SB Nation - Nathan Pepper

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

3 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?

Reviewing South Carolina at N. C. State: Should We Be Worried or Hopeful?

Gamecock Man — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:36:24 -0000

by Gerry Broome - AP

3 months ago: South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore, left, breaks up a pass in the end zone intended for North Carolina State's Jarvis Williams, right, during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. South Carolina won 7-3. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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I'm going to go ahead and play the eternal optimist and say that I'm cautiously hopeful about the season after watching this game. This isn't to say that there's not reason to worry. As we have at times over the past couple of years, this was a game that we to a certain degree dominated. However, we were incapable of putting the game away, with drives stalling in the red zone and the field-goal unit botching scores. Obviously, getting a touchdown on one of those drives and a field goal on the other would make this game 17-3, a victory that would have struck fear into the hearts into our opponents. We didn't get anything, though, and gave State a chance to win in the process. The game reminded me a lot in that sense of last year's Vandy and, to a certain, UGA games, only this time we managed to sneak out the win, at least in part because N. C. State just wasn't as good as those two teams.

And let's not downplay the fact that State probably isn't as good as advertised, or at least they weren't ready last night. I thought Russell Wilson played better than people are giving him credit for--he made some key throws at times, some of which weren't caught or got called back for penalties that weren't his fault--but I would have to say that he's certainly not making me think Heisman right now. If this guy wins first-team All-ACC, well...you know what I'm thinking. He didn't have the speed to be the elite scrambler I thought he was and his supposedly canny pocket presence was exposed by our defensive front. That's going to continue when the 'Pack play the ACC's elite. And as far as the rest of the team, I guess you could say the place kicker knew what he was doing. I was certainly unimpresed with the offensive line, and although they managed to hold us in the red zone, the defense wasn't always there, either. They did manage to get a little pressure on Garcia at times and their rushing defense looks good on paper. However, a couple of big losses such as Jarvis Giles's ill-advised cutback brought our rushing average down; overall I thought our line was opening some holes on them. All in all, it's great to get a road victory in a hostile atmosphere to start the season, but let's not make anything of it that we shouldn't.

Continue reading after the jump.

However, I also saw a few positives that have me hoping that this team can win seven or eight games. First of all, it didn't show on the scoreboard, but the offense wasn't bad. Although in no way great, the running game and line looked markedly improved. I have a feeling Brian Maddox and Jarvis Giles can do things for us this year. (I'm still unsure why Spurrier didn't get Maddox more carries in the second half; he was on his way to a 100-yard game at halftime.) Second of all, I think Garcia looked much improved. Again, he wasn't great. He missed some open receivers, his pocket presence will have to improve, and as lots of people have commented, he'd better learn to slide real soon. I appreciate the fearlessness and that hurdle was pretty, but there are players in Athens and Gainesville that will break him in half if he keeps that stuff up. I'm sure the coaching staff knows and is telling him this; hopefully he'll learn before he gets knocked out of the season. His interception wasn't pretty, although it was definitely the kind that look worse on TV than it really is. He saw what looked like an open receiver but didn't see the end in coverage, who was probably right outside his field of vision; that's not as unforgivable as throwing into triple coverage. At the same time, Garcia did manage to make some good reads and find some open receivers at times. The throw to Moe Brown to seal it at the end was great. Perhaps just as importantly, he had only one turnover last night. Garcia may not have looked like Tim Tebow, but he didn't do the things that he and Chris Smelley did last year to blow games for us. He's playing smarter, and with more wins and improved confidence, he'll also start to play better.

Which brings us to the most important and final point: our defense looks to be great, and if we can avoid beating ourselves, and we showed evidence that we're capable of doing that last night, our defense will keep us in almost every game we play this year. I'm still worried about the secondary and losing Rodney Paulk is a big blow. However, initial evidence is that the secondary has grown up fast and will be much better than advertised. Moreover, I thought Shaq Wilson made some good plays and looked ready to step in for Paulk. Finally, Eric Norwood and our defensive line are going to give us one of the SEC's best pass rushes this year. Norwood, Cliff Matthews, and Nathan Pepper looked fantastic last night. And keep in mind that we were without two starting linemen, one--Clifton Geathers--an elite pass rusher himself. Opposing quarterbacks beware.

