2010 South Carolina Gamecocks Football Preview

2009 Results: 7-6, Lost Papajohns.com Bowl vs. Connecticut

Head Coach: Steve Spurrier (6th year, 35-28 @ USC, 177-68-2 Overall)

Home Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250) Columbia, South Carolina

As hard as it is to believe, this will be year six of the Steve Spurrier experience at South Carolina. If you had been told when he was hired that heading into his sixth season his best result would be a solitary eight win campaign, you would have been shocked that one of the best coaches in the history of college football had struggled so much. However, a middling 35-28 record, a 1-3 mark in bowl games and a perpetual inability to mold a decent quarterback, a supposed Spurrier specialty, have been the most notable results in the Head Ball Coach’s frustrating tenure in Columbia.

Last season was truly a microcosm of the marriage between Spurrier and South Carolina: A strong 5-1 start led to a top 25 ranking at midseason before a 2nd half collapse culminated in a blowout bowl loss to UConn. The Gamecocks finished 11th in the conference in scoring and the only bright spot was a blowout win over archrival Clemson on the final day of the regular season.

However, there is definitely a window of opportunity for South Carolina this fall. Florida is retooling after being hit with massive graduation losses, Georgia has to break in a new quarterback and a new defensive coordinator and Tennessee is reeling from coaching instability. Can an experienced Gamecock squad step up and finally compete in the SEC East?

OFFENSE

The never-ending soap opera of starting quarterback Stephen Garcia (2,862 pass yards, 17 pass TDs, 10 INT, 186 rush yards, 4 TDs in ‘09) continued this summer, as Spurrier challenged his commitment to football through the press. The oft-troubled Garcia has had a tumultuous career, running into issues with his coach and the local police, and he is still only entering his junior season! It certainly remains to be seen if he can shed his ‘million dollar arm, ten cent head’ reputation this fall but if he can finally translate his massive potential into production then this could be the breakthrough year that SC fans have been anxiously awaiting since his arrival.

Garcia certainly has a talented group of receivers at his disposal. Sophomores Alshon Jeffrey (46 catches, 763 yards, 6 TDs) and Tori Gurley (31 catches, 440 yards, 2 TDs) were both very impressive last season, Jeffrey in particular as he established himself as one of the best young players in the entire conference. Both should take big steps forward this fall if Garcia can hold up his end of the bargain in the passing game.

The offense should also be a balanced unit. Sophomore Kenny Miles (626 yards, 1 TD) and senior Brian Maddox (307 yards, 6 TDs) were the driving forces behind an improved running game last season and both should form a solid tandem this fall. On top of that, true freshman Marcus Lattimore, the #1 running back recruit in the country, is widely expected to play a major role right away, giving the Gamecocks three strong runners.

Another reason for my confidence in the running game is the depth up front. Four starters return from last season’s starting O-Line, three of whom are seniors. There have been a lot of struggles finding the proper personnel on the line during Spurrier’s tenure but this group has the experience and talent to have a great season, provided they stay healthy. I think that South Carolina’s underrated recruiting in the past few years will pay off in a big way this fall with a deep and talented line.

The key to this offense is quite simple: Stephen Garcia needs to live up to his potential because the rest of the unit appears to be quite talented. He’ll have the support of a talented trio in the backfield and a pair of exceptional young wideouts to catch his passes. Furthermore, he’ll be playing behind a much-improved offensive line, so everyone should have the opportunity to make plays. In short, there is no excuse for this offense to have anything but a strong season this fall. But the nagging question remains: If Spurrier is calling out his starting quarterback in the newspapers during the offseason for a lack of commitment, how confident can we be that he’ll really take the next step? For that reason alone, I’m tempering my expectations, though I’m confident that South Carolina will have a good running game regardless of Garcia’s play.

DEFENSE

Ironically, the offensively-oriented Head Ball Coach (the 1966 Heisman winner) has had significantly more success building his defenses since coming to Columbia. Last season’s crew finished 5th in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing a paltry 20 points per game while finishing 2nd against the pass and 4th in rush defense! Can this veteran unit continue their excellent play this season?

