SB Nation - Ladi Ajiboye

Q&A With Garnet and Black Attack

FIGUREFOUR — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:31:08 -0000

We have worked together this week with Garnet and Black Attack to show the other side of the coin going into Saturday's game in Columbia. We tried to keep it civil and get Cockfan's perspective on the SC football team and strategies going into the final regular season game for both teams. Our responses to their questions can be seen here.

How do you guys see Garcia's progression at QB? How is it that Alshon Jeffery has made such an advance at WR ahead of others?

Garcia has progressed nicely this season. The biggest goals for Garcia after last season were to gain a better grasp of the offense, to learn to protect the ball better, and to learn that he can't rely on his feet to make plays in the college game. He's succeeded in each case. He understands the playbook, has thrown few interceptions (a welcome change after four years of Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley), and gets happy feet less than he used to. He's really come a long way, and I believe he's in position to break our single-season yardage record if he puts up big numbers against the Tigers and our bowl opponent.

As far as Alshon goes, I think his emergence is partially due to the fact that he's just a great talent. He wasn't very present early on in the year because he didn't know the offense very well, but once he had learned his position, he was ready to go out and contribute. Spurrier always said he was a talent, a guy who could make big catches whenever he's in position to do so. That turned out to be true. The only other guy that might rival him in talent and athletic ability is Tori Gurley, but Gurley is a converted defensive back and still needs some work on fundamentals, I think. Moe Brown is also a talented receiver but is more of a speed threat and clearly not the all-around monster Alshon is.

What is the problem with the offensive line? Why has there been so little progress in the running game considering the attention to it in the offseason?

As far as the running game goes, I think there's been more progress than you might see. We actually have a moderately competent running game now. Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles both average over 5 ypc, and Brian Maddox played well against Florida after a slow start to his season. So, we have solid but not great numbers, which is certainly better than what we had a year ago. The problem is that we fail to commit to the run at times, especially in the second half of games. We at times seem to totally abandon it. I'm putting that on the coaching staff rather than player execution.

The offensive line, in general, is better than in years past. Again, it's not great, but it's improved. Frankly, I think the biggest improvement is in run blocking, and that's the one we're taking least advantage of. Pass protection might be a little better than last year, but it's still quite suspect, as the sacks numbers suggest. The line is also penalty prone, which has killed just as many drives this year as the sacks.

The continued problems, hopefully, will be addressed in the offseason. I think we all had great expectations that Eric Wolford could come in and completely change the character of our line, but we're seeing now that perhaps it takes time for a line to learn a new scheme. Wolford promised that we'd see more zone blocking, but we really haven't seen much of that at all until recently, so perhaps Wolford just needs time to institute these and other changes that he hopes to use to get us to the next level.

Teams have had success over the past few years running the ball against SC, particularly between the tackles. Is this just a depth problem, scheme issue, or a defensive technique issue? Would the Gamecocks consider utilizing Norwood more inside or dropping a safety into the box if Clemson begins running the ball effectively?

I think it's a combination of all the factors you mention. Depth at tackle has been an issue for us in years past and continues to be this year. We came into the year with a good two-deep at tackle, but a season-ending injury to Travian Robertson and a nagging injury to Nathan Pepper have cut into our depth. We're still OK at the position, as Pepper, Ladi Ajiboye, and Melvin Ingram are all solid players, but we clearly begin to tire out at the end of games against teams that pound us; see our game against Alabama.

Scheme is also an issue. We typically run a 4-2-5 that places extra speed on the field in the form of the Spur position, which is basically a roving safety. This scheme is designed to defend the pass and particularly the spread option, as the greater speed on the field makes us less vulnerable to fast runners in space. On the other hand, the lack of a third linebacker in most of our schemes means that we're a little softer inside, as teams like Alabama and Tennessee have been able to expose.

Finally, I think technique is an issue this year. This wasn't a problem last year, but this year's team doesn't tackle very well.

As far as how to solve this problem, we haven't seen the coaches move Norwood to the middle, which has been a fairly constant topic for discussion among fans. I'm not sure if I think this is a good idea or not; Norwood would be a better run stopper than the diminutive Shaq Wilson, but he's also a monster on the outside, often taking two blockers and still getting his share of sacks. It would change our defensive dynamic significantly to move him. At any rate, the coaches don't seem to be into the idea.

