Diagnosing the problem is easy.
Addressing it and improving is the challenge facing Florida, LSU and South Carolina.
Those three Southeastern Conference football teams lost by double digits on Labor Day weekend, and all three looked in disarray up front, especially the Gators and Gamecocks. The trio combined to rush for a scant 124 yards and combined to allow a staggering 18 sacks.
Florida had just 13 combined starts among its five offensive linemen before losing 24-11 at Utah, which tallied five sacks and held Gators running back Trevor Etienne to 25 yards on seven carries.
“I think there were a number of factors that contributed to our situation, in particular penalties and negative plays,” Florida coach Billy Napier said Wednesday on the weekly SEC teleconference. “Those are the enemy, right? Football is a game of efficiency, and you want to stay on schedule. We had a number of things that contributed, and we got knocked off track to where we were playing behind the sticks a lot, which affected our ability to stick with the running game.
“I’ve got a ton of confidence in our group, and I think some of our issues were in protection more than other stuff, but we’ve always had really good play up front. It’s one of the things that we’ve invested in, and even last year that group played well for us, so I think you’ll see improvement from this group as the season goes.”
LSU had its offensive moments during a 45-24 loss to Florida State in Orlando, but how long can the Tigers rely on dynamic quarterback Jayden Daniels having three more carries than his running backs?
“We were in a position to be balanced most of the game, and then in the fourth quarter it obviously got away from us,” Tigers coach Brian Kelly said. “We want more equitable distribution, and we want to feature the backs more. Daniels can certainly be an integral part of what we’re doing, but we feel like the running game has got to be distributed. The offensive line will be involved in that, and we had some tough-yardage situations.
“We were on the goal line a couple of times and in some fourth-down situations, and not all of it was that the offensive line couldn’t get moving. We were in some option-read situations where we didn’t make the proper reads, so this is much more of looking at it systemically and running the ball with a little more variety and getting other guys touches.”
South Carolina surrendered nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss during its 31-17 loss to North Carolina in Charlotte, which obviously factored into a rushing output of minus-2 yards. The Gamecocks, much like the Gators, are dealing with inexperience, injuries and transfers up front, but there is no choice but for them to move forward with what they’ve got.
“We’ve got to play with better technique,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. “There were times Saturday night when our guys got out there in battle and maybe reverted back to old habits or didn’t trust their training. It starts with that, because we’ve got to win our one-on-one battles.
“We’ve had our share of injuries, which has affected the continuity, but nobody is sitting here feeling sorry for us. Everybody is dealing with it, and we don’t have time. The time is now.”
Georgia redshirt junior receiver and former North Murray High School standout Ladd McConkey didn’t play in last weekend’s 48-7 thumping of UT Martin, and the debut to his season remains unknown due to a back issue.
“I can’t even explain to you exactly what it is,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “It’s a really big word. It’s frustrating for him, because he doesn’t control it. He runs and does great and feels fine, and then one sudden movement can set him back. He will have pain, and then he’s back down.
“He’s battling his tail off. He rehabs three or four times a day. He’s like, ‘I can go. I can go, Coach. Let me go out there and practice,’ but we are not going to do that until we are certain.”
The most overlooked game, at least from a recent history standpoint, on this weekend’s SEC docket is Missouri hosting Middle Tennessee.
Only two meetings have taken place between the Tigers and Blue Raiders, with Mizzou winning 41-40 in 2003 and Middle Tennessee prevailing 51-45 in 2016.
Pasquali’s Pix
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest: Dave Clawson has led the Demon Deacons to seven consecutive bowl games, matching the total of predecessors Jim Grobe, Jim Caldwell, Bill Dooley and Al Groh combined. Demon Deacons 28, Commodores 19.
Ball State at Georgia: You’ve got to like the chances of Uga XI, or “Boom,” staying undefeated as Georgia’s mascot. Bulldogs 44, Cardinals 7.
South Carolina State at Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are seeking to become the 21st Bowl Subdivision program to collect 750 all-time wins. Yellow Jackets 45, Bulldogs 16.
Austin Peay at Tennessee: The Volunteers have averaged 12.52 first-quarter points in the Josh Heupel era, the most of any team nationally. Vols 58, Governors 7.
Kennesaw State at UTC: The Mocs are looking to avoid their first 0-2 start since the brief Tom Arth era. Owls 27, Mocs 25.
Memphis at Arkansas State: So the last four seasons as a head coach for Butch Jones have contained Tennessee’s first winless run through SEC play, Saturday’s 73-0 loss to Oklahoma and a 5-19 record during the years in between. Tigers 34, Red Wolves 24.
Texas at Alabama: Nick Saban has won 57 consecutive regular-season games against nonconference opposition. That’s enough for me. Crimson Tide 34, Longhorns 23.
Auburn at California: The Tigers have never won in the Golden State, falling to Santa Clara in 1936, to Southern California in 2022, and to Florida State in the 2013 BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl. Tigers 30, Bears 27.
Other picks:
Texas A&M 31, Miami 24
Ole Miss 38, Tulane 32
Kentucky 52, Eastern Kentucky 9
Arkansas 45, Kent State 16
Mizzou 41, Middle Tennessee 28
LSU 56, Grambling 15
Florida 40, McNeese 7
Mississippi State 34, Arizona 31
South Carolina 27, Furman 20
Louisville 53, Murray State 13
Ohio State 55, Youngstown State 12
Notre Dame 30, N.C. State 27
Utah 31, Baylor 26
Clemson 42, Charleston Southern 7
Michigan 46, UNLV 3
Florida State 44, Southern Miss 21
North Carolina 33, Appalachian State 10
Last week:
Winners — 21
Commercials added — 4
Pasquali is 21-4 (84.0%) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.