So, I see some reason to be hopeful. Some reason to doubt, too, but more to be hopeful: this was probably the best a team could look in a 7-3 win. If a few more things come together, we could win some games this year. UGA is next and with that game comes a chance to pull off a season-defining upset. I'm still not sure we can do it, but we've got a chance, and don't forget that we get to rest our legs and regroup while the 'Dawgs fly into the pressure cooker Saturday.

So, do you agree? Disagree? Somewhere in between? Feel free to use the Fanposts if you want to write a long review.

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

Post-Spring Previews: Georgia

Gamecock Man — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:34:56 -0000

After traveling to Raleigh, the Gamecocks continue their path along one of the nation's toughest schedules when they go to Athens to take on the 'Dawgs. The Georgia game is always one of the defining moments of our season. Most Gamecocks fans consider Georgia our biggest SEC rival, and a win typically marks the beginning of a good season (2007 aside).

On the whole, Georgia is a team full of question marks. They disappointed last year after coming into the season with sky-high expectations. This year, they have to replace a number of significant players, most notably offensive stars Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and Mohamed Massaquoi. On the other hand, they return significant talent on defense and on the offensive line. Their success will likely depend on whether Joe Cox can be efficient and can at least come to close to matching Stafford's productivity and if their defense can stay healthy and play better than it did in highly publicized meltdowns against LSU, Florida, and Georgia Tech last season. We'll probably know a lot more about Georgia after they open their season at Oklahoma State, a team with an absolutely explosive offense that will probably be preseason top ten.

Let's take a closer look at how we match up against these guys.

Quarterback

Mark Richt plans to start senior Joe Cox, who got significant playing time early in 2006 but since then has been Stafford's backup, only playing in mop-up duty. Cox is a fairly talented player and has spent a lot of time in the system, so the 'Dawgs can reasonably hope that he will be a competent signal caller. However, he lacks Stafford's physical abilities, so his ceiling is probably relatively low. I'd call it a push between Cox and Stephen Garcia; Cox has had longer to grow into his roll and is a more mature player, but he lacks Garcia's natural talent and has less in-game experience than Garcia. Usually, I'd say that means that Garcia has the advantage, but Garcia was hardly impressive in some of his appearances last year. Although he showed promise at times, he has plenty to prove this time around.

Verdict: Push

Running Backs

While Moreno leaves big shoes to fill, Georgia is uncommonly deep at the running back position, with several highly recruited players waiting to become the next Moreno, Garrison Heart, or Herschel Walker. The one most likely to become a household name is Caleb King, a speedy home run threat who rushed for over 200 yards last year as Moreno's primary backup. However, Richard Samuel will also get plenty of touches, and the two backs may form something of a Thunder and Lightening duo. I'd say UGA has a slight advantage over us here; while I like our stable of backs and expect us to field a much improved running game in the fall, both King and Samuel could start at any school in the nation. These guys are monsters and, while we might get the 'Dawgs during a transition period while UGA tries to figure out how best to divvy the caries, I doubt UGA will miss a beat without Moreno this year.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Offensive Line

UGA returns a seasoned, talented offensive line led by tackles Quintin Sturdivant and Clint Boling. Sturdivant's preseason injury last year caused this unit to underperform last year, but if Sturdivant is able to return close to full strength, this should be a very good unit. I would give them a slight advantage over our line. While I expect much-improved blocking from our guys this year and the play in the spring gives us every indication that that's what we'll get, we simply lack the talent possessed by Georgia at these positions.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Georgia returns phenomenal receiver A. J. Green (yep, the same Summerville star that screwed his home state's flagship university by committing to a bitter rival) but loses the aforementioned Massaquoi, and so far it's unclear who will be the second receiver. That could be problematic for Georgia, as Cox could use the benefit of a slew of targets. At TE--a position that hasn't been featured in recent UGA offenses but may be this year--UGA loses ball-dropping machine Tripp Chandler but brings in the highly recruited Orson Charles and Arthur Lynch. Charles is a big, fast player receiving end somewhat out of the Jared Cook mold, while Lynch is more of a traditional end. Either will be a significant improvement over Chandler. I'd call it a push at these positions; after losing Kenny McKinley we don't have anyone like Green on our team, but what we lose in that contrast we gain in better depth.

