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

Gamecock Man — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:43:49 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

3 months ago: South Carolina's Brian Maddox, left, and Tori Gurley (81) celebrate Maddox's touchdown against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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Time to open our SEC season in Athens. The game is shaping up to be another defensive nail-biter between USC and UGA, so hold on tight; we're probably going to add a few gray hairs before the end of the evening.

Three Keys for a Gamecocks Victory

1. Our Pass Rush

This game often comes down to a couple of key turnovers, and with both offenses struggling, that will likely be the case again tomorrow night. Georgia has usually been the team to benefit from wacky plays in this series, from Mike Davis's goal-line fumble last year back to David Pollack's, ahem, unique pick-six back in 2002. This year, though, South Carolina boasts what could very well be one of the country's best pass rushes, and that could equate to some huge plays for us if we can force a fumble or two or get Joe Cox throwing into traffic while on the run. On the other hand, if we give Cox too much time, he'll likely be able to move the ball down the field efficiently, even if he doesn't quite have the arm to go vertical like his predecessor Matthew Stafford used to.

2. Stephen Garcia

Because Georgia has a strong rushing defense, it's going to be incumbent upon Stephen Garcia to lead this offense tomorrow. Moreover, Steve Spurrier has vowed that he won't be as conservative tomorrow as he was last week. That means that Garcia will really need to step up tomorrow night and show us what he's learned over the summer. First of all, he's gotta protect this ball, as I think the team that wins the turnover battle will win this game. Second of all, he's gotta figure out some way to spark this offense, at least to the level of getting 17-24 points on the board for us, which should be enough to win unless Georgia scores easy points off turnovers. That means making good reads, throws, and scrambles. And for goodness's sake, Stephen, slide if you see Rennie Curran barrelling down on you when you're scrambling!

3. Spencer Lanning

Spencer Lanning missed his first ever field goal attempt last week, prompting most of us to fear that we're going to really miss Ryan Succop this year. However, Lanning has reportedly played well in practice, suggesting that the miss last week may have just been jitters, especially considering that botched snap on his earlier attempt may have been in his head. However, kicking is a mental as much as a physical game, and Athens on a Saturday night isn't a great place for a kicker to get his head screwed on straight. Lanning will have to work through it, though, as his leg may be the difference maker in what will likely be a tight game.

Continue reading after the jump.

Fun Fact

Georgia put up 257 yards of total offense last week, while we put up 256. That means that Georgia is 103rd in the country in total offense to our 105th. If those numbers don't spell defensive slogfest, I don't know what does.

Prediction

The script for this game usually includes a low score, a few wacky plays, and a Georgia victory. There's little reason to believe this game won't follow script, as both teams have good defenses, poor offenses, Georgia has probably just a bit more talent, and the game is in Ath...aww, hell. Saying this is probably against my better judgment, but I think we're going to win this game. Our players sound confident, Georgia is in a tailspin, and weird rumblings have been coming out of Athens all week. If Garcia and our offense can play like they did last week sans the interceptoin and plus converting in the red zone and making field goals, we should be able to escape with a win. Is it too difficult to believe that we can do those things tonight? I don't think so. I'm calling 20-13 South Carolina. Let's fence the 'Dawgs!

Post-Spring Previews: Vanderbilt Commodores

Gamecock Man — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:04:46 -0000

After traveling to Tuscaloosa for a likely loss to the Tide, South Carolina returns to Columbia to host the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy has administered excruciatingly painful upsets to the Gamecocks in both of the past two seasons. If anything hurts more than losing to Vandy while you're riding high with a #6 national ranking, it's losing to them again to spoil what looked like a promising early season right after you've reentered the top 25. It's hard to pick up the pieces after losing to Vandy in the second game of the year. To make matters worse, we've had every chance to win these games but have killed ourselves with turnovers and inane special teams play.

I think it's safe to say that we should now consider Vandy a rival and one of the "must-win" games of 2009, and not only because of the aforementioned embarrassment factor. With no disrespect to Bobby Johnson and Vandy, which are doing a great job considering their resources, we simply can't make it to the next level if we keep losing to these guys. The best SEC teams just don't do that.

Let's take a look at how we stack up against the 2009 'Dores.

Offense

Despite their success, Vandy had a fairly anemic offense last year. When they weren't able to create points with turnovers and special teams play, they had a lot of trouble moving the ball. They failed to exceed 14 points in all of their losses and finished the year ranked 117th in the nation in total offense, which shows you that this is a team that lived and died off of defensive opportunism. Although they should be at least a little better with nine returning starters, more of the same offensive struggles could be in store for Vandy this year.

Quarterback

Vandy appears to have chosen to go with Larry Smith at quarterback after Smith beat out the more experienced Mackenzi Adams this spring. Neither, though, has been particularly effective under center for Vandy, although Smith won 'Dores fans hearts by leading a late game-winning field goal drive against Boston College in the Music City Bowlr. Smith will need to improve his completion percentage and yards per attempt for Vandy to take a step forward this year. Like Adams and the now-departed Chris Nickson, Smith is fairly mobile, which will come in handy it the 'Dores end up having protection issues. Expect Adams to see the field if Smith falters.