One idea that I'd like to see the coaches explore in the offseason is varying the schemes. The 4-2-5 is great against Florida's spread and, to a lesser degree, offenses like Petrino's air attack and Ole Miss's idiosyncratic offense, which relies on a mix of passing the ball and getting Dexter McCluster on the edge. On the other hand, it doesn't work so well against Alabama, Tennessee, or the downhill running attack Florida has adopted at times this year. I would like to see us explore moving to a 4-3 more often against those teams, at least if we can find the personnel to do so.

SC has had a few big name defensive coordinators over the past few years. What are your thoughts about Ellis Johnson compared to Charley Strong?

I think both are great coordinators, clearly. Both have had great defenses at Carolina despite not having the benefits of the kind of talent an LSU or a Florida can have. I will say that in some ways what Strong did is more impressive, in that Johnson has had the benefit of more talent to work with. One of the amazing things about those Lou Holtz Outback Bowl teams is that they really weren't as talented as our teams now are. That staff really got the most out of those guys. Johnson, though, is still doing a great job.

You can also count me as part of the group that would love to see us explore Strong as a possible head coach when Spurrier hits the road.

SC utilizes three RB's extensively. Can you describe each back's style and rank them based on your perception of play this season?

That's right; we run with three backs--actually four if you include Bryce Sherman--and each have different styles. Kenny Miles has gotten most of the playing time this year. He's a good all-around back that runs hard downfield and combines moderate speed with the ability to break tackles. Jarvis Giles is more of a speedster, a guy who I'd like to see us get the ball to in space more often. Sherman is a dimunitive burner in the mold of LSU's Trindon Holliday; you'll only see us use him in gadget plays and packages that are specially designed to get him the ball in space. Brian Maddox is more of a power back and is the likely starter this weekend. He's also a good blocker and receiver, which is one reason that Spurrier continues to play him despite the fact that he doesn't seem to run the ball as well as the other two.

I don't like to rank the backs because each is different. I do, though, think we could utilize them better. I think we should, for the most part, use Maddox and Miles, Maddox in short-yardage and obvious passing situations and Miles in all other situations. Giles I think we should use as a utility player at this point, as is already the case for Sherman. Basically, I think we should rotate the group more often rather than trying to settle on one or the other, which is what we've been doing.

SC had a good deal of success early but has struggled late. What positives from early on do the Gamecocks need to get back to? What mistakes does this team need to shore up? Can these issues be corrected?

I think, first of all, that we need to get back to not turning the ball over. We were a very low-turnover team early in the season, and while Garcia certainly isn't reincarnating Blake Mitchell now, he isn't protecting the ball quite as well as he did early in the year. That hurt us against Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida. If we can get back to not turning the ball over against Clemson, our defense will be able to keep us in the game until the end. I do think we can succeed here, but it won't be easy against Clemson's pass rush.

I'd also like to see us do some of the things I've alluded to in the above answers. This offense has had trouble scoring touchdowns all year, and I think getting back to the running game and short passing game might help us do better there. Our basic MO at this point is to move the ball well on our side of the field by running our basic offense and then to go straight for the jugular as soon as we get to the opponents 35 or so. Predictably, this tends to result in incomplete passes, interceptions, and sacks that take us out of field goal range. Now, I'm not averse to throwing deep for the score. However, when you do it all the time, opponents know it's coming, and they have a safety play smart on the deep throw and blitz all their big fellas. The results are predictable. I'd like to see us get back to just trying to move the ball into the redzone and go for more high-percentage scores.

I have always been intrigued by the magic trick before the Gamecocks enter the field. Does anyone other than Cocky know how this is executed? Trap door? Magic dust?

Sorry, but there are some things about the Gamecocks that we just don't like to share with Clemson people. This is one of them.

Saturday News and Notes: More Musings on Ole Miss-USC and Other News from Around the SEC

Gamecock Man — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:29:17 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

