Finding The Right Balance
posted by Scott Hood on Monday, October 22, 2007
In my opinion, here’s what the Gamecocks should do: run the d**n ball.
USC forgot what type of team it was against the Commodores. They got away from what they do best. Their offense is much more effective when Cory Boyd and Mike Davis are carrying the ball and catching a few passes out of the backfield.
Here’s the one statistic that matters: USC is 5-0 this season when it runs the ball more than it throws it. The Gamecocks have beaten Louisiana-Lafayette, Georgia, S.C. State, Kentucky and North Carolina by relying mostly on the rushing game and mixing in some passes to keep the offense balanced.
In fact, through the first seven games of the season, USC has rushed the ball 242 times, an average of 34.6 times per game, while throwing the ball 224 times, an average of 32 times per game.
That’s a pretty balanced offense by any standard.
But USC turned into a very unbalanced team against the Commodores, and paid a steep price in the process. They attempted 43 passes and 22 rushes, an abysmally low figure.
I realize the blocking up front along the offensive line was poor most of the game, so maybe USC’s ball carriers never had a chance.
But here’s my point: They never got much of a chance to show what they could do.
Boyd and Davis combined for 11 rushes. In one game.
Frankly, that’s atrocious. They should have that in one quarter, let alone an entire game.
Boyd and Davis are, most observers agree, one of the top running back tandems in the SEC. But Davis has been nearly invisible the last two games, logging a combined 11 rushes for 44 yards against North Carolina and Vanderbilt.
That’s not enough.
Boyd carried the ball five times on Saturday and gained 49 yards, an average of 9.8 yards. Even Spurrier lamented the fact Boyd got so few opportunities.
In my opinion, Davis and Boyd should both carry the ball about 15 times per game. I get the sense the USC offense is more effective when the Gamecocks do that.
The Kentucky game provides the perfect example. USC put 38 points on the board by smartly mixing the run and pass and relying on a strong defense.
Davis rushed 17 times for 62 yards, while Boyd had 14 rushes for 57 yards. While not overwhelming numbers, it kept the Kentucky defense honest and prevented them from blitzing most of the time like the Vanderbilt defense did on Saturday.
Kentucky had to respect the running game. Vanderbilt had no reason to, and once they sensed USC had abandoned the rush, they simply pinned their ears back and came after USC’s quarterback.
Sadly, the USC offensive line could do little to stop them. The result? Seven sacks and five false start penalties.
USC lacks the powerful offensive line that can pass block consistently or the array of wide receivers it requires to throw the ball 43 times, as it did against Vanderbilt.
Let’s face it. The Gamecocks have one wide receiver that opposing secondaries fear – Kenny McKinley. The rest? They’ve struggled getting open. None have shown they can catch passes consistently against SEC defenses.
The opportunity to return to a more balanced attack presents itself this weekend against a struggling Tennessee defense. This is not your older brother’s Tennessee, which always featured a brick wall of a defense.
This year? The Vols are 11th in the SEC in total defense, allowing an astounding 406.7 yards per game. They’re also 12th in scoring defense (32.3 ppg), 11th in pass defense (249.0 ypg) and ninth in rushing defense (157.7 ypg).
This could be the worst defense of the Phil Fulmer era at Tennessee. John Chavis has been one of the top defensive coordinators in the SEC for a long time.
But not this year.
USC must take advantage of the weak UT defense if they want to win this game. The Gamecocks should be able to exploit the Vols both running and throwing the ball.
Get balanced, beat the Vols.
If only it was that easy.
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
What does South Carolina have to do to beat Tennessee this Saturday, and erase the bad odor from the 17-6 loss to Vanderbilt?
In my opinion, here’s what the Gamecocks should do: run the d**n ball.
USC forgot what type of team it was against the Commodores. They got away from what they do best. Their offense is much more effective when Cory Boyd and Mike Davis are carrying the ball and catching a few passes out of the backfield.
Here’s the one statistic that matters: USC is 5-0 this season when it runs the ball more than it throws it. The Gamecocks have beaten Louisiana-Lafayette, Georgia, S.C. State, Kentucky and North Carolina by relying mostly on the rushing game and mixing in some passes to keep the offense balanced.
In fact, through the first seven games of the season, USC has rushed the ball 242 times, an average of 34.6 times per game, while throwing the ball 224 times, an average of 32 times per game.
That’s a pretty balanced offense by any standard.
But USC turned into a very unbalanced team against the Commodores, and paid a steep price in the process. They attempted 43 passes and 22 rushes, an abysmally low figure.
I realize the blocking up front along the offensive line was poor most of the game, so maybe USC’s ball carriers never had a chance.
But here’s my point: They never got much of a chance to show what they could do.
Boyd and Davis combined for 11 rushes. In one game.
Frankly, that’s atrocious. They should have that in one quarter, let alone an entire game.
Boyd and Davis are, most observers agree, one of the top running back tandems in the SEC. But Davis has been nearly invisible the last two games, logging a combined 11 rushes for 44 yards against North Carolina and Vanderbilt.
That’s not enough.
Boyd carried the ball five times on Saturday and gained 49 yards, an average of 9.8 yards. Even Spurrier lamented the fact Boyd got so few opportunities.
In my opinion, Davis and Boyd should both carry the ball about 15 times per game. I get the sense the USC offense is more effective when the Gamecocks do that.
The Kentucky game provides the perfect example. USC put 38 points on the board by smartly mixing the run and pass and relying on a strong defense.
Davis rushed 17 times for 62 yards, while Boyd had 14 rushes for 57 yards. While not overwhelming numbers, it kept the Kentucky defense honest and prevented them from blitzing most of the time like the Vanderbilt defense did on Saturday.
Kentucky had to respect the running game. Vanderbilt had no reason to, and once they sensed USC had abandoned the rush, they simply pinned their ears back and came after USC’s quarterback.
Sadly, the USC offensive line could do little to stop them. The result? Seven sacks and five false start penalties.
USC lacks the powerful offensive line that can pass block consistently or the array of wide receivers it requires to throw the ball 43 times, as it did against Vanderbilt.
Let’s face it. The Gamecocks have one wide receiver that opposing secondaries fear – Kenny McKinley. The rest? They’ve struggled getting open. None have shown they can catch passes consistently against SEC defenses.
The opportunity to return to a more balanced attack presents itself this weekend against a struggling Tennessee defense. This is not your older brother’s Tennessee, which always featured a brick wall of a defense.
This year? The Vols are 11th in the SEC in total defense, allowing an astounding 406.7 yards per game. They’re also 12th in scoring defense (32.3 ppg), 11th in pass defense (249.0 ypg) and ninth in rushing defense (157.7 ypg).
This could be the worst defense of the Phil Fulmer era at Tennessee. John Chavis has been one of the top defensive coordinators in the SEC for a long time.
But not this year.
USC must take advantage of the weak UT defense if they want to win this game. The Gamecocks should be able to exploit the Vols both running and throwing the ball.
Get balanced, beat the Vols.
If only it was that easy.
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.