Saturday nights impressions and takeaways
Sept. 25, 2022
Still, a long way to go but last night's performance has the Gamecocks moving in the right direction
Gamecocks' offense improved under Rattler and Lloyd
Even in its first win of the season against Georgia State, the offense looked shaky at times. The Gamecocks (2-2) posted just two offensive touchdowns on the Panthers, whereas the 49ers scored five TDs against the same GSU team last week. But in its 56-20 win on Saturday, The Gamecock resembled an offense with a sense of direction. South Carolina scored on nine of its 11 possessions, with seven touchdowns.
The 56 points were the most in the Shane Beamer era. The team also scored more than 50 points against an FBS team for the first time since 2013. “We wanted to celebrate a lot,” quarterback
Winning can be the mental attitude needed for what lies ahead for the Gamecocks
Spencer Rattler said. “We got in the endzone a lot and we celebrated a lot. It’s a great feeling.”
The play-calling was consistent throughout the game, with the team mostly running the ball through the Charlotte defense or calling screen passes for the receivers to pick up yards after the catch. The team ran the ball 40 times on the 49ers, resulting in 295 rushing yards. Head coach Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield have spoken about simplifying the playbook for the offense as the season goes along.
On Saturday, Gamecocks found a game plan that worked consistently, giving the team 545 yards of total offense. “All we did tonight was run the counterplay over and over again,” Beamer said. MarShawn Lloyd electrified the offense with his career-high 169 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a hurdle on a touchdown run that ignited the crowd.
On the defensive side
Sometime around the start of Saturday’s second half, frustrated South Carolina linebacker Brad Johnson turned to defensive lineman Zacch Pickens on the Gamecocks sidelines. “We gotta get off the field,” Johnson told his teammate. “We need the ball back.” Long before the final whistle blew on the Gamecocks' 56-20 win over Charlotte, Saturday’s game had the makings of a shootout. The Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2 SEC) led by just six points at halftime, and the Gamecock defense seemed powerless against quarterback Chris Reynolds and the 49ers. Every time the Gamecock defense seemed poised to get off the field, some sort of mistake would follow.
Three times in the first half, a South Carolina defender was flagged for pass interference. A fourth call was declined in the end zone after Charlotte scored. Twice, USC defenders had an interception in their sights only to drop it. Most frustratingly for the Gamecocks, the 49ers converted all seven of their first seven third-down attempts.
The Gamecocks didn’t force their first punt until the very end of the first half. Head coach Shane Beamer called the first-half defensive performance “lethargic.” While he usually spends halftime bouncing around from position group to position group, Beamer spent the entire period with his defense, listening in to defensive coordinator Clayton White’s message. The Gamecocks weren’t going change their game plan, but they were going to adjust their effort. White, Beamer and the Gamecock staff challenged their defense to channel their competitive spirit.
Thw defense listened and growing. The second half opened with the Gamecocks forcing its second punt of the game buoyed by a first career sack from edge lineman Gilber Edmond. On the next drive moments after Johnson told Pickens that the Gamecocks needed a turnover the veteran linebacker recorded the Gamecocks first interception of the game and first gamecock pick since Week 1. Defensive lineman Jordan Burch raised his arm and deflected the pass from Reynolds, then Johnson corralled the ball and returned it 15 yards to set up an easy scoring drive. “Defensive plays — they come in bunches, especially like turnovers and stuff,” Johnson said. “So just with Gil making that play, boosting our momentum on defense for a good start coming out of halftime, I think that just added fuel to the fire.
Before Saturday, the Gamecocks had just one pick all season by Marcellas Dial in Week 1’s win over Georgia State. Beamer said he and his staff have tried not to talk about turnovers too much during practice, not wanting their players to press or to force plays that aren’t there. But after consecutive SEC losses, the Gamecocks three interceptions Saturday could provide an injury-maligned defense with a much-needed jolt. The three picks are the most Gamecocks' have recorded in a game since the team’s Oct. 17, 2020 win over Auburn.
One last look back MarShawn Lloyd ‘ran the ball with bad intentions.’
Saturday night for South Carolina’s starting tailback was a coming-out party. for him, It was a night to forget about the high school recruiting hype and injury issues. It was a night that, after three years and countless hurdles, Lloyd’s physical leap over an opposing defensive back ensured that he had to talk about his own play even if only for a second.
“That’s what I came to South Carolina for the energy, to win,” the redshirt sophomore said after the Gamecocks' 55-20 throttling of Charlotte. “We got a great overall team win and I’m super excited about that.” Backtrack from his airborne acrobatics for a moment. Let’s refresh, shall we?
It’s Lloyd’s backfield in Columbia, and Saturday was proof. Lloyd smirks when asked about Charlotte safety Wayne Jones. He assures there’s no ill-will toward the one-time Kansas State transfer. Jones never stole Lloyd’s lunch money in a past life or said something he shouldn’t have pregame.
But, man, it sure looked like Jones did something to awaken a sleeping monster. Said head coach Shane Beamer: “He ran the ball with bad intentions tonight.” Three times Lloyd scored on Saturday. Three times he went past, through, or literally over Jones to get to pay dirt.
There was the crippling sidestep Lloyd hit him with on his third touchdown scamper. His second score included bowling over Jones with such power it looked as though it could’ve been induced by the flick of an Xbox joystick. Then there was the jump.
Darting through a hole wide enough to drive a Mack truck through in Saturday’s second quarter, Lloyd reached the second level of the Charlotte defense and squared-up Jones.
With a plant and a leap, Lloyd went airborne. He cleared Jones with the ease of an Olympic hurdler. Lloyd promptly landed, planted and cut back to the left sideline as he outraced the rest of the 49ers defense to the pylon for the first highlight-reel touchdown of his Gamecocks career.