2 months ago: South Carolina's Patrick DiMarco (47) runs for a first down as Mississippi's Jonathan Carnell (51) pursues during the first half of the NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina defeated Mississippi 16-10. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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Dr. Saturday sums up my thoughts on our red-zone issues pretty well. It's not only frustrating that we're not getting it done inside the 20; it's perplexing. We have a mobile quarterback, several huge receivers that should be able to catch the jump ball, and two bruising backs in Brian Maddox and Patrick DiMarco that can both run, catch, and get yards after contact. We would appear to be well-equipped to score TDs on the goal line, yet we aren't doing it. Part of the problem, of course, is that we're killing ourselves with penalties. Not only did we have yet another Tori Gurley TD called back on a penalty Thursday night; we also lost goal line opportunities when penalties pushed us back behind the 10. We also, though, just aren't gunning as aggressively for the end zone as we might be. Spurrier and his crew have this offense working like a machine between the 20s; they need to figure out how to maximize their ability inside the 20, too. If we can start converting more often, this team could transition into a legitimate threat to win the conference.
I said it after the game and I'll say it again: Spencer Lanning deserves a lot of credit for his performance against Ole Miss. The tackle he made on Marshay Green showed a lot of heart and changed the game. And while none of them were long kicks, he continued to get it done kicking field goals. He also had a couple of impressive punts. Great performance.
Also on the topic of special teams, I thought we did a good job with kickoffs against Ole Miss. It wasn't pretty, and I'm not happy that we're content to use gimmick kickoffs to make sure we stop returns around the 30, but, at the same time, anything is better than what we saw against Georgia and Florida Atlantic.
As you probably know, Travian Robertson is out for the year. Robertson was playing well and it's really a shame we lost him. However, with Ladi Ajiboye back, Nathan Pepper likely as close to full speed as he'll ever be by the Kentucky game, and Melvin Ingram playing well, I think we can weather losing Robertson for the time being. If we lost any of those three players, though, we're going to be in big, big trouble.
Some rival fans have represented Stephen Garcia's performance in a bad light. I disagree. True, Garcia wilted a bit late in the game. However, he was obviously playing hurt, and likely just ran out of steam. Until that point, he had played a pretty good game, all the while taking a serious beating from Ole Miss's defensive ends. He deserves credit for playing well as long as he did. Moreover, he deserves credit for not throwing any interceptions. While we need to improve in the red zone to truly take the next step as an offense, we can likely continue to at least be competitive if Garcia and the offense protect the ball, score a reasonable number of points, and let the defense do the real work. Last year, Garcia and Smelley threw so many interceptions that the defense never had the chance to do what they did against Ole Miss. That's not the case this year.
Speaking of interceptions, our secondary needs to learn to catch the ball. They played a great game, but this could have been an epic defensive performance if we could have pulled in the three or four easy interceptions Jevan Snead served up.
I've long thought Houston Nutt is an overrated coach, and this game certainly didn't change my opinion of him. Having 12 men on the field on the last play aside, I'm most perplexed by how little he got the ball in Dexter McCluster's hands. McCluster is obviously that offense's best player, and it showed when McCluster started getting carries late in the game. Where was he through the first three quarters? And why wasn't he getting the ball more on the final drive? Nutt is, and has always been, a great motivator and decent coach that is capable of playing the spoiler role pretty well. However, he's never had much success while in the spotlight, likely because he just can't hack it with the big boys. Ole Miss fans got to see the best of Nutt last year; this year, they may get to see the other side of things.
Alabama and Arkansas are going at it late in the third quarter, and the Tide has shut down what appeared to be a great Arkansas offense. I'm dreading playing the Tide in a few weeks. That's what a top five team really looks like.
Speaking of defense, our "brethren" from the upstate are currently battling TCU right now in Death Valley. The score is 14-10 TCU, but the Tigers are driving. I'm not really sure what to make of this Clemson team, other than that C. J. Spiller is one of the best all-purpose athletes in the country. I'll sure be glad when he's gone next year.

Previewing Ole Miss at South Carolina: Three Keys, Fun Fact, and Prediction

Gamecock Man — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:00:31 -0000

More photos » by Brett Flashnick - AP

2 months ago: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier complains about the spot of ball during a South Carolina possession during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

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Time to take on the Rebels in our SEC home opener. Here are my thoughts on the game.

Three Keys

1. Coaching Matchups

This game features some interesting coaching dynamics. First of all, Houston Nutt and his staff have had plenty of time to scout our team while being able to hold his own hand. We have no significant tape on the Rebels, who have yet to open up their playbook. They have plenty of tape on us. Can they take advantage? On the other hand, Steve Spurrier is intimately acquainted with the defensive philosophy of Rebels DC Tyrone Nix. Can Steve take advantage, as he did last year?

2. Blocking and Stephen Garcia's Mobility

The Rebels, even if Greg Hardy is still banged up, have one of the best defensive fronts in the conference. They will test our line,and if protection breaks down often, they'll test Garcia's elusiveness. I think that they'll be able to get pressure on us fairly often, and I'm fairly confident that Garcia can escape the pressure from time to time and get yards on his feet or by making throws on the run. Garcia proved he could do that against Georgia. I also think, though, that if the line breaks down too much, Garcia will eventually make a mistake. That's not a knock on the quarterback; it's just the law of averages. To avoid that, the line will have to play a tough game and help Garcia out. It's worth noting that if Garcia can find time to throw often enough, we should see big plays develop, as our receivers have a sizable athletic advantage over Ole Miss's secondary.

