How South Carolina is approaching the quarterback situation this week
Until South Carolina’s offense jogs out onto the field, it’s still a mystery if LaNorris Sellers will play on Saturday.
The Gamecocks will face Akron (7:30 p.m., ESPNU) this weekend and should come away with a win as 27-point favorites. And they may have to do so without Sellers after the redshirt freshman quarterback suffered an ankle sprain in a 36-33 loss to LSU last Saturday.
The team hasn’t formally announced which direction they’ll go yet. In the meantime, head coach Shane Beamer has told backup Robby Ashford and third-string Davis Beville that “they’ll continue to compete this week.” Although Sellers has told Beamer he will be good to go for Saturday.
That decision may not be entirely up to Sellers, though. Even if he feels good enough to play, it may be in his best interest to take a rest with a bye week to follow. When asked if he expects Sellers to play, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ response wasn’t yes or no. More so a “take it for what you will” scenario.
“I’m expecting for him to do a little bit more (Thursday) than he did (Wednesday). Those are my expectations,” he said.
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If Sellers doesn’t suit up, the Gamecocks would presumably roll with Ashford as the starter against the Zips. He’s already had to come into relief for Sellers on two occasions this season after he went down with a pair of injuries.
In the 25 snaps he played against LSU, Ashford went 2-of-4 passing for 42 yards. He also ran for 11 yards while taking three sacks and fumbling twice. It’s certainly not the same type of numbers or level of productivity as Sellers was providing in that game before his injury. But this weekend could serve as an opportunity for Ashford to prove what he can do if given the start.
In terms of the play calling, Loggains said he plays to the strengths of the quarterback in the game. Sellers and Ashford both have similar body types and are mobile in the pocket. But they also have their differences.
“When you’re the backup quarterback, you don’t get every rep that LaNorris gets during the week,” Loggains said. “So, you also have to have intelligent, smart backups that can play with limited reps.”
Whether or not the offense became more conservative once Ashford entered the game, there was a clear change in the play calling and results. After South Carolina totaled 24 points and 265 yards on 37 plays with Sellers in the first half, the offense put up nine points and 127 yards on 21 plays when Ashford was in after halftime.
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There was also much more of a tendency to run the ball in the second half. Granted, Rocket Sanders did have a nice day on the ground. But South Carolina did have 19 run plays compared to just five pass attempts in the final 30 minutes.
Loggains did admit the play calling changes to some extent depending on who’s in the game. Not every play is off the table, but there are certain ones one might do better than another. For Ashford, when he plays this weekend, the hope is he can make do or better on his opportunity.
“You look at the reps you’ve had during the week with him, so when he gets in there, you’re doing things that he’s done that week,” Loggains said. “It’s just the way it is. He’s not going to get every rep. He’s not going to get every look as the backup that LaNorris gets. So, there are certain plays that get marked off the call sheet right away.”
