For the second week in a row, the offense played better in the second half. GamecockScoop takes a look at what went right and some improvements that need to be made.

Marshawn Lloyd touching the ball only 3 times in the first half is inexcusable and South Carolina not attempting to run the ball on it’s first possession from the 5 yard line is baffling. According to Shane Beamer, he went to Marcus Satterfield in the third quarter and told him to get the ball to the playmakers. Why such a conversation needed to take place is bewildering. The offensive play calling that was displayed in the first half Saturday night will cause Carolina to lose ball games later in the year. After all the talk about “running the ball has to be our identity” such was not the case against TAMU, at least not with Lloyd running the ball. Fortunately, the course was corrected in the second half.

At this point in the year, many fans are probably thinking the same thing. Just give the ball to Lloyd. Marshawn Lloyd is playing as well as any running back in the country and needs 25 to 30 touches a game. He is explosive and consistently makes defenders miss. The offensive line has continued to progress and create enough space for Lloyd to run through. Not many teams will be able to neutralize Carolina’s ground game if the offensive coordinator chooses to take advantage of it. GamecockScoop again named Lloyd one of the Players of the Game.

(Above) The OL and perimeter blocking was decent, but Marshawn Lloyd made this play happen. Lloyd ran through tackles and demonstrated his explosiveness bouncing the play outside when it was originally meant to be run in-between the tackles.

Spencer Rattler made a few “wow” throws during the course of the game. In particular, the pass that was dropped by Jalen Brooks in the end zone was a thing of beauty - discounting the drop. TAMU’s defensive backs were not giving the receivers much room, but enough passes were completed to keep the Aggie defensive line from pining their ears back on an all out pass rush. From here on, Rattler does not need to put up gaudy numbers, but instead just make solid decisions throughout the game and convert some key downs.

(Above) Texas A&M had this play well defended, but Rattler threw a perfect pass and Stogner made a difficult catch.

Carolina has a premier running back in Marshawn Lloyd and the rest of the offense should be predicated off of him. Opponents must respect Lloyd’s abilities and in turn variations of play-actions and RPOs should be available. Throwing the ball should always be secondary to the run when Lloyd is in the backfield. “Offensive identity” was the buzz phrase earlier in the season. Now Carolina has one and needs to live in that zone.

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