3. Canning the Rebels' Running Game and Pressuring Jevan Snead

On the flip side of the trenches war, we're taking on a green Ole Miss offensive line that has yet to play against anything comparable to our defensive front. However, our guys, partially due to injury, haven't been getting into the backfield as much as I would like. With Ladi Ajiboye back and Nathan Pepper possible, we should be back close to full strength. If we can step up against the running game and the pass rush, we stand a chance to crash the Rebels backfield early and often. Hopefully, that will lead to a couple of game-changing turnovers.

Fun Fact

As far as I can gather, we've only beaten a top-five team once in our history. That was in 1981, when we beat a highly ranked UNC team in Chapel Hill. This game will give us one of the best chances at doing it again that we've had in quite awhile, as we're only negligible underdogs. We'll probably have a couple more chances to break the trend this year, as well, as Alabama and Florida will likely be ranked highly when we play them, too.

Prediction

I'm admit I'm up in the air about this one. I expect a close game, but I could frankly see either team winning big, too. Both teams appear to have explosive offenses and defenses that have question marks in places but that also have the ability to create big plays. That could all combine to lead to quick swings in score and a possible blowout for one team. However, even if one or both teams have big leads at some point in the game, you have to think that at the end of the day the score will be close. Although my head tells me not to, I'm going to say that we kick a late field goal to take a 30-28 lead, hold the Rebels on the ensuing drive, and score the big upset. Keep in mind that this is more my fantasy as what I really think will happen. However, it's a fantasy that is very possible.

Previewing Florida Atlantic at South Carolina: Three Keys, Fun Fact, and Prediction

Gamecock Man — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:54:18 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

3 months ago: South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia (5) scrambles as Georgia's DeAngelo Tyson (94) gives chase during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Athens, Ga. Georgia won 41-37. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Time to take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in a game that hopefully will serve as a useful tuneup for our showdown against a top-10 Ole Miss team next week. Below is my preview; also take a look at what Leftover Hot Dog has to say.

Three Keys

1. Stephen Garcia. Once again, Garcia is key to a good showing by the Gamecocks. However, I would say that this week the issues are a bit different than last week. Garcia must do two things this week. First of all, he's gotta protect the ball. That's what's most important for the time being, as Florida Atlantic likely won't be able to stay in this game for long unless they can get a couple of opportune turnovers. If that happens, all bets are off for the outcome of this game, as the Owls have the offense to make us pay if we cough the ball up a couple of times. I think Garcia can protect the ball, though; he's shown that he can so far this year. Given that he does so, it would also be nice to see Garcia do a better job of stretching the field. If this offense is to truly become a good one and this team is to win big games, Garcia is going to be able to have to do more than scramble and hit Weslye Saunders on dump offs. Opposing defensive coordinators saw what we did last week to Georgia's zone, and I expect them to take those plays away from us if we can't prove we can make them pay by going deep. If we can, though, this offense could start to look like the Spurrier offenses of old, and we may win lots of games this year, starting with next week's game against the Rebels.

2. Wide Receiver Play. This is a related point. Our receivers made a few mistakes last week that may have cost us the game. We have no shortage of talent at receiver, but it's mostly inexperienced talent. That's especially true of Tori Gurley, an imposing receiver physically but one that's a redshirt freshman who only recently moved to receiver. Gurley and others will have to learn how to do thing like get better positioning on opposing defensive backs for this offense to really take off.

3. Good Play from Inexperienced Defensive Players. We're going to be without Nathan Pepper, Ladi Ajiboye, and possibly Darian Stewart this week, which means that Travian Robertson, Melvin Ingram, and perhaps DeVonte Holloman are going to have to step up. And the Owls will challenge these guys; FAU's offense is formidable and will make us pay if we can't pressure the quarterback and / or play poorly in coverage. Luckily, we should be much closer to 100% next week against Ole Miss.

Continue reading after the jump.

Fun Fact

Last time we played the Owls, in the only prior meeting between these two schools, Syvelle Newton and Sidney Rice helped us put up record numbers. Rice's five TD grabs broke our all-time record and tied the SEC record. I was at this game, and it was a fun one to watch.

