SB Nation - Chris Culliver

Saturday News and Notes: Chris Culliver Likely Staying in School, TSK and STS Decade Retrospectives

Gamecock Man — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:00:21 -0000

Happy Saturday before Christmas. Here's a bit of news and select writing to tide you over:

Chris Culliver expects to return. Says Culliver:

"I don’t think I am going to the NFL," Culliver said. "You don’t get that experience of playing another college football season back. That is what I really want to do. I want to come back next year and, hopefully, have fun."

I like the positive sound of this. I'm looking forward to seeing in a couple of weeks how much better mentally this team is than it was a year ago.

Shakin the Southland begins a look back at the biggest Clemson games of the decade, starting with The Brawl. I expect you'll probably see more Carolina games in this retrospective, although probably not the three you'd prefer to see.

Team Speed Kills looks back at the SEC over the past decade. If you haven't been following this series, you should start. This has been a banner decade for the SEC, and there are sure to be plenty of interesting stories to reminisce about.

USC Underclassmen with NFL Prospects: Will Anyone Leave Early?

Gamecock Man — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:40 -0000

Last year, our team was decimated by early entrees to the NFL draft, losing three key players: Jared Cook, Captain Munnerlyn, and Emanuel Cook. This year, there's not much talk about the possibility of us taking a big hit due to early entrees. Should we be worried, or are we right to be confident? From where I'm standing, there are four players who could consider leaving early. In order of their status as prospects, those are Weslye Saunders, Chris Culliver, Cliff Matthews, and Clifton Geathers. Let's take a closer look.

Weslye Saunders

Saunders would almost certainly be drafted were he to declare. He is a prototypical NFL tight end: he's huge, is a good blocker, has nearly infallible hands, and is fast for his size. Most league still rely on sets that feature TEs, so Saunders wouldn't have to worry about finding a home for his skills.

The question is where he would go. He would have to compete with a number of highly touted ends, such as Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham and Arizona's Rob Gronkowski. At the very least, I think he would fall behind these two prospects and perhaps slightly further. That would probably mean third round or lower.

If Saunders stays, on the other hand, he could be a first round pick. Most projections I've seen call him the top TE prospect of the 2010 senior class. The difference, of course, between first and third round money is enough to give prospects some incentive to stay another year; a player can easily make up whatever he loses with another year in college by signing a first-round contract that will pay him a few times more than he would receive with a third-round contract.

The coaching staff believes that Saunders is the player most likely to declare. However, Saunders vows to return. Although one couldn't blame him too much for leaving, Saunders would be wise to follow his instincts and come back. Like Sidney Rice and Jared Cook before him, he'd probably be a first-day pick if he declares. However, as would have probably been the case for Sidney and Jared had they returned, if Saunders comes back and has a big year, he could go early first round.

Let's take a look at the other players after the jump.

Chris Culliver

Although he had something of an up and down year, Culliver is still one of the better safeties in the league and made All-SEC second team. Culliver also has the speed and versatility that NFL teams look for in a safety. How would he fare in the draft, though? While Culliver might be taken, my feeling is that he would be making a huge, Emanuel Cook-sized mistake by leaving. At best, Culliver would be a very late-round pick, which would mean the likelihood of trying to gut out a spot on the third team somewhere with no guarantees that he wouldn't eventually just end up on a scout team. That doesn't sound like as much fun as trying to help the Gamecocks win a title, now does it? On the other hand, if Culliver stays, he has a puncher's chance at being a first-day pick and, with a big year, could make it to the first two rounds.

Despite the talk in the air about Culliver declaring, I just don't see it. After seeing what happened to his backfield buddies last year, Culliver has to know that he'd be taking an unwise risk by leaving. I say Culliver stays, works on his tackling mechanics, and comes back poised for big things in 2010.

Cliff Matthews

Big Cliff had another great year in 2009 being a game changer off the end. However, Matthews is smallish for an NFL end, so like Eric Norwood, Matthews faces the challenge of making NFL scouts believe that he has a place in a league that can be quite dogmatic in its understanding of what players at certain positions should look like. With a big year, Matthews could make that case in 2010, but I doubt he would be drafted this year. That combined with Matthews clear dedication to the team makes me think there's little chance of Matthews even considering leaving.

Clifton Geathers

Geathers is something of a wildcard here. He has yet to make a huge name for himself around the country, so many might be surprised to hear his name mentioned in regards to the draft. However, I suspect more NFL scouts know about Geathers than you might think. At 6-7 / 281 and with the speed to blow by blockers, Geathers has the potential to an unblockable sack, pass deflection, and punt blocking machine when he fulfills his potential. Gamecocks fans have seen hints of this ability, particularly late this year, but Geathers has yet to put it all together for an extended period of time. That won't stop agents from getting in his ear, though.

That said, I seriously doubt Geathers would be drafted if he were to declare, and I would imagine he's intelligent enough to know that. Geathers will stay, and if he works hard, you could see him skyrocket to the top of the charts for the 2010 draft.

Did Alshon Jeffrey or Stephon Gilmore Get Jobbed for SEC Freshman of the Year?

Gamecock Man — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:36:06 -0000

As you've probably heard, Warren Norman of Vanderbilt won AP SEC Freshman of the Year. (Complete team here; Eric Norwood, Chris Culliver, and Cliff Matthews were also honored. Also check out the coaches' picks.) This has come as a surprise to many Gamecocks fans, who would have liked to see our own Alshon Jeffrey or Stephon Gilmore honored. Did we get jobbed?

I would say no to any conspiracy theories, but I do think Alshon and Stephon have arguments. Norman got the award based on his all-around effective play. As I'm sure you remember, Norman contributes in many ways, being both Vandy's leading rusher and one of the conference's top return men. He rushed for over 700 yards and returned over 1000 with seven total TDs, one of which came against us. His profile features a solid blend of downhill speed and moves. All in all, a very impressive season for a freshman.

