South Carolina football: areas where the team will improve, decline in ’21
By Jacob Elsey
Sacks allowed
The Gamecocks allowed 27 sacks in last year’s ten-game slate, good for fourth-most in the conference. The good news is that this year’s backfield will see dual threat signal caller in Luke Doty as opposed to pocket passer Collin Hill, who’d had three knee surgeries prior to last season.
Doty’s ability to escape the pocket and keep plays alive should be enough to cut down on the number of sacks the offensive line allows. Speaking of that O-line, it should be one of the deepest position groups on the field. The Gamecocks return four of five starters, and have a couple of potential ’22 NFL Draft picks anchoring the front five.
This number should go way down in 2021.
Scoring defense
South Carolina’s defense allowed 36 points per game last year, the worst mark for the program since the 1995 season. The team also lost three members of its secondary to transfer, it’s top tackler, and a first-round pick in Jaycee Horn. So why will it be any better in 2021?
A few reasons. First, South Carolina’s schedule eases a bit. The slate won’t consist of all SEC opponents. Instead, the Gamecocks will face off against Eastern Illinois, ECU, and Troy in the non-conference slate. They’ll also go up against offenses at Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky that are in transition.
Outside of Clemson and Georgia, there isn’t a truly potent group on the slate, in comparison to last year when South Carolina faced six of the conference’s top seven offenses. Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts, and Kadarius Toney are gone at Florida, Kellen Mond is out at A&M, Trevor Lawrence has left Clemson, and Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team is no longer on the schedule.
South Carolina should easily improve in this category.
Sacks
The Gamecocks ranked dead last in the conference in sacks last season, despite having one of the SEC’s top pass rushers in JJ Enagbare. The good news for South Carolina is that Enagbare is back for his senior year, and there’s help on the way for the defensive line.
Jordan Burch, Tonka Hemingway, and Aaron Sterling all return at end, while edge rushing specialist Jordan Strachan transferred in after leading the country in sacks a year ago. The defensive line should be the most complete unit on the defense, and the Gamecocks are going to have to rely on that group to mask deficiencies at the second level.
New defensive coordinator Clayton White’s scheme will be more aggressive than what the Gamecocks have seen in the past, and pressuring opposing quarterbacks will be a priority. South Carolina will improve upon the 14 sacks it recorded last year, and we’ve gone as far as to predict they’ll double that number in 2021.