I would call this a strong advantage for us. For all the hoopla surrounding Smith right now, he finished the year with a 100.97 QB rating. Stephen Garcia finished was at one point around 140 and still finished at 113.68 even after his horrific performances against Florida and Iowa. One thing Vandy does have is over us is the luxury of having an experienced backup in Adams, not that Adams exactly strikes fear into the hearts of anyone that has seen him play.

Verdict: Strong advantage South Carolina

Running Backs

Vandy will look to senior Jared Hawkins to lead their running game, which was the heart of their offense last year. Hawkins, a short, stocky back, has had a serviceable career in Nashville and will look to finish with a bang in 2009. While he won't break too many long ones, he can get tough yards and has never fumbled. Hawkins was the only Vandy back to finish with over 100 yards last year (QBs Nickson and Adams and WR Jamie Graham also did), so finding another back to help Hawkins shoulder the load will be important for the 'Dores.

I'd call this a push. We have a deeper stable of talented backs, but until we prove that we can pick up the pieces after fielding last season's joke of a running game, we can't call this an advantage considering that Vandy returns an experienced back like Hawkins.

Verdict: Push

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Vandy's sluggish passing offense graduated top receiver Sean Walker, who caught over 500 yards last season. Their top returning receiver is tight end Branden Barden. (You may remember Barden as the guy that made an impressive 31-yard TD grab against us to tie the game early in the second half last season.) Finding a reliable wide out to complement Barden will be a huge priority for the 'Dores this year. Luckily, they picked up transfer Terence Jeffers, who caught for over 500 yards at UConn two years ago.

This is a slight to strong advantage for us. Vandy loses its top player from a group that struggled enough to get open last year and will rely on a transfer with no SEC experience to carry the load. While we lost Kenny McKinley, on the other hand, we have several talented players that are ready to move into McKinley's spotlight.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Offensive Line

Vandy has often struggled to field a reliable line over they years, hence Bobby Johnson's tendency to favor mobile quarterbacks. However, this year's group, which features four seniors and a junior on the first team, appears to be pretty good. If they can avoid injuries, Vandy should be solid here.

I'd call this a push. Surprisingly, Vandy's line appears to be it's greatest strength on offense due to the experience. However, this unit had some problems protecting the quarterback last year, and if they falter early this year, I'll be ready to call this an advantage for us by game day.

Verdict: Push

Let's take a look at Vandy's defense after the jump.

Defense

Vandy's defenses under Bobby Johnson have typically been decent. Last year's unit was a marvel in opportunism, always seeming to be able to come up with a turnover at the right time. It doesn't take a Head Ball Coach to figure out that Vandy's early season five-game winning streak was won on a +9 turnover differential and their late season slide came due to their return to the mean in that department. Although they lose star corner D. J. Moore, this year's group may be even better than last year's. That's good for Vandy, as the 'Dores will need this group to shoulder the load for the offense.

Defensive Line

With three seniors and a junior in the starting lineup, Vanderbilt returns a very experienced defensive line. The star, perhaps, is Broderick Stewart, who has managed to become an adept pass rusher despite only weighing in at around 225. Tackles Greg Billinger and Adam Smotherman also look solid. This is a good group, but they'll need to toughen up against the run this year.

This is a slight advantage for us. I'd call Vandy's line average as SEC lines go, whereas I'd call ours a fair bit above average.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Linebackers

Vandy linebackers are led by ILB Patrick Benoist and and WLB Chris Marve. Benoist was second-team All-SEC a year ago. SLB John Stokes rounds out the first team. This could be one of the conference's better all-around units if Stokes steps up his game. Vandy also has reasonable depth at these positions.

I would call this a push to a slight advantage for us. Vandy doesn't have anyone like Eric Norwood, but they do have a pretty well-rounded group of players.

Verdict: Push

Secondary

With Gamecocks kryptonite D. J. Moore gone, Vandy will be hard-pressed to duplicate what was one of the nation's best pass defenses from a year ago. However, cornerback Myron Lewis and safety Ryan Hamilton head up a good, experienced secondary unit for Vandy. Both Lewis and Hamilton have a shot at all-conference and would be welcome additions on almost any SEC team. Casey Hayward and Sean Richardson round out Vandy's secondary.

While we probably have a bit more athleticism on the depth chart than Vandy here, we also have more youth and less proven experience. Vandy gets the advantage.