By comparison, Alshon and Stephon had statistically underwhelming debuts. Jeffrey probably has the best argument of the two, He caught for over 700 yards and six touchdowns, not too terribly far from the numbers that Sidney Rice put up back in 2005. Stephon was our best cover corner over the course of the year, but his stastics were underwhelming. It's difficult for a defensive player to win an award like this without a wealth of gamebreaking plays, and unfortunately keeping the quarterback from throwing to one side of the field doesn't mean as much to the voters as sacks and interceptions. All in all, neither had the statistical year that Norman had. One of course wonders what would have been the case, say, had Alshon been ready to play earlier in the year or if Steve Spurrier had used Stephon in the Wildcat before the Clemson game, but we can only speculate about these possibilities.

However, the fact remains that Vanderbilt went 2-10 overall and 0-8 in conference this year. Despite his efforts, Warren couldn't keep his team from having what was a horrible year, even by Vandy standards. Indeed, the fact that a true freshman was asked to do so much for this team tells you a lot about how bad they were. On the other hand, Alshon and Stephon both helped us win games. Alshon almost single-handedly won the Kentucky game for us, caught the winning TD against Vandy, and had many other memorable moments. Stephon was a key player for our defense all year, and his play in the Clemson game will go down as part of the lore of the rivalry. Should these factors have played into the AP voters' thinking? Perhaps.

All in all, though, I can see why they picked Norman. The guy had a truly phenomenal year and deserves any accolades he receives. I believe, though, that in a couple of years, Alshon and Stephon will be remembered as two of the very best players to come out of the class of 2009, not Norman. The wins they bring to Columbia will be an acceptable consolation to us.

Quick Thoughts: Through UVa, Early Week Thoughts for USC

FIGUREFOUR — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:20:35 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

about 1 month ago: Clemson's C.J. Spiller (28) acknowledges fans during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at Memorial Stadium in Clemson S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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I think we are all pleased that Dabo Swinney, in his first full season at the helm of the Clemson football program, finally meshed the talent that Clemson has recruited with more intensity, enthusiasm, and a winning attitude to completely transform the program from where Tom Bowden left it just over a year ago after getting crushed by Alabama, giving one away to a bad Maryland team, then looking completely inept against Wake Forest. There is nothing like promoting your receivers coach to clean up an underachieving mess. It was also refreshing to see Swinney remove the Mad Scientist from his role, add Pearman, Steele, etc... to the staff, and come out with lots of energy all season. Interestingly, Swinney's contract calls for the 40 year-old coach to receive a nice (approx $1 million) bonus due to Clemson earning a spot in next month's championship game. Not too shabby for the former Crimson Tide walk-on. This incentive-laden contract really was beneficial for both parties.

The Virginia game was, by itself, not entirely impressive other than the fact that Clemson came in and was able to to take care of business and lock up sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic regardless of how BC plays next week. The defense was obviously confused by the Wildcat formation and the misdirection/trickery from the Wahoos. The defense, led by senior Ricky Sapp, did get it together in the second half to pitch a shutout over the final 30 minutes. I was happy to see this group get after the Virginia QB late in the game and record a half dozen sacks in the final period of the game. Clemson also forced two fumbles on the afternoon, giving this defense 29 turnovers this season. Winning the turnover battle has been extremely important for the Tiger this year because it limits the opponent's touches while keeping them on their heels all game long. I was happy to see Da'Quan Bowers in the game for a handful of plays Saturday. Hopefully he will be ready to go this weekend against Carolina then next again against Tech. Bowers gives us a lot of athleticism and creates depth along the defensive line. Clemson was aided in the second half by an injury to Mikell Simpsonon Virginia's final TD to end the half. Al Groh elaborated after the game on this loss and the how it limited the ability of the Cavaliers and their wildcat strategy.

C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford combined for two great senior efforts to conclude their Death Valley careers, with both tallying touchdowns and Ford breaking the 100 yard receiving threshold on the day. Kyle Parker again had a steady day, compleing 19 of 26 passes for 234 yards and 2 tds. His maturation over the course of this season combined with an exceptionally strong arm and decent mobility set Parker up to be a great collegiate QB should he chose to avoid professional baseball. I was a little disappointed not to see Willy Korn in a mop-up role. His future at Clemson appears to be all but sealed with Parker's success this season and Tajh Boyd becoming available next season. Both Andre Ellington and Jamie Harperboth ran well here, with Ellington punching the rock in for a 3rd quarter TD. Once again, Clemson got good consistent play from the TE's, with Michael Palmer having three grabs and Dwayne Allen bringing down an early TD catch. Rendrick Taylor got a couple looks Saturday. I really expected more out of Taylor over his CU career, but was pleased to see him get some work on senior day.

All in all, this team has played hard all season long. Clemson never gave up, even after the embarrasment at Maryland. In fact, I firmly believe that the meltdown at College Park may have spurned the offensive coaches to return to a more basic and focussed offensive strategy, featuring only the proven playmakers (Spiller, Ford, and the TE's). Since laying an egg against the Terps, Clemson has not been defeated. The defense has continued its solid play and the offense has scored 34 or more points in each of those six contests. The improved play calling and execution coupled with a more focussed attack has silenced both critics of Swinney and Steele. As we pointed out earlier in the season,inexperience from the offensive staff as well as the QB position was a huge question mark, and both areas should immprove as each member gets more real game repetitions week in and week out.

On to our feathered friends in Columbia. South Carolina's season began well and has really tapered off over the balance of the games. After opening the year with a 5-1 record, the Gamecocks (6-5 overall, 3-5 in the SEC) have lost 4 of the past 5 games, with the lone win coming in a low-scoring affair against Vanderbilt. At some points this season, USC has looked like a really good team. Other times, South Carolina has struggled against teams they probably should have beaten handily (Vandy, Arkansas, NCST, and Kentucky come to mind). SOS has openly stated that he has and will continue to have more influence on playcalling and game flow.

