The 2024 season has been nothing short of wild for the South Carolina Gamecocks. From nearly losing to Old Dominion, dominating Kentucky the following week, and playing Alabama and LSU toe-to-toe, Carolina is more than hanging in there through the first half of a brutal schedule with a 3-3 record. One could easily make the argument that the Gamecocks could be 5-1 at this point as two of their losses were by a combined five points. Nonetheless, the Gamecocks are right where they want to be in their pursuit of bowl eligibility. Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways for the Gamecocks at the halfway point of the season and consider if they will go bowling.
The defense is one of the best in the SEC
Prior to the beginning of the season, there was a lot of talk about the defense potentially being the strength of the team. This was understandably taken with a grain of salt, but at this juncture of the season, the argument can be made that they are actually exceeding expectations.
Currently, Carolina is in the top six of the SEC for total defense, passing defense, and rush defense, and they are also tied for third in sacks.
The defense has thrived at every level and can attack an offense in so many different ways. This unit is battle tested as well as they’ve played high powered offenses including LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama and has held its own.
The defensive line is generating consistent pressure mostly with Kennard and Stewart off the edge which has helped the second and third levels of the defense to play fast and aggressively. The pay off has been twelve forced turnovers through six games.
Clayton White is quietly doing one of the best jobs in the SEC, and considering that most of the elite offenses on the schedule have already been played, there is no reason to believe they will slow down as the final stretch of the season approaches.
The offense continues to improve but remains the weak link
In contrast to the defense, which is a complete unit, the offense has not consistently displayed a balanced approach.
It is no secret that South Carolina’s offense is centered around the rushing attack, and through the first six games, it has proven to be reliable as it is averaging nearly 176 yards a game, good for eighth in the SEC. While it has been thriving, the passing offense has been the achilles heel with an average of only 187 yards a game which is good for fourth to last in the conference.
In a perfect world, the Gamecocks will lean on the rushing offense to lead the way and avoid placing themselves in crucial passing downs, similar to what they displayed against LSU.
However, too often have talented, capable defenses, such as Kentucky and Ole Miss, been able to slow down the rushing attack and force the passing game to make enough plays for Carolina to win. Against the Wildcats, Sellers and company were able to make enough explosive plays through the air to capitalize on a defense committing itself to stopping the run. The story was much different against the Rebels, and this perfectly demonstrates the inconsistency of not just the Gamecocks’ passing offense but their offense as a whole.
At the halfway point, the rushing offense has emerged as a real strength for the Gamecocks, but the passing attack must find some semblance of consistency if the team is to achieve its goals. The silver lining in all of this is that when this offense is clicking, it is fun to watch and should be so over the seasons to come with the talented youth it possesses.
Penalties and turnovers have been a problem
This needs little elaboration as it seems like game in and game out both of these issues show up to some capacity. It is hard to overlook these miscues as two of the team’s losses were by a combined five points. How differently could these games have been if the Gamecocks played a cleaner game?
Penalties and turnovers are (usually) going to occur, and sometimes are the result of a team trying too hard. These are the ones you can live with, but the unforced errors are the ones the Gamecocks have to get cleaned up in the second half of the season. No more unnecessary roughness penalties or turnovers, mostly fumbles, due to lack of ball security.
Specific to the penalties, there is nothing more detrimental to an offense centered around the rushing attack than falling behind the chains early on a possession.
Staying on schedule as an offense by eliminating pre-snap penalties will help them stick to the offensive identity and likely cut down on turnovers. This is essential for the continued development of the offense down the stretch.
The Gamecocks miss Mitch Jeter
No disrespect to Alex Herrera, but several points have been left out on the field this season due to missed FGs, including the games against LSU and Bama. Granted the missed kicks in those games were over forty yards, but at some point, these are kicks that Herrera has to start hitting.
The defense is going to do its part, which means the Gamecocks will likely play in some close games where every point matters.
Against LSU, he had an opportunity to hit a forty-nine yard FG at the end of regulation to force overtime but was unable to do so. It’s hard to imagine that this did not play into the decision making at the end of the Alabama game where Carolina had a chance to win with a FG if they could have picked up a few extra yards. Instead, they opted to throw deep and were intercepted to seal the game in Bama’s favor.
He is a solid kicker inside thirty yards, but beyond thirty yards he has been shaky. The offense must do better at finishing drives which includes Herrera being more accurate from longer distances. This could not only be the difference between winning or losing a game or two over the final six games but also the difference between reaching bowl eligibility and sitting out.
As the Gamecocks prepare for the second half of the season there is plenty to be excited about as a fanbase. The defense and rushing offense are clear strengths of this team, and as long as Carolina can play its style of game, they will be hard to beat. The biggest concern down the stretch is the number of strong defenses they will face including Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Clemson. They will likely need to win one of these games to have a shot at bowl eligibility. If they struggle in the passing game against these teams similar to the way they did against Ole Miss, the season could quickly get away from them.
I think in the end, the Gamecocks will find a way to steal a game against one of these opponents and will take care of business against Vanderbilt and Wofford en route to a bowl game appearance.