3 Reasons for South Carolina Football Fans to Chill Out
Despite there being legitimate causes for concern and anxiety among those who love South Carolina football, there are reasons to relax, as well. The primary reasons to keep the faith in the 2024 Gamecocks are that Saturday's performance (though bad) was just one game, the defense was pretty good, and the team has more overall talent than it has had in a while.
It Was Just One Game
Bad days happen. In sports, sometimes those bad days are indicative of additional bad days being on their way. In others, though, bad days are just a blip on the radar as teams figure themselves out and get better.
There are plenty of examples of teams having a bad game early in the year only to turn things around for a better finish. The 2014 National Championship-winning Ohio State Buckeyes squad lost by two touchdowns to a Virginia Tech Hokies team that went 3-5 in the ACC that same year before winning out the rest of their schedule. In 2015, the North Carolina Tar Heels lost their first game to a not-so-good South Carolina Gamecocks squad before coming just one onside kick away from playing in the College Football Playoff. The 2011 Gamecocks went 11-2 but not until after a really ugly game against East Carolina in the season opener.
It wouldn't be fair to place those types of expectations on this year's team, but those teams do show that turnarounds are very possible after tough starts. It was just one game, and while there are problems that have to be fixed, there is a real chance they do get fixed.
The Defense
The 2024 version of the South Carolina defense very well could be the best one the team has seen since 2013. It is, without a doubt, the deepest defense since those 11-win Carolina teams that played for Steve Spurrier.
The Gamecocks can play 6 competent players each at defensive tackle, defensive end, and linebacker, and the secondary has a nice blend of veteran contributors and young talent. Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart were dominant at defensive end, and the rest of the defensive line contributors were really good, too.
The game against Old Dominion wasn't the best for safety DQ Smith as he allowed a 70-yard touchdown over his head and whiffed on a tackle after quarterback Grant Wilson took a draw straight up the gut, resulting in another score. However, the rest of the defense played well, and Smith has a track record of good showings.
The Carolina defense should be a strength this year, especially if the offense shows some improvement and can give their defensive counterparts a little more rest than they did on Saturday.
There's More Talent on the Roster
It didn't always feel this way on Saturday, but the Gamecock roster has much more overall talent than last year's team. Despite losing four players to the NFL Draft, several others to NFL free agent contracts, and over 20 total players to the transfer portal, Shane Beamer's coaching staff improved the roster by working hard to recruit the 2024 high school class and the transfer portal.
Week 1 wasn't a good indication of how good the new-look Carolina receiving corps could be if things go well for them, and it certainly wasn't a great depiction of LaNorris Sellers' potential at quarterback. The offensive line is deeper than they were last year when injuries ravaged the group, so there is a reason to be optimistic that things will get better there, too.
The defense already has shown evidence that it will be much better than the overall effort from last year, and the team's special teams unit has room for improvement that feels realistic under new special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis.
""We've got a lot to clean up, but we'll learn from this one...we're going to continue to get better each and every week, and [you] can expect us to be a lot better next Saturday up in Lexington.""Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer
Coach Beamer summed it up well during his postgame press conference, saying that his team has "a lot to clean up" but that he expects his team to continue learning and growing as they "get better each and every week."
All in all, the Gamecocks were not good enough against Old Dominion, but there are some easy-to-correct issues that the coaching staff already has begun working on fixing. Both of those realities can be true.
Now, only time will tell what the rest of the 2024 season holds.