Junior tailback healthy, back in starting lineup for sputtering USC run game
South Carolina’s rushing attack never had a chance to get going against Florida.
After the Gamecocks found themselves trailing by 15 points at halftime against the Gators, they had to change their offensive game plan to focus more on passing in order to score more quickly. They finished the day with just 36 rushing yards in 26 attempts, a week after totaling 34 yards on 25 attempts at LSU.
Junior tailback Marcus Lattimore had his lowest rushing totals of the season at the Swamp, with three carries for 13 yards. An injury to his hip and lower back forced him out of the starting lineup, and coach Steve Spurrier said Lattimore’s touches were minimized to give him more rest once the result of the game was essentially decided.
While Florida and LSU are both top-10 teams in the nation when it comes to stopping the run, the Volunteers’ defense ranks 99th in points against.
In Saturday’s meeting with Tennessee, Lattimore’s return to the starting lineup will give the Gamecock offense a boost as it attempts to reestablish the running game, going back to what Spurrier called a “winning formula.”
“We know Marcus needs to run more,” Spurrier said. “We are going to try our best to get it to him more, stay on the field for first downs. We know we can’t run him every play, but we know how our wins have occurred in the past, and we’re going to try to get back there.”
Establishing the run has been critical to South Carolina’s offense, with the Gamecocks averaging 180 rushing yards per game in their six wins this season. Junior quarterback Connor Shaw, the team’s second-leading rusher with just fewer than 40 yards per game, has been a large factor in the success of the running game.
Spurrier said Shaw was benched for the second half of the game at Florida because he thought sophomore quarterback Dylan Thompson gave the Gamecocks a better chance to make pass plays to get back into the game. He added that the offensive line will need to protect Shaw to give him a chance to run the ball.
The Gamecocks changed up their offensive line against Florida, starting redshirt freshman Kyle Harris and sophomore Mike Matulis. Offensive line coach Shawn Elliott said neither player would start again this week, as Harris “didn’t look very good” and Matulis is recovering from a shoulder injury.
Redshirt sophomore guard A.J. Cann, who was replaced by Harris, will return to his starting role at left guard.
“I just think there’s times when you try to fuel the fire in somebody to get them better,” Elliott said. “I always felt that A.J. was the man for the job. I just thought you need to get somebody’s attention at some point. We’ll see if it works.”
As USC struggled to establish the run in the past two weeks, its passing game also took a hit. The Gamecocks have averaged 225 passing yards a game in their victories compared to 166 in their losses.
Wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said a strong running game should also aid the passing attack by forcing the opposing defense to prepare for more options.
“Certainly if you’re throwing on every down and the defense knows it, everybody plays defense [differently],” Spurrier Jr. said. “Defensive line plays differently, secondary is everywhere, versus if you can run it, they have to get guys up in there and clog it up. So it changes the way the game is played.”
The Gamecocks’ leading rusher against LSU was freshman Mike Davis, who was a star running back at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga. Running backs coach Everette Sands said Davis has handled the transition to the college game well and has a positive attitude as a backup to Lattimore.
Sands said that even with Lattimore completely healthy, Davis and redshirt senior tailback Kenny Miles will still see playing time. He said the intention is for sophomore Brandon Wilds to redshirt this season.
But the rushing attack Saturday will begin and end with Lattimore, who is poised to have more chances to make an impact than he did at Florida.
“We thought it would be smart to rest [Lattimore] for another day,” Spurrier said. “Rest him for the next battle. He should be ready.”