South Carolina fell 27-3 on Saturday to No. 12 Ole Miss, dropping the Gamecocks to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play.
Here are five things we learned about South Carolina this week.
1. This team is too undisciplined
It was easy to gloss over the 13 penalties against LSU, because it’s easy to avoid facing something scary when that something scary includes controversy . It was easy to forget about the flags, easy to think it was a one-off because some of the calls were so tough to wrap your head around.
There was no controversy on Saturday and South Carolina was still penalized eight times (10 times if you include the ones that were offsetting or declined) for 80 yards.
The Gamecocks were lined up offsides four times — all by different people and all on third down. They were called for offensive pass interference twice. And, in the third quarter, freshman edge Dylan Stewart was flagged for taunting after standing over Ole Miss QB Jaxon Dart and shooting him with an imaginary gun.
The Gamecocks came into Saturday as one of the most-penalized teams in the country, and Saturday isn’t gonna help their standing.
“We talked all week about being the most-poised, most-disciplined team,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “We were undisciplined to say the least today. And that starts with me.”
The problem: Discipline is supposed to be cultivated in the spring and summer, the offseason workouts and the introductory team meetings. It is not meant to be taught in October.
2. It is hard to watch this offense
I’m not sure there was a single South Carolina pass that traveled at least 30 yards. Certainly not one that was completed.
Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains had nothing going right Saturday. The Gamecocks couldn’t run up the middle. They didn’t fare much better running outside. The wide receivers couldn’t get open. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers held on to the ball too long. And the offensive line, in part, allowed 10 tackles for loss and a half-dozen sacks.
The offense was stale. It was boring. It didn’t score a touchdown.
Perhaps that is simply the product of a talent gap. Certainly that could be part of some of the struggles. But a even a talent gap spanning the Grand Canyon doesn’t account for the lack of creativity and confidence South Carolina put on display.
The Gamecocks totaled 162 passing yards and 151 rushing yards — and the latter number isn’t all that bad. But South Carolina had just five plays that went for 10 yards or more, which means it was trying to methodically march down the field every single drive with basically no hope for a big play.
That system quickly falls apart when you are 5 of 16 (31%) on 3rd down.
What is the answer? It’s hard to say right now. It seemed the only thing working for the Gamecocks was Sellers taking off when the pocket collapsed or Loggains calling for short passes to tight end Josh Simon or one of the receivers.
And maybe that works for a bit, but it’s hard to put up points consistently without chunk plays.
3. Shane Beamer needs to be a better in-game coach
Let’s throw out the penalties. Say Beamer finds some military method of discipline and his team cleans up everything. He still cost his team mightily against Ole Miss.
There was the fake punt on South Carolina’s opening drive that Ole Miss snuffed out without issue. Whatever home-field advantage the Gamecocks had with “2001” and 80,000 people jumping around during “Sandstorm” went out the window when the Rebels started their drive 36 yards from the end zone.
“I thought about what could happen if we convert that,” he said after. “Then we gave Ole Miss some momentum.”
Then there was Beamer accepting a penalty that put Ole Miss in first-and-20 when declining it would have put the Rebels in second-and-17.
And then, on the Gamecocks’ opening drive of the second half, there USC was trotting the field-goal unit on the field instead of going for it on fourth-and-4. South Carolina was down 21 points. Even if kicker Alex Herrera made the 38-yard field goal — which he didn’t — Beamer kept a three-score game a three-score game.
“Hindsight being 20-20,” he said after, “you go for that.”
Thing is: That shouldn’t have been hindsight. Those are all very simple coaching decisions that Beamer muffed — and his team paid the price.
4. The remaining schedule just got more daunting
Just as Beamer was about to begin his postgame press conference, the goalposts were coming down in Nashville, a frenzy ensuing after Vanderbilt upset No. 1 Alabama.
Coming into the weekend, 10 wins for South Carolina felt like a fever dream, but at least plausible if the Gamecocks beat Ole Miss.
And after Saturday? Gamecocks fans might be thrilled with a bowl game.
Next week’s game at Alabama — with the Crimson Tide seemingly no longer in danger of overlooking an opponent — feels like an impossible challenge. The next USC home game, vs Texas A&M, is more daunting. And the Nov. 9 contest at Vanderbilt no longer is an automatic victory.
Life doesn’t get easier for South Carolina.
5. Still not sure what to make of this defense
It’s kind of incredible OIe Miss only scored 27 points. The Rebels put up 425 yards and at no point in the night did it ever feel like Ole Miss wasn’t going to leave Columbia with a win.
And, yet, only 27 points.
Granted, it should have been at least 34 but receiver Juice Wells went into hero mode and fumbled out of the end zone on a 66-yard reception. But that was about the only luck the Gamecocks defense received.
South Carolina held Ole Miss to 3 of 13 (23%) on third down and held the Rebels to a field goal when they had first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. That’s not just good fortune. That’s a really impressive defense.
Yet, it’s hard not to come back to the 425 yards and all the penalties and the feeling that South Carolina never had a chance. I can’t figure out what to make of this defense. Are they good? Are they decent? I have no idea.
South Carolina football schedule
- Aug. 31 – South Carolina 23, Old Dominion 19
- Sept. 7 – South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6
- Sept. 14 – LSU 36, South Carolina 33
- Sept. 21 – South Carolina 50, Akron 7
- Oct. 5 – Ole Miss 27, South Carolina 3
- Oct. 12 – at Alabama, Noon, ABC
- Oct. 19 – at Oklahoma – TBA (early)
- Nov. 2 – vs. Texas A&M – TBA (night)
- Nov. 9 – at Vanderbilt – TBA (afternoon)
- Nov. 16 – vs. Missouri – TBA (afternoon)
- Nov. 23 – vs. Wofford – 4 p.m., SEC Network Plus/ESPN+
- Nov. 30 – at Clemson – TBA
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