OFFENSE
Rattler has been a surprise, although not in a way most would have thought. While Rattler displayed a solid performance in the 2nd half against Kentucky, and also against lower level teams in Charlotte and SC State, he has been inconsistent to say the least. His completion rating of nearly 66% is solid, but his touchdown to interception ratio of 5 to 8 must improve in the back half of the season. Rattler has an elite arm and for Carolina to finish strong, Rattler will need to pair the mental aspects of the offense with his physical abilities.
There was little doubt who the leader of the running back corps was coming into the season. Insiders can view columns here regarding GamecockScoop’s preseason outlooks. Lloyd’s performance is not a surprise, but the amount of time it took for Lloyd to receive substantial touches is a surprise. Lloyd is as talented as any college running back when he’s healthy. Expect him to continue to be featured as the year wears on.
Expectations were high for Josh Vann coming into the season, but it has been Jalen Brooks and Juice Wells who have developed into the main playmakers at receiver. Rattler developed an early report with Wells after arriving on campus, which carried into the regular season. Brooks was initially an afterthought, but is now in the best shape of his life and looks explosive with the ball in his hands.
The lack of snaps for Jaheim Bell is somewhat jarring, which is the same amount as Trey Adkins and 140 snaps less than Austin Stogner. When Bell is in the game he is clearly targeted in some capacity, whether that is running the ball out of the backfield or catching it on the perimeter. Oddly enough, Bell has not received many opportunities across the middle of the field where he would be a matchup problem for most defenders. Coach Satterfield did say that Bell’s blocking needed to improve, which is something GamecockScoop touched on in the preseason, but Bell is too much of a weapon to not find other ways to involve in the offense.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The offensive line has taken a similar route to 2021 where they started slow and progressed throughout the season. What is surprising is the manner in which they seemed to regress from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, especially while returning all 5 starters. It is intriguing that the OL has improved their performance despite battling injuries. Eric Douglas and Jovaughn Gwyn have been mainstays. A positive takeaway from the musical chairs situation the rest of the OL has faced is multiple players have received significant experience, which should pay dividends down the road.
