The Verdict: Don't let Georgia beat you twice
South Carolina football superfan Chris Paschal writes a weekly column during the season for GamecockCentral called “The Verdict.” Chris is a lawyer at Goings Law Firm in Columbia.
The Verdict: Don’t let Georgia beat you twice
I was in Athens this past weekend. I only got barked at once. I got flipped the bird a few times (I was sitting right above the student section, and they were made aware of my presence as Carolina ran into the locker at halftime). But all-in-all, the Georgia fanbase was hospitable. Partly, I am convinced, because they had no idea South Carolina could play like that, especially in the first half. They were more stunned than anything.
I was stunned, as well. Not that this South Carolina team with Shane Beamer as its head coach came out throwing haymakers, but more so that they were landing. Carolina’s offensive line held its own. Carolina’s defense was flying to the football and arriving with bad intentions. This did not feel like the same offensive line or defense that I watched in Bank of America Stadium just a few weeks back. And Beamer himself mentioned that this team has come a long way in just a few short weeks.
Of course, Georgia did what Georgia does so well in the second half. Their defense turned up the pressure and their offense started putting together multiple play drives to take the lead and then preserve the win. It has been mentioned by the Gamecock Central staff a few times now what really changed in the second half.
Our best players didn’t make big plays at times (Trey Knox with a crucial third down drop), our defensive backs allowed way too much cushion underneath, and our lack of a rushing attack put too much weight on Rattler’s shoulders to pull off the upset on his own. And there were also plenty of penalties and some missed tackles, as well.
But what I saw in the first half and at times in the second half gave me hope. It was almost like a switch was flipped in some players’ minds that the only way to win in the SEC is fast and physical. Debo Williams and Stone Blanton had some big hits. TJ Sanders has emerged as arguably the best defensive lineman on the team. And even under-mentioned guys like Bryan Thomas showed some flashes. There is a lot of good that happened in Athens.
All that good still resulted in a loss. A loss that hit the locker room hard. Carolina cannot let Georgia beat them again.
Coming into a sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium for a 7:30 kickoff is Mississippi State. It will be their first road game this season. Some in this fanbase, especially on Twitter, has hinted at Carolina being primed to whip Mississippi State. Spencer Rattler and this team need not look past the Bulldogs from the Magnolia State. When asked about Mississippi State, Rattler said in his weekly media availability, “Every game in the SEC is challenging, honestly, so we’re going to prepare the same way… We’re going to have another great week this week and go out there on Saturday and hopefully set a tone and get back on track.”
It’s going to take that to win. There is no time to be dwelling on Georgia. Mississippi State is coming down with hurt feelings. After starting off the first two weeks of the season unblemished, Mississippi State got whipped like a rented mule in Starkville at the hands of the LSU Tigers. They will come in fired up and focused, taking the identity of their hardnosed head coach. Carolina must strike fast and not let up. Because if that happens, Carolina should win this game.
The Bayou Bengals were able to throw the football like it was a 7-on-7 scrimmage with everyone wearing shorts and t-shirts. And Mississippi State was unable to put any meaningful drives put together, with LSU controlling the lines of scrimmage. LSU possessed the football for almost 40 minutes. It was like men among boys.
Mississippi State did send pressure from the second level, but for the most part, they were never able to get to the quarterback. If the Bulldogs employ a similar tactic this Saturday, it will be crucial for the offensive line to continue in its maturation and hold up in pass protection. If they can, this could be a huge night for the Gamecock passing offense. Mississippi State had to make 100 tackles against LSU.
On the opposite side of the ball, I am interested to see how this defense responds to the loss in Athens. Bluntly stated, if Carolina’s defense flies to the football with a physicality that it did in Sanford Stadium this weekend in Williams-Brice Stadium, Mississippi State could be in for a long game.
While their defense was shredded by LSU, their offense was forced to throw the football with a limited passing attack and a stymied ground game. This is the type of game expected stars Tonka Hemingway and Nick Emmanwori need to show up. Outside of a handful made by TJ Sanders and Debo Williams, there have been very few explosive defensive plays so far this season. This defensive backfield was unable to force Carson Beck to throw an interception. Sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions will all be on the table for this Carolina team if they play to their potential.
Now that could be a tall task. While Mississippi State had to make 100 tackles last week against LSU, Carolina had to make 78. Too many drives were extended in the second half against Georgia for this defense to succeed.
But there is another wrinkle I am somewhat concerned about. I am expecting to see backup quarterback Mike Wright get some plays running this Bulldog offense. For those of you trying to recall his name, Wright started for Vanderbilt in 2021 in their near upset of the Gamecocks in Williams-Brice Stadium. Carolina has struggled to contain quarterbacks that can extend plays with their legs, and Wright can certainly do that. If Wright gets snaps under center, it will be crucial not to allow this Mississippi State offense to gain confidence with Wright making plays both throwing and running the football.
This is a game Carolina can win. LSU exposed a lot of Bulldog shortcomings. And they will have to try and figure out how to fix those issues in a hostile environment. But all that goes out the window if Carolina is still thinking “what if?” and still hung up on what happened in Athens.
What happened was South Carolina got worn down by the home team and the home crowd forced some mistakes. The Gamecocks need to inflict a similar fate this weekend.
