South Carolina had two huge wins over Tennessee and Clemson that helped the Gamecocks finish on a high note in 2022. They come into 2023 with the chance to take a step forward. However, a lot of questions need to be answered on both sides of the ball. South Carolina also has a tough schedule this year, which doesn’t help when you have a ton of questions that need to be answered coming into the fall. Does Shane Beamer help this team carry over momentum in year number three? Here is the preview for the 2023 South Carolina Gamecocks.
Offense
South Carolina’s offense is going to rely heavily on Spencer Rattler’s shoulders yet again in 2023. They get a new offensive coordinator in Dowell Loggains from Arkansas. Loggains brings tight end Trey Knox from Arkansas with him to South Carolina. Their offense got a boost when Rattler and his number one target, Antwane “Juice” Wells, decided to return. One thing that is going to hurt this offense is the lack of running backs that they have. Their leading returner from a season ago is Juju McDowell who had 219 yards last year.
If McDowell’s offense is going to work they are going to need to get some sort of running game going. Without a running game, this offense is pass heavy and it will create a nightmare for McDowell’s play calling. South Carolina’s offensive line had some concern and they have more concerns as Jaylen Nichols got significantly hurt in their spring game. They have a transfer at the right tackle position starting for them in Sidney Fugar (Western Illinois). This starting offensive lineman doesn’t give a lot of confidence to anyone that believes South Carolina will take a step forward offensively. If South Carolina wants to contend they need to fix their offensive line and their running game.
Defense
The Gamecocks lost key contributors at all three levels of their starting defense from a season ago. They are only bringing back four returning starters from last season. South Carolina is super desperate to get better in their front seven. The Gamecocks were horrendous against the run a season ago, which was the reason that they weren’t as successful as they wanted to be. In the front seven the big name that is back is Mohamed Kaba who is returning from injury. There is a lot of talk about Stone Blanton building off his freshman season, but other than that they are super thin at the front seven position. If they want to get better at stopping the run, they need to get a lot better up front.
The good thing about the South Carolina defense is that they have had one of the top secondary groups for the past two seasons. They have a veteran cornerback crew that is led by Marcellas Dial and nickel David Spaulding. South Carolina is also super strong at the safety position as sophomores Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith are back to lead the charge after becoming stars as freshmen. The Gamecocks were one of the best in takeaways, as they shut down opposing passing games very well in 2022. If South Carolina wants to succeed defensively, they need to be able to stop the run.
Win Total Bet
The win total is set at 6.5 on the FanDuel Sportsbook. The over is set at +118 odds and the under is at -144 odds. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered in 2023 for South Carolina. If they struggle at stopping the run and have a lack of a running game, this team will be worse than they were a season ago. I just think it’ll be too much to overcome especially with a tough schedule this year. South Carolina won’t go over their win total, but the odds are too high for my liking. They can get to 6-6, but that’s as high as they go.
Schedule Predictions
Loss vs North Carolina (0-1)
Win vs Furman (1-1)
Loss at Georgia (1-2)
Win vs Mississippi State (2-2)
Loss at Tennessee (2-3)
Close Loss vs Florida (2-4)
Loss at Missouri (2-5)
Win at Texas A&M (3-5)
Blowout Win vs Jacksonville State (4-5)
Win vs Vanderbilt (5-5)
Win vs Kentucky (6-5)
Loss at Clemson (6-6)