Keys To Victory: South Carolina vs Mississippi State
Although this game against Mississippi State hasn't drawn the attention like the Gamecocks' matchups against North Carolina or Georgia, this game might be the most important one of the 2023 season so far for Shane Beamer and South Carolina's Football team. Not only is this a must-win game, it is also a game where the opponent will present different challenges schematically speaking relative to what the Gamecocks are used to facing. What will be the keys to South Carolina leaving Williams-Brice with a victory on Saturday night?
Control the flow of the game early
Mississippi State is not the Air Raid team they used to be under the late great Mike Leach. Zach Arnett brought in offensive coordinator Kevin Barby to install a pro-style offense that revolves around a strong run game. The Gamecocks have shown marginal improvement in rush defense but could do a better job of being consistent. If they can contain Woody Marks early on and not allow Mississippi State to dictate the pace of the game, then Spencer Rattler and the offense will be allotted more creative freedom.
Be Patient Offensively
One of the primary strategies that Mississippi State's defense employs is a heavy dose of zone coverage to keep chunk plays to a minimum. With the Gamecocks' offense having lived on explosive plays during the first three weeks of the season, I would suspect Rattler and this offense will deal with much of the same on Saturday night. Therefore, it'll be essential for Dowell Loggains to be patient at the beginning of the game and take what Mississippi State's defense gives them until they have no choice but to change their defensive strategy. Then, they can take more downfield shots as the game progresses.
Force Will Rogers To Play Hero Ball
This statement would have been unfathomable a year or two ago, but again, this Mississippi State offense has undergone drastic changes over the past nine and a half months, and so far, it hasn't been pretty. The Bulldogs have struggled to create explosive plays out of their run game against opponents with a pulse and combine that with their inconsistent o-line play and the growing pains that Rogers had endured in this new pro-style attack, it would be to the Gamecocks benefit if Will Rogers was forced to deal with a sold-out crowd and had to make multiple big-time throws for his team.
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