Verdict: Slight advantage Vanderbilt

Head Coaches

Forget his horrible W-L record. Bobby Johnson is doing something very, very right. Before Johnson arrived in Nashville, Vandy not only typically posted bad records. They also usually lost by large margins to the rest of the SEC. Since Johnson took over, Vandy has turned into a dangerous team that plays even the better SEC teams very tough and usually manages an upset or two. He's now even beginning to bring somewhat respectable recruiting classes to Vandy, which is an incredible feat considering that Vandy's academic standards make it one of the toughest places in BCS football to recruit to. Make no mistake, succeeding at a school like Vanderbilt in a conference like the SEC is an incredible accomplishment, yet Johnson appears to be doing just that. Why a school with a potentially more competitive football program hasn't pulled the trigger on this guy is beyond me.

I have to give Johnson the advantage over Spurrier. Why not? He owns the Head Ball Coach.

Verdict: Slight advantage Vanderbilt

Overall

Despite all the excitement around the Vandy football program last year, in the back of 'Dores fans minds must be the fact that they won with smoke and mirrors last year. 2008 frankly wasn't even Johnson's best team in Nashville; the 2005 team with Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett actually had a prolific offense and was a few points away from a bowl berth. The difference was that that team didn't get the bounces quite as often. (Remember this game?) A reversion to the mean may be in store with this year's Vanderbilt team, which appears to seriously lack offensive firepower. When they come to play us, they'll be going up against a talent differential. Moreover, if we can't get up for this game after what's happened the last two years, then we don't deserve to play in the SEC. I think we'll win this one by a couple of touchdowns.

Prediction: South Carolina wins by 14 points

Wanna know more about Vandy in 2009? Check out these previews:

Keys to Success in 2009: Number 2, Establishing a Running Game

Gamecock Man — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:22:38 -0000

Without a doubt, one of our biggest problems last year was our inability to establish a running game. We ranked 112th in the country and dead last in the SEC in team rushing offense. While a lot of the talk right now is about how Stephen Garcia needs to step up for the Gamecocks to win in 2009, the truth is that, even at its worst, last year's passing game looked like a well-oiled machine compared to the running game. Even in Steve Spurrier's passing-oriented offense, we're not going to score many points with such a horrible ground game even if Garcia plays well. In fact, Spurrier's offenses rely on the run game more than many might think. Spurrier, like most coaches that run something like a pro-style offense, needs strong running to open keep defenses honest and thereby open up the opportunity to throw the ball down field. We haven't had that kind of running game since late 2006, and it's shown. Simply put, we have to improve in this as the first step to getting the offense as whole to come into its own.

I'll be honest: I'm not quite as confident in our ground game as I am in Garcia showing marked improvement. We've seen Garcia play well and therefore have an inkling as to what he's capable of when he's on. Moreover, most of his mistakes can be attributed to the kinds of decision-making difficulties that inexperienced quarterbacks often show when they're asked to do more than they're ready for. Those mistakes often disappear with experience. The problems with the running game, though, are multifaceted. For one thing, offensive line play has been a problem for most of Spurrier's time here, and it was a huge problem last year. You can mask a poor line in pass protection to some degree by running out of the shotgun and just asking the linemen to hold off defenders long enough for the quarterback to get a pass off. However, you can't mask poor run protection. Run protection requires not only holding defenders off but actually creating running lanes. Not even the best running backs can run well if that's not happening, and he certainly can't run well when defensive tackles are in his face as soon as he gets the ball in his hands, which was the case last year. Second of all, even when we've gotten relatively good run blocking, our backs haven't been the best since Cory Boyd graduated. Mike Davis was probably never destined to be anything more than a third-down back and a reliable receiver out of the backfield, and Brian Maddox and Eric Baker lacked experience last year. A lot of progress needs to be made in all of these areas for us to get to where we need to be.

Read the rest of the story after the jump.

Luckily, though, while there is still cause for concern, there is also reason to believe that we will have a better running game this year. For one thing, the offensive line played better in the spring and appears to be more talented than the lines we've had in the past, the departure of Jamon Meredith notwithstanding. Part of the spring improvement, perhaps, is attributable to new line coach Eric Wolford, who replaces the much-maligned John Hunt. Wolford and Steve Spurrier have pledged to get better, tougher line play in general and better run blocking in particular as one of their primary goals this year, and they made some strides in the spring.

We also now have a relatively deep backfield. Brian Maddox has been named the starter after a solid spring, and incoming freshman Jarvis Giles, Eric Baker, and redshirt freshman Kenny Miles are all going to contribute. While none of these guys look like the next coming of Herschel Walker, each is talented and, moreover, each is talented in different ways, making the prospect of using a rotation that takes advantage of the skills of each more plausible. Maddox and Giles are all-purpose backs (although Giles may need to put on a few pounds to survive taking his licks from SEC linebackers), Baker is a good receiver out of the backfield, Miles is a home-run threat, etc.

Will this be one of the SEC's best rushing offenses? Probably not, when you consider the kind of talent teams like Alabama and Georgia have. But I do think it will be better than what we've had in the past, and if it can do its job along with Garcia, we could actually have a decent offense around here for a change.

