South Carolina’s offensive line witnessed an unfortunate, yet familiar, sight early in the team’s matchup against Alabama. Cason Henry , who missed much of last season due to a knee injury, went down again.
Henry’s injury served as another blow to a Gamecock offensive line that has struggled for much of the 2024 campaign. After giving up four sacks to the Crimson Tide, South Carolina’s sack allowed total increased to 26, the most of any NCAA Division I FBS team this year.
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But in that moment, Henry’s absence provided an opportunity for a young offensive lineman to earn significant playing time. Jatavius Shivers , a redshirt freshman who had just four collegiate appearances to his name, served as the “next man up” in this case.
Dowell Loggains said he was impressed with Shivers’ performance against Alabama, adding that he made the most of the opportunity he was given.
“(He) did a really good job for a redshirt freshman,” Loggains said. “To come in and play in that environment, I was really pleased with that.”
Shivers, who joined South Carolina as a three-star recruit ahead of the 2023 campaign, played in just one game his freshman year. He has since seen his playing time increase slightly this season, though. He played two snaps against Kentucky, 16 against Akron and three against Ole Miss.
Shivers saw more action in last weekend’s game against the Crimson Tide than he had across all his previous collegiate appearances combined. He played 54 snaps in the contest, all of which came at right tackle.
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Loggains acknowledged that it is difficult to gauge how well a player might perform until they enter a game. But he said that Shivers has become a better practice player as the season has progressed.
The fact Shivers did not start also may have been to his benefit, Loggains said.
“Sometimes, it’s easier to come off the bench when you’re not stressed about worrying about starting the game,” Loggains said. “He had a chance to watch a little bit of the game. He played some practice reps last week, and this is making the most of your opportunity.”
Not every aspect of Shivers’ performance was perfect. Although did not commit any penalties, Shivers received a 48.2 overall grade from PFF, the third-lowest mark for any player on South Carolina’s offense.
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But Loggains thought he performed well in one area that would not appear on a box score – overcoming adversity.
“He lost a couple battles against a really good team, but what I loved is how he responded,” Loggains said. “There was a two-minute play where he got a little high and 22 (LT Overton) got under him and pushed him back a little bit. The next play, he jump-set the guy and sat him down.”
Shivers’ improvement throughout the campaign has been apparent, Loggains said. He described Shivers as someone who has “talent” and “really good feet.”
Loggains said he hopes to see tangible examples of Shivers’ work in practice paying off in the future.
“You know the talent you have when you’re talking about the backups. Until they actually get meaningful time, it’s, ‘You think’ and ‘You hope,'” Loggains said. “But he came in and did a nice job for us.”
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