Gamecocks' offensive line struggles continue what next to help improve
Sept. 08, 2022
The team did have its woes, though, as South Carolina managed just 79 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry on Saturday. Oftentimes against Georgia State, Spencer Rattler found himself scrambling outside of the pocket when plays broke down. The offensive line appeared to struggle at times against the Panthers defensive line, but head coach Shane Beamer said that blocking was an overall team problem.
“Receiver-wise, we got our butts kicked on the perimeter blocking,” Beamer said in his weekly teleconference. “Tight endwise, we had some sloppy routes. We got our butts kicked, blocking on the perimeter. So we all had a hand in it.” Redshirt-senior Jovaughn Gwyn said the offensive line meets after every game to watch film and discuss ways to improve, which they did after the Georgia State game. They met with offensive line coach Nate Adkins and offensive analyst Lonnie Teasley to go over improvements.
“We won, but at the end of the day, there was a lot of stuff that we needed to work on,” Gwyn said. “So we took that Sunday and Monday, learned what we needed to get better at, and we just took that and ran with it today.” Going against the defensive line of Arkansas presents different challenges from the Georgia State unit. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield pointed out the size of the Razorback defenders compared to the Panthers. He mentioned proper angling as a way to get the offensive line to hold up on Saturday.
“We’ve had to pull back a lot, which is probably good in the run game just because we can’t rep it all versus all the different looks,” Satterfield said. “We’ve got a nice, simple attack and attack these guys. And hopefully, our offensive line improves.” It will be key for the Gamecocks to improve in the run game, as they face an Arkansas team that specializes in that area. A strong ground game can also allow the Gamecocks to keep the opposing offense off the field and control the clock. “We got to be able to run the football,” Beamer said. “If they’re able to make us one dimensional or make any team one dimensional, it’s hard to call plays that way.”
Pass protection will also be key for South Carolina. Though Rattler is mobile, ensuring that he has time to throw will help provide balance to the offensive game plan. He threw one touchdown last week and also helped lead a separate touchdown drive. Going against Arkansas, offensive productivity will be needed to match the Razorbacks’ opposing backfield, and that begins with the Gamecock's ability to block both in the trenches and on the outside. “Good thing about the offensive line, we’re not the only ones out there,” center Eric Douglas said. “Everybody’s got to look at themselves, not just the five on the offense line, the whole 11 on the field to see what they can get better on and just improve each week.”