Memories of last season's debacle in Columbia linger
Outplayed. Dominated. Destroyed.
There are many words for what the Arkansas pass offense did to South Carolina when the two teams faced off at Williams-Brice Stadium last year. But that matchup didn't affect the race for the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division. This year, USC needs a win to guarantee it stays at the top of the standings and keeps pace with fast-charging Georgia.
With its divisional hopes likely on the line, the Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville to play a Razorback team that no longer has quarterback Ryan Mallett but runs a similar style of offense, designed to take advantage of a strong passing game. But with a pass defense that ranks among the best in the nation this season, Carolina will look to contain Arkansas in the air and leave Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium with a much-needed win.
"Our guys have really improved on pass defense, there's no question about that," said coach Steve Spurrier. "We're right there with Alabama as the best pass defense in the conference. We'll be challenged. We have to get a pass rush going also. We have to get Melvin (Ingram), (Jadeveon) Clowney, Devin (Taylor) and the guys really getting pressure on the quarterback. That will be a must for us this week."
The Razorbacks, led by Mallett, recorded 303 passing yards in their 41-20 slaughtering of South Carolina last season. Tyler Wilson, Mallett's backup, did not complete a pass in the game but was sacked twice for a loss of 14 yards.
This year, Wilson has been nothing short of stellar. Arkansas averages 321 passing yards per game, riding an average of almost 37 points per game to a 7-1 record.
"He's a very good quarterback," said safety D.J. Swearinger. "I've been watching him on the field, and he makes a lot of good throws. We're going to have to play with good technique and be ready to play when the time comes."
Wilson has thrown just three interceptions on the year. But South Carolina leads the SEC with 16 interceptions this season.
"Tyler is a good quarterback," said defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward. "He's shown that he controls the ball. He doesn't turn the ball over much. When you throw the ball as much as they do and only have [three] interceptions, that shows that he understands what (Arkansas coach) Bobby [Petrino] wants in his offensive system.
"We have to do a great job of disguising, and hopefully we can try to confuse them a little bit and maybe he'll throw us one or two."
Spurrier said he has focused more on preparing Carolina's defense than he has on Arkansas' offense, but he praised the Razorbacks' first-year starter for his toughness.
"I really don't watch other teams' offenses that much," Spurrier said. "I try to watch the defense and see if we can find some ball plays to hit here and there. Obviously [Wilson's] statistics are very good. Watching him against Vandy, he stays and makes the throws. He got hit a bunch of times. He's a tough kid and plays with courage. He'll stay in the pocket and make the throws."
The Gamecock pass defense has been dominant after two poor performances to start the season, holding opponents to an average of 137 yards per game. Less complex coverage schemes are the biggest key to USC's newfound success.
"We've simplified a lot of our coverages to where we don't have that many and (make) fewer mistakes," Spurrier said. "That's a big part of it. Just the guys playing hard, playing their assignments, playing with effort and getting a pretty consistent rush has been helpful. We have good athletes. When they know what to do and are in position, I know that's helped us this year compared to what we did last year."
USC will rely on aggression in the pocket to cut down the amount of time Wilson has to throw.
"I believe it's very crucial that we get back in the backfield and just disrupt his timing," said defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles. "That's what they're based off — the pass offense. They have the weapons to do it, so obviously they're going to take advantage of it. I believe that's what we focus on, getting pressure on the quarterback and forcing him out of the pocket. That's really what we're stressing this week."
Arkansas' leading receiver, Jarius Wright, has seven touchdown receptions on the season and averages 101 receiving yards per game. The depth of the Razorbacks' receiving corps makes them the toughest offense Carolina has faced this year. But with the improvement the secondary has shown since the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks are confident they will be able to stop the Razorbacks.
"[Arkansas] is very talented at all positions. They have three good receivers and a tight end that can run. They're definitely the biggest challenge we've had," Ward said. "Hopefully we play better (than last year). We've simplified what we're doing on defense. If the guys can execute, we're going to be fine."
The Gamecocks travel to Arkansas knowing exactly what to expect out of the team that handed them their most lopsided regular-season loss last year.
"It's still the same style of offense," Ward said. "Coach Petrino has always been a great quarterback coach, and he has a system in place. [Wilson is] a part of the system. I think there are some throws Ryan Mallett made that Tyler might not make, but they're still running the same offense."
In a game that will determine the course of USC's season, the Gamecocks don't just want to avoid a repeat of last year's disastrous performance. They will look to return the favor as they move one step closer to defending their title in the SEC East.
"We know that we control our own destiny," Swearinger said. "We can't worry about Georgia. We can't worry about any other team but Arkansas. This is a do-or-die game, and we have to have this win to accomplish a lot of our goals. They embarrassed us at our home field last year. It would be nice to go down there and embarrass them."