Keys to Success in 2009: Number 4, Finding a Replacement for Kenny McKinley

Gamecock Man — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:52:17 -0000

Kenny McKinley finished his career at South Carolina as one of the most distinguished players ever to take the field as a Gamecock. He holds almost every significant receiving record, ousting former greats such as Sidney Rice and Sterling Sharpe. McKinley was also a positive force off the field. He stayed out of trouble, inspired his teammates, and always appeared to be incredibly dedicated to his team.

He also accounted for a disproportionately large portion of our receiving offense. He, Jared Cook, and Mike Davis--all of whom won't be back next year--accounted for 49% of the team's receiving yards, with McKinley leading the way with 642 of the trio's 1428 yards. And let's not forget, of course, that McKinley tallied these numbers despite missing a handful of games after suffering a hamstring injury against Vandy. The fact that Cook had almost as many yards as McKinley deceives one regarding just how central McKinley was when he was playing, as McKinley missed the Georgia, Wofford, and UAB games.

While some might disagree with me, I believe that Cook and Davis won't be terribly hard to replace. Cook was a great player and promises to be a good pro, but waiting to fill in for him is Weslye Saunders, who was very effective as a backup last year. Although he had his moments, Davis's senior season was an overall disappointment. Based on how the spring played out, we have reason to believe that we'll get much more out of the tailback position this year than we did last year.

The same can't be said for McKinley, though. True, we do have some receivers with experience who may be ready to take on bigger roles as go-to receivers this season; all, though, have question marks surrounding them. Jason Barnes played well at times last year, especially while McKinley was being worked back into the offense during the Ole Miss and Kentucky games, where he racked up 76 and 88 yards, respectively. However, Barnes seemed to disappear after McKinley returned to full strength. Moe Brown has also had his ups and downs during his time at Carolina. Brown had a breakout game last year against UGA while McKinley was sidelined, catching for 130 yards. However, he too seemed to disappear later in the season. Dion LeCorn is another candidate. LeCorn came on strong and showed lots of promise late in 2007. LeCorn too, though, had an inconsistent 2008; although he looked like he would be a significant part of the offense early in the season, he was moved to defense in the second half of the year. The coaching staff moved him back to offense during spring, though.

Every team needs a go-to receiver, a guy a quarterback can count on to consistently get open and to catch a ball in traffic when nobody can get open. While some teams have found success in the passing game without such a player--think last year's Florida team, where Tim Tebow distributed fairly evenly between Louis Murphy, Percy Harvin, and Aaron Hernandez--such offenses are rare. It will be tough to find a guy who can be as productive as McKinley, but finding someone that can come close to doing so will be key for this offense.

The Non-Conference Games That Will Shape The 2009 College Football Season: #1 South Carolina @ North Carolina State

FSUncensored — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:13:57 -0000

As regular readers know, TomahawkNation.com is obsessed with scheduling. We find it fascinating how teams can run materially different races and yet one can be crowned the winner over another at the end of the season. Often, evaluators turn to conference affiliations when judging a team, and that's why non-conference games are so important. With less than 100 days left until the start of college football season, Tomahawk Nation decided to take a look at the non-conference games that will shape the college football landscape in 2009.

As a general rule, the non-conference games that matter most to a conference's reputation are those in the first two weeks before the conference seasons begin, and those played during bowl season. The reason is simple: there aren't any conference battles going on and the games easily draw the attention of the media.

Last year the ACC took a big early hit after Alabama thumped Clemson, East Carolina upset Virginia Tech, and Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee State. It was such a bad opening weekend that much of the rest of the country stopped following ACC football, but the ACC was easily the best conference when they played the teams from the big 6 conferences. Examine:

	% of Games played against BCS Conference Competition	Combined Record of Each League's BCS conference competition	Winning % against BCS competition
ACC	48%	.652	.598
Big East	39%	.563	.573
Big XII	31%	.467	.495
Big 10	29%	.462	.538
Pac 10	45%	.429	.607
SEC	31%	.400	.578

The ACC played the most games against the other BCS conferences, and their opponents had the best winning percentages (meaning they played the good teams from the big conferences), yet the ACC had the 2nd best winning percentage against those squads.

Just as you wouldn't judge a conference on one bad weekend in november, it's equally stupid to render a final verdict as to a conference's strength based off the opening week.

Last August 28th, in yet another early season loss, South Carolina scored a huge blow for the SEC against the ACC, on national television. After a first half that saw 5 punts, two fumbles, three interceptions, and one missed field goal, South Carolina led 3-0 in Williams-Bryce Stadium (South Carolina). This was one of the ugliest football games I have ever seen. NCST Quarterback Russell Willson got knocked out cold

After that, it was all South Carolina, as the Gamecocks went up 13-0 to start the final quarter and Spurrier ran the score up to appease the alumni. Final: 38-0, Gamecocks.

But that might be different this year...

