South Carolina hoping to see balanced offense coming off bye week

Through South Carolina’s first five games, the Gamecock offense has shown flashes of potential. However, most of those flashes have come in the passing game as the team struggles to establish the run.

That said, South Carolina fans did get a glimpse of a balanced offense in the Gamecocks’ victory over Kentucky, 35-12. South Carolina threw for 163 yards and rushed for 178 on the ground in the win, with quarterback LaNorris Sellers accounting for almost 70 percent of the team’s total offense.

The Gamecocks entered the bye week and worked through Wednesday before head coach Shane Beamer gave his guys the weekend off. When the team returned on Sunday, they resumed work on finding that balance.

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“We’re not running the ball consistently enough right now, and we haven’t been as effective running the ball as we need to be,” Beamer said Tuesday. “We’ve done what we needed to do to win three games, but we’ve got to be able to run it more consistently than what we have.”

The Gamecocks come off their first bye week ranked No. 120 of 134 teams nationally in rushing. The offensive group averages less than three yards per rush and hovers around 100 yards per game.

To Beamer, to be a balanced offense, you need to have the ability to pass and run when needed. However, every team is different, so it’s not 50/50 every week.

“Some weeks, defenses are going to say, we’re going to put nine guys up there, and you’ve got to be able to throw the ball and make plays. So you’ve got to be able to throw it,” Beamer said. “There’s going to be teams that say we’re going to rush three and drop eight or play a two-high structure with two deep safeties and dare you to run it, and you’ve got to be able to run it.”

However, to achieve offensive success on Saturday night, South Carolina needs to overcome LSU star linebacker Harold Perkins.

“Perkins is one of the rare guys that’s a Sam (linebacker) and a nickel (corner), Beamer said. “And he can match up against tight ends and stay on the field in base defense.

“He can match up with receivers and stay on the field and be their nickel, but then they have a multitude of other personnel groupings that they can utilize out there.”

While the run game has been lackluster through five games, Beamer also wants more consistent passing from his offense. The Gamecock defense and special teams also have areas that need improvement.

“But certainly, we’ve got to be more consistent offensively,” Beamer said. “Staying on the field, sustaining drives, and that’s running and throwing.”

As of now, Beamer’s offense still seeks its identity, something he’s told his players and coaches.

“We’re still developing the brand and the identity that we play with. There were a lot of signs of that against Kentucky last Saturday night,” Beamer said. “… We want to continue to put that on tape, the ability to run the football and make explosives in the passing game.”

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