South Carolina Football: 10 players the Gamecocks will need to see step up after the Bye Week
By Kevin Miller
10 players South Carolina Football must have step up after the Bye Week:
Anyone at Right Tackle…Literally Anyone
The struggles of the South Carolina football offensive line have been well-documented this season. No one has performed consistently well, but freshman left tackle Tree Babalade has been the best pass blocker of the group, and interior players Nick Gargiulo (left guard) and Vershon Lee (center) have been decent. Freshman Tro Baugh has had some good moments and seems to be the starter at right guard moving forward.
The most glaring weak point on the o-line has been right tackle. Cason Henry was injured early in the team’s first game, and the revolving door of replacements has been about as effective in pass protection as a revolving door might have been.
Sidney Fugar (who started at left tackle before Babalade took over), Jakai Moore (who has also played right guard), and Tyshawn Wannamaker have all struggled mightily. Wannamaker had a decent day against Mississippi State, but other than that, the right tackle spot has been porous in its efforts to keep Spencer Rattler upright and has not generated any push in the run game.
Moore has a shoulder issue that kept him out of the Tennessee game, resulting in Baugh starting at right guard and Wannamaker starting at right tackle. No timetable has been given for his return. After Wannamaker’s poor performance against UT, head coach Shane Beamer said that Fugar would get another chance to play.
No matter who plays at the position (Moore, Wannamaker, Fugar, or anyone else), the production has to be better. Without someone stepping up at right tackle, the South Carolina offense will be limited in how effective it can be, and Spencer Rattler and the Carolina running backs will leave each game in an unnecessary amount of pain.