The South Carolina Gamecocks rolled over the Akron Zips this past weekend winning by forty-three points. The defense remained dominant while the offense got a good look at some of the backups with several players out with injuries. Let’s take a look at some of the main takeaways from the win and what we learned about the Gamecocks.

Offensive Depth

One of the biggest issues South Carolina has faced over the years is lack of quality depth. While it has been known for several weeks that the defense has a serious amount of depth, the offense was a little more unproven at certain spots behind the starters. With LaNorris Sellers and Jared Brown both out with injuries and Rocket Sanders going down early with an ankle injury, there were plenty of opportunities for their respective backups to play valuable snaps.

Robby Ashford was the starter with Sellers out, and he took full advantage of this opportunity. He finished 15/21 for 243 yards and two TDs. He also led the Gamecocks in rushing with 133 yards on sixteen carries and one touchdown. This type of performance could not have come at a better time for him as many questioned his ability to lead the offense after coming in the second half against LSU and only going 2/4 for forty-two yards. Needless to say, he solidified himself as the backup to Sellers and proved himself as fully capable of leading this offense if called upon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his playing time increase even with Sellers at QB given his ability to run the football.

The depth at both running back and wide receiver was on full display Saturday night with guys like Oscar Adaway, Jawarn Howell, and Gage Larvadain all seeing expanded playing time. Adaway and Howell combined for three rushing TDs while Larvadain hauled in two deep passes showcasing his down the field potential. Sanders is unquestionably the top running back and Jared Brown and Mazeo Bennett appear to be the top two receivers. That said, finding and developing depth behind these guys is essential for a run into bowl season.

Defense Continues to Shine

I don’t think anyone really expected Akron to find a significant amount of success against the Carolina defense, and that was exactly the case. There were two impressive things that the defense showed on Saturday. 

One, they came out strong, played up to their standard, and did not show any signs of fatigue after the LSU game. Carolina has shown the propensity to play down to the level of their opponent at times (think about week one against ODU), and in a situation where they were fresh off the heels of a physically and emotionally exhausting contest against the LSU Tigers, this seemed like a likely scenario to look sluggish. Instead, they came out fired up and punched Akron in the mouth.

Second, the defense displayed their athleticism and speed at all three levels. The depth allows them to rotate guys on and off the field to keep them fresh and to allow them to play fast. This has been sorely missed for years but is the defining element of this year’s unit. It is refreshing to see and must continue to be on full display game in and game out especially this coming Saturday against Ole Miss.

Areas for Concern

I said entering the game that two of the most important things were to stay healthy and to improve pass protection.

Sanders going down with an ankle injury is crushing. Beamer said he does not think it is anything too serious, and at this point, we have to take him at his word. However, Rocket was just beginning to look like his old self which makes his injury disappointing and a bit concerning. Gamecock nation better hold their breath that this does not keep him out or slow him down as Carolina is about to face the gauntlet of their schedule. 

Surrendering three sacks is the lowest in a game on the season for the Gamecocks, but considering that it was Akron, there is still cause for concern. Again, sacks are not always an indication of insufficient offensive line play as there are multiple components to pass protection. It is possible, too, that starting a backup at QB led to some of the recorded sacks. That said, coming into Saturday, the Gamecocks were allowing around four sacks a game which has to get cleaned up down the stretch of the season.

I think the Gamecocks got better from this game as they learned a lot about their backups at several offensive positions. They avoided injury for the most part, and current reports suggest Sanders should not miss significant time. Pass protection is still an area of concern as it has shown up in all four games and must be amended before taking on more fierce defenses down the stretch.