Citadel might be the opening unit needs
On a single play against Florida, South Carolina got a glimpse of what could be.
After having passed for only 370 yards total in the previous three games, quarterback Connor Shaw found wide receiver Ace Sanders for a 46-yard completion.
"I told him to just let it go," Sanders said. "I said, 'Whatever you do, just throw it — we need a big play.' He came through and threw a perfect ball."
As the Gamecocks prepare to play The Citadel, they'll look to give themselves a leg to stand on in the passing game and replicate the brilliance they saw in the pass to Sanders.
"I see it as a big chance for everybody," Sanders said. "I wouldn't call it a confidence boost, but it's like somewhere to get back on your feet. I mean, you have got to build some type of confidence somewhere. I guess this is a good place to build on."
With the season drawing to a close, it could seem odd that USC is still looking for a place to build on its passing offense. But after having to win with the running game for the most part this season, the Gamecocks will take any opportunity to breathe life into the aerial attack.
"Hopefully," said Shaw about the chance to spark the passing game against the Bulldogs. "We've been looking to do that for four weeks now. Maybe this will be the weekend, but we'll see."
Shaw finished with just 81 passing yards in the win over Florida. The 46-yard pass to Sanders matched Shaw's career long pass play to tight end Rory Anderson against Kentucky.
Shaw was a major factor in the running game against Florida, having 88 yards on the ground. Being a dual-threat quarterback is something Shaw picked up in high school playing in an offense similar to West Virginia's.
"I was never under center in high school," Shaw said. "I was always in the gun. I did some drop-back passing in the gun but never under center. It's just one of the things I've had to work on here and make the transition into."
After the win over the Gators, coach Steve Spurrier said Shaw throws "beautifully" in practice but also said that it was Sanders who came to him and said he could run past the defender covering him.
"We run the curl route the first time, and [the defender] pretty much just sat on it," Sanders said. "So I just told [Spurrier] to come back and run the streak — if he's going to stand still then we could just run by him."
The communication between the receiving corps and the coaching staff is something the Gamecocks will look to continue against The Citadel in the hopes of improving the pass offense.
"It feels good to know that [Spurrier] has confidence in not just me, but the other receivers too," Sanders said. "A lot of people go back and tell him what we see on the field. He's coaching and on the sideline; he can't see what we see. Sometimes they depend on us to say what coverage it is."
For Spurrier, a coach known for wanting to throw the ball downfield, he has had to rely on the running game to win games this season as the passing offense has struggled. After seeing a glimpse of Shaw's potential in the pass to Sanders, fans might see a glimpse of the old Spurrier as USC looks to air out their passing woes against The Citadel.
"You don't go into a game saying we'll experiment throwing the ball every down," Spurrier said. "We'd like to throw better than we have been, but we'd like to mix it up and win a ball game the best we can. We need to improve our passing game and see if we can do a little bit better. We need to win the game first and foremost."
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