Gamecocks run game struggles 'very correctable'
South Carolina defensively has done enough to stay in most games, but there’s one glaring issue right now with the potential to cause the Gamecocks to struggle this weekend.
The Gamecocks’ rush defense is going through a rough patch, especially in SEC play, and they’re trying to get that on track for the final half of the season.
“We definitely want to improve that area. Evaluating things over a short period of time, you definitely want things to be better,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “We feel right now there are a variety of run games—running back runs, there’s quarterback-plus runs, there are scrambles—all of that stuff adds up to one and we’re just going to continue to fight. Obviously there’s a lot of football left and things to be corrected.”
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This year the Gamecocks are allowing opponents to rush for 4.4 yards per carry and they’ve allowed teams to rush for at least 4.8 yards per carry in four straight games.
In SEC play it’s been a struggle with Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee combining to rush 124 times for 661 yards, an average of 5.3 yards per carry. That number, when taking out sack yardage, goes to 5.9 yards per carry.
“Phew, it’s been a little trouble but we’re getting better at it,” Zacch Pickens said. “Without Sherrod Greene it was different but Damani is coming up, he’s stepping up and getting better. We’re all getting better as one.”
It’s been an adjustment for the Gamecocks with starting linebacker Sherrod Greene going down for an extended period of time early in the Georgia game and the defense having to adjust to that.
In his stead has been Damani Staley and, in parts, Mo Kaba, who White said has been developing well with increased practice reps.
The good news for South Carolina is the coaching staff feels like the run defense can get better and the kinks can be ironed out, but those will need to happen quickly with some pivotal games coming up.
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“We feel the mistakes we’re making are very correctable. We feel like we have the talent, know we have the talent, to go out there and play better run defense,” White said. “That’s the goal. As coaches, we take it very hard, and our players do too. That’s the most important thing. Our whole team knows stopping the run and running the football is the formula for winning.”
The run defense has a chance to get right this week against a Vanderbilt team near the bottom of the SEC in yards per rush (3.3), a spot behind the Gamecocks offensively.
Vanderbilt, though, has the ability to run the ball at times with Shane Beamer quick to talk about the Commodores’ 247-yard, 5.6 yards per carry performance in week three against Stanford, a 41-23 loss.
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“I know Stanford plays good defense and Vanderbilt lined up and rushed the ball for 247 yards against Stanford earlier in the season; 247 yards against Stanford,” he said.
“We certainly haven’t been our best at stopping the run against Kentucky and Tennessee so it’s going to be a big challenge for our defense to play gap sound football, play physical football and create some turnovers which we didn’t do in Knoxville.”
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