Gamecocks ready for run game challenge presented by Georgia
South Carolina defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth is enthusiastically awaiting some good ol’ fashioned physical football when Georgia visits Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday for a prime time contest (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).
The Bulldogs are a dying breed in college football. They line up – frequently in the I-formation – and come straight at you, giving no quarter and expecting none in return. No tricks, no gimmicks, no RPOs (Run Pass Options).
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New head coach? Doesn’t matter. Georgia does what Georgia does.
In their first five games, the Bulldogs ran the ball 57.3 percent of the time with junior Nick Chubb (84 carries for 425 yards), freshman Brian Herrien (41 rushes for 258 yards) and junior Sony Michel (39 rushes for 206 yards) handling the bulk of the ball carrying responsibilities.
After facing predominantly spread teams the past four weeks, Stallworth and the Gamecock defense are preparing for a different type of challenge when Georgia arrives in Columbia. This week, Stallworth should be in the center of the action rather than running to the perimeter to make a play.
“The past few teams we’ve played have tried to get out to the perimeter,” Stallworth said Tuesday. “This game, we know Georgia is going to try to run the ball down our throats. We know when they get the ball they are going to run it hard on every play. But we have some different things to fit their personnel.”
Chubb, who burst onto the scene with 1,547 rushing yards as a true freshman in 2014 before suffering a season-ending knee injury midway through 2015, has been cleared by Georgia team doctors to practice this week following his departure from last Saturday’s last-second loss to Tennessee in the first quarter after just one carry because of a sprained ankle.
Muschamp recruited Chubb, a native of Cedartown, Ga., when he was the Florida coach, so he has been familiar with Chubb’s football accomplishments for a long time.
“Chubb is one of the best backs in college football,” Muschamp said. “He runs through contact, has a low center of gravity and really good acceleration, catches the ball well and does a great job in protection. He is an all-around good football player and a great person. I really enjoyed getting to know Nick in recruiting.”
Gamecocks players fully expect to see the 5-foot-10, 228-pound Chubb out on the field taking handoffs from freshman quarterback Jacob Eason on Saturday.
“We’re prepared for him to play,” Bryson Allen-Williams said Tuesday. “They have two great backs. Both Chubb and Michel are very dynamic. Chubb brings a little more power and patience. Michel is a faster, more elusive back. Both are great backs.”
Muschamp said USC expects Chubb to be at “full speed” on Saturday.
Like Stallworth, Allen-Williams is looking forward to the challenge facing a traditional two-back power running team rather than simply another spread team.
“We like playing spread teams, but with two-back power, you get to line up and put your cleats in the ground and go downhill,” Allen-Williams said. “Especially for linebackers. It’s easier for us because we have our shoulders squared to the line of scrimmage and play downhill.”
Georgia could offer the Gamecocks a spread look from time-to-time, after all it is 2016 - but unquestionably the power running game remains the foundation of their offense.
“Georgia does bring some multiple things to their offense, so we’re ready to play against the spread and the two-back style of offense,” Allen-Williams said. “Coach Muschamp and Coach (Travaris) Robinson do a great job with our game plan. We’re very prepared to play both. We’re physical every day in practice, so we’re not doing much different. We just have to work against our fullbacks more on the scout team. There are more downhill, direct runs rather than sideline-to-sideline.”
Without a doubt, the Gamecocks must find ways to improve their run defense before Saturday’s border battle. USC has surrendered 200 or more rushing yards to three of the last four opponents, including 229 yards on 39 carries by Texas A&M last Saturday.
“It’s just misfits and not being in the right gap and not doing the right thing,” Allen-Williams said. “With the good backs and good teams we’re playing against, you can’t just hop out of a gap. One little small hole for a dynamic running back is a 60- or 70-yard touchdown. We have to be sound fitting our gaps.”
The Gamecocks are currently 13th in the SEC in rushing defense (202.0 ypg), and one of two schools allowing 200+ yards per game on the ground.
“We definitely have to improve,” Allen-Williams said. “I feel we gave up too many yards to them. We have to stop the run and force them to throw the football. If we do that, we can do a lot of different things as far as bringing pressure and disguising a little more. The main emphasis for Coach T-Rob and Coach Muschamp this week is stopping the run.”
NOTES:
-- Georgia has trailed in all five of its games this season. Even against lowly I-AA Nicholls State, Georgia trailed 14-13 in the third quarter before pulling out a 26-24 victory.
-- Isaiah McKenzie leads Georgia with 24 receptions for 344 yards and four TDs. The next receiver has 13 receptions. Yet, the junior is listed as a co-backup WR on the Bulldogs current depth chart. “Isaiah McKenzie is a guy that’s really special with the ball in his hands,” Muschamp said. “They’ve been really creative with how they get the ball in his hands.”
-- Special teams could have a significant impact on Saturday’s game. Georgia ranks last in the SEC in punting (35.5 net average) and kickoff coverage (38.2 net average). Georgia is tied with LSU for the fewest touchbacks in the SEC with 6 as less than 25 percent of the Bulldogs kickoffs (6 of 26) have reached the end zone. Georgia has also made just 4-of-9 field goal attempts for the lowest percentage (.444) in the SEC. South Carolina leads the SEC in kickoff returns (28.4 yards), but is last in the conference in punt returns (3.6 yards). The Gamecocks’ longest punt return in the first five games was seven yards.
SEC WEEK 6 SCHEDULE (Sat., Oct. 8)
Auburn at Mississippi State, noon (SEC Network)
LSU at Florida, noon (ESPN)
Tennessee at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Alabama at Arkansas, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Georgia at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
BYE: Ole Miss (3-2), Missouri (2-3).
