Three and out: What we learned from the MSU game
After several positive revelations in week 1, those were few and far between in Carolina's loss to Mississippi State. Here are three things we learned from the Mississippi State game and the aftermath following.
Goal not met - One of the top goals for South Carolina heading into Saturday's Mississippi State game was to tackle well in space on the perimeter. It was talked about ad nauseam throughout the week leading up to the game and was a major area of focus for South Carolina in practice. Carolina appeared to be a much improved tackling team in Week 1, but it reverted back to some of its old ways against the Bulldogs after struggling in that area last season. In reality, Carolina's missed tackles were much more glaring against the Bulldogs. Against Vanderbilt's inside-the-box running game, a missed tackle meant an extra 3 or 4 yards. Against Mississippi State's perimeter game, missed tackles led to explosive plays that Carolina could not overcome.
Goal not met Part II - Will Muschamp bragged on his offensive line this offseason and we repeated multiple times the following: if Carolina is going to be good on offense, then its offensive line is going to have to set the tone until its young players gain a comfort level. Strongly in the category of, "you just never know until you play the games," both true freshman receiver Bryan Edwards and redshirt freshman running back A.J. Turner have been ready for primetime -- the offensive line has not.
I gave (and still give) the line a bit of a pass on the Vanderbilt game. The early mental mistakes were eliminated as the game went on and the line was able to open holes while giving Perry Orth plenty of time to throw. But if the Vandy performance was a solid B, the MSU performance is an F. The line failed to open holes in the running game on early downs and then (now often times in third and longs) was not able to slow down a ferocious MSU pass rush off the edge.
Give the Bulldogs credit. They were fired up and it was a dominant effort. I like to keep things in perspective. This is the SEC and often times fans have too high expectations for their offensive line. Week in, week out, they're going to face extremely talented defensive lines, which will also win their share of battles. But with the way Carolina's o-line played Saturday, the offense never had a chance.
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McIlwain can provide a spark, but fans need to be patient - There's no question that freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain can provide a spark to the offense -- but fans needs to keep their expectations in check. McIlwain is as billed. He's got quickness, good vision and even the ability to push the pile a bit when he has some momentum. He's got a big arm and can make all the throws (quarterback cliches 101). Most importantly, he's got all the intangibles that coaches look for. But he's also just a true freshman, has had inconsistent accuracy, and is going to need time to get comfortable at this level. If I'm the coaches, and McIlwain has a good week of practice, then I roll him out there this week as the starter and see how it goes. I'd expect some "wow" plays where McIlwain shows off his immense talent. And some plays where we're reminded he's a freshman. Just keep it in perspective.