Things begin up front with a solid defensive line that returns two seniors starters in DE Cliff Matthews (47 tackles, 7 sacks, 2nd Team All-SEC) and DT Ladi Ajiboye (45 tackles). These two were among the team’s top tacklers last fall despite missing multiple games due to injury and I think that both could be in for enormous years. Opposite Matthews will be sophomore Devin Taylor (28 tackles, 2 sacks), who performed well in split duties in ‘09. If SC’s talented seniors can stay healthy this season then this will be a very strong defensive line.

Last year, the linebackers were anchored by 1st Team All-American Eric Norwood, a 4th round pick in the NFL draft in April. However, the other two starters that flanked him last fall are back, led by junior Shaq Wilson (85 tackles), who led the team in stops in 2009! Another boost for this group could be the return of senior Rodney Paulk, who missed the last two years due to injury after playing extensively as an underclassman. If junior rover Antonio Allen can step up his game, then this could be a very effective group of ‘backers.

But the clear-cut top level of this defense is the secondary. Sophomore corner Stephon Gilmore (56 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) started every game last fall as a true freshman en route to a 1st Team Freshman All-American campaign and he should be even stronger in 2010. Gilmore will form the SEC’s best cover tandem with senior Chris Culliver (62 tackles, 2 sacks, 2nd Team All-SEC), who moved from safety in the spring. These two will be extremely difficult to beat in coverage with their great athleticism and size. Junior Akeem Auguste (38 tackles) will pair with sophomore DeVonte Holloman (30 tackles, 1 INT) at safety and both are highly talented. I fully expect this group to get their hands on a lot of passes this fall and there should be no doubt that this is one of the elite secondaries in the country.

Needless to say, this looks like another strong Gamecock defense. The D-Line is coming off of a solid showing last fall in spite of injury issues and I am very confident that they’ll form a stalwart group against the run while generating an effective pass rush. Despite losing an All-American, the linebackers should be a mobile group that could surprise a lot of observers with their performance as well and SC should play well on the ground this season. On top of that, they have a great secondary that could easily suffocate any passing offense they come up against and there is no doubt in my mind that this will be one of the country’s best defenses in 2010.

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SCHEDULE

The schedule is one of the biggest drawbacks for South Carolina’s quest to compete for the SEC East. While the non-conference portion only features one majorly difficult game at rival Clemson, the conference slate is brutal. The Gamecocks draw a visit to Auburn while hosting both Alabama and Arkansas from the West, which is the worst draw of any East Division team! The only redeeming quality is that they host the western favorites in the Columbia, but this will be a really daunting task. The East schedule isn’t going to be as tough with home games against Georgia and Tennessee, but they do have to visit the Swamp in November. Overall, this will be one of the country’s most difficult schedules.

OUTLOOK

There is certainly a lot to like about South Carolina. Spurrier has established that his Gamecock teams will always play well on defense and this might be the most talented group of his tenure in Columbia. There is no question that this will be another great defense, but will the offense cooperate and allow for it to truly shine by not turning the ball over or consistently creating poor field position?

Very tentatively, I have to say yes on both counts. First of all, the running game should take another big step forward this fall, even with Spurrier’s well documented love of the passing game. Simply put, he has a strong line and three very good tailbacks for the first time at SC and I don’t doubt that he’ll ride them as much as he can, especially with is vocal criticisms of his QB. On top of that, this will be Garcia’s 4th season in the program and his 2nd as the starter, so you have to expect some improvement with that much experience. A strong set of wide receivers and better pass protection won’t hurt either and I think that the Gamecocks will be strong on both sides of the football for the first time in Spurrier’s six seasons at the helm. Assuming Garcia doesn’t key another car or get into another fight, of course.

But even if the Cocks manage to field a balanced team, they still have a difficult path ahead of them. While the Georgia and Florida are retooling, both teams are still among the most talented teams in the country. Furthermore, South Carolina has a blatantly unfavorable draw from the West Division that will really hurt them as they try to compete with the Bulldogs and Gators. However, I do think that they will compete for the division crown, including pulling off an upset or two, all the way to their league finale at Florida, where a loss will knock them out of the race. In the end, I’m not comfortable going out any further on a limb for this team and its turbulent quarterback than to predict an eight win campaign and that means that the South Carolina Gamecocks are my choice to finish 3rd in the SEC East Division in 2010.

PREDICTED RESULT: 8-4 (5-3 SEC)