Prediction

Florida Atlantic is a good team that will challenge for the Sun Belt crown this year. However, they and Sun Belt schools in general simply don't have the athletes we have, and this game shouldn't be very close after the second quarter or so. That's not a knock against the Owls or their legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger. This is a school that has come out of nowhere over the past few years to become pretty successfull. That's a quality accomplishment, and losing badly to an SEC school hardly takes away from that.

That said, this is a team that has the horses to stay with us if we play poorly. Think back to games like 2007's matchups against Louisiana-Lafayette and South Carolina State. Although we won those games, we played like crap; those teams just weren't good enough to take advantage. Florida Atlantic is, and if we come out unfocused, uninspired, and cough the ball up three or four times, we stand a reasonable chance to lose this one. So far this year, though, we've shown a greater ability to protect the ball, and being under the lights at Williams-Brice for the first time this year should be enough of an inspiration for our guys to give this one their all. I'm calling this one a 45-10 Gamecocks victory.

Previewing Florida Atlantic at South Carolina: FAU's Offense

Gamecock Man — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:10:29 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

3 months ago: Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith throws in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Nebraska, in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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Florida Atlantic runs a pro-style offense that favors the pass. The Owls--who as most of you probably know are coached by legend Howard Schnellenberger--have generally had pretty good offenses over the past few years. In their opening matchup against Nebraska, in some ways they continued to do well, despite losing 49-3, largely due to the three turnovers they gave up. The Owls rolled up 358 total yards, seemingly not too bad against Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers. Most came in the air, although the Owls did decently on the ground, as well.

However, a closer look at the game reveals that the numbers are a little deceptive. The key is that the Owls controlled time of possession. Usually that's a good thing. In this case, though, it was probably at least partially because Nebraska had little trouble scoring quickly; the Huskers averaged over 9 yards per pass and a stunning 8.1 yards per carry. That means that FAU was frequently getting the ball back after quick Nebraska touchdowns. This isn't to say that FAU didn't move the ball; the Owls were able to sustain some drives, averaging a respectable 5.8 yards per pass and 3.5 yards per carry. Those drives, though, typically stalled at some point or resulted in turnovers, leading to only three polnts. Overall, I would say the performance against Nebraska is about what you would expect from a good mid-major offense going against a good Big 12 team. It wasn't, however, as good as the 358 yards would suggest.

Continue reading after the jump.

As said, this is a team that we can expect to see pass the ball quite a bit and fairly well. FAU quarterback Rusty Smith has thrown for over 8000 career yards and is considered a viable NFL prospect. However, the problem for a team like FAU going against a Nebraska or a South Carolina is always going to be in the trenches, and that will end up hampering Smith's ability to control the game in the same way he would against another mid-major. First of all, running the ball is going to be difficult for an FAU in this situation, as a big defensive front will be able to manhandle the Owls' offensive line. That's going to make it difficult for FAU to make us respect the run, thus keeping FAU from opening things up. Second of all, Smith is going to be running for his life in the likelihood that his protection frequently breaks down. That's going to lead to hurries, sacks, and turnovers, all of which hurt FAU against Nebraska.

The only thing that worries me about our offense versus FAU's defense in this game is that we will be missing both Nathan Pepper and Ladi Ajiboye, which potentially negates some of our advantage in the trenches. Travian Robertson has played well in Ajiboye's stead, and will likely continue to play a prominent role in the rotation after Ajiboye returns. Melvin Ingram, though, is still a little green. If FAU can take advantage of Pepper and Ajiboye's absence, they may be able to open things up a bit and score some points.

That said, while Robertson and Ingram may not be quite ready to carry us through the SEC alone, they should be able to hold their own against FAU. Plus, FAU is probably going to throw all sorts of double teams against Eric Norwood, Devin Taylor, Clifton Geathers, and Cliff Matthews. If our coaching staff can take advatage of those situations, we should be able to figure out a way to slow these guys down, just like Nebraska did.

Reviewing South Carolina at Georgia: More Thoughts on Why We Lost

Gamecock Man — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:24:54 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Another penalty? You've got to be kidding me!

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Earlier today I wrote that while I was disappointed with this loss, I think we saw enough positives to believe that we have reason to hope that this may be a better than average year. That's still true. Still, I think it's worth thinking a little more about some of the issues that cost us this game. I'd say those issues are, in order of importance, kickoff coverage, red-zone offense, penalties, and interior defense.

