Reasons for optimism for South Carolina football

Now six games into its 2018 season with a key matchup versus Tennessee on the horizon this weekend, there's more data on what this South Carolina team is, and what's going to have to happen for the Gamecocks to have another strong close to their season.

The first six games have offered a smorgasbord of results. The Gamecocks' offense has been explosive at times, but not nearly consistent enough, and the running game has been up and down - sometimes due to inefficiency and other times due to abandonment.

Similarly, the Carolina defense - which has dealt with some unfortunate injuries - has struggled with consistency as well.

In this multi-part feature, Gamecock Central will analyze what's gone wrong to create South Carolina's 3-3 start and if the issues are fixable moving forward.

ALSO SEE: Part 1 - Turnover margin isn't what it has been | Part 2 - "Big-time players make big-time plays" | Part 3 - Inconsistent running game