This year's team features a talented defense and improved offense. Eric Norwood, school leader in sacks, is the best player on the team. He is a great athlete who runs well and has a nose for the football. Clifton Geathers is a pretty good defensive end, and the secondary (lead by Chris Culliver) rotates in a lot of young but talented DB's. Offensively, this team is much improved from a year ago. Steven Garcia getting more reps and actually participating in spring practice this year has paid off, as Garcia looks night and day better than he did last year. South Carolina has also found a couple of good, tall freshman receivers in Tori Gurley and Alshon Jeffery to compliment senior Moe Brown. Spurrier has repeatedly thrown jump balls the Jeffery, who has 29 receptions and 6 TD's on the season (including 3 TDs in a dominant performance against Kentucky). I really like TE Weslye Saunders. He is freaking huge (6'5", 280 lbs) is a good blocker and catches the ball well. This is one guy who can do some damage if he gets a full head of steam. Up front, bringing in Eric Wolford as offensive line coach has helped tremendously, as South Carolina's OL has improved dramatically since a year ago. Ellis Johnson (former Clemson, Alabama, and Mississippi State DC and Citadel HC) has been successful everywhere he has coached, and was also a quality hire for the Old Ball Coach.

Most of South Carolina's woes arise from depth and experience issues. While South Carolina has improved up front, their rushing attack is still sub-par. Kenny Miles, Jarvis Giles, and Brian Maddox share the carries for this team. I continually question why Maddox gets as many touches as he does because the two freshmen (Miles and Giles) are unquestionably better ball carriers than Maddux. South Carolina's size at receiver and tight end scares me a bit. Clemson likes to play man/man-press coverage, so this size advantage could be a big deal this weekend. Defensively, South Carolina is quick, but thin. The way to attack this defense is head on, as the Gamecocks lack quality depth at linebacker and up front. If you can get the starters tired, there is a nice opportunity to pound this team to death. USC's secondary is good and can hold its own against most any squad. The Alabama game was an excellent illustration of this point, as the Tide and Greg McElroy could do nothing through the air while Mark Ingram averaged 10 ypc and picked up almost 250 yards on the ground.

We will have much more insight on this contest as the week progresses. We are also looking to work with the Gamecock SBNation blog, Garnet And Black Attack, to provide some extra coverage and segments for this week's contest.

Below are highlights from last season's contest.

Previewing South Carolina at Arkansas: Three Keys, What This Game Means, and Prediction

Gamecock Man — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:42:26 -0000

More photos » by Danny Johnston - AP

3 months ago: Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett passes during the first quarter of the NCAA college football game against Missouri State in Little Rock, Ark., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

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It's time to take on the Hogs in Fayetteville. Can be bounce back and stop the bleeding after what happened in Knoxville last week? We'll see. Here are my thoughts on the game.

Three Keys

1. Turnovers

As always, turnovers will be key in this game. Some things to think about: First of all, Arkansas has a porous defense, but they've been able to produce turnovers pretty well, thus keeping some games close that probably shouldn't have been. (For example, the Gators burned a few scoring opportunities with fumbles when playing the Hogs.) We can't give up scoring opportunities with turnovers, and we certainly can't give Arkansas's high-powered offense any easy scores like we did against Tennessee last week. On the flip side, I expect Arkansas will find ways to move the ball against our depleted defense. However, if we can stifle some drives with an opportune turnover or two or, even better, score some easy points off turnovers, we'll put ourselves in a good position.

2. Convert Yards into Touchdowns

Arkansas comes into this game with one of the SEC's worst defenses. There's been a lot of noise coming out of Fayetteville this week about lineup changes and improved play, but all the talk only goes so far. The fact of the matter is that this is a relatively untalented defense that is banged up to boot. The Hogs' defense is hardly what we've faced the past few weeks against 'Bama, Tennessee, and even Vandy. That being the case, we should expect to see our guys move the ball well, especially if Stephen Garcia comes ready to play. However, moving the ball has never been the problem for this team. We've moved the ball efficiently on just about everyone we've played, but the yardage hasn't always equalled points. That has to stop this week, as this will likely be a relatively high-scoring game in which we'll need every point we can get. It's touchdowns or bust this week.

3. Special Teams, or, More Precisely, Kickoff Teams Play

Our kickoff coverage unit has been abysmal all year, and our return team, after playing well for the greater part of the past two years, has played poorly the last couple of weeks, as well. The coverage issue seems to mostly be lack of hangtime on kicks and problems with pursuit and tackling, while the problem with returns has been Chris Culliver's new-found timidity. We'll have to do better this week. Most important will be coverage. Arkansas has one of the best return men in the country in Dennis Johnson. We can't afford to give Arkansas any easy points, considering that their offense is perfectly capable of scoring in bunches without help from big returns, so we've gotta find a way to keep Johnson from getting lots of yards. Hopefully Shane Beamer has a plan. As far as returns go, let's just hope we don't see anyone run backwards.

By the way, does anyone know who will be lining up alongside Bryce Sherman to return kicks? I can't seem to figure this out for the life of me. I hope it's Stephon Gilmore, who has shown some nice moves on punt returns.

What This Game Means

Feathered Warrior's column testifies to the gravity of this game. It would really be difficult to overestimate its importance. A win will get us that seventh win, which I think should be enough to consider this season successful, considering this team's youth and the injuries it has endured. It also put us in position for a truly breakthrough season if we can pull out a win against Florida or Clemson. And perhaps most importantly, it'll prove that this team is capable of transcending its tendency to fade late in the season. That would be huge for team and fanbase confidence. A loss would lead to the opposite effects. We would be starting down a failure of a season, confidence would be eroded, etc. This is really a huge, huge game.

Prediction

As the above comments indicate, I think this will probably be a relatively high-scoring game, with both teams scoring in the mid- to high-twenties at the very least. As long as we don't turn it over, I like our chances of scoring points against Arkansas, and although I think our defense has the personnell and favorable matchups to slow Arkansas down to some degree, it's just hard for me to see us totally shutting them down with their return and passing games as they are. With the game likely being a close, high-scoring affair, I think the difference will likely be a fatal turnover by one of the two teams. Considering that we have the stronger defense of the two, I'm going to say that we're the team that forces that big play. I'm picking the Gamecocks 34-28.

