JD PicKell: Evaluating when South Carolina should hit the panic button

Is it time to hit the panic button for South Carolina after its 1-2 start to the year? According to On3’s JD PicKell, fans and critics shouldn’t be writing the Gamecocks off just yet.

“I think as a whole for South Carolina, you can’t win the way that I think you originally wanted to,” PicKell said. “Originally, you wanted to be able to hand the ball to that backfield and allow them to work and take some things off Spencer Rattler‘s plate. You wanted to be able to kind of control the tempo, get the ball to your playmakers in Jaheim Bell and Dakereon Joyner, guys that could just make something happen for you on the perimeter. You wanted to have that sort of approach offensively – but it doesn’t look like you can do that.

“Spencer Rattler – for all of his faults – has had at the very least, subpar protection. … The drop back game has got to be altered, and the run game has to be, at the very least, reassessed.”

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Based on Rattler’s limited time in the pocket, PicKell proposes head coach Shane Beamer and company resort to a quicker, more up-tempo style of offense. Rattler can be in the pistol or shotgun, take a one or two step drop and have the ball delivered accurately in short window of time.

In terms of the running backs, the Gamecocks have only been able to muster 211 yards on the ground all season. Their 91 attempts give them a sore average of 2.3 yards per carry – the worst in the SEC. No Gamecock tailback has rushed for over 100 yards this season, with JuJu McDowell being the team’s leading rusher with 31 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown on the year.

“I understand that Marcus Satterfield has a good understanding of what he has on his offense,” PicKell said. “I understand that he spends much more time with that unit than I do. But I’m just saying from where I’m standing, there needs to be adjustments in terms of how you manage Spencer Rattler and what your philosophy is offensively.”