Offense struggling to utilize playmakers

Throughout this 2-4 season, fans and media alike have pointed out that South Carolina just doesn't have the talent at several positions to compete at the SEC level. There are certainly areas that could use major upgrades, but after Sunday's 28-14 loss to Georgia, it's clear to me that this team isn't as starved for talent as it may seem at times.

After missing three games with an hamstring injury, receiver Deebo Samuel put forth a strong effort in his return, catching all four of his targets for 90 yards and scoring on an 8-yard run.

Tight end Hayden Hurst hauled in six of his eight targets for 86 yards and running back Rico Dowdle averaged 4.3 yards per rush, though he only ran seven times.

All three players had efficient days, but the offense still sputtered. There is talent, but the Gamecocks are struggling to utilize the weapons it has.

Perhaps the best example of this is the case of Bryan Edwards, South Carolina's promising freshman receiver.

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Pro Football Focus grades players based upon their individual performance on each play, irrespective of the rest of the team's performance. For example, if a receiver runs a perfect route and the quarterback overthrows him, the receiver is still graded positively for the play, even though the play was unsuccessful.

PFF only grades certain college players, but I'll look this week to see if Edwards was graded. If so, I'd expect the grades to show that Edwards had a fantastic game.

He caught only three passes on seven targets for 35 yards, but the other four passes weren't very catchable and Perry Orth missed him several times throughout the game.

On South Carolina's second drive, the Gamecocks took a shot down the field to Edwards who had a step and a half on the defender. The pass, which was underthrown, should have gone for six. Edwards had to make a good play just to prevent an interception. In the third quarter, Orth again had Edwards deep, but instead threw to a double-covered Hurst rather than the open Edwards. The drive ended in a touchdown, but the first play should have gone for six. On the interception, the linebacker followed Hurst on a corner route, leaving Edwards open for the first down, but Orth misread the defense.

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With so many players having successful days, one would expect that South Carolina would put up more than 14 points. Sure, three turnovers hurt the Gamecocks, but they still had four more explosive plays (20+ yards) than the Bulldogs. The potential is there, but not the consistency.

South Carolina has playmakers, but the inconsistent quarterback and line play is limiting the consistency with which those players can touch the ball. In retrospect, the offense could have benefitted by getting Dowdle more touches, but the bigger key is getting him touches in space.

The coaching staff will have two weeks to figure out how to get the playmakers the ball with more consistency. It could be as simple as calling more screen passes (to the backs and receivers, not the tight ends) or going to the second option on some of the same play designs. For example, Orth handed off to Turner after sending Edwards in motion four times on a read play. Adding the option to fake the run and throw to Edwards in the flat could lead to big plays.

The coaching staff is hamstrung by the talent at the quarterback to a certain extent. Orth, as a former walk-on, will not be consistent enough to make the correct read and hit his target every play, but the coaching staff can still look into ways to get some of the playmakers on the outside more involved.

Against UMass and ultimately Tennessee, Missouri and Florida, South Carolina has to figure out how to get the ball to its best players in space. Samuel, Dowdle, AJ Turner, Edwards and Hurst have proven themselves reliable, SEC-level talents, but that talent is wasted if they don't touch the ball.

It'll be interesting to see if the coaches can find a way to get their playmakers the ball. At this point, these five are the only offensive threats the Gamecocks possess. The key is making the most of them.