South Carolina Football Preview
Ole Ball Coach Will Not Go Down Without a Fight
Spurrier won seven SEC titles and one national championship while coaching Florida and he still has a lot of work to do to repeat that success for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks have never been an SEC powerhouse, and Spurrier, 64 years-old, may be eyeing retirement in his future if the team does not improve quickly.
Spurrier keeps pulling in some great recruiting classes, but his team has not yet been able to win the big games.
Offense
Stephen Garcia will be the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks. Garcia was very inconsistent last season and played terrible in the Outback Bowl.
He showed progress through the spring, but no one will truly be able to know how much he has improved until he takes the field this season.
Garcia needs the Gamecocks’ running game to step up after they finished last in rushing offense in the SEC this past season. The running game is relying mainly on freshman Jarvis Giles, who may be just what they need.
The main question is if Giles can come out as a freshman and go against the tough SEC defenses. Brian Maddox, Eric Baker, and Kenny Miles should also be able to contribute to the running game, which desperately needs to improve after last season.
With Kenny McKinley gone, Moe Brown and Jason Barnes will be this year’s top receivers. The receivers have not yet proven themselves as big threats, but will have a chance to this season.
The main concern is on the offensive line, which has not been very dominant upfront. Garcia and Giles are very talented players, but they will have a tough time getting things going if they do not have good protection.
Last year the Gamecocks ended up ranked 97th in the nation for offense, and they have done a lot of work improving. Still they have not done enough to compete with the SEC’s top teams. They will play Florida again, who beat the Ole Ball Coach with an embarrassing 56-6 win last season.
Defense
The defense is hurt after losing cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, safety Emanuel Cook, and linebacker Jasper Brinkly.
They still have some good talent on defense though with All-SEC defender Eric Norwood returning. Norwood finished second in sacks for the SEC last season.
The defense will have to gain experience quick if they hope to contend against the tough SEC opponents this season like Tebow and Snead.
South Carolina’s Schedule
The Gamecocks ranked fourth in the conference in total defense, and they are more worried about the offense producing. The schedule does not help at all with games at Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas. They also play Ole Miss and the top ranked Florida Gators.
The Gamecocks need to make an SEC splash early and have a chance to against Georgia on September 12th.
Georgia lost Stafford and Moreno and may be vulnerable early this season. This would be a big boost for Spurrier, which may be needed because the rest of the schedule does not look good for him.
South Carolina opens the season at North Carolina State of the ACC on Sept. 3.
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