The Haynes King Notebook

South Carolina Gamecocks face the Texas A&M Aggies this week, and it appears that starting quarterback Haynes King will be available. What did he show in his latest outing?

The South Carolina Gamecocks face an opponent in the Texas A&M Aggies this week that has quite the problem regarding the most critical position on the football field, quarterback.

While the Aggies have yet to officially announce which quarterback between Haynes King and Connor Weigman will play in Williams-Brice Saturday night, King is the only one who's seen significant action this season.

I watched back Texas A&M's game against Alabama due to the recency of the game and the talent level they faced to answer an essential question regarding King, what does he bring to the football field for the Aggies?

Dangerous With His Legs

The first thing that jumped out in his performance against the Crimson Tide was how Texas A&M used his athleticism. There were multiple instances where Fisher called inverted veers and quarterback counter runs, along with some play-action rollout concepts to try and move the pocket for King, where Alabama had to respect the potential for him to scramble.

South Carolina must focus on keeping him inside the tackles. King is an SEC starter but has his flaws. They must make him throw thirty to thirty-five times because things could get hectic for the A&M offense if he does.

An Emphasis On The Short Passing Game

Another notable component of this game was the number of short passes that comprised the majority of King's completions, as King saw success mostly with slants off RPOs, stick option routes, quick digs, and drag routes.

This factor could've admittedly been due to the ferocity that Alabama brings to the field defensively, with edge rushers Dallas Turner and Will Anderson constantly screaming off the edge. Still, with the high volume of plays that seemed to point to a more methodical passing approach, I have to imagine this is how the offensive staff imagines a King-led operation.

Too Much Juice

One last thing that stuck out to me was the number of high throws King had, which led to either incompletions or receivers having to make spectacular plays on the ball. King also showed a propensity to try and be Super Man, either trying to make throws in double coverage or on the run on both potential drive-extending or game-extending plays against the Tide.

This leads me to conclude that Haynes King can let his emotions get the best of him in the most critical moments of a football game, which could hold the Aggies' offense back.

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