All things considered, South Carolina football is sitting in good shape at the bye week.

The Gamecocks have recovered from a 1-2 start to reach a 4-2 record halfway through the regular season, and snapped several of the uglier trends within the program with a 24-14 statement win at Kentucky last week.

The team has lost three players to season-ending injuries in tight end Chad Terrell, linebacker Mo Kaba and defensive end Jordan Strachan. But outside of the trio, the team is as healthy as it has been all season with “no new injuries” coming out of the Kentucky game according to Shane Beamer.

But before the team turns its attention to another primetime home game next Saturday with Texas A&M traveling to Columbia, it is time to look back at the first half of the season with a midseason report card.

Compared to preseason expectations, transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler has had a rocky first half. His eight interceptions put him tied for second in all of FBS and alone atop the SEC, although three of the eight were tipped balls. Still, Rattler has only thrown for five touchdowns and broken 230 passing yards once in six games.

However, Rattler has come up big in crucial moments. He completed his final seven passes of the game on the road at Kentucky, and helped lead the offense on a touchdown drive in the third quarter against Georgia State after the Panthers took a 14-12 lead. His season-high in passing yards — 377 yards — came at Arkansas while trying to rally the team from a 21-3 deficit.

It’s hard to ask for much more than South Carolina has received from its rushing attack. MarShawn Lloyd is averaging 5.8 yards per carry and has 434 yards on the ground for the season with seven rushing touchdowns and two more scores out of the passing game.

Wake Forest transfer Christian Beal-Smith spent the early portion of the campaign working back from an injury, but has picked up three touchdowns in short yardage. JuJu McDowell has been a strong weapon for Rattler in the passing game on screen passes out in space with 14 receptions for 101 yards.

This is a difficult one to gauge because of how the offense has found most of its success on the ground, but the receivers have made plays when they’ve had chances. James Madison transfer Antwane Wells Jr. is leading the team with 27 receptions and 375 yards, including his signature moment on a 43-yard touchdown at Kentucky. Jalen Brooks has not scored a touchdown yet, but he has emerged as one of Rattler’s most explosive targets with a team-high 16.8 yards per reception.

If there has been a disappointment though, it has been the lack of targets for Josh Vann and Dakereon Joyner. The two combined for 67 catches, 900 yards and eight touchdowns in the passing game last year. Midway through 2022, the two have caught a total of six passes for 28 yards without a touchdown.

It is hard to feel too disappointed about a lot around the program right now, but it does feel like the tight end group has barely scratched the surface of what it has the potential to achieve. Jaheim Bell was second on the team in receiving yards last season but has been quiet with just 137 through six games and no touchdowns.

Oklahoma transfer Austin Stogner has been similarly quiet with 10 catches for 94 yards and one touchdown. Part of it is a symptom of the larger passing game struggles, but South Carolina will likely need more from its tight ends in the second half of the season to keep the momentum going on offense.

The offensive line fell under heavy criticism after an inauspicious start in the season-opening win over Georgia State, but the unit has fought through some injuries and responded well. Even without starting tackles Jaylen Nichols and Dylan Wonnum being completely healthy, the team has found a way to roll out consistently successful combinations both in run blocking and pass protection.

Rattler has only been sacked three times in the last four games, and the run blocking has cleared lanes well for Lloyd. Right guard Jovaughn Gwyn in particular has anchored the unit, and was honored last week with the SEC offensive lineman of the week award after the win at Kentucky.

After losing a starter for the season in Strachan, seeing starting defensive tackle Alex Huntley only be available for half of the six games as well as having North Carolina State transfer Terrell Dawkins go down with an injury, this group has played well above expectations.

Zacch Pickens has shown why he had NFL interest with a forceful presence in the middle of the field. His regular partner has been a rotation with Huntley out, but Tonka Hemingway has seized his opportunity with two sacks and a fumble recovery already. Jordan Burch entered the season with just one sack in his college career but has 2.5 so far and is tied for third on the team in tackles with 27.

Arkansas torched this group for 295 rushing yards and Georgia found similar success, but it responded well and had its best performance of the season at Kentucky by neutralizing running back Chris Rodriguez and registering six sacks.

Like a lot of areas of this team, the linebackers struggled a lot in the early stages but have come around lately. The injury to Kaba was a body blow, but Sherrod Greene has filled the void nicely with 32 tackles and an interception. Brad Johnson and Debo Williams have received the majority of the remaining reps at linebacker and are coming around well with run support.

The one drawback for this group has been its coverage on the perimeter. Arkansas, Georgia and even Charlotte for the first half all found consistent success with outside zone runs and screen passes, but the last 2.5 games have been the best the linebacking corps has looked in 2022.

This group has been prone to pass interference penalties, but on the whole it has fought through injuries and lived up to its preseason hype as one of the strengths of the roster. Projected first-round draft pick Cam Smith missed 1.5 games after suffering a second quarter injury against Arkansas, but the Gamecocks are 4-0 when he plays from start to finish.

Marcellas Dial is the lone player on the defense with multiple interceptions, and freshman DQ Smith has filled his role well in place of the injured Darius Rush.

It is borderline miraculous South Carolina’s safeties have played so well given the injury trouble. Starter R.J. Roderick has not been fully healthy since he suffered an arm injury on the first drive of the season against Georgia State, and his partner Devonni Reed also missed the Kentucky game. South Carolina has leaned heavily on true freshman Nick Emmanwori, and he has answered the call with a team-high 37 tackles.

David Spaulding had never played safety before this season, but he has filled in at times due to the slew of injuries and stepped up, including with a forced fumble and an interception at Kentucky.

There is almost nothing to fault here. If it could be higher than A+, it would be. Mitch Jeter is 6-of-6 on field goals and 15-of-16 on extra points. His kicking mate Alex Herrera has made all three of his attempts. Pete Lembo’s unit has already blocked five punts on the season, tied for the national lead.

South Carolina is also ranked 13th out of 131 FBS teams in kick return defense with only 15.2 yards allowed on average and ninth in punt return defense at a microscopic 1.5 yards per return.

Kai Kroeger is averaging 43.4 yards per punt and has already pinned opponents inside the 20 on 11 occasions.