For the casual observer, NC State was one of the toughest teams to figure out last year. They started out the year 2-6, before winning their last 4 games to get bowl eligible. For those who followed the program closely, however, there was a pretty logical explanation for this turnaround: injuries. NC State lost an incredible 43 starts to injury last year (only 5 teams lost more). That lack of a consistent starting lineup hurt the Wolfpack early, particularly with Russell Wilson suffering from post concussion syndrome. They also suffered major injuries on the defensive side of the ball, losing star Linebacker Nate Irving.

The coaches sat Wilson for the South Florida contest to make sure he was over his concussion. Once Wilson came back, it was a whole new ballgame. NCST's offense exploded:

Opponent	NCST Yards Per pLay
BC	4.6
FSU	7.2
@ Maryland	4.8
@ Duke	6.4
Wake Forest	4.2
@ UNC	6.4
Miami (Fl)	6.5

Almost a 20% improvement over what they had been averaging before Wilson's comeback.

In fact, WIlson is on a streak of 249 passes without an interception, the longest such streak in the country.

With 15 returning starters, and a less than devastating level of injuries, the Wolfpack figure to be much better on offense and defense (where they were particularly hit hard by the injury bug). Their defensive line features 4 senior starters, including NFL prospects Willie Young Jr. and Alan-Michael Cash. In fact, NCST will have one of the most veteran lineups in the country on both sides of the ball, as they start 12 seniors, 5 juniors, 5 sophomores, and no freshmen.

South Carolina on the other hand faces far more uncertainty. Last year they had one of the best defenses in the country (15th by advanced metrics), and a terrible offense (75th by same).

On offense, the Gamecocks featured an average passing game behind QB's Chris Smelley and Stephen Garcia, throwing to senior Kenny McKinley and junior Jared Cook. The Cock's problem was in the run game, where only Auburn and Mississippi State were worse.

This year they lost RB Mike Davis, WR McKinley, TE Jared Cook, and both offensive tackles. That said, South Carolina's offense could be better with improved interior line play, provided that they don't have to slide one of their guards to tackle. Garcia takes over at QB and most feel that he is the most talented quarterback the Gamecocks have had in some time. If he can avoid off-field issues and not upset Steve Spurrier, he will have every opportunity to succeed at QB, seeing as the Gamecocks lost almost every major skill position player.

On the defensive side, the gamecocks were superb, as they had the league's 4th best overall defense (scroll down), 4th against the pass and 7th against the rush. As in the NC State game, the Gamecock defense repeatedly stopped their opponents, forcing turnovers and punts. The unit was visibly frustrated at times (see Florida) and sometimes lost their composure when the offense self destructed. They were hit hard by graduation, and rank 102nd in percentage of tackles returning. The Gamecocks lose 5 seniors in total, including NFL draft picks LB Jasper Brinkley and CB Captain Munnerlyn.

Their secondary will feature three underclassmen starters and Brinkley could be very difficult to replace, as there aren't many athletic 270lb linebackers available.

Last year the Gamecocks were favored by 10 and covered by a healthy margin in the end. This year, look for the Wolfpack to be the favorites by 3-7 points. Interesting Note: Carolina could be an underdog in as many as 8 of their 12 regular season games! That is a brutal schedule on par with those of Florida State, Miami, and Oklahoma.

If Carolina can find a running game and limit their turnovers, they can win this game. If no solution can be found for the ground attack, however, this one could get ugly quickly as the Wolfpack's defensive personnel are heavily skewed to playing the pass.

Post-Spring Preview: NC State Wolfpack

Gamecock Man — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:51:23 -0000

Carolina once again opens their season against NC State, this time traveling to Raleigh to take on the 'Pack. Last time around, we beat State 34-0. However, the score was deceiving: we only led 3-0 at the half and 13-0 at the beginning of the final quarter, and Chris Smelley came in to relieve the regrettable Tommy Beecher and played a deceptively good quarter in which we scored the final 21 points. As we all know, this game was a harbinger of many things we would experience throughout the season, among them a defense that saved the crazy bad offense, inconsistent QB play, absolutely no running game (don't let all the yards Mike Davis racked up at the end of this game deceive you).

This year, I expect this game to be much different. First of all, State is no longer the team they were at that point. Led by QB Russell Wilson, the "Pack emerged at the end of last season after a horrid start and eventually earned a bowl berth. State will look to continue their solid play this year. South Carolina, on the other hand, still has questions, this time on both sides of the ball. However, a more experienced Stephen Garcia, a new offensive line coach in Eric Wolford, and another stellar recruiting class have us believing we can play better this year.

Let's take a look at how the two teams match up against each other on offense. The defensive and head coaching comparisons are soon to come.

Offense

Quarterback

State comes in with the aforementioned Wilson, who played very well down the stretch last year. Wilson's most impressive stat is his 17-1 TD-INT ratio, a surprising stat considering that his completion percentage was good but not great at 54.5%. Wilson is also an effective scrambler. If Wilson gets hurt or doesn't live up to expectations, former star recruit Mike Glennon is waiting in the wings.

