Latest / The Saturday Slate Football Show / South Carolina Week 1 Recap
Transcript
- Canon Stogner: let's go ahead and we're gonna start with South Carolina because we're obviously South Carolina fans and most of our listeners are South Carolina fans, so We're gonna start with South Carolina. they ended up beating Kent State fifty seven to nothing. in a very hot, hot day. It was the hottest game at Willie B. I'm sure everybody's seen it, so I'm just not trying to beat a dead horse. But I thought they looked really good. to be honest with you, it kinda started off and I was tell I was telling my buddy Avery, I was like, if they can't block Kent State, it's gonna be a long year. Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: And that those first two drives, I was like, boy. But Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: it ended up I mean, they rushed for over two hundred yards, or maybe three hundred yards, excuse me. or they had two hundred and eighty rushing yards, so almost three hundred, but they really dominated Kent State and it was so good to see Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: like them not being a close game against a team that's not in their conference in the game they should have won. they did cover the spread. I thought Lenoris looked really good. under Kendall Browse. He looked confident he knew where to go with the ball. and he was just he wasn't shaky back there. He wasn't looking to run the whole time. and I thought the way that they used Nick Harbor and just getting the ball to him immediately instead Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: of trying these deep balls to use the speed, they just gave the ball to him and let his speed take over from there. I thought that was something we haven't seen yet with any of the previous offensive coordinators. And it looked really good. and then their defense obviously pitched a shutout. I didn't think Kent State's quarterback was that bad either. I mean, he was getting Andrew Wright: Mm-mm. Canon Stogner: the ball out quick. they only had one sack. They had seven or eight hurries, QB hurries, but they only he only gave up one sack. but the defense was really I mean, they did what we I think we all kind of thought they would do or should do playing in a team like that. but I think my biggest thing that I enjoyed seeing was I've always told people I'd rather have a running back that is just kind of that bruiser that's just going to lower his head and get three or four yards because once you get into the second half, you start to wear teams down with that running game. And those three or four yards turn into six, seven, eight yards a carry. And they did exactly that. I mean, they averaged nine yards a play. and I saw someone post on Twitter, all seven of the running backs on the roster weigh over two hundred pounds. And I think having that is massive because you got they have a bunch of different backs. They all are like the same running back style. they just lower their head, lower their shoulder and fall forward. And I think that's the type of running back South Carolina needs. So that's what they had two years ago with Rocket Sanders. And I mean that's the best year they've had in several years. So what'd you think? Andrew Wright: Just for me, kind of something you said, like just so good to see them play that level of football against a non-conference opponent team that they're really supposed to beat up on in week one. Haven't seen that really since Georgia State in 2021. So just really, really nice to kind of see that get that out of the way. Like you said, lovely they did with Harbor. I saw a guy like you on Twitter file plays into their drives. Like, Hey, it is a good idea to get the ball out in space to the six five track star. Like maybe that is something we should have seen in the past. And then just the offense was incredible. All the metrics numbers surpassed the Tennessee game in 2022. And I know that it's an inferior opponent against Kent State, but they haven't done that. So just very, very good to see that. Suthers look really good. The running game was my biggest takeaway. You average seven yards to carry and run for the year most yards in two years. Like you said, almost 300. Very, very encouraging. So I'm kind of very looking forward to seeing kind of what, that blossoms not so much next week against another inferior opponent, but kind of when that CC play begins in a couple of weeks. Will Morris: Yeah, I mean similar similar takeaways. I mean, it's obviously there's it's hard to poke holes in the performance from South Carolina. I the defense suffocated, the offense scored. After that first drive, they basically scored a touchdown. What was it, like the next eight drives or whatever it was? Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Will Morris: I think the biggest thing for a South Carolina fan, I think there's two things. One is when you're watching an SEC team play inferior competition, really what you want to watch is you want to watch the lines of scrimmage. Can my offensive line actually dominate their defensive line and vice versa. And I think they did that. I know the first drive was a little bit shaky, but I think once they figured that out, they look good. The second thing was I think the wide receiver room really surprised me. Canon Stogner: Yeah. Will Morris: especially given the injuries to Sellers and the kid that transferred in from Oklahoma. Like I thought the Canon Stogner: Gibson. Gibson, yeah. Will Morris: wide I mean, I didn't know obviously you have Harbour, you got Mazio Bennett, but like Maisio Bennett kinda fell off last year. He had a good freshman year. So I was really, really pleased with the depth that the wide receiver room showed. what was the Donovan Murph? He showed Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Will Morris: up. I mean, he looked Canon Stogner: Yeah. Will Morris: good. he's a what a true sophomore, I think. Yeah, yeah. So he looked really Canon Stogner: Yeah, he's supposed to be a freshman though. He gra graduated early. Will Morris: good. so I think the the wide receiver room and and I think the lines of scrimmage, I think that was the the two biggest things that I took away. I think the defense did what we were hoping they did and even s you know, even exceeded expectation. I mean they didn't they didn't get the ball across the forty and maybe one time. But for a long time in the game, they I mean they just couldn't move the ball. They maybe get one first Andrew Wright: Thank Will Morris: down, maybe two, but they just they couldn't string together first down. So yeah, overall couldn't be more pleased. Canon Stogner: Yeah, I th the one thing my favorite thing that I enjoyed seeing was coming from Mike Shula, and you know, Satterfield, Bobo, all these previous offense Andrew Wright: Yeah. Canon Stogner: coordinators they had, it was very cool to see that like they would just call they would have a formation that they would send out for the first play of a drive. And then out of that formation, they were obviously well prepared and all the credit is to Kill Kendall Braz for this, but they were well prepared and I mean they would snap the ball a couple of times before the play clock even got to thirty seconds. Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: And I feel like we're used to seeing like them snapping the ball with two or three seconds left every play. Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Canon Stogner: and I don't think their offense is not built for that, especially with a guy like Lenores who can you know, puts the defense on their heels and sets them back. so yeah, I mean it was very pleased. It's hard to take away from that. they do have Towson this week, so I think it should be another one of those games. But after that, I don't want to look ahead, but that Mississippi State game's massive because Camaro Andrew Wright: Massive. Canon Stogner: Kamario Taylor is a baller. Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: but we're focused on Talison right now, and I don't want to re-overact, Andrew Wright: That's right. Canon Stogner: but South Carolina looks like they're gonna win national championship. but I'm not I'm I don't I'm not gonna overreact. Will Morris: Yeah, don't do that. Canon Stogner: No, I'm playing. my last my last takeaway on South Carolina was I was interested to see I've seen a bunch of depth charts and you know, Shed Surratt ended up not starting. He was the best tackle last year by far, best offense lineman by far last year. He ended up not starting. He did play a good bit. But my biggest surprise was Darius Gray started at left tackle. And the reason I say that is once Jacarius Peake comes back, and it looks like he may even come back this week, I'd be surprised if he does just 'cause it is against Towson. He'll definitely be back from Mississippi State. I'll call that now. But I was surprised to see Gray start at left tackle because once Jacarius Peak does come back, he will be at left tackle. So are they going to put Darius Gray on the opposite end and right tackle? Or are they going to move him to guard? I know Beamer did say he could start at any position for them right now. but I think giving getting him the snaps to the position he's going to play whenever Peak comes back is important. Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: because I mean I never played offens line. I I'm a hundred and sixty pounds. I was a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet when I was playing. But I mean, it's different footwork. I mean, it's opposite footwork of what you're doing on the left side than it is the right side. So that would be interesting to see. all right, enough of South Carolina. Go ahead. Will Morris: I was well, I was gonna say one one more thing on that is you know, I talked about how the lines look good. Arguably our two best football players, obviously Dylan Stewart and then Jacarius Peake, they didn't play and the lines still look good. So I think you take Canon Stogner: Yeah. Yeah. Will Morris: that as even more of a positive. because again, that's not just like the two best like offensive defense line. They might just be our two best football players, period. And they weren't playing and we still look good. So I thought, you know, pleased with that, obviously. Canon Stogner: Yeah, yeah. A hundred percent. It was it was funny. I know we we always joke about Jake Bentley's first career snap. It was he ran a read option, he handed it he handed it off and like carried out the fate and tripped over his own feet in his first Andrew Wright: Mm-hmm. Canon Stogner: game. Julian Walker's first play of his career, Kent State threw like a screen pass or something and he hit the quarterback like three seconds after he released Andrew Wright: Yes, so late. Canon Stogner: it and got a penalty. So I was like, right, well, that's great teach tape for him. Like, cause he's probably gonna hear about it. I Andrew Wright: Yeah. Canon Stogner: mean, it was a little bit of a soft call. I they're playing football, he pushed them, but it was late. so you can't do that in those, you can't do that in the SEC game. So I Andrew Wright: Nuh-uh. Canon Stogner: was kind of glad he got out that got that out the way. all right, well, let's go ahead and jump into the biggest game of the weekend.