South Carolina Gamecocks: SEC East
The first year of new head coach Shane Beamer probably won't translate to a lot of wins for South Carolina. There's not enough talent to mount a challenge for the SEC East title, so the best the Gamecocks can hope for is to reach the bowl season with one or two lucky breaks during 2021.
The main objective this season is to turn the program's fortunes around, so the coaching staff will be under the microscope this year.
Here's a look at the South Carolina Gamecocks' strengths and weaknesses heading into the 2021-2022 season.
2021-2022 SEC East Conference preview: South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina's strengths: It's honestly tough to pick something to characterize as a real strength, as much of the expectation around South Carolina's season depends more on the upside than the actual production. The most positive thing resides on the offensive line, as four out of five starters from 2020 will return to the side.
South Carolina's weaknesses: The passing game didn't show up last season and has a lot of work to do to become a strength of this offense in the SEC. There's uncertainty about the quarterback position as the aerial game amassed only 187.2 yards per game last season.
South Carolina Gamecocks key player: Offense
RB Kevin Harris: It's not a team with a lot of juice on the offense, but Harris looks the part. He had 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and he's back for more in 2021. He amassed 1297 yards from scrimmage last year, which is a fair amount over a 10-game season, especially in the SEC
South Carolina Gamecocks key player: Defense
DE Kingsley Enagbare: Coming into his senior year, Enagbare will harbor hope that a good season against SEC competition can put him in the conversation for the NFL draft. He has amassed 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss during his three-year career with the Gamecocks.
2021-2022 South Carolina Bulldogs schedule
Week 1: Saturday, September 4 vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers
Week 2: Saturday, September 11 at East Carolina Pirates
Week 3: Saturday, September 18 at Georgia Bulldogs
Week 4: Saturday, September 25 vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Week 5: Saturday, October 2 vs. Troy Trojans
Week 6: Saturday, October 9 at Tennessee Volunteers
Week 7: Saturday, October 16 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Week 8: Saturday, October 23 at Texas A&M Aggies
Week 9: Bye week
Week 10: Saturday, November 6 vs. Florida Gators
Week 11: Saturday, November 13 at Missouri Tigers
Week 12: Saturday, November 20 vs. Auburn Tigers
Week 13: Saturday, November 27 vs. Clemson Tigers
2021-2022 South Carolina Gamecocks prediction (4-8 overall, 1-7 SEC)
It'll be a rough start to Beamer's career with the Gamecocks as conference play will prove too heavy to handle. South Carolina will be able to start the season well as the team wins at least three of the first five games, but the second half of the season will be too much to overcome. Still, there'll be a lot of positives if the new coach can make things positive.
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