We of course have Stephen Garcia, who looked good in spurts last year but played poorly over the last few games. Garcia probably has more upside than Wilson, but he needs to prove that he can live up to expectations. Hopefully his good spring was an indication that he's on the way there, but he still haven't proven he can play well consistently, which Wilson has done to some degree.

Verdict: Push--Wilson is more proven but Garcia could be much better when all is said and done

Running Back

State loses Andre Brown, who went to the New York Giants in the fourth round. However, they do return Jamelle Eugene, a capable back that has played well in tandem with Brown over the past two years.

South Carolina loses starter Mike Davis, but returns talented back ups in Brian Maddox and Eric Baker and has new comers with star potential in true freshman Jarvis Giles and redshirt freshman Kenny Miles. While none of these players has yet played a major role in the offense, they are all talented and having a number of them gives us a lot of depth. While I hesitate to call anything about our running game superior, I think this will be a break out unit in 2009.

Verdict: Slight Advantage South Carolina--State will be productive, but one or more of the SC backs will emerge for a breakout 2009

Wide Receiver

With Jarvis Williams and Owen Spencer returning, State has a solid receiving core coming back. These two players were Wilson's main targets last year.

South Carolina lost one of its best players in recent history when Kenny McKinley graduated. Losing McKinley will hurt us, but hopefully Jason Barnes, Moe Brown, and Dion LeCorn will be able to step in and fill his shoes. Each, however, has failed to consistently perform well over the past couple of years. I think it's key that one of these guys emerges as the go-to guy. He doesn't have to be McKinley or Sidney Rice, but he does need to provide us with a viable target.

Verdict: Slight Advantage NC State--the fact that State has proven targets and that I think we have a group of players with a lot to prove gives State the slight advantage

Offensive Line

South Carolina loses Jamon Meredith but retains depth otherwise. This line has performed poorly over the past few years, but new coach Eric Wolford had them performing well in spring practice. I expect significant improvement here in 2009.

State loses two important linemen in John Bedics and Meares Green. Losing these two could be hell for a unit that will have to keep Eric Norwood out of their backfield.

Verdict: Slight Advantage South Carolina--as with the running game, I hesitate to make this call, but I really think we're going to see improvement here

RB Audition

Gamecock Man — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:07:50 -0000

A lot of the news out of camp this week regards our running game situation. As we all know, we've been completely ineffective on the ground this year. Georgia was a particularly bad game; we only gained 18 yards. The main problem is our line, which hasn't opened a whole lot of holes.

Still, I think a lot of us are curious about some of our younger running backs. Our coaches will sate that curiosity over the next two weeks. Brian Maddox and Eric Baker look to see more downs as we hopefully handle Wofford with ease, and they'll have to see more time against UAB, because Mike Davis will be out on suspension..

Davis, Maddox, and Baker each bring different things to the table. Davis, who we all know well, is a power back--a short, downfield runner who can catch the screen pass and is effective in pass blocking. Baker is a speedster--we'll see him hit the perimeter more than Davis, and he's a solid downfield receiver. Maddox is somewhere in between; probably a bit faster than Davis, and a bit stronger than Baker.

Who would be the most useful for us right now? Despite the criticism towards Mike, I still think he's our best option. I'm not sure he's our best runner, but Spurrier's offense is a passing offense, and Mike is a good blocker and offers a good safety hatch option as a receiver. His blocking skills are especially important. I've seen him pick up a few blitzes over the last couple of games that would have resulted in sacks if not for his opportune moves.

Still, I think Spurrier would be wise to rotate the other two in, and not just against our upcoming cupcakes. These games should serve as an opportunity for Spurrier to figure out ways to find a more balanced offense. Developing packages to use Maddox and Baker in would be a good start.

Poll

Who would you like to see more of against Wofford and UAB?

Eric Baker

4 votes

Brian Maddox

8 votes

12 votes | Poll has closed

Theorems and Stratagems, Week 3: Homerism needs a playbook; Franklin doesn't

cocknfire — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:18:26 -0000

C&F has so far eschewed homerism in Theorems and Stratagems, in part on the idea that he would cover South Carolina-related items in his Gamecock roundups and in part on the idea that Spurrier has actually been a pretty good gameday coach at South Carolina.

However, everyone has bad days. Spurrier had a bad day at the end of an otherwise entertaining game against Georgia, and C&F neglected to touch on a couple of critical mistakes during his post-game analyses.

The situation: 4th quarter, about three minutes left, South Carolina down 14-7. The Gamecocks drive to the Georgia 32 and have a second-and-2 to extend the drive and give themselves a key chance to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The Gamecocks have plenty of time to go those last 32 yards. So, of course, they throw the ball three straight times. Chris Smelley throws incomplete to Freddie Brown. Well, that Brown didn't work, so Smelley went to Moe Brown. Incomplete.