Kickoff returns, quite simply, probably made the difference in this game. The issues are a bit difficult to figure out. For one thing, this hasn't been a huge problem for us in the past, so this game may have just been an aberration. Moreover, you have to give credit where credit is due sometimes; Brandon Boykin looks to be a quality return man, and he made his own luck last night. However, I'm thinking that this may be something to watch this year. First of all, we've been spoiled over the past few years with Ryan Succop, who consistently kicked into the end zone. Spencer Lanning appears to have a strong leg and has sent some into the end zone, as well, but he doesn't appear to be able to do it as consistently as Succop did. Second of all, while some tackles were inexcusably missed, the truth is that Georgia had huge running lanes on their big returns. The problem wasn't so much tackling as poor coverage. You want guys to swarm the return man; you don't want to rely on one guys to make an open-field tackle on a return, as the returner is probably a burner and will be hard to get in the open field. Hopefully Shane Beamer can figure out where the snafus occurred, because teams like Florida and Alabama have return men that are just as capable of lighting us up as Boykin was, and pooching it to around the 35 isn't a viable long-term option.

Red-zone offense was also a big problem last night; if we had scored a touchdown just one of the times we settled for a field goal, we've got a tie ball game. Garcia was able to read Georgia's zone all night and sustain drives by exploiting the short passing game, and I expect that will continue to be the case throughout the year. However, when we got into the short-field game on their goal line, we lost those options and struggled to find new ones. The same thing happened against N. C. State, suggesting that this may be a trend. Luckily, Lanning picked himself up from last week and went 5/5 on his field-goal tries, and if you had told me that he would do that before the game, I would have picked us to win, for sure. As it happened, though, we needed touchdowns in those situations. I think the big issue facing this offense in the red zone is getting more out of our receivers and figuring out some plays that take better advantage of Garcia's mobility. As far as receivers go, our only truly reliable one right now is end Weslye Saunders, and defenses are trying to take him out of the game as soon as we get down there. We appear to be trying to go to Tori Gurley in these situations. Gurley is a good choice, as his size gives him an advantage in post-up situations. However, he's both yet to learn how to take advantage of his size, and Garcia appears to need work placing fades and throws to the back of the endzone. I would also like to see us open the playbook up a little bit in the red zone and roll Garcia out, let him find a receiver while on the run, or maybe even incorporate some option. I would have even been down with seeing the wildcat in these situations. What we're doing so far isn't working, so we need to get creative.

Continue reading after the jump.

Related to these problems are all the penalties we are racking up. Gurley has now had three touchdowns called back due to penalties of various sorts.Penalties are par for the course for a team that has so few seniors, especially in a loud road environment. However, last night was just ridiculous. We had 11 penalties for almost 100 yards, many of them coming at the worst possible times. We've gotta get it together on that end.

Finally, Joe Person has an interesting read up on the interior of our defense. Last night, we were without Ladi Ajiboye, Nathan Pepper, and Rodney Paulk, and it showed, as UGA was very effective between the tackles and we didn't generate much pressure when using a limited rush. As Person notes, the line doesn't seem to be so much the issue, as Ajiboye will return for Ole Miss and Pepper will either be back for Ole Miss or the following week. Moreover, Travian Robertson seems to be emergin as a viable part of that rotation. Replacing Paulk, though, seems to be a problem. Shaq Wilson had some good plays against N. C. State, but he's undersized for his position, and it showed last night against a Georgia offensive line that was obviously superior to that of the Wolfpack. Wilson will be a liability again against elite SEC competition, so we need to hope that young players like Josh Dickerson and Tony Straughter are ready to step up.

So, anything else jump out to people about the game? What else needs work?

Previewing South Carolina at N. C. State: Three Keys, Fun Facts, and Prediction

Gamecock Man — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:37:20 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

3 months ago: FILE -- This is an Oct. 4, 2008, file photo showing South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier shouting at his players during an NCAA college football game against Mississippi, in Oxford, Miss. It had been a quiet offseason for Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, until this past weekend, when some of the same off-the-field troubles the Gamecocks have dealt with in past years sprang up again. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

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The game is upon us. Do any of you anticipate trouble sleeping tonight? I do. Here's the final preview before we head into the gauntlet of 2009 Gamecocks football.