Poll

This game will result in...

A South Calolina Blowout Victory

3 votes

A Narrow South Carolina Victory

14 votes

A Narrow Arkansas Victory

12 votes

An Arkansas Blowout Victory

25 votes

54 votes | Poll has closed

Update on Culliver Situation

Gamecock Man — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:46:33 -0000

Apparently, Chris Culliver was benched because he refused to move from safety to corner for a couple of weeks. Per Joe Person:

Lorenzo Ward, Culliver’s position coach, told 1400 The Team on Wednesday that Culliver would not accept a move from safety to corner, and responded with a poor attitude. Ward said Culliver’s shoulder injury made him a better fit at corner, where there is less hitting required.

I fully support Coach Spurrier on this one. With Culliver's injury, he would have been a bigger help to us at corner, and, in fact, he could have made a huge contribution there in a game when we need every corner we can get. (BTW, if we see Addison Williams in this game...) Culliver's refusal to switch positions until his shoulder heals is perplexing and selfish. With this team trying to maintain the positive attitude it's exhibited throughout the year, Spurrier wanted to send a clear message to this team: get with the program and put the team first or stay home. Hopefully, his strong statement will motivate the guys that do play to play their butts off and earn playing time. As for Culliver, I hope he gets his head in order and comes back ready to help the team against Florida. If he wants to be Emanuel Cook, then it's his choice, but I'd rather see him make something better of himself. He has the ability.

Chris Culliver Out for Arkansas Game

Gamecock Man — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:21:11 -0000

Chris Culliver has been benched for the Arkansas game due to a combination of being injured (shoulder) and an unspecified disciplinary issue. Per The State:

Culliver, the Gamecocks’ third-leading tackler, had a couple of glaring missed tackles in a 31-13 loss to Tennessee. Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said Culliver re-injured his surgically-repaired left shoulder in pregame warmups, but indicated he could play.

I'd be interested to know what the disciplinary issue is. There's been speculation that Culliver has his eye on the NFL, and his effort on tackles and unwillingness to take hits on kickoff returns suggests that may be the case. If that's so, Spurrier might just be saying that he's going to play the guys that put in effort. I'm just speculating, though; perhaps we'll hear more as the week progresses.

As far as how this effects us Saturday, it's hard to say. Culliver is obviously a great player, but he hasn't been playing as well as some others lately. Moreover, Akeem Auguste is capable of playing his position, and C. C. Whitlock will be ready to take over for Auguste at corner. In other words, I'm going to hesitantly say that we should be OK, although depth is obviously a concern, especially for late in the game as the starters wear down.

I'm frankly more worried about not having Cliff Matthews in a game where we'll need our pass rush, but there, again, we can hope that Devin Taylor can step up and play well.

20/20 Hindsight: Alabama vs South Carolina

Todd — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:25:52 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

2 months ago: Alabama coach Nick Saban, left, is greeted at midfield by South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier after Alabama won 20-6 in their NCAA college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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kleph is on injured reserve at the moment, so I'll be filling in with the links roundups for a little while. As always, any good links and quotes that you find, throw them in the comments as well.

Brown Sent to Hospital After Clutch Catch | GoGamecocks.com

"Moe got knocked out. They took all the precautions, took him to the hospital and brought him back," USC coach Steve Spurrier said. "He seems to be in pretty good shape for a guy that got knocked out."

Brown flashed two thumbs up and was smiling and talking with USC’s medical personnel after being immobilized on a backboard before being carted off the field.

Good news after one of the scarier moments of the game. Also in the article, don't question Ellis Johnson:

Free safety Chris Culliver questioned whether the Gamecocks were in the right defense for Alabama’s final drive, in which Mark Ingram ran six times for 68 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown.

Told of Culliver’s comment, assistant head coach for defense Ellis Johnson said: "Cully just needs to play. He don’t need to coach. Cully needs to tackle."

Winning is What Alabama Does Best | ESPN

They beat you when junior quarterback Greg McElroy is on top of his game. They beat you when he’s not on top of his game.

They beat you with senior starters (Javier Arenas) watching from the sideline. They beat you with budding sophomore superstars (Mark Ingram) having the best rushing performance Bryant-Denny Stadium has ever seen.

They beat you despite uncharacteristic turnovers and penalties. They beat you when maybe they weren’t as focused as they needed to be.

Ingram Runs Into UA Lore | TideSports.com

Saban, who doesn’t dole out lofty praise for hyperbole, said Ingram’s game was special.

"Mark did as fine a job today as anybody I’ve ever been around," Saban said. "And that includes Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown and some really good ones. He was fantastic."

Bama Win: Ingram Bails Out Struggling Offense With Career Best Effort | Mobile Press-Register

"I really think that's the sign of a good team," coach Nick Saban said after the Crimson Tide improved to 7-0, 4-0 in the SEC. "I'm proud of our players for being able to go out there and earn this and fight their way through it and do what they needed to do to win the game. You can say it's winning ugly or whatever, but it's still winning."

Alabama-South Carolina Recap: Greg McElroy's Promise | al.com

"I haven't been playing real confidently. I haven't been stepping into my throws like I had been in weeks past. But we'll get it figured out. I promise. I promised my fans and promised the coaches and promised to the players that I will get it figured out and we will get it straightened out. .... I don't care if I spend every second and sleep in the football complex. I will do that to figure this thing out. I have all the confidence in the world in myself and my teammates that we can come back and dominate opponents, just like we did against Arkansas and against other teams."

Topics for Dicussion // 10.17.09 | Team Speed Kills

More impressive: Alabama or Florida? Or should that be less unimpressive? Both teams played subpar games but were bailed out by their best players or by their opponents' own issues. (Or the officials.) At least Alabama did it to a team that was ranked at the time and is now 5-2. Then again, Arkansas actually showed the ability at times to capitalize on Florida's mistakes, an idea that seemed alien to South Carolina.

