South Carolina searching for third-down consistency with Tennessee looming
South Carolina’s third-down numbers through four games don’t exactly scream efficiency.
The Gamecocks currently rank 12th in the Southeastern Conference in third-down conversion rate (35.29%) and are tied for 11th in the league with just 24 third-down conversions this year.
But for a team that has struggled to find offensive consistency over the past three weeks, the formula to sustaining drives doesn’t start with third down. It’s the positioning on first down and second down that can help piece together more flow and rhythm for offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s unit.
“First down is the most important part,” Satterfield said Wednesday. “I mean if you can stay on schedule on first down, you have a really good chance of at least getting the third-and-2 or 3.”
Speaking with reporters on his Sunday teleconference, head coach Shane Beamer explained how his staff charts third-down plays in varying increments. Plays are broken down into clusters depending on down and distance from third-and-1 to third-and-10-plus.
The practice is normal for any major college football team, especially in a day and age in which analytics and charts increasingly influence decision-making on Saturdays in the fall. But whether the play calls have been right or wrong, the execution hasn’t been there.
Three times this year South Carolina has converted on four or less third-down attempts in a game. It also hasn’t finished better than 47.1% on third down in a game against FBS competition in 2021.
“Third down is the one play you’ve got to be a competitor,” Beamer said Sunday. “You’ve got to be willing to step up and compete and make plays on third down.”
And while the third-down conversion numbers aren’t great, it comes in part due to the Gamecocks’ inability to give themselves easy fields to work with.
In four games against non-FCS teams, South Carolina has attempted 39 third downs from third-and-5 or more. The Gamecocks have only picked up first downs on seven of those chances and are 2 of 16 on third-and-long (9 yards or more).
By contrast, when USC stays ahead of the chains, Satterfield’s bunch have been largely successful. The Gamecocks have converted on 10 of 15 (66.7%) chances from third-and-4 or shorter against FBS teams this year.
The problem, though, remains that South Carolina hasn’t given itself enough short opportunities. The Gamecocks are averaging 8.3 yards to go on third down against FBS competition and haven’t averaged better than 7.2 yards to go on third down in those four contests.
On Wendesday, Satterfield did explain how the play-calling can shift on third down some when he and Beamer plan to go for a fourth-down attempt — which South Carolina has converted at a 50% clip this season.
Depending on the spot on the field, the Gamecocks talk in pregame prep and during the contest on when to push the envelope. So far, South Carolina has attempted a conversion on 10 of their 44 fourth downs this year, or roughly one out of every four.
“A lot of these third-down numbers start getting skewed because you would love to have gotten a first down, but you’re just handing the ball off to make sure to get the fourth-and-1,” Satterfield explained. “You hope that it pops for a first down. A lot of those you end up converting that possession, but it just doesn’t show on the state sheet. But we’re by no means where we need to be on third down.”
Since exploding for 46 points in a season opening throttling of Eastern Illinois, points and sustained offensive success have been hard to come by around Columbia. South Carolina currently sits 13th in the SEC in total offense, 13th in points per game, 12th in passing offense and 11th in rushing offense.
Failing to find a running game has certainly created problems in what kind of boxes the Gamecocks have seen on first and second down. But for what South Carolina has lacked in a rushing attack, quarterback Luke Doty has alleviated some pressure of late.
Doty set career marks for passing yards, passing attempts and completions in the win over Troy last week as he torched the Trojans defense with an efficiency the Gamecocks have lacked at the quarterback position since Jake Bentley’s first three seasons in Columbia.
South Carolina’s third-down offense hasn’t been there. Satterfield and Beamer will be the first to concede that.
If the Gamecocks are going to string together drives against a Tennessee team that can score in bunches on Saturday, it’ll have to find a consistency on first and second down to set up shorter conversion attempts on third and fourth down.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 5:49 PM with the headline "South Carolina searching for third-down consistency with Tennessee looming."
