Game Prep: South Carolina's Offensive Evolution

South Carolina must continue reinventing their offense against South Carolina State on Thursday night.

Pro-style offense, pro-style reads, pro-style quarterbacks. It's all we've heard in predraft conversations for the past decade, and those talks have trickled down into the college ranks.

College quarterbacks feel pressure to execute high-level concepts during their formative years to showcase their cerebral talents. The NFL drools over quarterbacks that can make full-field reads, often over drafting quarterbacks because they love the systems these young athletes executed.

Unfortunately, only a handful of players can do that, and most of them are ten-year NFL vets that still need hand-holding. Playing the quarterback position is difficult; it's why their salaries total more than some small towns.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield asked a lot of quarterback Spencer Rattler to start this season. Rattler would undergo a full drop, read through three to four options, and then face pressure.

He looked dismal through three weeks, and while some of the wounds were self-inflicted, the system did him no favors. Satterfield knew he had to pivot, and the offense spent the Charlotte week reteaching concepts.

What Changes Will Satterfield Make?

Satterfield had been calling a high-level, shotgun-style offense the first three games. Against Charlotte, South Carolina adopted some west-coast patterns that proved effective. They layered concepts to the boundary, ran stick and flood patterns, and limited Rattler's progressions.

That isn't a negative reflection on Rattler; some of the country's most talented quarterbacks run this system. The best play callers scheme layups for their signal callers because eighteen-year-olds can't put on a Super Man cape every play.

Rattler proved much more effective. He had zero turnover-worthy plays and did what was asked of him. He didn't stretch the field much, but he didn't have to. Satterfield likely preferred Rattler to settle into these new concepts before he throws in a few downfield designs in later weeks.

The Gamecocks leaned on their run game, totaling 295 yards on the evening. Running back MarShawn Lloyd toted the ball fifteen times for 169 yards and three touchdowns, the best performance of his career.

Good football teams can do multiple things well. South Carolina has a talented offensive line that continues to improve and dynamic weapons out of the backfield. They still have a ways to go in the passing game, but alterations take time.

South Carolina may have implemented more downfield concepts had their contest against South Carolina State been played on Saturday. However, rescheduling limited practice time, so they likely will get back to running the football before adding explosive plays into the game script.

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