Gamecocks prove to be no pushover | The Post and Courier

'If we ever have a guy run for 246 yards,' USC coach Steve Spurrier said, 'we'll be in good shape.'

USC Misses the Point on Takeaways | GoGamecocks.com

"Statistically, if you look at it, if you're looking at this game you saw how many turnovers we got, and how many turnovers they had, you'd think we won the game," South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood said. "But there's three parts football, offense, defense and special teams. We just gotta execute better in all phases and we'll be fine."

Norwood later added that the offense has helped the defense when it struggled, like against Georgia. And he pointed out the defense could have done more.

"We should have put one in the end zone, like (Alabama did)," Norwood said.

Week Seven Previewing: #2 Alabama vs #22 South Carolina

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

Beating up on Colonel Reb was certainly nice, but as the proverbial saying goes there is no rest for the weary, and that saying rings particularly true for teams competing in the SEC. After beating Ole Miss 22-3 in Oxford, Alabama returns to the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium this week for its fourth conference game in as many weeks as South Carolina and the Ol' Ball Coach head to Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks come into this game with a solid 5-1 record and a top-25 ranking, so as is usually the case, the Tide will need to play well in order to insure that it emerges victorious. Let's take a closer look at the match-ups:

Alabama Offense v. South Carolina Defense

The strength of this South Carolina team, as has been the case with nearly all of Steve Spurrier's teams in Columbia, is on the defensive side of the ball, with a defense led by a couple of coaches with strong Alabama ties: Lorenzo Ward ('Bama alum) and Ellis Johnson (two stints, and a national title ring, as an assistant at 'Bama). The Gamecocks are a bit of a different animal defensively in terms of schemes, and as much as possible they try to operate out of a base 4-2-5 set. Whether you've noticed or not, South Carolina has really been an NFL factory the past several years for talent in the defensive backfield, and in many ways the 4-2-5 is just a way of playing to their strengths and getting their best players on the field.

Individually, the standout of the South Carolina defense is clearly linebacker Eric Norwood. At 6'1 and 250+ pounds, Norwood will likely be a star on Sunday one day, and with injuries continuing to plague Greg Hardy, Norwood is probably the best pass rusher in the conference these days. Nevertheless, don't paint him as a Rahim Alem-esque one-trick pony who can only rush the passer, just look at his overall stat line on the year... 38 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks for a loss of 42 yards, 5 QB hurries, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 2 blocked kicks. Bottom line, the kid can do it all. He can rush the passer, he can play the run, he can play the pass, and he can make an impact on special teams. He is nothing short of a defensive coordinator's dream, plain and simple.

Aside from Norwood, the starting eleven on this team was very good. And I say was because injuries have really hit this unit hard. As I mentioned earlier, they had a great starting eleven, but quality depth was never on their side, and the injury bug has only made things worse. Defensive tackle Travian Robertson tore his ACL earlier in the year, and middle linebacker Rodney Paulk also went down for the year with a knee injury. For a unit with very little proven, quality depth, both injuries hit hard, and making matters worse starting cornerback Akeem Auguste was recently suspended for violating team / university rules, and will not play in this game.

So, we really don't know exactly what to make of the South Carolina defense right now. There are definitely a lot of good players on the defensive side of the ball, that we do know. Aside from Norwood, defensive end Cliff Matthews is a fine player, and Shaq Wilson and Chris Culliver are both very good players in their own right. Moreover, they do have some young guys contributing early, particularly cornerback Stephon Gilmore, a player Saban himself recruited very hard to come to Alabama. The rest of the starters are generally pretty solid at worst, so it's a decent group in that respect.

On the other hand, though, again, injuries have hit this group hard and the depth really just is not there, so in many ways this does have the look of a vulnerable group. The loss of Robertson and Paulk have really hurt the run defense, and it has looked pretty ugly in the past couple of weeks. South Carolina State ran for 170 yards against them, and Kentucky went over 200 yards, both of which is pretty bad news when you set off to head to Tuscaloosa.

In many ways, the defensive backfield, again, has led the Gamecock attack. It's a young group, but they have generally been able to get the job done to date. But, of course, looking at the schedule, you really do have to question the strength of their six opponents to date. North Carolina State, Florida Atlantic, and South Carolina State all have anemic passing attacks, and the Georgia offense with Joe Cox hasn't exactly lit up the scoreboard in Athens. Likewise, Kentucky many have the worst quarterback play of any team in the SEC, and the Gamecocks got to play for more than a quarter against the back-up. Taking Jevan Snead to the woodshed was certainly a good performance, but then again pretty much every good defense that has faced the Rebels have done that (Alabama included), so who really knows how much that says? And, of course, the suspension of Auguste will do nothing to help the Gamecocks on this front.

For Alabama, the Tide really just has to work its way out of the miniature funk it fell into last weekend in Oxford. We know this unit can be extremely good, but Greg McElroy has to be a lot more disciplined in his progressions this week, and frankly the offensive play-calling needs to improve, not to mention red zone execution in general. Fortunately, though, we have been running the ball very well as of late, and we've still got a ton of talent just about everywhere offensively. We don't necessarily need a breakout game here, but an improvement over Ole Miss would be good news.

All in all, I think you have to be cautiously optimistic here for the Tide, so long as you can do a decent job of blocking Norwood and Matthews in pass protection sets. South Carolina certainly has a solid defense -- and honestly a very good one if they could stay healthy -- but again injuries and suspensions have really made there lack of quality depth an issue, and while you still probably aren't going to be running up and down the field against these guys, if we execute better than we did last week against Ole Miss, I do believe it's reasonable to think that we will have some degree of success. If nothing else, we ought to be able to wear these guys down over the course of four quarters and take advantage of their lack of depth.

