First, I want to give it up for the defense that played their asses off, particularly when most of the game seemed to be played on our side of the field. Everyone played their asses off, but holding the team coached by an "offensive genius" (with emphasis on "offensive") and a bunch of NFL talent to 19 points is pretty impressive. It should have been enough to win the game.
That being said, our offense wasn't terrible. We out-gained SC on both the ground and in the air. However, we were killed by bad field position and uninspired play-calling.
Like some others here, I wasn't terribly impressed by Bieneny's play-calling. After watching other teams with creative offenses, it is depressing to watch our predictable offense. I don't see much misdirection. Very few runs outside. With SC blitzing a lot and our OL unable to deal with it, there were few screens. The closest thing to a draw play was Garbers scrambling.
We threw twice to Sturdivant. Both were big gains. Why not keep doing it?
I feel like this offense is Karl Dorrell, the Sequel. The original wasn't that good.
Meanwhile, I don't get the Garbers hate. He has spent most of his career running for his life. He would have looked a lot better if we had an acceptable OL.
Then there was "special" teams. Another bad punt set up their only TD. Poor kickoff coverage contributed to losing the field position battle badly.
Finally, the penalties. THREE unsportsmanlike penalties. The first penalty had nothing to do with the confrontation before halftime. These are selfish plays and a big disappointment.
Overall, I felt this team played with a lot of heart. I give them and the coaches credit for that. I am just not sure Bienemy is the answer at OC. And we are about to see how well this staff recruits, which is the key to everything.