Clayton White talks South Carolina pass defense

South Carolina finally filled one of the leaks in the dam Saturday, putting together its best rush defense day of the season in a 37-30 win over Mississippi State. 

The only problem was another leak sprung up with the Gamecocks struggling to limit big gains in the downfield passing attack. 

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“First and foremost, when things like that happen the game got out of hand from a passing game. It’s not just one group. It starts with me first and foremost. We need to get our guys in better positions to perform,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. 

“You can’t look at that kind of performance, put it under the rug and say it was one bad night. That’s something we weren’t doing correctly on deep throws. We’re working at it to get better.” 

South Carolina ultimately gave up 487 yards through the air to Will Rogers with Lideatrick Griffin picking up 256 of those. 

Rogers finished the game averaging 10.1 yards per attempt and completing 62.5 percent of his passes for one score and a pick. Of those 487 yards, 304 of those came on explosive plays. 

On non-explosive passes Rogers went 22-for-42 (52.4 percent) for 183 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. 

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“We always talk about team defense. I’m not going to blame it all on one player,” White said when asked about DQ Smith. “All of us in that room and that defensive side of the ball know the full body of work is not what we want and we want to improve. Our guys are fighting, practicing and looking each other in the eyes. There is no finger-pointing. If you have that culture you can fix things in the middle of the game.” 

Things got a lot better in the second half with all four of the Gamecocks’ sacks coming after halftime. Rogers was just 19-for-31 in the second half and averaged just over seven yards per attempt. 

In the fourth quarter, he was 10-for-20 and averaged 5.6 yards per attempt. 

“It’s all about coaching on the sideline. I’m proud of the players because it was ugly at halftime and they still have to go back as men, stand tall with your head up, chest out and eyes up and finish that football game,” White said. 

“I’m proud of that where we finished the game. They tried the same play about three or four more times. That sack fumble stretch got was the same exact play and it was double-teamed the way it should have been.” 

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While the numbers got better in the second half, the test gets a lot tougher this week against what can be a prolific offense. 

Tennessee ranks fifth in the SEC in plays of at least 10-plus yards and use spacing and tempo to its advantage. The Vols have been really good running the ball, ranking No. 43 nationally in rushing success rate and No. 27 nationally in passing success rate. 

The offense is predicated on getting eyes in the wrong spot and forcing miscues against what could be a young secondary. 

“A lot of things can concern you. But I think our guys, things are happening in the game and you learn faster that way when things happen,” White said. “I truly believe mistakes and success we’ve had in the defensive back room we can use as examples of what to do and what not to do.” 

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White’s had some success against this Tennessee offense, putting a limit on the Vols last season in a blowout 63-38 win at Williams-Brice. 

There are a lot of pieces from last year not on this year’s team, but White is trying to get this group ready to face a high-tempo offense. 

“We have to practice that way. Your call sheet isn’t as big against a team like Tennessee. You’re not going to have time to communicate across the board,” White said. “You’re going to have to play smart and coach smart. Our guys understand. This is our third year in a row going against that offense.” 

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