Alabama Defense v. South Carolina Offense

Perhaps the biggest piece of good news for the Gamecocks this year has been the emergence of quarterback Stephen Garcia. The highly-touted Florida product struggled immensely his first couple of years in Columbia -- about all he did of positive note was to win the Six Beer Challenge -- but he has really turned the corner in 2009. He hasn't gotten all of the publicity that has gone to 'Bama signal caller Greg McElroy, but if you look at Garcia's stat line -- 61% completion rate, over 7.0 yards per attempt, and a 3-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio -- he has played at a level very comparable to McElroy. Furthermore, Garcia is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback, and at 6'2 and approximately 225 pounds, he can be a load to bring down in the open field. After a very ugly start against North Carolina State, the South Carolina offense has actually performed pretty well (arguably as well as it has since Spurrier arrived), and clearly Garcia's progression as a player are the foundation of that improvement.

Admittedly, though, Garcia does have plenty of help at the skill positions, where the Gamecocks have more than their fair share of big, physical playmakers. True freshman Alshon Jeffery is making nice progress on his degree in gas pumping, and while he may not be having quite the kind of year Julio Jones and A.J. Green had last year, he's very close. He has "NFL" written all over him even at 19 years old. Furthermore, Tori Gurley is an incredibly difficult match-up for any cornerback, coming in at around 6'5 and 225 pounds, and Jason Barnes is another big target. And while Moe Brown is the smallest of the group, he's a fine player in his own right, and he's probably the best of the bunch right now. Making matters even better for the Gamecocks, tight end Weslye Saunders comes in at 6'5 and 280 pounds, and he can be a difference-maker in his own right. Bottom line, Garcia has clearly made a lot of progress this season in his own right, but by the same token he's got a lot of great players to throw the football to as well. For a defensive coordinator, this is a group good enough to keep you up late at night.

The weakness of this offense, as has always been the case under Spurrier, is up front on the offensive line. It's not so much that this unit has played poorly, per se, as much as it is that this group just doesn't have a lot of good players anyway, and injuries have hurt considerably. Left tackle Jarriel King is probably the best player they have, and he's not really a standout in his own right. The rest of the line has pretty much been a patchwork job. Hutch Eckerson is starting at right tackle now after the flu and some other injuries caught up with Quintin Richardson, and he has really struggled with edge rushers. Starting left guard Terrence Campbell is going to miss a lot of time with an injury, and that has caused a lot of re-shuffling in its own right. Alabama native Heath Batchelor saw some time there, but he left the program a couple of days ago, and redshirt freshman T.J. Johnson has been forced to play. There has even been talk that true freshman Nick Allison -- who has redshirted to date -- may have to play against the Tide. And making matters even worse, center Garrett Anderson missed the Kentucky game with a back injury, and while he may be back in some capacity against the Tide, he likely won't be 100% and will rotate time with Lemuel Jeanpierre. Bottom line, South Carolina just isn't a very good unit up front. They play hard, seemingly, but they don't have very much talent and injuries have just killed them to date.

The running game for the Gamecocks will be a three-headed monster with carries being split between Kenny Miles, Jarvis Giles, and Brian Maddox. Miles and Giles are scat-back type players, and Maddox is a bruising runner who came into the year as a starter. Maddox really struggled early, though, and gave way to the youngsters Miles and Giles, both of which sport pretty impressive yards per carry average. With his 100-yard performance last weekend against Kentucky, look for Miles to get the bulk of the work against the Tide. On the other hand, though, you can make some legitimate questions about just how good these backs are. The line is obviously in shambles, and while the raw production from Miles and Giles looks impressive on paper, it should be noted that most of that yardage was racked up against the likes of Florida Atlantic and South Carolina State. Giles, for example, may be averaging 5.8 yards per carry, but if you take away those two cupcakes, he's suddenly averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry against the rest of the schedule, and largely the same critique (to a lesser extent) can be made against Miles.

Defensively, we all know that the Tide has the look of an elite unit, and really the only big question mark to date for the 'Bama defense is exactly what happens this week with the return of Jerrell Harris. Obviously we'll all have to tune in to find out for sure, but I imagine we'll see a lot of both Harris and Nico Johnson on Saturday, and we'll have some package specific roles for both players. Who "starts" is really a moot point, and both will likely be breaking a sweat come Saturday night.

Regardless of which of those two players ultimately gets the starting nod, the real key for Alabama on Saturday will be dominating this game at the line of scrimmage. Even with all of the other issues notwithstanding, South Carolina has a small offensive line -- the five starters average right at 300 pounds -- and we need to take full advantage of those weaknesses. Our defensive line needs to get after Garcia and dominate these guys in the running game. If we can do that, we're probably in good shape here. On the other hand, though, if Garcia gets comfortable in the pocket, look for South Carolina to have more than their fair share of success. I don't care how good the Alabama defense supposedly is, we're going to have a lot of issues defending their skill position players if Garcia gets time to throw the football. As is usually the case, look for this match-up to be decided in the trenches.

Putting It All Together

All in all, 'Bama comes into this game as approximately 18-point favorites, and it's not overly difficult to see why Vegas is so bullish on the Tide. We look very good right now, we have more top-end talent and better depth throughout the roster, and while South Carolina's 5-1 record may look nice on paper, who have they really played? Their five wins, to date, consists of a Division 1-AA team, a non-BCS team, a bottom of the barrel ACC team, Kentucky, and a victory at home over Ole Miss, plus a loss to a Georgia team that looks to finish up 6-6 at best. Look at their schedule to date... how many ranked teams do you see? Zero. So there are plenty of reasons for 'Bama fans to feel good going into this game.

But on the other hand, in reality, life in the SEC is just never easy, and the gap between the really good SEC teams and the middle of the road SEC teams is always relatively small. Regardless of how you break it down, truth be told, SEC teams are always a lot more similar than they are different, and that applies this week as well to the Gamecocks. South Carolina may have a lot going against them in this game, but they've still got a lot of fine players in their own right and they are far from a pushover. And, hell, right now they can probably stake as legitimate of a claim to the #3 spot in the SEC as anyone else.