Spurrier then calls on freshman C.C. Whitlock to run a wheel route. Whitlock does fine -- until he forgets to run the second half of the route and the ball drops to the ground right where an open Whitlock should be standing.

Now, C&F realizes that Mike Davis ended the game having averaged just 1.8 ypc. And he realizes that Davis had already fumbled away one chance to tie the game. But when you have a second-and-2, you give a runner with an ability to pound the ball and get first downs at least one chance to get the first down. Throwing three times in a row was a stubborn and foolish way to lose a key opportunity to pull the upset.

Not once?

Tony Franklin: I don't need no stinkin' playbook. There has been plenty of blog-ink spilled over the question of Auburn's offense, which averaged 105 yards a point in its attempt to play football against Mississippi State. Technically, Auburn won the agame, though C&F is of the belief that the two teams should be forced to play the game again until someone deserves to win.

Regardless, there are calls to get the ball to Mario Fannin more, pleas to use Kodi Burns more, etc. But, never fear, Auburn fans: Tony Franklin has it figured out.

He needs to get rid of the playbook. Not for a new playbook. He needs to just get rid of playbooks altogether and wing it.

He's going pro-active by not going by the book, or at least some fancy scripted playbook, which never seemed to be his style, anyway.
"I need to do a better job of going back to my feel and my instinct versus probably more game-planning," Franklin said.

"I've done more game-planning here. I'm going to go back to feel and instinct.

"I've called more stuff off a script in the red zone than I ever have before. I don't need to do it." (HT: ATVS)

Well, since Auburn is playing one of the most talented defenses outside of Los Angeles this week, improvisation seems to be the way to go. Who needs these "gameplans"?

Quick calls. Nebraska's faithful are apparently focused on attire, notably the famed "blackshirts." They're still waiting for the coaches to make some decisions here. Huskers, other fan bases wish they had your coaching issues ... Texas Tech called two dozen running plays Saturday! For 180 yards! This has to be some sort of record for the Leach Era ...

Please stop the pain / Reviewing UGA

Gamecock Man — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:29:24 -0000

Let's be honest: this one hurts as much as any of the close losses of the Spurrier era. We played our best ball against a hated rival and yet somehow managed to crap the game away. Memories of 06 Florida or 07 Tennessee come to mind as similar games where we managed to lose despite a great effort. Our defense seriously deserves to be commended for having to endure loss after such a stellar performance.

That said, there are some positives to take away here. First of all, as cocknfire said, the team and the coaches didn't mail it in following the Vanderbilt loss. Now, the key is to continue to believe we can improve. I was only the third game, and there's no reason to believe we can't win eight games and play in a decent bowl this season if we continue to play like we did yesterday.

Now for the specifics: despite the final score, the offense made serious strides yesterday. Chris Smelley was 23/39 and threw for 271 yards. Did anyone think we would see Chris play like that after Vandy? This is a player who can lead us to some victories if he continues to play consistently. Remember, before the game I said that our defense would put us in position to win as long as Chris didn't make mistakes that could lead to a short field for UGA. I was right, and the key for Chris at this point is to continue to play smart. The big plays will come as his young crew of targets matures.

I also thought the Spurrier made some nice schematic adjustments. We finally saw the two tight end set we had been waiting for. We saw good usage of our depth at WR. Moe Brown, after playing the goat against Vandy, stepped up big time. And don't forget: Kenny should be back in time for an important matchup against Ole Miss on 10/4. That's another weapon. We've got two cupcake games coming up, so there should be time to work out the rest of the kinks before Ole Miss.

And the offensive line played well blocking the pass. Chris is a decent QB when he has time, and he had it for most of yesterday's game. Hats go off to John Hunt for fixing the assignment issues.

And then there's the defense. We held UGA to around 250 total yards. Not bad. My only complaint is that we didn't manage to get the game-changing turnover I was hoping for. I'm still scratching my head as to how we didn't recover that fumble Munnerlyn forced against Stafford. That could've been a huge play; it would've taken away the FG UGA tacked on at the end of the half, and we would've gotten a chance to score more points to follow up on our one TD drive.

The bad? Well, the running game is still a big question mark. We have a senior RB who should be able help us, but we're just not getting good run blocking. And I'm just not going to talk about the fumble.

All in all, I feel good about this team as we go forward. I read an interesting comment on an UGA blog earlier. The commenter asked why we can't play all year the way we play each year against UGA. That comment should be a challenge to this team. If they can maintain yesterday's intensity for the rest of the year, we could do something. Don't forget; UGA is the second ranked team in the country, and we had them on their heels. If we can play like that against Ole Miss, the Vols, etc., we can win some games. On the other hand, if what we saw yesterday was a one-time thing, we could be in trouble. Let's hope these guys keep it up.

Also, I think it's worth mentioning that Vandy is now 3-0 and just won a game going away against a decent Rice team. I'm thinking that by the end of the year that loss won't seem quite so embarrassing.