Verdict: Push

Defensive Line

The 'Dawgs return a very strong couple of players at tackle in Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens. However, they appear to lack a dangerous pass rusher, especially as they'll be without end Justin Houston, who is suspended for the first two games, when they play us. If Ladi Ajiboye plays in this game, I think we have a slight advantage here. While I like Atkins and Owens a bit more than Ajiboye and Nathan Pepper, UGA lacks the sack threats at end that we have in Clifton Geathers and Cliff Matthews.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Linebackers

UGA and Carolina each return one of the nation's best linebackers in Rennie Curran and Eric Norwood. UGA, however, also returns Daryl Gamble, another quality player, whereas Carolina will still be in the process of breaking in Rodney Paulk and Shaq Wilson as Norwood's partners in crime. UGA gets a slight advantage here.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Secondary

Georgia returns star safety Reshad Jones as well as corner Prince Miller but is a little more uncertain at the other two starting spots. This puts them in a similar spot to Carolina, who returns Chris Culliver, who came into his own as a future star late last season, and Darian Stewart but, after the departure of Emanuel Cook, Captain Munnerlyn, and Stoney Woodson to the NFL, will have to fill the other spots with a host of freshmen and returning lettermen like Addison Williams who haven't always been the best around. I'm calling this one another push.

Verdict: Push

Special Teams

UGA returns a pretty good placekicker in Blair Walsh. However, their return units were a liability last season, and they'll have to prove they can improve in those areas this year. Carolina has similar questions and lacks the returning kicker, so I'll give UGA a slight advantage here.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Head Coaches

Although he's yet to win a national title, Mark Richt has been one of the most consistent coaches in the SEC while at Georgia and has one of the highest winning percentages in school history. In a way, that makes him a lot like Steve Spurrier at Florida before Spurrier won the national title in 1996, as Spurrier had up until that point been a coach that won lots of games and often got his team in position to compete for national titles but usually ended up dropping a game he should have won. My thinking is that Richt will put together that perfect season one day; a coach doesn't put his team in the top 10 as consistently as Richt does without finally having a season when the ball rolls his way. In terms of comparing the two, you can put me in the camp that believes that Spurrier still has his coaching chops, but the fact that Spurrier hasn't managed to really do much since he left Florida in 2001 means that advantage here has to go to Richt, who still appears to be at the height of his powers.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Overall

We and our coach tend to be at the top of our game when facing the 'Dawgs. However, Georgia does have more talent than us at most positions. They also have more depth than us, although I think the gap has closed somewhat and, at any rate, depth shouldn't matter too much in the second game of the season. All of that means that a victory in this game, especially considering it's in Athens, would be an unqualified upset. I think the game will be close and that we'll have a chance to win it late, but I can't bring myself to predict a victory at this point. After we've seen how these two teams play in their season openers, maybe we can revise that.

Prediction: Georgia wins by a touchdown

Thursday Afternoon Links and Commentary

Gamecock Man — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:22:40 -0000

Football

Joe Person on Pre-Season Watch Lists. As many of you probably know, Eric Norwood was named to the Lott and Lombardi Awards Pre-Season Watch Lists. Person also lists Darian Stewart, Chris Culliver, Cliff Matthews, Weslye Saunders, Jarriel King, Garrett Anderson, Nathan Pepper, and Spencer Lanning as possible candidates for pre-season All-SEC.

Basketball

Darrin Horn Talks to Xavier. While this is still developing, it officially means it's time to get nervous and wring our hands. Sean Miller assistant Chris Mack is reportedly the favorite for Xavier, but I would have to think that Xavier AD Mike Bobinski would prefer Horn if Bobinski thinks he can get Horn for a reasonable price. The question then becomes: will Eric Hyman pay up for Horn? With lots of revenue coming in from new SEC contracts and with Horn finally filling up with the Colonial Center, Hyman has the necessary funds to compete with Xavier and should be prepared to use them to show his commitment to Horn. Unless Horn really just wants to go to Xavier (and there are some reasons he may want to do so), I think the ball is in Hyman's court on this one. Don't let Gamecock Nation down, Eric.

UPDATE: According to Seth Emerson, Horn would owe USC $1.25 million if he leaves. Worth knowing.

Baseball

Clemson Beats Carolina 7-5. Even a blind tiger finds a nut from time to time. Congrats to Clemson on their first diamond victory against us in...well, I don't remember the last time. But seriously, congrats.