Worth one more look:
Sept. 25, 2022
Still, a long way to go but last night's performance has the Gamecocks moving in the right direction
Gamecocks' offense improved under Rattler and Lloyd
Even in its first win of the season against Georgia State, the offense looked shaky at times. The Gamecocks (2-2) posted just two offensive touchdowns on the Panthers, whereas the 49ers scored five TDs against the same GSU team last week. But in its 56-20 win on Saturday, The Gamecock resembled an offense with a sense of direction. South Carolina scored on nine of its 11 possessions, with seven touchdowns.
The 56 points were the most in the Shane Beamer era. The team also scored more than 50 points against an FBS team for the first time since 2013. “We wanted to celebrate a lot,” quarterback
Winning can be the mental attitude needed for what lies ahead for the Gamecocks
Spencer Rattler said. “We got in the endzone a lot and we celebrated a lot. It’s a great feeling.”
The play-calling was consistent throughout the game, with the team mostly running the ball through the Charlotte defense or calling screen passes for the receivers to pick up yards after the catch. The team ran the ball 40 times on the 49ers, resulting in 295 rushing yards. Head coach Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield have spoken about simplifying the playbook for the offense as the season goes along.
On Saturday, Gamecocks found a game plan that worked consistently, giving the team 545 yards of total offense. “All we did tonight was run the counterplay over and over again,” Beamer said. MarShawn Lloyd electrified the offense with his career-high 169 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a hurdle on a touchdown run that ignited the crowd.
On the defensive side
Sometime around the start of Saturday’s second half, frustrated South Carolina linebacker Brad Johnson turned to defensive lineman Zacch Pickens on the Gamecocks sidelines. “We gotta get off the field,” Johnson told his teammate. “We need the ball back.” Long before the final whistle blew on the Gamecocks' 56-20 win over Charlotte, Saturday’s game had the makings of a shootout. The Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2 SEC) led by just six points at halftime, and the Gamecock defense seemed powerless against quarterback Chris Reynolds and the 49ers. Every time the Gamecock defense seemed poised to get off the field, some sort of mistake would follow.
Three times in the first half, a South Carolina defender was flagged for pass interference. A fourth call was declined in the end zone after Charlotte scored. Twice, USC defenders had an interception in their sights only to drop it. Most frustratingly for the Gamecocks, the 49ers converted all seven of their first seven third-down attempts.
The Gamecocks didn’t force their first punt until the very end of the first half. Head coach Shane Beamer called the first-half defensive performance “lethargic.” While he usually spends halftime bouncing around from position group to position group, Beamer spent the entire period with his defense, listening in to defensive coordinator Clayton White’s message. The Gamecocks weren’t going change their game plan, but they were going to adjust their effort. White, Beamer and the Gamecock staff challenged their defense to channel their competitive spirit.
Thw defense listened and growing. The second half opened with the Gamecocks forcing its second punt of the game buoyed by a first career sack from edge lineman Gilber Edmond. On the next drive moments after Johnson told Pickens that the Gamecocks needed a turnover the veteran linebacker recorded the Gamecocks first interception of the game and first gamecock pick since Week 1. Defensive lineman Jordan Burch raised his arm and deflected the pass from Reynolds, then Johnson corralled the ball and returned it 15 yards to set up an easy scoring drive. “Defensive plays — they come in bunches, especially like turnovers and stuff,” Johnson said. “So just with Gil making that play, boosting our momentum on defense for a good start coming out of halftime, I think that just added fuel to the fire.
Before Saturday, the Gamecocks had just one pick all season by Marcellas Dial in Week 1’s win over Georgia State. Beamer said he and his staff have tried not to talk about turnovers too much during practice, not wanting their players to press or to force plays that aren’t there. But after consecutive SEC losses, the Gamecocks three interceptions Saturday could provide an injury-maligned defense with a much-needed jolt. The three picks are the most Gamecocks' have recorded in a game since the team’s Oct. 17, 2020 win over Auburn.
One last look back MarShawn Lloyd ‘ran the ball with bad intentions.’
Saturday night for South Carolina’s starting tailback was a coming-out party. for him, It was a night to forget about the high school recruiting hype and injury issues. It was a night that, after three years and countless hurdles, Lloyd’s physical leap over an opposing defensive back ensured that he had to talk about his own play even if only for a second.
“That’s what I came to South Carolina for the energy, to win,” the redshirt sophomore said after the Gamecocks' 55-20 throttling of Charlotte. “We got a great overall team win and I’m super excited about that.” Backtrack from his airborne acrobatics for a moment. Let’s refresh, shall we?
It’s Lloyd’s backfield in Columbia, and Saturday was proof. Lloyd smirks when asked about Charlotte safety Wayne Jones. He assures there’s no ill-will toward the one-time Kansas State transfer. Jones never stole Lloyd’s lunch money in a past life or said something he shouldn’t have pregame.
But, man, it sure looked like Jones did something to awaken a sleeping monster. Said head coach Shane Beamer: “He ran the ball with bad intentions tonight.” Three times Lloyd scored on Saturday. Three times he went past, through, or literally over Jones to get to pay dirt.
There was the crippling sidestep Lloyd hit him with on his third touchdown scamper. His second score included bowling over Jones with such power it looked as though it could’ve been induced by the flick of an Xbox joystick. Then there was the jump.
Darting through a hole wide enough to drive a Mack truck through in Saturday’s second quarter, Lloyd reached the second level of the Charlotte defense and squared-up Jones.
With a plant and a leap, Lloyd went airborne. He cleared Jones with the ease of an Olympic hurdler. Lloyd promptly landed, planted and cut back to the left sideline as he outraced the rest of the 49ers defense to the pylon for the first highlight-reel touchdown of his Gamecocks career.
Worth one more look:
