South Carolina finding success in power run scheme

For most of the season, getting the South Carolina run game off the proverbial ground has been an issue.

While Shane Beamer insists progress is there through the first three games—and there has been—the Gamecocks put together its best rushing performance of the year against Charlotte.

And South Carolina did it on the back of its power run game, a gap scheme concept that’s been good to the Gamecocks most of the year.

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“It just shows you how nasty you can get. You get a double team at the point of attack then you get a nasty puller. Then you get the tight ends involved, too. They’re coming around, wrapping around, hitting the hole and clearing it out for the running back,” Eric Douglas said.

“Then at that point, the running back is on scholarship too. That’s what they get paid for, making safeties miss. You saw that with MarShawn on Saturday. Not just MarShawn but Juju and CBS too.”

The play concept is simple.

The front-side tackle, guard and center all block the opposite way of the rush direction with the backside guard and tackle pulling to contain the rush on that side of the play and open a hole for the running backs.

The guard takes the nose tackle while the center could take on a double team there as well. He could also block down with the tackle working to the second level. Play callers could also incorporate a tight end into the mix and keep either the guard or tackle on the backside of the play on the line and pull the tight end.

South Carolina did that at times Saturday with Austin Stogner and Nate Adkins. 

What the Gamecocks need for that play to work is a good pulling guard, and South Carolina has that in Jovaughn Gwyn.

“Jovaughn Gwyn is a force when he pulls and is coming over there to block the defensive end on the other side. You have to have some athleticism on the line of scrimmage to do it and we do with him and Vershon in there at guard,” Beamer said. “For us, it’s a physical play. It’s a gap-scheme type of play where no matter what they’re in you should be able to block it.”

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Against Charlotte, the Gamecocks ran their inside power run concept 18 times with a 55.6 percent success rate per SEC Stat Cat. Some of their more explosive runs, including a few gashers by MarShawn Lloyd, were off of it.

This season, the Gamecocks have run that gap-scheme concept 45.5 percent of all rushes this year with a 39 percent success rate.

Almost 41 percent of rush yards have come on inside power, according to SEC Stat Cat.

South Carolina’s had success with it some this year before Charlotte. The Gamecocks scored a touchdown off of it against Arkansas with Lloyd. That, along with inside zone, has been the most productive run scheme.

The formations and window dressing might change, but the nuts and bolts of the runs stay the same.

“Shoot, just getting out and moving,” Jakai Moore said. “We like to move people as an O-line and that’s our opportunity to go out there and move people.”

South Carolina can also scheme play action passes off of it, although they need to be better there this season.

Of Spencer Rattler’s 144 dropbacks this year, 26 have been on play action. He’s 11-for-22 and averaging 5.0 yards per attempt with two interceptions and no scores.  

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“It’s something we ran last year and something we’re good at this year along with inside zone. Those are our two top runs right now. It’s something our backs have a good feel for. It’s something that allows play action off of it,” Beamer said Sunday.

“We had two or three play-action passes last night where we were trying to take a deep shot down the field. We were selling the counter play off of play action.”

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