George Rogers must be smiling. Finally, a little taste of the past. Some hard-nosed, let’s-see-who’s-tougher football.

As college football — heck, the sport as a whole — becomes more pass happy by the day, South Carolina is zagging. Playing to its strengths.

“We’re like a ground-(and)-pound, run-the-ball team,” said offensive lineman Cason Henry. “We’re gonna be a big, physical offensive line. I think that’s what our fans want to see.”

Darn right.

South Carolina did not go and snag Arkansas transfer Raheim “Rocket” Sanders out of the portal for him to block 45 times a game.

No, the Gamecocks brought in the running back to be the offensive focal point. Then they surrounded him with depth. Talent. Alternatives.

Senior JuJu McDowell, in his final collegiate season, could have an expanded role or be a factor in the run game.

True freshman Matthew Fuller just arrived in Columbia this summer, but he’s 225 pounds and coaches can’t seem to finish a thought about the run game without bringing up his name.

Then there’s the two other transfers: Jawarn Howell and Oscar Adaway.

Howell, a South Carolina State transfer, is 6-1, 217 pounds. He’s got SEC size. But he’s just 19 and has only been playing football since seventh grade. The anticipation, the natural feel for the position still have to be worked out, but he’s gonna get some snaps.

So, too, will Adaway. He’s one of the elder statesmen of this running back room heading into his sixth year of college football. A transfer from North Texas, he explored his options in the portal. The appeal of South Carolina? Change things.

Last season, no team in the SEC ran for fewer yards per game than South Carolina (85.1). Heck, only four teams in America had a worse rushing average than the Gamecocks.

“This year, we’re just trying to up that and not be on the back end,” Adaway said. “To be a successful football team — SEC, NFL — you have to be able to run the football. We know that.”

Surely South Carolina is going to run the ball more. Just given how low the bar is, they will run the ball more effectively. But a ground-and-pound team? Really? A team that couldn’t pound the rock to save its life a year ago is going to make the run game its identity?

It does seem odd. But let’s lay out the case for why the Gamecocks could make it work.

First off, as mentioned above, the running backs provide hope.

Sanders is better than last year’s starter, Mario Anderson. Sanders is bigger, stronger and faster. Two years ago, Sanders rushed for almost 1,500 yards at Arkansas and, before an injury last season, was on pace to break the 1,000-yard barrier again.

“To me, that’s the best running back in the SEC,” said quarterback Robby Ashford. “I think he’s gonna show a lot of people why.”

Then there’s the offensive line, which is miles better than it was 10 months ago for no other reason than health. At one point last year, seven scholarship offensive linemen were injured. It was carnage. Tight ends were practicing at tackle. The starting five looked different in each of the first nine games.

South Carolina could play without pads and those numbers might not be replicated. So, if one were to use injuries as an excuse, throw away 2023 and look toward 2024.

The Gamecocks might start one of the best recruits in program history, Josiah Thompson, at left tackle as a true freshman. Henry, one of those injured from last season, has a shot to start at right tackle. They’ve got a redshirt senior, Vershon Lee, at center. Then there’s talent at guard, including N.C. Central transfer Torricelli Simpkins III and FAU transfer Kamaar Bell.

And, perhaps, most important in the identity shift is the quarterback. Gone is veteran Spencer Rattler, perhaps one of the most-talented quarterbacks South Carolina has ever had.

In comes redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, who is 6-3, 240 pounds and will no doubt be a player in the run game this season. With Sellers is where the vision comes into focus.

Think about it: Even if a defense wants to shut down South Carolina’s running back, it has to heavily account for not just Sanders — or whoever is at tailback — but know that Sellers can bulldoze a linebacker and outrun some defensive backs.

Good luck.

Then when defensive coordinators put all their eggs into the we-need-to-stop-the-run basket, Sellers pulls the ball from Sanders’ chest and cocks back.

“It’s really gonna help us in the pass game as well,” Henry said of the ground-and-pound identity. “When you get defenses on their toes with the run game, the pass game is that much easier.”