Three Keys for a Gamecocks Victory

1. Offensive Line Play / Running Game

Steve Spurrier's comments over the past few days would suggest that he's going to let his backs try to carry us tomorrow night. If they can make solid gains, we'll move the sticks and set up opportunities for Mr. Garcia to put the nails in the coffin. However, N. C. State has just the defensive line to contain them, and if the running game flounders, it'll put Garcia in a position where he has to play hero. We saw how that went last year; well in the Kentucky game, horribly every other time.

2. Stephen Garcia

Garcia doesn't have to be Tim Tebow tomorrow night. In fact, I don't think Spurrier is going to ask him to throw quite as much as was the norm last year. However, when he does drop back, Garcia has to know when to throw, know when to run, connect on a few downfield passes to keep State on their toes, and most of all, avoid turnovers. If he can do those things, we have a great chance.

3. Secondary Play

I have a feeling we're going to see a corner burned at least once tomorrow. However, if we can avoid letting it happen enough to make State beat us the hard way, I think we can hold them to few enough points so that we can win.

Honorable Mention: Defensive Line Play

How good are Travian Robertson and Devin Taylor? This is your night, boys; don't waste the chance our team's malcontents have given you.

Continue reading after the jump.

Fun Facts

This series is tied at 26-26-4, meaning that the winner will take the series lead. We've scored 905 to 888 all-time against the 'Pack. Thank you Data Warehouse.

Prediction

Like Joe Person, I've been calling this one a victory all summer. Who wouldn't, considering that we blew State out last year despite playing like garbage? However, I've lost a little bit of my confidence after getting to know State a little better and seeing us lose a couple of key defensive linemen to suspension. I think State is going to be pretty good this year, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I also think that, although I expect the replacements to be capable, losing Ladi Ajiboye and Clifton Geathers for this game will hurt us, especially Geathers, as I had hoped he could help tame Russell Wilson with his pass rush. Throw all that in with the likelihood that we're going to be walking into a raucous environment in Raleigh and you've got the makings of tough fight.

At the same time, though, I still think we have a better than average chance of winning this game. State's probably going to get some points against us, no doubt. There's no way our depleted defensive line and young secondary can contain a Wilson-led offense all night. However, I at the same time think we're going to see a different Gamecocks offense tomorrow night. We're not going to score 40, mind you, and Stephen Garcia isn't going to enter Heisman contention. I think we will, though, score some points, and I think we'll limit the turnovers. That's going to lead to a 31-28 victory.

What's your prediction?

Finally, be sure to drop by this evening to check in on the open thread. I probably won't be able to join you, as I'll be watching the game at a local beer and wing joint.

Monday News and Notes: Practice Notes and NCAA Rule-Making Tomfoolery

Gamecock Man — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:08:07 -0000

First things first: the team scrimmaged today. Here's what jumps out at me about the reports.

The reports about the offense continue to sound promising overall. The passing game wasn't quite as good today as it has been on other days this week, but it was competent. However, the running game sounds like it was excellent today. Kenny Miles was the big story. It sounds like he's solidified the second spot and may even challenge for the first. I'm fine with all the crowding in the backfield with Miles, Brian Maddox, and Bryce Sherman all playing effectively. When a committee approach is the way to go, it's good to hear that you've got the horses to run with run. Plus, it sounds like Wolford has just done wonders teaching the linemen to run block. I suspect that we'll all be praising Spurrier for that hire at the end of the year.
My thinking is that if we can run the ball effectively against N. C. State, we should be able to set up a competent play-action game to take advantage of State's green secondary. We could score a lot of points against the 'Pack if we do these things and limit turnovers.
Although the line sounds good, the continued reports of snapping problems is beginning to distress me.
The other thing that's beginning to worry me is the status of our defensive tackles. Ladi Ajiboye is out for a few games with a suspension, while Nathan Pepper is nursing a sore knee. Pepper claims to be ready to play, but you have to wonder at this point.
Needless to say, defensive line play will be key against State, as the trick to slowing the 'Pack's offense down is pressuring Russell Wilson. Get well soon, Nate.

Another interesting piece of news is that the NCAA is still considering expanding the rules regarding excessive celebration penalties (H / T Get the Picture). This change was struck down last year, and I had hoped it wouldn't rear its head again. The basic idea is to make celebration penalties live-ball fouls; therefore, if someone celebrates before he enters the endzone, the touchdown could be negated because the penalty would apply at the spot of the foul.

Now, I'm all for discouraging taunting on the football field. South Carolina and Clemson folks know what can happen when things get out of hand. Indeed, as SEC rules editor Roger Redding says, the rules are intended to discourage taunting, not celebration:

The issue is not around celebrating.. .. We want the (the players) to play with enthusiasm and celebrate with their teammates and enjoy the game. The line gets crossed when there's taunting and inciting.

