As the South Carolina offense continues to find its way, head coach Will Muschamp wants to see balanced numbers in running and throwing the football.
Last week against UMass – the offense’s best output of the season with 34 points and 395 yards – the ball was run 44 times and 26 passes were attempted. While the offense did look its best and scored a season high in points, that 16-play difference in running and throwing the football was the biggest margin of the season.
South Carolina’s runs/passes per game:
at Vanderbilt: 32/30
at Miss. St.: 31/39
East Carolina: 25/28
at Kentucky: 35/30
Texas A&M: 35/35
Georgia: 30/36
UMass: 44/26
Against Tennessee on Saturday, finding that balance on offense will be important in not having defensive end Derek Barnett keyed in on rushing the passer or stopping the run.
“He can change the game. We have to account for him in everything,” Muschamp said. “When you stay balanced, it is very difficult on a defense because, you are sitting there thinking in your mind, ‘OK, I want to run a pass pressure and run an overload.’ Well, if they run it the other way we’ve got a problem. That’s why to me it is so important to be balanced in what you do.”
Being balanced on offense and having good games because of it starts with being good on first down. There is a number the Gamecocks first-year head coach has in mind for that, too.
“I think we are always wanting to be efficient on first down offensively, we want to be playing second-and-6 or less. You don’t want to be second-and-7 plus,” Muschamp said. “You’re always looking for first-down efficiency. We would like to be balanced down the middle, 50/50 based on run and pass.”
Success on first down eliminates the probability of a second down play having to be a pass with the offense backed up. Having success in those first two plays then trickles down to a third-and-three/third-and-two play being just as much a passing down as it is a running down.
"For us we need to quit beating ourselves. As soon as we go first down, we get a penalty and it totally kills our drives. As long as we’re moving forward and we’re sharp and crisp with everything, we are able to sustain drives and move the ball down the field," tight end Hayden Hurst said. "We put ourselves in third-and-long, which is hard to pick up because defense can read what you are doing."
Tennessee's rush defense ranks 11th in the SEC, allowing 215 yards per game. Its pass defense ranks seventh in the SEC, allowing 211 yards per game. A balanced defense in terms of the amount of yards it gives up per pass and per run should be a good test for a Gamecocks offense trying to have success running and throwing the football.
Last week against UMass – the offense’s best output of the season with 34 points and 395 yards – the ball was run 44 times and 26 passes were attempted. While the offense did look its best and scored a season high in points, that 16-play difference in running and throwing the football was the biggest margin of the season.
South Carolina’s runs/passes per game:
at Vanderbilt: 32/30
at Miss. St.: 31/39
East Carolina: 25/28
at Kentucky: 35/30
Texas A&M: 35/35
Georgia: 30/36
UMass: 44/26
Against Tennessee on Saturday, finding that balance on offense will be important in not having defensive end Derek Barnett keyed in on rushing the passer or stopping the run.
“He can change the game. We have to account for him in everything,” Muschamp said. “When you stay balanced, it is very difficult on a defense because, you are sitting there thinking in your mind, ‘OK, I want to run a pass pressure and run an overload.’ Well, if they run it the other way we’ve got a problem. That’s why to me it is so important to be balanced in what you do.”
Being balanced on offense and having good games because of it starts with being good on first down. There is a number the Gamecocks first-year head coach has in mind for that, too.
“I think we are always wanting to be efficient on first down offensively, we want to be playing second-and-6 or less. You don’t want to be second-and-7 plus,” Muschamp said. “You’re always looking for first-down efficiency. We would like to be balanced down the middle, 50/50 based on run and pass.”
Success on first down eliminates the probability of a second down play having to be a pass with the offense backed up. Having success in those first two plays then trickles down to a third-and-three/third-and-two play being just as much a passing down as it is a running down.
"For us we need to quit beating ourselves. As soon as we go first down, we get a penalty and it totally kills our drives. As long as we’re moving forward and we’re sharp and crisp with everything, we are able to sustain drives and move the ball down the field," tight end Hayden Hurst said. "We put ourselves in third-and-long, which is hard to pick up because defense can read what you are doing."
Tennessee's rush defense ranks 11th in the SEC, allowing 215 yards per game. Its pass defense ranks seventh in the SEC, allowing 211 yards per game. A balanced defense in terms of the amount of yards it gives up per pass and per run should be a good test for a Gamecocks offense trying to have success running and throwing the football.
