Gamecocks line grows only more patchwork after rough night in Texas
There’s a fine line for South Carolina’s offensive line.
Players never want to use injuries as an excuse. They talk about playing to the position, “next man up” and all the other clichés one has to believe to step into that breach on short notice.
But there’s also a reason starters are starting over someone else.
The Gamecocks offensive staff wanted to go into the season with eight reliable linemen: five starters and three backups. They probably got to seven or so, with the backup center being starting guard Cory Helms.
He wasn’t in the lineup Saturday against Texas A&M. Neither were two other starters. Only one player finished the game in the spot where he started the opener.
It’s no surprise there are issues, but it’s not something the Gamecocks talk about.
“We’re not going to make excuses,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said. “At the end of they day, you’ve got to block them.”
Right guard Donell Stanley had been on the left, and his replacement was young, raw Sadarius Hutcherson, a former tackle who moved after spring. D.J. Park became the Gamecocks’ third right tackle, replacing Malik Young, who was benched after opening the season on the left side and left Saturday with an ankle injury.
Park was USC’s top right tackle entering 2016, but he was eventually replaced by Young after shifting spots twice.
So it follows that USC couldn’t protect Jake Bentley (seven sacks) or move the ball with any consistency (more than 70 percent of USC’s carries failed to gain four or more yards).
Center Alan Knott admitted that means some coordination between linemen isn’t as smooth, which is an issue in front of 90,000-plus people with a John Chavis-schemed defense coming after the passer.
“It’s tough to communicate sometimes, but it’s something that we have to get done,” Knott said. “And we didn’t.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Gamecocks line grows only more patchwork after rough night in Texas."