South Carolina took care of business against Charlotte Saturday night. GamecockScoop takes a look at what went right and improvements that can be made. Each week, former HS football coach Perry McCarty (aka CatDaddyP from the old message board days) breaks down what went right and wrong on each side of the football.

It is difficult to find fault in the offense after scoring on 9 out of 11 drives and with 7 of the drives resulting in touchdowns. The biggest issue may have come on the first drive when Carolina probably should have exerted their will and powered the ball into the endzone instead of passing the ball on 3rd down with 2 yards to go. The play resulted in an incompletion and led to a 4th down field goal attempt. Charlotte was then able to drive down the field, score a touchdown, and briefly swung the momentum in their favor.

A noticeable difference against Charlotte was a focus on running the football. As GamecockScoop said before the season started, the running back position is one of the most talented on the team. Credit Coach Satterfield for sticking to only a handful of run plays and calling them relentlessly all night. Satterfield also did an excellent job of running the same plays out of slightly different formations mixed in with some pre-snap motion.

(Above) This is the same counterplay Carolina ran in the Georgia game where Marshawn Lloyd had success.

OL blocked down. RG Gwyn and TE Adkins pulled. WR Vann blocked the DB downfield. Marshawn Lloyd took care of the rest.

When the run game is humming as well as it was against Charlotte the air attack tends to fall by the wayside. Some of the passes felt forced when they should have complimented the rushing attack. RPOs and play-actions are natural additions to the pro-style offense and should be the next focus within the playbook.

Receivers continue to get open when their number is called. Now Spencer Rattler needs to get more comfortable in the offense and not force any throws. Once that happens, Carolina fans will witness an efficient offense as envisioned before the season began.

The offense can still improve even after collecting 545 total yards. Ultra talented Jaheim Bell received far fewer snaps than starting tight end Austin Stogner, while Ahmarean Brown has yet to see many balls thrown his way despite consistently getting open. Throw in underutilized athletes Josh Vann and Juju McDowell and there are still playmakers who have yet to be involved as much as expected.

This is a difficult challenge for the staff as there is only one ball to go around. However, with players as talented as the ones mentioned above, a more concerted effort needs to be taken to get these athletes on the field, at the same time and involved in a higher capacity.

(Above) This is the same counterplay as Lloyd ran above, but in the opposite direction and without the WR sweep option.

OL blocked down. LG Lee and TE Stogner pulled. WR Vann and TE Bell blocked DBs downfield. Christian Beal-Smith almost took the run in for a touchdown.

Make no mistake about it, Charlotte had one of the worst defenses in the FBS. With that being said, Carolina took care of business as they should have with the offensive weapons possessed at the skill positions and a dominant performance by the OL. SC State’s defense will be on par with Charlotte, so the same type of offensive production is expected.

There is little doubt the rushing attack will again be the primary focus, but the next step is a complimentary and efficient passing game. What does that look like? If the flow is natural, large chunks of yardage will be gained, multiple receivers will be involved, and the opposing defense will be kept off balance. Rattler’s QB rating should be through the roof - leading to a dangerous “pick your poison” style of offense.