.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
For South Carolina to have any chance of becoming one of the four teams chosen to participate in the first College Football Playoff, they must defeat Georgia this weekend. The Gamecocks already have one loss with Auburn, Clemson and other talented teams remaining on their schedule after UGA. Just one more loss would almost certainly knock them out of contention.
In order to defeat UGA, the Gamecocks are going to have to figure out how to put points on the scoreboard because, well, Gurley gonna Gurley – the nation’s most dominant running back set a school record for all-purpose yards with 293 against Clemson in Week 1, and he may just be getting warmed up.
The South Carolina offense has a tough task ahead of them because they’ll have to attack a Bulldog defense that has been revitalized by one of the best defensive coordinators in college football – Jeremy Pruitt – who schemed successfully in his UGA debut by holding Clemson’s offense to just 15 yards on 22 plays in the second half.
The new Dawg D is empowered with a new attitude and discipline, but South Carolina may have a shot at an upset if a healthy Mike Davis – one of the nation’s best running backs in his own right – has some running lanes. Georgia lost on both of its last two trips to Columbia, and the Gamecocks donned a 100-yard rusher in each meeting. If Davis, the 225-pound battering ram with a burst that can wear a defense down, forces Pruitt to bring a safety out of the secondary and into the box to stop the run, it could cause serious problems for the Dawgs.
Here are two specific problems UGA defenders had against Clemson that, if not fixed this weekend, could lead to a much-needed win for South Carolina.
BALL TECHNIQUE
Sending receivers deep may be South Carolina’s best plan for putting points on the board. Whether by dismissal or transfer, UGA’s secondary has lost a lot of experience and talent on the back end. If he were still a Dawg – and not playing quarterback for No. 5 Auburn – Nick Marshall would have been Georgia’s best defensive back. Pruitt told me, “I heard he was like ‘Doctor Death’ when he was playing corner here – receivers didn’t have a chance when they lined up against him.”
After watching tape of UGA’s defense against Clemson, it was clear the Dawgs’ weakness on defense is in their defensive backs’ ability to cover receivers one-on-one on deep routes. Their technique as the ball is in the air – at the point of attack – lacks greatly.
To slow down Davis and the Gamecocks’ run game, Pruitt will have to pick and choose when he will take one of his safeties out of coverage and walk him into the box to create an eight-man front. When that happens, UGA’s defensive backs will be on an island in a one-on-one matchup like this:
On this play, UGA’s defender was in perfect position as the ball was in the air, running stride for stride with Clemson’s receiver.
Defensive backs are taught to stay calm in this moment and look at the receiver’s eyes. When the defender sees the receiver’s eyes get wide, he knows that the ball is arriving.
The defensive back waits until that moment – which is when the receiver will put up his hands to catch the ball – to “punch” or “rip” the pocket where the ball will land in the receiver’s hands.
As you can see, the defensive back panicked and did not execute the technique that Pruitt and his staff taught him. You can see the ball is nowhere near the receiver yet but the defender is already ripping the pocket (yellow arrow).
Because the Dawg panicked and ignored his technique, he ends up tackling the receiver before the ball arrives.
The referee clearly saw the foul, threw a flag and made the easy pass interference call.
Here’s another man-to-man matchup in which a UGA defender demonstrated bad technique.
Here, the defender made the error of looking back for the ball before he had proper position on the receiver.
Defenders are taught that they cannot look back for the ball until they are running “hip-to-hip” with the receiver.
It’s the only way that you will be able to “feel” the receiver while looking back for the ball. You’ll notice the defender’s mistake here:
Because the defender was looking back, he was unable to keep good body position on the receiver. The defender demonstrated bad ball skills.
While the receiver was already jumping up for the ball, the defender was still running beyond it.
As a result of the defender looking back too soon, not being able to feel the receiver and then having bad ball skills, the receiver was able to make this catch. The Georgia player is in bad position.
Luckily for UGA on this play, the receiver’s foot landed out of bounds.
Clemson was attacking deep down the field successfully in the first half of this matchup. In the second half, however, UGA’s front was pressuring the quarterback successfully. Clemson wasn’t able to test the secondary deep as much.
South Carolina’s offensive line may be able to provide more time for Dylan Thompson in this week’s matchup, so look for the secondary to be tested with the deep ball again.
TACKLING
Shaq Roland led the Gamecocks with 94 yards receiving in their victory over a stingy ECU squad last week. About two-thirds of those yards came on yards after the catch on quick hitches and screens behind the line of scrimmage. Roland and Pharoh Cooper are two receivers who possess big-play potential for South Carolina. UGA must minimize the damage they, and Davis, can do with solid tackling.
In their opener, UGA defenders showed they still have to work on tackling, a team concept – it's rare to see a guy make a one-on-one tackle – that burdened them a season ago. Pruitt emphasized this throughout the offseason, but several missed tackles against Clemson hurt the Bulldogs.
Let’s look at an explosive play resulting from poor leverage, while sound tackling could have prevented it.
Notice in the photo that Pruitt once again loaded the box with eight defenders to stop the run.
Another one-on-one matchup on the perimeter resulted. The defensive back (off screen to the left) was late to get lined up on this play.
As you see above, the cavalry (circled) is pursuing to the ball. Defensive backs are taught to “saw the outside leg of the ball carrier.”
That way, the ball carrier is forced back inside to the defender’s help if he misses the tackle.
This next photo shows why forcing the receiver back inside is vital in case the defender misses the tackle:
The Dawgs’ defense got hit for an explosive gain by Clemson here, because the receiver was allowed to get to the outside, where there was a lot of space but little help.
These errors in ball technique and tackling are about discipline and attention to detail, two things that make great teams but are often overlooked.
“For us to have a chance to compete at the level we want to compete, we need to get to the point where we do things right over and over and over,” Pruitt told me on a visit to Athens this summer. “Then, we’re going to put the pressure on the offense to sustain and do things right over and over. I think that’s why we had success at Alabama [one of Pruitt’s prior stops]. The key to the drill for us is attention to detail: technique, eyes in the right spot, good stances and make the other team beat us.”
There’s no question that Pruitt – one of the best teachers in all of football – will continue to refine the inexperienced players’ techniques as the season progresses, but the Dawgs’ secondary is vulnerable now.
If they don’t correct these errors from Week 1, South Carolina will have a chance to make it three straight losses for UGA in Columbia while keeping its SEC title and playoff hopes alive.
Coy Wire played college football at Stanford before a nine-year NFL career in Buffalo and Atlanta. He's currently a college football analyst for FOX Sports 1 and writes for FOXsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CoyWire.
