Gamecock Digest

A Look At How Carolina's Defense Has Performed Over The Last Six Quarters

South Carolina's football team has seen their defense make strides over the past two weeks and has a chance to finish out the 2023 season on a high note.

Joseph Griffin

A Look At How Carolina's Defense Has Performed Over The Last Six Quarters
A Look At How Carolina's Defense Has Performed Over The Last Six Quarters /

While this season has been far from perfect for Clayton White and this Gamecock defense, they have an excellent chance to 'right some wrongs' in this final month of regular season play. With South Carolina sitting at 2-6 on the season, they must win their last four games against Jacksonville State, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and their in-state rival, Clemson. All those games are winnable; however, the defense must play a massive role for the Gamecocks to have a successful November.

This Carolina defense hasn't been its best version of itself this season but has slowly come into its own over the last six quarters. That improvement is, in large part, due to the staff's willingness to change things up not only schematically but personnel-wise as well, specifically in the Texas A&M game. Here's a statistical breakdown of the last six quarters for the Gamecocks' defense:

40 Points 'Allowed'

This number isn't good and needs to be better, no doubt. Giving up an average of nearly 7 points per quarter, more times than not, hurts you more than it helps you. However, if you look more closely at those numbers, there were 17 total drives during these last six quarters. Of those drives, only four ended up in touchdowns, with four more ending with field goals. 

Debo Williams and his teammates getting ready for the next play (28th Oct., 2023)
Debo Williams and his teammates getting ready for the next play (28th Oct., 2023) / Dustin Safranek | USA Today Network

Allowing their opponents to score on 47% of their drives isn't going to cut it and give you a good chance to win, but the average field position of those touchdowns has played a crucial role. The average starting field position for those touchdown drives was at Carolina's 47-yard line. It's hard enough to play defense as it is in modern college football, but having to 'play from behind' makes it even more difficult.

Limiting the Run

Over the past six quarters, both Missouri and Texas A&M ran for a combined 169 yards on 62 attempts, averaging 2.72 yards per carry. Being able to stop the run and forcing a team to be one-dimensional is pivotal for any defense, but more so for the Gamecocks, a team that early on struggled with this but recently has shown the ability to at least contain it. That's something they'll have to do again this weekend and the remainder of the season.

This defense has been able to turn a corner heading into the final stretch, and hopefully, it's not too little too late. If they can continue the success from the previous six quarters, they give their team a chance to go bowling.

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Joseph Griffin
JOSEPH GRIFFIN

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