Dowell Loggains: Changes coming in 'multiple areas' to South Carolina offense
South Carolina has been largely a boom-or-bust offense through the first five games of the season, and Dowell Loggains spent the last week trying to diagnose the issue and tweak things to get the Gamecocks to a bowl game.
And Loggains indicated there will be a slew of differences offensively when South Carolina takes on Florida on Saturday afternoon.
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“As coaches, you have to find the best way to fix the problem with the assets and resources you have. Sometimes that’s change, sometimes that’s schematic and sometimes it’s personnel, sometimes it’s as a coaching staff,” Loggains said.
“You have to know why it’s happening. We have a better understanding of why it’s happening. There will be changes in multiple areas to fix that and cover it up.”
Loggains didn’t specify exactly what those changes are, but it stands to reason it’s probably a little bit of personnel tweaking and adjusting things schematically.
According to Parker Fleming–statsowar on Twitter–the Gamecocks rank 75th nationally in offensive success rate (41.5 percent) with a top 50 passing offense in the country.
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South Carolina ranks No. 41 in passing success rate (44.4) while sitting at No. 124 nationally in rushing success rate at 35.6 percent.
The Gamecocks could opt to maneuver personnel around–the offensive line has been a revolving door at a few spots–or get different players on the field to do different things schematically.
But there will be some changes to watch for Saturday afternoon.
“Those personnel decisions get made through the week as who’s getting better? Who’s trending in the right direction? If a guy is ready to play we’re going to put him out there and play him. If he needs more time we’re going to keep working him in until it’s time to let him loose. We’re starting two freshmen on the offensive line. We aren’t scared to play young people if they’re ready and it’s their time,” Loggains said.
“We’ll continue to evaluate things. Every day is an interview and as a player, you have to feel that. We love each one of them and care about them and do well…But we’re also trying to win football games right now. So every day is an interview. Practice determines how much you get to play.”
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The Gamecocks are relatively explosive this year but bogged down with those explosive plays aren’t hitting. It’s up to Loggains and the rest of the offensive staff to figure out a way to be more efficient.
“It’s going to be a process. There isn’t an overnight fix to this. There are young players playing and there are players who need to play better. As a coaching staff, we need to coach better and clean things up,” Loggains said.
“We need to make sure we’re putting guys in the best chance to be successful. There is a multitude of things that go into sacks and TFLs. but you better know why they’re happening.”
