5 Biggest Takeaways: Defense keeping South Carolina from being elite

Here are five takeaways from South Carolina’s Week 9 loss at Auburn:

Blaming Dylan Thompson isn’t justified. Much of the Saturday night’s post-game social media bashing centered on South Carolina’s senior quarterback who threw for a career-high 402 yards and five touchdowns. Two turnovers in the red zone were certainly damaging to the Gamecocks’ upset chances but he also actively kept his team in the game while the other side of the football all but laid down defensively. Wins and losses often fall on quarterback play, but this defeat wasn’t Thompson’s fault in the least.
Talent and execution, more than scheme, the issue defensively. Yes, Lorenzo Ward deserves much of the blame for South Carolina’s inept defense this season, but the Gamecocks haven’t made plays when they’ve been in position either. Multiple times, inexperience and shoddy tackling led to sizable gains Saturday night including Bryson Allen-Williams being lured by the pitch man instead of keeping track of quarterback Nick Marshall during a 37-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. South Carolina’s secondary had one of its worst outings as a unit. Twice senior corner Brison Williams was beat on slant routes to D’haquille Williams for third-down conversions when the Gamecocks needed to get off the field. It’s the lack of execution that has kept the Gamecocks out of Eastern Division contention this season.
Pharoh Cooper’s welcomes role as go-to player. He doesn’t have top-end speed or freakish athletic ability, but this sophomore wideout’s staking his claim to become South Carolina next elite player. Cooper dominated Auburn’s defensive backfield with several highlight-worthy catches including a leaping 16-yard snare for a score in the second quarter. One of the team’s most polished route runners, Cooper’s become a tough cover on third down as Thompson’s favorite target.
Steve Spurrier nearly pulls rabbit out of hat. Option pitches. Wide receiver reverse passes. Wildcat snaps. Dialing up big plays down field. The HBC pulled out the full offensive arsenal against Auburn and out-coached former South Carolina assistant Ellis Johnson, the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Even a surprise onside kick call in the third quarter worked to perfection. It would’ve been interesting to see what Spurrier may have called had the Gamecocks gotten another snap at the end of the game. SEC officials admitted mistake on Sunday saying the Tigers should’ve been called for a penalty for having two players wearing the same number (1) on the field.
Winning out possible if similar effort’s given. Considering Auburn was by far the toughest opponent remaining on the schedule, the Gamecocks are in great shape to hit seven, possibly eight, wins if the defense can get a couple stops per outing. Too much pressure was put on the offense to score every possession and any mistake proved costly. Thirty-five points and 535 yards of offense should be enough to win any game the rest of the way.