We have so many upperclass skill position players and key production players coming into this season, that it's hard for me NOT to be optimistic for the team this season, the tough schedule notwithstanding. Not only has the comments from Coach Muschamp been positive and optimistic regarding the team overall, but also he and OL Coach Wolford has been pretty positive regarding the OL's scrimmages as well. It's always refreshing to hear good things about the LOS units, as important as they are to successful football.
The UNC fanbase has been very optimistic about their DC Jay Bateman's defenses at Army, like it is some mystery genius defense never before seen by man. Certainly, unique and unfamiliar defenses can be troublesome for opposing offenses - much as the triple option is always like that for defenses. And this also brings up a good segue for my next point regarding Bateman's defenses at Army:
Army runs the triple option flexbone. Here is a description of it from an article put out by USAToday in 2018:
Every possession is precious for Army.
Every play the Black Knights run is a well-choreographed, hidden-ball trick, designed to flummox and punish opponents who are almost always bigger, faster and stronger. But it's not just defending Army's triple-option that makes the Cadets so hard to handle.
The flex-bone offense has been a problem for defenses for years, whether it was being run by Georgia Southern or Georgia Tech, Army or Navy. Embedded into the attack is a strict adherence to one of football's simplest truths: Your opponent cannot score without the ball.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/09/27/army-combines-old-school-offense-21st-century-analytics/37963991/
Army is a run, then run, then run some more offense. They can go entire games only throwing 2-3 passes. With Bateman as their DC, Army was 10th nationally in 2018 in scoring defense, and 8th in total defense. In 2017, they dropped off a bit to 32nd in both scoring and total defense. In 2016, they were 15th nationally in scoring defense, and 4th in total defense. The Tarheel "insiders" and fans are pretty high on Bateman.
But the thing with a program that runs an effective triple option offense, is that it's not just the defense for that team that has the goal of keeping opposing offenses off of the field. Everyone knows that a team will struggle mightily to score points if its offense is never on the field, and games are won by scoring the most points. Typically keeping opposing offenses off of the field falls on your team's defense first and foremost, but with a triple option offense, a team's defense gets major help from the other side of the ball.
Last season (2018), Army led the nation in offensive Time of Possession, by a substantial margin over the #2-best FBS team. In 2017, they were 4th nationally, and in 2016 they were 3rd nationally.
So Army's offense went a long way to helping Army's and Bateman's defense look shiny. Under Head Coach Jeff Monken, they overhauled their offensive approach in 2016: in 2014 & 2015 - Bateman's first 2 seasons as DC - the team was a poor team, and Bateman's defenses were poor defenses.
Now, it will be interesting to see how his defense will perform at UNC. Bateman goes from a hardcore rushing offense - where holding onto the ball on the field and running the game clock is paramount - to a somewhat hardcore passing offense under Tarheel OC Phil Longo. In two seasons as Ole Miss' OC, the Rebels were 13th in the SEC in Time Of Possession for both 2018 & 2017. That was good enough for 123rd and 128th nationally, respectively, the last 2 seasons out of 130 FBS programs. Bateman's defense will NOT get any help from Longo's offense, and less help than most other offenses would give him.
Of course, South Carolina was 130th nationally last season, in offensive Time of Possession. Something we definitely have to improve upon, and it starts with a more effective rush offense. We moved the ball well (43rd in Total Offense), and were effective in overall First Down production (41st in 3rd Down Conversions, 50th in total 1st Downs), so our offensive system has real potential when it's executed well. Our execution last season was not very well at all, in turnovers - particularly in Red-Zone turnovers - and in Red Zone Efficiency (118th nationally in Red Zone Conversion %). Even 2-9 UNC converted better in the Red Zone last season than we did, which is terrible.
But we have a veteran offense at the skill positions. We have a solid OL. UNC has inexperience and lack of depth at QB and WR - despite strength at RB - and return only 2 starters to their OL. We have again great veteran experience and solid depth along the Front 7, while UNC has only 2 experienced DT, but questions along the rest of the DL and LB positions abound. So for this game, most of the advantages on paper are on the Gamecock's side.....
