South Carolina Vs. South Carolina State: The Halftime Report

The South Carolina Gamecocks have ridden the struggle bus early, yet they lead the South Carolina State Bulldogs at halftime.

South Carolina has seen a blend of good and bad play in the first half of this in-state battle, as it seems like the Gamecocks have leaned into their overall talent advantage to try and slowly increase their lead. What has led to these inconsistencies during this contest?

Some Serious Problems Defensively

There's no question that the Gamecocks have had a bunch of injuries which has hampered their defensive rotations to a certain degree for several weeks now. That being said, some troubling trends are showing themselves against competition that South Carolina should impose their will on.

The defensive front has had multiple lapses against the option. In this offensive concept, if just one defender doesn't correctly perform their assignment, it can lead to an explosive play for the opposing offense. There's also been a lack of solid pass rush, where pressure is almost nonexistent unless defensive coordinator Clayton White calls blitzes.

The defensive backfield is grabbing too much laundry on the back end, leading to multiple costly penalties and extended drives for the Bulldogs.

Nothing Fancy On Offense

On the other side of the ball, the offensive line has taken a step back in run blocking this week, as, besides a couple of huge runs by MarShawn Lloyd, the running game hasn't seen the sheer dominance they showed against the Charlotte 49ers last weekend.

In the passing game, Rattler has been poised in certain moments but hasn't been asked to do too much tonight, throwing mainly swing passes, bubble screens, and quick hitches with only a few passes thrown beyond 20 yards.

The Gamecocks are also losing the turnover battle. Wide receiver Xavier Legette has had the ball both shoot up in the air after a hard landing and let the ball go right through his hands on a pass from Rattler that was on the money, which occurred in the red zone.

Considering the teams, the Gamecocks must play down the stretch; they have a lot of things to clean up on both sides of the ball. The one silver lining so far from this game is that the opponent they're playing will likely allow you to do just that as the game wears on.

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