Citrus Bowl III - Craig Has The Scout, South Carolina
Coming Up
Who: South Carolina Gamecocks
When: 2:00 pm – December 31st, 2024
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
How: ABC
Opponent Primer:
Head Coach: Shane Beamer. Shane Beamer took over South Carolina in the same cycle that brought Bielema to Illinois. Beamer got his start as player for his dad at Virginia Tech, then took GA jobs for George O’Leary at Georgia Tech and Phil Fulmer at Tennessee; nothing like dad’s friends hiring the kid. He got his first real job with Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State (tire fire) but got out in time to join Steve Spurrier at South Carolina. He left to join his dad in 2011 at Virginia Tech where they both hoped he would take over when dad retired. Virginia Tech had other ideas, but he was able to join Kirby Smart’s first staff at Georgia. He left there to join Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, his last job prior to taking over at South Carolina. Beamer was known as a fierce recruiter but was light on scheme. He never held a coordinator job prior to taking over at South Carolina. His resume says he is pretty swell, his last name says he got there because of dad.
Offensive Style: Multiple formations Spread Offense trying to get athletes in space. Prior to being hired as the head coach at Appalachian State in December, Dowell Loggains was the OC at South Carolina. His replacement for 2025 is Mike Shula. Beamer has said that Loggains may stay around for one more game with the Gamecocks. When Beamer announced the hire of Shula, he said that Shula was putting together the gameplan, so I assume he will call the plays. I expect Shula to run tempo and quick hitters to get Sellers in rhythm.
Defensive Style: Blend of 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 with heavy man coverage. Clayton White is the DC and promised an aggressive, attacking style when he took over. The defense is predicated on their front 4 dominating the opponent and the rest of the defense doing their job. The defense is top notch and full of athletes. White likes to run press coverage with man on the corners and his DL getting after opposing QBs. Against the run, he will migrate to a 3-3-5 look and utilize his trio of solid LBs.
Three Things to Watch
1. Penalty yard differential. South Carolina is 95th nationally in penalty yards. Penalties beat them in the LSU game. Illinois is one of the least penalized teams nationally and will need the free yards from penalties and special teams field position.
2. South Carolina TFLs. Illinois has allowed 79 TFLs on the year, last in the B1G. The Illini have allowed opponents one of the highest HAVOC rates in the country. On the other side is one of the premier DLs in the country. South Carolina has generated 84 TFLs on the season, which was 7th in the SEC. That said, they generated 411 yards lost on those TFLs which is enough to get Illinois behind the chains.
3. South Carolina Red Zone Conversions. The Illini defense has allowed points on 37 of 43 red zone possessions, ranking 90th in the country. The Illini will need to keep South Carolina out of the red zone to keep points off the board (obvious), which means the Illini need to gamble more and not play bend but don’t break down the entire field.
Scouting Review - Offense