South Carolina’s rushing attack is one of the best in the SEC this season, with Kevin Harris and Deshaun Fenwick turning into one of the better one-two punches in the conference this year.
Ask anyone—Harris, Fenwick, Will Muschamp—and they’ll say it starts up front with the offensive line good enough to open up holes and pave the way, which is what makes the pass protection so bewildering.
The Gamecocks have given up 15 sacks in five games this year, and Muschamp knows that’s entirely too much if the Gamecocks want to win their fair share of games down the stretch.
“Well we’ve given up too many sacks. That’s number one,” he said. “I don’t know if we’d put everything on the offensive line.”
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The issue was exacerbated in a blowout 52-28 loss to LSU last week where Collin Hill was sacked a whopping five times, the first time South Carolina’s given up five or more sacks since 2017.
But, ask Muschamp, and he said only one of the five fall squarely on the guys up front with the first sack coming after LSU got pressure on left tackle Jazston Turnetine, blowing up a screen play and sacking Hill.
The rest, he said, weren’t on the offensive line.
“We had two routes run wrong in a receiver situation that has nothing to do with the offensive line and the quarterback holds the ball too long on two other sacks,” Muschamp said. “We have to get rid of the football. We had plenty of time to throw the football.”
According to Pro Football Focus, South Carolina’s allowed 38 quarterback hurries and 68 pressures this season.
Those are the worst numbers in the SEC East; the Gamecocks are tied for 11th in the SEC with Auburn in hurries and 11th in allowed hurries. Only Ole Miss (54 hurries, 72 pressures) and Mississippi State (67, 100) have more this season.
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PFF pressure numbers (sorted by allowed pressures)
1. Alabama (13 hurries, 30 allowed pressures)
2. Vanderbilt (18, 30)
3. Kentucky (21, 31)
4. Missouri (20, 32)
5. Georgia (24, 33)
6. Florida (16, 37)
7. Texas A&M (27, 38)
8. Arkansas (20, 41)
9. LSU (28, 49)
10. Auburn (38, 50)
11. Tennessee (26, 53)
12. South Carolina (38, 68)
13. Ole Miss (54, 72)
14. Mississippi State (67, 100)
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It’s caused some shuffling up front with three different players starting at right tackle and two at left, but Muschamp seems to have settled on the combination where Turnetine is playing left with Dylan Wonnum anchoring the right side.
“We’re disappointed with some of the negative plays but it wasn’t all on the offensive line. I think we’ve been really good in the run game as far as getting a hat on a hat and there are things we need to clean up protection-wise,” Muschamp said. “I think we have our best five guys playing now. It has just taken time to get to that point. I do think our best five are on the field right now and we’ll continue to improve as the year goes.”
