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    3-week offensive malaise cannot stretch to 4 for struggling Gamecocks

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    By By David Cloninger,File/artie Walker/ap

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    3-week offensive malaise cannot stretch to 4 for struggling Gamecocks

    It was the biggest issue going into last week’s game. It would have been the major topic after Vanderbilt, win or lose, but then LaNorris Sellers got hurt.

    All questions on the offense had to be tabled. No offense is going to run well without its starting quarterback, and USC’s was no exception. Once Sellers went out just before halftime, the Gamecocks were able to move the ball in spurts, but they never found the end zone.

    Naturally, it could have carried over to this week if Sellers didn’t recover from his malady in time to play at No. 23 Missouri. But reports throughout the week have him tracking to play, so the numbers come back into view, as well as the new line.

    Vanderbilt may go on to have an outstanding season, but the Commodores running over the Gamecocks 31-7 at Williams-Brice Stadium leaped well over “QB got hurt.” Two weeks of the offense doing just enough to get by and two wins aided by four special teams/defensive touchdowns bottlenecked into that, creating a firestorm for this week.

    Shula is in the center.

    “You want every play to score a touchdown. But these teams we’re playing are pretty good as we move forward into continuing to play the SEC. And so there’s a fine line,” Shula said. “And hey, you keep running those plays you work on, you look at other plays. You have plays off those plays … (You) talk to your players about that and keep working on trying to stay out of the negative plays is the main thing. That way you stay on the field, make first downs, and hopefully when you do that, you move the ball and get points.”

    Beamer pointed out that last year’s sputtering opener against Old Dominion drew howls from the fans as well as a home stinker against Ole Miss (the Gamecocks managed three points) and a not-great offensive showing at Oklahoma (that one was nearly muted because USC scored two defensive touchdowns and its first offensive TD off another Sooners turnover in a rout of the home team). Even Clemson (just 17 points) had some grumbling.

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