South Carolina Football: Report card vs. Clemson Tigers

C. Spencer Rattler didn’t have a great game on Saturday. However, grading his performance as a failure despite just 128 yards of offense is unfair. The Gamecock offensive line, offensive coordinator, and pass-catchers all let #7 down in a big way. Dowell Loggains didn’t put his offense (including his quarterback) in good places to succeed, there were too many dropped passes from targeted Gamecocks, and the offensive line gave Rattler no time the majority of the game.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. QUARTERBACK PLAY

C-. Mario Anderson and the Carolina running backs didn’t play particularly well. They also didn’t have good enough blocking up front to make a good day realistic, just like their quarterback. However, Anderson dropped at least two passes and didn’t look like himself after getting slammed on his head in the 1st half. DJ Joyner and Djay Braswell played limited snaps, but their results looked a lot like Anderson’s. With nowhere to go, the ground game was virtually non-existent, despite Dowell Loggains’ insistence on running the football.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. RUNNING BACKS

D+. Avert your eyes, South Carolina football fans. Gamecock pass-catchers had a bad game against Clemson. Aside from a couple of plays from Xavier Legette, the output was poor from the receivers, tight ends, and running backs. A dropped backward pass from Legette resulted in Clemson’s only touchdown, and at least 3 passing game drops (plus at least 4 more borderline drops) doomed the offense. Several of them were at crucial moments when the offense had a chance to pick up a 1st down, but the Gamecocks couldn’t covert. Luke Doty scored a rushing touchdown when he kept the ball on a ridiculous reverse pass that was supposed to end up back in Spencer Rattler’s hand. The nice play from #9 bumps this grade up a touch, but things were not good on the outside against the Tigers.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. PASS CATCHERS

Not much needs to be said about this one. The Clemson front absolutely dominated the South Carolina offensive line. Amazingly, Clemson only had 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, but they forced an almost uncountable number of short gains and hurried throws by whipping the offensive line dressed in garnet and black. South Carolina only ran 56 plays because they couldn’t sustain drives due to poor blocking. Penalties were also an issue up front, making matters worse for offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley’s group.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. OFFENSIVE LINE. F