Clayton White talks second matchup ever against UNC's Chip Lindsey
When South Carolina and North Carolina square off Saturday night, it won’t be the first time Clayton White will have the challenge of going against a Chip Lindsey offense.
The two have squared off once before in White’s first season with the Gamecocks. And the issues Lindsey and his offenses present are still very much there.
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“He’s definitely a well-respected coordinator during his tenure as a coach. He’s one of the top names you’d consider as an offensive coordinator,” White said. “The challenge he presents is to run RPO action and the spread. He does a great job spreading you out but also getting dirty with the big guys.”
The only time they coached against each other was in 2021 when White was in his first season coordinating the South Carolina defense. Lindsey was in his final season as Troy’s head coach.
South Carolina ultimately won that game 23-14 en route to a 6-6 regular season. But Lindsey’s offense did have a decent amount of success outside of the total points.
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Troy struggled through the air–just 22-for-38 with 163 yards over the course of the day–but the Trojans averaged 4.7 yards per rush and went a very good 8-for-15 on third down.
If not for four turnovers–including a David Spaulding pick-six–the game could have been even closer than the nine-point final. Since that game, Lindsey spent the 2022 season as Gus Malzahn’s offensive coordinator at UCF then took over for Phil Longo at North Carolina this offseason.
This time, though, he’ll have better pieces to work with like Heisman hopeful Drake Maye. UNC returns its top four rushers from last season in Maye, Elijah Green, Omarion Hampton and Caleb Hood.
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Maye’s top two targets are gone in Josh Downs and Antoine Green are gone. But the Gamecocks still have to game plan for six different returners with at least 200 yards receiving last year.
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“It always starts with stopping the run. So if they can go out Saturday night, North Carolina’s offense, and run the football, it’s going to be a long night for us if they’re able to run the ball effectively. And you’ve got Drake Maye at quarterback,” Shane Beamer said.
“We’ve got to tackle well in space and stop the run. And then when when he does throw, you know, certainly we’ve got to be able to get pressure on him and our defensive backs got to do a great job against their talented receivers.”
The Gamecocks, though, have certainly gotten better up front defensively since that 2021 season. Despite losing Zacch Pickens, South Carolina returns potential All-SEC tackle Tonka Hemingway. And the defense has some quality depth behind him in Boogie Huntley, TJ Sanders and Nick Barrett.
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There are questions on the EDGE depth-wise, but the Gamecocks have talent there with Jordan Strachan, Desmond Umeozulu, Tyreek Johnson, Drew Tuazama, Bryan Thomas and JT Geer, among others.
Mix that with a host of talented young players and White likes what South Carolina has offensively.
“We took a lot of time learning from the good and bad from the past two seasons. And diving deep into tape. Most of the team was back and we can talk big picture with the defense now,” he said. “Those are the mental reasons. Then physically guys put a ton of work with coach (Luke) Day, the strength staff and nutrition staff to change their bodies and mindset.”
