Gamecocks may be national champion contender except for mediocre defensive coaches?

SC has an SEC-level offense. But is the
D on the same level? 

It has been easy to be in full support of Gamecock Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward. South

Carolina has won 11 games for the last three years. Ward has been DC for two of those years.

But after the inexplicable, inexcusable debacle of the SC defense versus Texas A&M, and a shaky performance versus East Carolina, is it time to worry that coaching personnel is hurting the team's ability to grow?

Offense has emerged

A big change in the Gamecock's fortunes in the last three years has come at the QB position. With an astute, character-driven student like Conner Shaw, Spurrier finally got a dedicated winner at Quarterback at SC. The wins followed. Dylan Thompson is a Spurrier-level QB, too.

The Gamecocks have also been helped with the acquisition of All-World RB Marcus Lattimore. When Lattimore was at full-go, the Gamecock defense could rest on the sideline, as Marcus ate clock and ended drives with TDs.

Brandon Wilds and Mike Davis have also been top-tier SEC talents at RB.

But has the emergence of a full-fledged Spurrier offense disguised some major deficiencies of SC's defensive coaching staff?

Ward was promoted (in practice) to DC after the 2011 season. In his first season, South Carolina gave up 44 points to Florida in a loss. Against Tennessee, the Gamecocks yielded 35 points, and almost lost at home to a hapless Volunteer squad. The Gamecocks D could not stop Tennessee, until a heroic individual-talent play by Jadeveon Clowney that snatched victory from defeat.

Has SC been depending on raw talent on D? 

In SC's post-2012 bowl game, versus Michigan, the Gamecocks could not stop the Big 10's Wolverines, even after another super-human effort by Clowney (known as The HIT.)

Link: THE HIT!!!!

The Wolverines marched down the field, after Clowney's fumble-causing tackle, to take a late fourth-quarter lead over the Gamecocks. Only a couple of miracle plays by Shaw and Thompson pulled out another victory, after the defense failed.

Last year, SC's D looked lost and pathetic versus a Georgia team, that eventually went 8-5.

The Gamecocks defense also almost gave back a win at Central Florida, last year, after USC's offense had seemingly put away the Knights.

In 2013, the Gamecocks needed a defensive stop late to preserve a 21-20 lead on Tennessee, but the defense relented and SC lost. That failure cost the Gamecocks an SEC-East Championship and a shot at the National Championship.

Can't have obvious deficiencies

To be a true national contender, there cannot be an evident deficiency. Last year, the Gamecocks finished with a No. 4 ranking, but missed its shot to do better. 

Steve Spurrier has brought SC to the brink, but has a less-than stellar staff coaching the defense already spoiled the Big Prize. And will Spurrier's genius running the offense be wasted because the Gamecocks have defensive coaches not on par with Spurrier? 

If so, that would be a shame.