Offensive line looks to shake off sluggish start to season
Hours after being physically dominated by Mississippi State, Sunday’s film session wasn’t a whole lot of fun for the South Carolina offensive line.
Third down sacks on the Gamecocks’ first two possessions set an undesirable early tone and USC never fully recovered. The blocking in the second half improved moderately, but not enough to allow the Gamecocks to rally all the way back from a formidable 24-0 halftime deficit.
“We just try to control the line of scrimmage, and that’s all we can do. We set the tempo for the entire game for the entire team,” Alan Knott said after Saturday’s game. “It all starts up front. When we don’t get it done, it causes the morale to go down on the team.”
USC averaged 3.14 yards per first half play at Vanderbilt, 2.73 yards at Mississippi State, totaling less than 100 first-half yards in each game. Through two games, the Gamecocks are averaging 2.92 yards per play in the first half and have scored zero points.
Certainly, sluggish blocking by the USC offensive line is partly to blame for the lack of first-half scoring so far this season.
“I thought we ran the ball extremely well in the second half at Vanderbilt against a very good defense,” head coach Will Muschamp said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “We got whipped in Starkville, no doubt about that. We need to do a little better job schematically to help our guys up front.
“We’ve talked about of putting them in some different spots as far as the run game and protections are concerned. We need to do a better job as coaches. On the flip side, we have to do a better job at the point of attack. It’s a combination of both.”
Unless the Gamecocks quickly find a solution, slow starts in the first half by the USC offense, and the offensive line in particular, could continue being a serious problem.
“We had poor execution on most of our plays,” Corey Helms said. “They were beating us to the punch at the line of scrimmage. We have to start off faster. We picked it up a little bit at the end. Last week (at Vanderbilt), we killed ourselves with penalties. This game, we started slow.”
Mason Zandi, beaten cleanly on Saturday night’s first sack surrendered by the Gamecocks, said the prolonged halftime caused by a lightning delay allowed the Gamecocks to regroup and refocus in the locker room.
“We made adjustments (in the second half) and went out there and played ball,” Zandi said. “The offensive line has to open up some holes, It begins up front. I take responsibility for that. We had a few missed assignments and we didn’t take into some shifts and motions. Being a fifth-year guy, I let the front five down and let everybody know about it.”
The offensive line focused Sunday on fixing the problems that caused Saturday night’s poor outing.
“We watched the film on Sunday and figured out what we were doing wrong,” Zac Bailey said. “We’re trying to get a better pace for this next game. We committed a bunch of silly mistakes, stuff we can correct. But it was big in the end (on Saturday). It drove us crazy. Doing the little things right is where it starts. We just have to start faster. We all see it. That’s our biggest goal right now – when we get out there, it’s time to go. Don’t wait until later.”
USC averaged less than one yard per carry in the first half at Mississippi State, finishing with 34 yards on 31 carries.
“We just have to get going,” Zac Bailey said. “We have a young running back (AJ Turner) who is very talented. We have to get him with a good stride and allow him to get some confidence. He’ll become a playmaker.”
Zandi understands the possibilities if the offensive line can start opening up wider holes for Turner and get back to playing and practicing fast.
“He’s an SEC talent,” Zandi said about Turner. “If we get him in space and give him the blocking he needs, he can make plays because he can make one guy miss. We have to start fast. We have to hit the practice field fast, the meeting room fast and come into the building with enthusiasm and excitement and get things done.”
Helms doesn’t anticipate major issues getting the offensive line back on track in time for Saturday’s 4 p.m. home opener against East Carolina.
“We have a lot of guys on our offense that really care about this a lot,” Helms said. “We came off the field and everybody was pissed off. There was no smiling or laughing around. Everybody wants to get back on track, and I don’t think it will he hard at all.”
When will the USC offensive line begin to turn the corner?
“Becoming a physical and dominant offensive line is our main goal,” Bailey said. “We want to start bullying people.”
Saturday’s home opener might be the medicine the Gamecocks offensive line requires to begin playing well again.
“I think a home game is type of kick in the butt we need to get ourselves going,” D.J. Park said.
NOTES:
-- Helms on Brandon McIlwain’s presence in the huddle: “He’s a good player. We’ve had respect for him since the day he got here. We treat him like any other guy back there telling us what to do.”
-- The starting trio in the offensive line interior is currently Bailey and Helms at guard, and Alan Knott at center. Zandi and D.J. Park are the starting tackles. Malik Young is the third tackle with Blake Camper sidelined with a high ankle sprain. “He’s been here for three years,” Park said about Young. “We know he can play and he knows he can do it. He’s just waiting for his chance.”
