Three defensive adjustments South Carolina football, Shane Beamer will make vs Missouri

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football doesn't have much time to make adjustments before facing No. 20 Missouri after a 41-39 loss to Florida, but the Gamecocks' defense desperately needs a reset.

South Carolina (2-4, 1-3 SEC) gave up a career-high 423 passing yards to Gators quarterback Graham Mertz, and the defense has allowed at least 30 points to eight of its last nine Power Five opponents. The Gamecocks now prepare to play at Missouri (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday (3:30 p.m., SEC Network) looking for their first win over the Tigers in three seasons under coach Shane Beamer.

The Gamecocks don't have the defensive depth to make any major personnel changes, but Beamer said South Carolina will work some schematic changes and reprioritize from a coaching standpoint to maximize improvement in a week.

Less man coverage to contain Luther Burden

South Carolina played in man coverage for nearly the entire game against Florida and got repeatedly burned, especially by top Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall who was matchup up with safety Nick Emmanwori. Pearsall finished with a season-high 166 yards, including the 21-yard game-winning touchdown.

Against Missouri star Luther Burden, who is No. 2 in the SEC in receiving yards with 808, the Gamecocks plan to play less man coverage to help reduce his explosive play potential.

"I think we played 86 plays on Saturday ... and in those 86 plays, I think over 40 of them we played man coverage with a safety in the middle or zero blitz coverage, meaning there is no help," Beamer said. "You're not going to be able to play man coverage every single snap against (Burden). That's what we do here at South Carolina, but we're not going to come in to play man coverage every game this year ... We're going to mix it up, mix coverages up."

Emphasis on simplifying, fundamentals

Tigers quarterback Brady Cook isn't a particularly explosive passer as much as his stat line might show, largely thanks to Burden's prowess breaking tackles and picking up yards after the catch. Burden has at least one reception of 25-plus yards against every team except Kentucky, and the Gamecocks rank No. 100 out of 130 FBS program in passing defense efficiency.

Cook isn't quite a true dual-threat, but the junior is certainly capable as runner with 179 yards of gain and four touchdowns rushing so far this season. Missouri also has the SEC's No. 2 running back in Cody Schrader, who has 648 yards on the ground.

"When you watch their explosive play tape ... so much of it is a short intermediate throw to (Burden), and then he just makes about three or four people miss ... so we've got to do a great job going back to technique and fundamentals of tackling," Beamer said. "Those other corners and safeties and nickels (need) to show us in practice that they can be counted on, because that is a position where, no matter what you're playing, you make a mistake on the back end and that's an 80-yard touchdown pass."

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Prioritizing execution on pressure plays

One of the Gamecocks' biggest issues against Florida was a disconnect between the play calling and the execution on the field. Beamer said postgame that South Carolina was calling more pressures than it ran, but players were struggling to adapt the call if the offensive look changed. He also said he was disappointed in the defensive mentality on pressure plays, feeling that players were bailing on assignments that resulted in explosive plays.

Senior defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway said South Carolina has spent time refocusing on the playbook during practice to help limit the hesitancy and mental mistakes that plagued the unit against Florida.

"The coaches said it starts with knowing exactly what (the play) is, knowing the difference between a pressure and a blitz," Hemingway said. "Sometimes you hesitate because of what you see like play action and things like that, so it's learning that you don't need to hesitate and just keep moving."

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football, Shane Beamer will adjust defense vs Missouri