Gamecocks looking for another strong defensive performance against Arkansas
After a solid start in week one against Georgia State, Clayton White’s defense will have its hands full once again in week two.
While Georgia State is a solid Sun Belt team, Shane Beamer acknowledged the Arkansas offense is another step up.
“Last week there wasn’t a lot of formations that you were going to get from Georgia State,” Beamer said. “This week you’re going to get a lot of formations and then a lot of stuff happening within those formations too.”
Last week, the Razorbacks put up 447 yards of offense and averaged 6.3 yards per play against a Cincinnati team a year removed from a College Football Playoff appearance.
“They do a great job coaching technique and fundamentals but then they do a great job schematically as well, the offensive staff,” Beamer said.
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Arkansas excels in an up-tempo offense, averaging around 25 seconds per play last season. Against Cincinnati, Arkansas averaged 24.17 seconds per play.
“They use tempo, so you gotta be able to handle that,” Beamer said. “They’ll get in multiple formations, they’ve got motions, you’ve got to be disciplined with your eyes against these guys because they’re big and physical but now they’re also going fast.”
White said in his weekly press conference on Wednesday there isn’t too much the Gamecocks can do during practice to prepare, but that they’re doing their due diligence.
“Our offense and look team has done a great job of giving us as many plays as possible as fast as they possibly can and that’s all you can really do,” White said.
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He also added the defense has practiced getting calls in late so they can be prepared to scramble and get lined up against Arkansas at the last second.
Jordan Burch agreed with White, saying the defense’s prep this week doesn’t change much compared to last week.
“Knowing your personnel, your alignments, and who you’re going up against,” Burch said. “Play smart football and give effort, it’s not gonna change much but it’s still a good team.”
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While they may not be too worried in the grand scheme of things, Burch said the defense has looked at personnel matchups.
“They have some pretty big O-linemen and they’re back fills in the gaps and he can run pretty good,” Burch said. “We’re just taking it each day at a time and hoping it falls into place on Saturday.”
Emphasis is being placed on Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson, who Beamer touted for his exceptional ability to throw and run the ball.
Last week Jefferson was 18-for-26 through the air, throwing for 223 yards and three touchdowns. He added 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
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Linebacker Mo Kaba called Jefferson a “great player” and Burch said stopping Jefferson will be a “tough task”.
“He’s a big dude, it’s gonna take a lot of people to take him down, when we tackle him we gotta run our feet all the way through,” Burch said. “We can’t underestimate him; he can run too, run and throw.”
With kickoff set for 11 a.m. local time, the Gamecocks will have to deal with a good road environment on top of an up-and-coming Arkansas program.
Despite this, White said he learned after week one that his defense will be able to come together and perform well this weekend.
“I learned that when the road gets kinda tough they get closer and closer together,” White said.
