a knee injury and just does not have the foot quickness to pass block speed rushers in the SEC conference. We have three guards, Watkins, Cann & Gibson, attempting to play two tackle positions that just do not have the proper quickness to play on the outside in the SEC Conference. The loss of Kyle Nunn has had an enormous impact on the struggles of South Carolina’s o-line. This problem goes back to the first four years of Spurrier’s regime and lack of offensive linemen recruiting under former o-line coach, John Hunt.
→South Carolina’s o-line yielded five sacks to Arkansas defense. DE Jake Bequette, a senior, recorded three sacks and abused both redshirt freshmen, Cody Gibson & A.J. Cann, all night long. Bequette nearly decapitated USC quarterback Connor Shaw late in the fourth quarter.
→A Tight End beside an offensive tackle, who is obviously getting whipped by the defensive end is still legal last time I checked in football.
→Lack of pass rush by the South Carolina d-line. This vaunted d-line was clobbered by an Arkansas o-line all night.
→Four Turnovers by the Gamecocks were also an Achilles heel. Coming into the game, USC had lost 19 turnovers but for the most part was able to overcome these mistakes by playing lousy offensive teams. Saturday night, Arkansas capitalized on every single USC mistake except the interception thrown by Shaw in the second half.
→Quick strike capability by the Razorbacks negated any momentum South Carolina developed on Saturday night. USC took a 7-3 first quarter lead only to see Arkansas Dennis Johnson return the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown giving the Razorbacks a 10-7 lead. Then following Devin Taylor’s interception return for a touchdown, which gave USC a 14-10 lead, Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson connected with Jarius Wright on a 68-yard TD strike on the very first play giving Arkansas a 17-14 lead.
→The USC pass defense was accused of being a fraud because of the pass-challenged teams we faced leading up to the Arkansas game. Carolina was ranked 3rd in the nation heading into the top ten match-up, but after Tyler Wilson carved up the USC secondary for 299 yards and two TD passes it is apparent that the accolades for the USC Pass Defense are exaggerated based on previous competition.
→3.57 yards per play by the USC offense. South Carolina accumulated 207 total yards on 58 plays from scrimmage.
→Six consecutive road-winning streak snapped at Arkansas.
→Arkansas & Auburn have handed USC 71% of its losses (5 of 7 total losses) over the past one year-plus seasons.
The Ugly:
→USC’s Special Teams has become the antithesis post-UGA game. The Gamecocks allowed a 98-yard touchdown return by Dennis Johnson. Carolina also was flagged for roughing the punter in the second quarter on, coincidentally, Arkansas’ only punt attempt. The penalty netted five yards for a first down and kept a drive going for the Razorbacks that resulted in a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright giving Arkansas a 24-14 lead.
→The fourth quarter sack of Connor Shaw by Arkansas DE Jake Bequette knocked the Gamecocks sophomore QB out of the game with a concussion. Shaw lay on the field for several minutes until he walked to the sideline on his own power. It was a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that should have been penalized but was not and now USC’s quarterback situation is in limbo going into the Florida game.
→Carolina has now lost 23 consecutive road games versus AP top ten teams.
→DE Melvin Ingram dropping into pass coverage instead of rushing the quarterback! Why in the world is our best pass rusher trying to cover receivers and tight ends? Don’t tell me, well it allows Jadeveon Clowney to get on the field. Last time I checked, Clowney was being absorbed into every single tackle that gets in his way!
Now looking ahead to the South Carolina/Florida match-up on Saturday at high noon in the cockpit, this game boils down to what quarterbacks might take the field for either team. USC starter Connor Shaw and UF starter John Brantley were both injured last Saturday. We could have an SEC East divisional contest between backup quarterbacks come this weekend. The Gators are coming off a win against Vanderbilt snapping a four-game losing streak. The Gamecocks can still achieve six SEC conference wins for the first time ever in school history and possibly wrap up the SEC East Division title later in the day if Auburn upsets UGA in Athens.
My next blog will be Wednesday evening.
Go Gamecocks!
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