Georgia Bulldogs 14, South Carolina Gamecocks 7

T Kyle King — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:31:02 -0000

Well, I was right about the seven-point margin of victory, even if I gave both teams too much credit for offensive firepower. The Red and Black’s 45th series victory over South Carolina and Mark Richt’s 75th career win came in a game that was too close for comfort, although victory by the visitors never seemed to be in doubt.

The Georgia receiving corps had its usual bout with the dropsies, the Bulldog offensive line acquitted itself less well in its first real test than any of us would have liked, and the speedy Gamecock defense allowed next to nothing around the edge.

Both teams went five for 13 on third- and fourth-down attempts, with the Palmetto State Poultry holding the advantage over the Classic City Canines in first downs (20-17), total yards (289-252), and yards per pass (6.8-5.8). While the South Carolina secondary took away the perimeter, the Georgia defensive backfield surrendered far too many receiving yards, particularly up the middle and at the seams, to the tune of 271 passing yards allowed.

Despite having his best receiver sidelined by injury and having distinguished himself previously chiefly through not being Tommy Beecher, Chris Smelley completed 23 of 39 attempts, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to Moe Brown to cap off a 62-yard drive on which the South Carolina quarterback was three for four for 56 yards.

To top it all off, the ‘Dawgs were assessed 112 yards in penalties. In short, it was far from a flawless effort and many areas of concern were highlighted as the Bulldogs head into the meat of their schedule. You know what, though? I feel great.

Yes, there was a lot not to like about this afternoon’s outing in Columbia, and the ‘Dawgs had better be prepared to address some of the weaknesses which were exposed in Williams-Brice Stadium if they have serious designs on contending for an Eastern Division championship, much less any higher prize. However, let’s not overlook the positives:

Under greater pressure, Matthew Stafford looked less sharp, but, despite that (and the fact that some quite catchable balls went through the hands of his receivers), the Georgia quarterback still hooked up on 15 of his 25 tosses for 146 yards. Stafford has never thrown a touchdown pass against the Gamecocks, but, this year, for the first time, he didn’t throw a pick, either. Stafford also tacked on a 30-yard run for good measure.

As anticipated, South Carolina committed to stopping the run, yet Knowshon Rockwell Moreno still managed to rush for 79 bruising yards and the game-winning touchdown while the Georgia D limited the Gamecocks to 18 rushing yards.

The Bulldog defense also came up big when it mattered most. In the fourth quarter, as the visitors clung to a 14-7 lead, the home team mounted a nine-play drive on which a pass interference penalty gave the Gamecocks a first down at the Red and Black’s two yard line. Mike Davis was stuffed for no gain on the next play and, on Davis’s ensuing carry, Rennie Curran forced the fumble that Asher Allen recovered for a touchback.

On South Carolina’s next possession, a Smelley pass to Freddie Brown for eight yards set up second and short at the Georgia 32. The ‘Dawgs held and the ‘Cocks turned the ball over on downs. The Palmetto State Poultry’s final drive made it as far as the Bulldog 17 after a pair of pass interference penalties. Reshad Jones very nearly picked off Smelley’s first-down pass and he succeeded in intercepting the South Carolina quarterback’s second-down throw to close the deal.

What hitherto had been a high-flying Georgia offense went on the road and, facing a South Carolina defense that had given up 12.0 points per game in its first two contests, scored fourteen. A Gamecock O averaging 25.5 points per game was held to seven ticks on the scoreboard by a Georgia D that had given up double-digit point totals in each of its first two outings.

There are, of course, issues in need of addressing, as invariably there are. Lest anyone be overly concerned, though, let me put your mind at ease using a few data outlined in a couple of comments from this afternoon’s game day open comment thread. Consider these scores:

7-0. 21-20. 20-12. 13-10. 13-7. 17-15.

Those are the scores by which the Bulldogs beat the Gamecocks in 1966, 1968, 1976, 1980, 2002, and 2005, respectively. The ‘Dawgs won Southeastern Conference championships in each and every one of those campaigns.

For the game against Georgia Southern, I set a high standard for judging the contest a success, and, although the Red and Black satisfied my previously stated criteria, I still wasn’t altogether satisfied. Against South Carolina, I knew that a win was a win was a win.

The Gamecocks always play Georgia tough. The whole goal of the contest from the Bulldogs’ perspective is to go in, get the W, and get out with no major injuries. This the ‘Dawgs did. Don’t worry about whether it was pretty; it wasn’t, but, against those guys, it never is. Georgia’s record remains unblemished and the team’s goals remain fully intact. That’s all that matters. The Gator faithful know this and so should we.

The Bulldogs did what they had to do. They may not have done even one whit more, but they did enough. Find whatever fault you will with 14-7, but know that, if nothing else, it’s a darned sight better than 16-12.

Go ‘Dawgs!