And rest assured, these guys will come out ready to fight. Steve Spurrier has been poor-mouthing his team all week, all but completely writing off this game to the media as a guaranteed loss. Don't buy that garbage for one second. Spurrier loathes 'Bama with every fiber of his being, and hell will freeze over before he concedes us anything. We may take his Gamecocks behind the woodshed and he may need Tommy Johns surgery after throwing that visor all night, but we'll have to earn every bit of it. He's looking to show that he's making progress at South Carolina, and he and his team will fight 'til they drop on Saturday night.

For 'Bama, it's really the same story that it is every week. You never get a week off in the SEC... one challenge is simply replaced by yet another challenge, and regardless of who you play, you're going to have to come out and play good football if you want to win, and if you do that you're probably going to get beat. For all of the advantages that 'Bama has on paper over the Gamecocks, that's still the ultimate scenario we are facing this week.

Hope for the best.

UK @ South Carolina: Breaking Down the Gamecocks and Other Stuff

Ken Howlett — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:02:11 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

"I want to beat Spurrier just one time before I retire!"

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The Kentucky Wildcats enter today's 12:30 EST titanic tilt with the South Carolina Gamecocks on the precipice ,,, looking down at the rocks below. Mind you, it isn't an unexpected precipice. Two months ago we all had the road map in the form of the game schedule, so UK sitting at 2-2, staring at two tough road games (isn't that redundant?), should not come as a surprise. The mystery, the unknown, however, is how Kentucky will respond.

Certainly, the Wildcats' play last Saturday against Alabama was a marked improvement over the effort put forth in Lexington versus Florida -- Kentucky ran the ball very well, considering the defense they were facing, and UK's defense held the Tide to nearly 150 yards less than their per game average -- But now, on the road, in front of a famously hostile crowd, will the 'Cats continue on an upward arc?

The answer to that, my friends, lies in the "turnover" category. If Kentucky plays as well as they did against Alabama last Saturday -- with a big caveat -- minus the turnovers (as well as excessive penalties), then they will have a legitimate chance to win today's ballgame, BUT, if UK is in the negative in turnover margin, if they continue to give up possession, they'll go down faster than a sluggish stock market. You can bet your Visor on that.

It's really just that simple -- Kentucky has the talent to win today's game, but talent doesn't trump turnovers.

For more on the game, South Carolina's personnel, and UK in the SEC rankings, make the jump with me.

South Carolina Vitals

Points Per Game: USC - 27.2, Opp's - 16.8

Rush Yards Per Game: USC - 157.4, Opp's - 114.2

Average Per Rush: USC - 4.5, Opp's - 3.2

Pass Yards Per Game: USC - 214.8, Opp's - 150.2

Yards Per Completion: USC - 11.1, Opp's - 10.0

Total Offense: USC - 372.2, Opp's - 264.4

KO Return Avg.: USC - 21.2, Opp's - 26.2

Punt Return Avg.: USC - 7.9, Opp's - 15.8

Turnover Margin: USC - +4

3rd Down Conversion: USC - 38.0%, Opp's - 37.0%

Sacks By: USC - 14, Opp's - 12

Red Zone TD%: USC - 46% (12-26), Opp's - 55% (6-11)

Kentucky and South Carolina SEC Rankings (Keep in mind UK is coming off back-to-back games against two of the three best teams in the country)

Scoring: UK - 25.0 (11), USC - 27.2 (t8)

Scoring Defense: UK - 26.5 (10), USC - 16.8 (6)

Total Offense: UK - 328.5 (11), USC - 372.2 (8)

Total Defense: UK - 353.2 (10), USC - 264.4 (3)

Rush Offense: UK - 158.0 (8), USC - 157.4 (9)

Rush Defense: UK - 190.2 (12), USC - 114.2 (3)

Pass Offense: UK - 170.5 (11), USC - 214.8 (6)

Pass Defense: UK - 163.0 (6), USC - 150.2 (3)

Kickoff Return: UK - 28.3 (3), USC - 21.2 (10)

Punt Return: UK - 10.7 (4), USC - 7.9 (7)

Sacks By: UK - 8 (t8), USC - 14 (2)

Sacks Against: UK - 5 (t3), USC - 12 (10)

3rd Down Conversion: UK - 41.4 (5), USC - 38.0 (8)

Opp. Third Down Conversion: UK - 38.7 (11), USC - 36.8 (8)

Penalty Yards: UK - 65.5 (9), USC - 63.4 (8)

Turnover Margin: UK - -4 (10), USC - +4 (5)

Red Zone Scores: UK - 9-11 (8), USC - 20-26 (11)

Red Zone Defense: UK - 13-17 (5), USC - 9-11 (6)

Wildcats in the SEC Rankings

Junior running back Derrick Locke is No. 2 in the league in punt return average at 10.8 yards per return, and No. 2 in the SEC in kickoff returns, averaging 33.9 yards per return. Locke is No. 1 in the SEC in all purpose yardage (rushing, receiving and returns) with a 173.2 yards per game average. UK's middle linebacker Micah Johnson is No. 5 in the conference in tackles with 35 (8.8 tpg).

South Carolina Offensive Personnel

Stephen Garcia -- 6'2", 219 lb sophomore quarterback: Garcia is 93-155 (60.0%) through the air, good for 1.035 yards and six touchdowns. He's tossed only two interceptions. He's also ran for 142 positive yards on 36 rushes, and two touchdowns. Last year versus UK, Garcia replaced starter Chris Smelley in the fourth quarter, and threw for 169 yards and one touchdown on 10-14 (71.4%) accuracy in the Gamecocks come-from-behind 24-17 victory.

Garcia is a highly mobile, strong-armed quarterback who is playing much better than most prognosticators predicted. The Gamecocks offensive line, though, hasn't been diligent in protecting Garcia -- He's been sacked 12 times in only four games, an area UK must take advantage of, because if Garcia is given time, he'll pick apart UK's secondary.

