Four burning questions for South Carolina before Mississippi State
Another week, another interesting test for South Carolina trying to get back to .500 on the season.
The Gamecocks are coming off a 24-14 loss to Georgia and now turn their attention to a Mississippi State team that can be a very tough out in the SEC.
It’s very much a winnable game for South Carolina–which is favored and given a slight edge to win–but here are a few questions that could determine if the Gamecocks come out on top.
Can Spencer Rattler handle the blitz?
Rattler’s been really good against the blitz this season, completing 71.1 percent of his passes and averaging 8.4 yards per attempt with three touchdowns to no picks.
Mississippi State hasn’t been able to create a ton of pressure without blitzing, which means that unit will try to bring extra rushers against what could be a young offensive line. And with that veteran 3-3-5 defense there could be more complex blitzes guys haven’t seen before.
So Rattler will have to hold up against the blitz. If he does, there are chances to create explosive plays downfield.
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His numbers when teams don’t blitz are incredibly similar with Rattler completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 8.8 yards per attempt and one touchdown to two picks.
Can the Gamecocks force missed tackles?
One of South Carolina’s biggest issues right now is very few missed tackles this season and lack of explosive plays when not pushing the ball downfield. Right now, South Carolina ranks ninth in the SEC with 33 missed tackles forced.
The Gamecocks are fifth in the SEC with 17 missed tackles forced in the passing game–led by Ahmarean Brown’s 11–but next to last with 16 forced in the run game. Only Missouri (8) has fewer.
With Ahmarean Brown’s status up in the air, South Carolina will need to find players who can make someone miss in the run game and who can turn screens–an extension of the Gamecocks’ run game right now–into 10-plus yard gains.
If they do, that can help South Carolina’s offensive efficiency immensely. According to PFF, State has missed 27 tackles in three games, an average of nine per game.
Will the defense create havoc plays?
One thing South Carolina hasn’t done well defensively is create negative plays that put the opponent off schedule. The Gamecocks have a low 10 percent havoc rate–which measures how often a play ends in a tackle for loss, turnover or pass deflection–and rank No. 84 nationally in opponent success rate.
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Mississippi State has an offensive havoc rate of just 12.9 percent and an offensive success rate of No. 112 nationally but ranks No. 34 in rushing success rate. The passing success rate ranks No. 127 nationally, one of the worst in the FBS.
So South Carolina has to find a way to create negative plays in the run game and force what’s been an anemic Mississippi State passing offense to convert second and third downs and long.
That starts with creating havoc and momentum-changing plays.
How many freshmen will start, play key roles?
Shane Beamer hasn’t been shy about saying they need more freshmen to play, and Dowell Loggains even said this week some of the best talent on the team is the younger players. Which begs the question how much will those guys play this week?
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Tree Babalade is the starter at left tackle, Trovon Baugh seems like someone who is going to play at right guard and might start. Then–with Juice Wells out–that could open up the opportunity for more snaps for Nyck Harbor and Tyshawn Russell.
Then Pup Howard, Jalon Kilgore and a few other young defenders could earn more playing time this week. It could be a very young group of Gamecocks logging snaps this week.
And if they do get on the field, how do they hold up?
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