CHARLOTTE — It was like open-heart surgery without anesthesia.
Over and over, Florida ran the football. Over and over, South Carolina couldn’t stop it.
The Gators turned a 31-14 deficit at the end of the third quarter into a 35-31 win because the Gamecocks couldn’t tackle. Florida ran on its final 18 plays because it didn't need to throw the ball.
The Gamecocks couldn’t beat Florida and that's a major reason why their bowl game is in rainy North Carolina instead of sunny Florida. The Gators' Jordan Scarlett, Kadarius Toney, Lamical Perine and mobile quarterback Feleipe Franks booked USC’s trip.
Now USC is about to face a Virginia team that features mobile quarterback Bryce Perkins (842 rushing yards) and tailback Jordan Ellis (920).
“We talked about it, said it’s going to be a big game for both of us,” Perkins said Friday. “Especially with a dual-threat quarterback, it’s hard to scheme for both. Especially when you spread them out and you got to worry about the coverages on the outside.”
USC’s banged-up defense got healthier this week when Keir Thomas (leg) and Rosendo Louis (shoulder) were cleared to play, and Bryson Allen-Williams, Jaycee Horn and Jaylin Dickerson also returned from late-season injuries. Allen-Williams on the edge will give the Gamecocks a pass-rush presence and a contain man for Virginia’s ground attack.
“It’s our scheme, just helping guys understand the mindset and the mentality you got to have with a mobile quarterback. Understanding we can’t do a lot of the things that you would typically do against a quarterback that just sits in the pocket,” said Allen-Williams, who missed the Florida game.
“It’s all about what we can do. We firmly believe that even with me coming back, just having a couple more bullets in the gun, we’re going to be able to go out there and do what we can do.”
But USC still has to do what it couldn’t do against Florida.
Tackle. Get the Cavaliers on the ground, preferably before they embark on a 25-yard burst. Do whatever it takes but make sure that the runners don’t pick up chunks of yardage.
“I think our guys are starting to understand the importance of it, how finishing a tackle can keep big plays from happening. We just need to tackle,” leading tackler T.J. Brunson said following the Florida game.
“We always practice first man, wrap up. Second man, wrap and get the ball. Either way, you have to wrap up and make sure you have the guy before you go for the ball.”
USC coach Will Muschamp focused on his defenders’ feet following the Florida game, mentioning how USC often seemed stuck with a runner coming at them. It wasn’t anything that hadn’t been coached and re-coached throughout the season, but it still wasn’t getting through.
The rampant injuries have sapped strength and experience, which in turn lessened fundamentals. But USC will be much healthier than it was for the final four games of the season against Virginia, which the Gamecocks are hoping will help.
No secret what Virginia will do. Their game plan will be what Florida’s was in the fourth quarter, and they’ll even be wearing blue and orange.
If the Gamecocks are going to produce an eight-win season with a bowl victory, they have to keep that blue and orange out of the end zone.