At the beginning of the season I thought UK would have the better of the two quarterbacks going in this game, but I've since changed my mind. If Garcia is efficient with his passes, and troubles the UK defense as much as other mobile quarterbacks, then SC will be half-way home to yet another victory over Kentucky.

Jarvis Giles -- 5'11", 183 lb freshman running back: Giles leads the Gamecocks with 39 rushes, resulting in 231 yards gained (5.9 yards per carry), and one touchdown. He also has four catches for 24 yards (6.0 yards per reception). Giles was the No. 22 player in Florida last season, as rated by Rivals. He was the No. 21 running back prospect in the country according to Scout.

Kenny Miles -- 5'9", 183 lb redshirt freshman running back: Miles has rushed 28 times for 168 yards (6.0 ypc), and one touchdown. He's snagged three passes for 15 yards (5.0 ypr). Coming out of high school, Miles was rated the No. 33 running back in the nation by Rivals.

Brian Maddox -- 5'11", 224 lb junior running back: The elder statesman among the Gamecocks' backs, Maddox leads the team in carries with 52, good for 162 yards (3.1 ypc) and three touchdowns. He's also caught seven passes for 50 yards (7.1 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Moe Brown -- 6'0", 183 lb senior wide receiver: Brown leads the team with 18 catches, 283 receiving yards (15.7 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Tori Gurley -- 6'5", 227 lb redshirt freshman wide receiver: Gurley has accounted for 17 receptions for 244 yards (14.4 ypr), and one touchdown.

Jason Barnes -- 6'4", 199 lb sophomore wide receiver: This season Barnes has eight catches for 102 yards (12.8 ypr). Last year versus UK, Barnes had four catches for 88 yards (22.0 ypr) -- all in the fourth quarter -- of the Gamecock comeback win.

Alshon Jeffery -- 6'3", 217 lb freshman wide receiver: Jeffery has five catches for 61 yards (12.2 ypr), and one touchdown. Two years ago, the highly sought after receiver was rated the No. 99 pass catcher in the Rivals top-100, and the No. 13 receiver prospect in the country. He was the No. 74 rated player in the nation by PrepStar.

Patrick DiMarco -- 6'0", 243 lb junior fullback: Although a fullback, DiMarco is third on the team with 11 receptions for 70 yards (6.4 ypr), and one touchdown.

* South Carolina starting tight end Weslye Saunders will not play in today's game. Saunders has caught 14 passes for 156 yards (11.1 ypr) this year. Last season versus UK, Saunders made the game-winning catch. His most likely replacement at the tight end spot this afternoon is 6'3", 231 lb redshirt freshman Mike Triglia.

South Carolina Defensive Personnel

Eric Norwood -- 6'1", 252 lb senior linebacker: Norwood, a two-time First Team All-SEC selection leads South Carolina with 30 tackles (19 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss (leads the SEC) and six sacks (leads the SEC). He's also recorded two interceptions and five quarterback hurries. For his outstanding career, Norwood has executed 204 tackles, 49.5 tackles for loss, and 28 sacks (he's the active SEC leader in tackles for loss and sacks).

Stay away from this guy, if at all possible. Norwood is extremely quick to the ball, and the passer. Although UK has done a good job of protecting Mike Hartline, Norwood could prove to be the difference in the game, especially considering UK is without senior right tackle Justin Jefferies.

Perhaps more important for UK than protecting the quarterback, is ensuring the running game is at full steam But once again, Norwood is capable of slowing down the run, which would spell doom for the 'Cats on this day.

Chris Culliver -- 6'0", 190 lb junior free safety: Culliver has 29 tackles (18 solo), .5 tackles for loss, and five pass breakups. Last year versus UK, Culliver recorded the first two interceptions of his career. His last interception sealing the game for Carolina.

Stay away from this guy, if at all possible. Just another reason to run, run, run.

Shaq Wilson -- 5'11", 210 lb sophomore linebacker: Wilson has accounted or 28 tackles (14 solo), and one pass breakup.

Wilson was projected as a back-up to Norwood at the beginning of the season, but his aggressive, hard-hitting style has elevated him to starter's reps.

Darian Stewart -- 5'11", 216 lb senior strong safety: Stewart, who plays a mixture of safety and linebacker, has made 25 tackles (16 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. He recorded seven tackles against UK in 2008.

Cliff Matthews -- 6'4", 249 lb junior defensive end: Matthews has recorded 20 tackles, (17 solo), six tackles for loss (second on the team), four sacks (also, second on the team), and one pass breakup.

Devin Taylor -- 6'7", 232 lb redshirt freshman defensive end: Taylor has made 16 tackles (8 solo), one sack and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Stephon Gilmore -- 6'1", 188 lb freshman corner back: The Parade All-America has recorded 19 tackles (10 solo), two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and two pass breakups.

South Carolina Special Teams Personnel

Placekicker and Punter, Spencer Lanning -- Lanning is 10-11 on his field goal attempts, but his longest make is only 41 yards. He averages a solid 41.9 yards per punt.

Kicker, Adam Yates -- Yates handles the kickoffs: On 28 kickoffs, he's had only one touchback.

Punt Returner, Akeem Auguste -- He's returned six punts for 17 yards (2.8 yards per return).

Punt Returner, Stephon Gilmore -- Gilmore has returned two punts for 42 yards (21.0 ypr).

Kickoff Returner, Chris Culliver -- He's returned 13 kicks for 279 yards (21.5 ypr).

Kickoff Returner, Bryce Sherman -- Four returned kicks for 106 yards (26.5 ypr).

UK Injuries

As most know by now, the Wildcats' two starting corner backs, senior Trevard Lindley and junior Paul Warford, are both injured and will not play today. Replacing the two will be sophomore Randall Burden (four games played; 13 tackles and two pass breakups) and true freshman Netavious Neloms (four games played; seven tackles).

Also missing from action for UK will be "protector designate" of Hartline's grill, senior right tackle, Justin Jefferies. He'll be replaced by junior Brad Durham.

Happy Birthdays

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother Jason, his son Jonah, and my nephew Josiah.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Gamecocks!