The Daily Gamecock

USC moving past frustration from Florida

Gamecocks focusing on offensive line, wide receivers for Tennessee

 

South Carolina’s defense has had to learn that half of a football team can’t win a game by itself.

“It’s very frustrating knowing we really shut their offense down pretty good,” sophomore defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said. “We did our half, but it’s not a half team. We’ve got to execute as a whole team. I mean, we just didn’t show up all together.”

After holding Florida to fewer than 200 yards of offense last week, the defense still had to look up at the scoreboard to see 44 points scored. Three lost fumbles by the offense, and special teams gave the Gamecocks a short field on defense throughout the first half, but as the unit prepares for a pass-heavy Tennessee team Saturday, it’s putting the frustration of Florida behind it.

“We have goals that we set every week,” defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said. “Our job is to play as well as we can play as defense. We can’t control the results of what happens with the special teams or the offense, but I want them to understand that there’s a lot of great teams that have won a lot of ballgames on defense.

“We have that opportunity. Our offense will be better — I know they will — but we only can control what we control.”

Ward’s focus will be on only Tennessee’s offense, which will be a change of pace for the Gamecocks after back-to-back run-first teams. He said it will be “by far” the biggest game for the secondary, as the Volunteers’ Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter are the two best receivers on any one team in the SEC in Ward’s opinion. Both are averaging more than 14 yards per reception.

The key matchup for the defense will be the front four against Tennessee’s offensive line, which has only surrendered three sacks this season and none to defensive linemen. USC’s defense is averaging 3.6 sacks per game.

“We have 29, and all of them were by d-linemen except for four or three,” Ward said. “I like the matchup.”

Ward said quarterback Tyler Bray does a good job of getting rid of the football and avoiding the sack, but that can be his fault, too. He often forces the throw and is intercepted, tallying nine this season.

The Gamecocks will be without sophomore defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles on Saturday, with J.T. Surratt likely starting in his place. Quarles did not practice all week with a shoulder sprain.

Clowney said the low volume of sacks is more about how quickly Tennessee can get the ball out. Clowney said he’s looking forward to putting his hands up and knocking some of the rushed passes down.

“I think we can get to the quarterback,” Clowney said. “They just get the ball out so fast, you can’t really get a sack.”

After Clowney said he thought some of the players weren’t as emotionally invested during the LSU game as they were against Georgia, Clowney backed off the statements a little. He said he was frustrated with the loss and doesn’t think he’s done enough at USC to be a vocal presence yet, leaving it to the veterans.

Senior linebacker Shaq Wilson said it’s easy to get frustrated, especially when the defense is playing well but the loss comes anyway.

“We were out there on the field when they were putting the points up, so we’re just as responsible as anybody,” Wilson said. “Whatever the situation, we’ve got to give it our all.”

With Tennessee on deck, the performances at Florida and LSU are irrelevant. The Gamecocks will try to use those experiences to keep the frustration from seeping through on Saturday.

“You see it sometimes,” senior free safety D.J. Swearinger said. “In those times of adversity, the great players, we keep our composure and just play football.”


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