Sounds fair and reasonable to me. However, the problem is that in practice, referees often have to make the judgment call on what the line between legit and penalty-worthy celebration is, and they often make dubious calls, oftentimes with game-changing consequences. Allowing refs to take away touchdowns based upon such judgment calls would give refs all the more power to make such game-changing decisions. I don't think that's fair to the players, most of whom are simply and reasonably celebrating the decisive plays of what can be a very emotional sport when they're flagged for these fouls. It's also not fair to us as fans, as we deserve to see games decided between the players, not on referee's subjective judgment calls.

Poll

So, do you agree with the proposed celebration-penalty rules changes? (If you would like, elaborate in the comments section.)

Yes

4 votes

No

33 votes

37 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday News and Notes: Preseason Practice Begins and Other News

Gamecock Man — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:16:18 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

Clean shaven!

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Today is the day. The beginning of preseason practice. Not much happened of note today, of course; it was the usual first-day warm-ups and fundamentals drills. Spurrier didn't unveil the new master plan or anything. But it was the first day of practice, and the season now truly feels like it's upon us. Let's hope it's a good one.

The State and other outlets didn't have much to report about the afternoon. One promising tidbit was that Dion LeCorn was up and running during individual drills and appears close to being recovered from his injury in the Garnet and Black Game. However, Akeem Auguste worked out lightly today due to a groin injury. Hopefully he'll be 100% when it's time. Having most guys healthy on opening night and throughout the season is going to be key; Ellis Johnson has said that we can have another great defense this year if we can stay healthy, but we might crash quickly if we have to go too deep on the depth chart.

C. C. Whitlock and Ladi Ajiboye were also there and on the field. We now know that Whitlock will be suspended for a couple of games; I'm guessing cupcakes. Ladi Ajiboye may be suspended the first three games. I'm frankly a little worried about Ajiboye missing the N. C. State and UGA games; he would have been especially helpful against UGA's ground attack. We'll have to do without him, though, and hope that he's ready to play when his suspension is over.

Last but not least, if you haven't done so yet, check out Leftover Hot Dog's thoughts on practice.

A few other tidbits:

USC hoops will open against LaSalle in the Charleston Classic. LaSalle projects to have a good mid-major team this year, so this will be far from a cake walk. That's good, though; a win will do nice things for our RPI. Davidson (albeit Stephen Curry-less) looms as another possible quality opponent if we beat LaSalle.

Is Lou Holtz running for Congress? I like Lou and think he's a great football coach, but forgive me if I think that someone with such a cavalier attitude towards NCAA regulations might not be, you know, the best politician in a world that could probably use a little more answerability.

Kwame Geathers (brother of Clifton) is having trouble qualifying at UGA.

Monday News and Notes: Suspension Updates, Cadarious Sanders Commits, and Ron Morris on Steve Spurrier

Gamecock Man — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:04:52 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

4 months ago: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier talks about the upcoming season during the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Friday, July 24, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

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Steve Spurrier reports that Kyle Nunn, Ladi Ajiboye, and C. C. Whitlock will all miss games over the course of the season due to prior disciplinary issues. Nunn and Ajiboye will likely miss multiple games, whereas Whitlock will only miss one. Spurrier has not stated which games the three would miss, but I would assume that these will be select-game suspensions, probably against relatively lighter opponents Florida Atlantic and / or South Carolina State. In other words, this probably isn't too big of a deal. These guys have done what they've needed to do to reenter the coaches' good graces, and they'll be here when we need them this fall.

Three-star Georgia cornerback prospect Cadarious Sanders has committed to South Carolina. The athletically gifted Sanders has run a 4.4 and only allowed two pass completions this past year. He had an offer from Ole Miss and was drawing interest from big-time programs such as Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and LSU. He looks like a winner, and considering that cornerback is a position of need right now, this is an important pickup. Welcome aboard.

Finally, Ron Morris has (another--surprise, surprise) good article up at The State, this time on what drives Steve Spurrier at USC. Morris's basic point is that Spurrier wants the distinction of being the coach to finally succeed at USC, a distinction that will cement Spurrier's legacy as one of the game's all-time great coaches. This is what I've thought all along about Spurrier's motivation here. However, for some reason people can't stop questioning Spurrier's dedication here. Morris gives some insight into why that suspicion is misplaced.