|
RB
Marcus Lattimore |
2011
SCHEDULE
|
9-3-11 |
East
Carolina @Charlotte |
9-10-11 |
at
Georgia |
9-17-11 |
NAVY |
9-24-11 |
VANDERBILT |
10-1-11 |
AUBURN |
10-8-11 |
KENTUCKY |
10-15-11 |
at
Mississippi State |
10-29-11 |
at
Tennessee |
11-5-11 |
at
Arkansas |
11-12-11 |
FLORIDA |
11-19-11 |
THE
CITADEL |
11-26-11 |
CLEMSON |
|
Coach:
Steve Spurrier
44-33,
6 years |
2010
Statistics |
2010
RESULTS: 9-5 |
SOUTHERN
MISS |
WON
41-13 |
GEORGIA |
WON
17-6 |
FURMAN |
WON
38-19 |
at
Auburn |
LOST
27-35 |
ALABAMA |
WON
35-21 |
at
Kentucky |
LOST
28-31 |
at
Vanderbilt |
WON
21-7 |
TENNESSEE |
WON
38-24 |
ARKANSAS |
LOST
20-41 |
at
Florida |
WON
36-14 |
TROY |
WON
69-24 |
at
Clemson |
WON
29-7 |
SEC
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME |
Auburn |
LOST
17-56 |
CHICK-FIL-A
BOWL |
Florida
State |
LOST
17-26 |
|
|
2010 Final Rankings
AP-22, Coaches-22, BCS-20
|
OUTLOOK |
These
Gamecocks are still fresh
off of their first SEC
East Championship in school
history. That doesn't
mean everything has been
all rosy in Columbia.
The last two games against
Auburn in the SEC Championship
Game and versus Florida
State in the bowl game
were borderline embarrassing.
And face facts, with the
drop offs of Florida,
Georgia and Tennessee,
the SEC East was by far
the weakest this league
has maybe ever seen.
Certainly
there is plenty of promise
for 2011. Four different
players in this lineup
have been tabbed Preseason
All-Americans by our website.
Three of them are First
Team members. That's huge
as no other team can come
close to boasting such
national firepower. And
running back Marcus Lattimore?
People have not seen anything
yet from this sculptured
physical specimen. Apparently
the 2010 Freshman of The
Year has hit the weight
room hard, added 15 more
pounds to his frame and
has gotten faster. Lattimore
should be a household
name before October even
gets here. Alshon Jeffery
is the best receiver in
the SEC bar none while
the defense will continue
to be ever so stingy up
front. What a set of defensive
ends, wow! Especially
if Superman Jadeveon Clowney
is as advertised once
the luminary recruit hits
campus. Although this
secondary took some major
lumps, the defense is
what has and will continue
to win games.
The
hardest aspect to fathom
is just how a Steve Spurrier
coached ball club can
have so many issues at
quarterback through all
these years. The trend
just continues. Poor offensive
line play is generally
followed by poor quarterback
play; the script goes
on and on. Fifth-year
senior signal caller Stephen
Garcia is currently suspended
indefinitely for seemingly
the 100th time and his
replacement Connor Shaw,
while being a devoted
worker, is far from being
a top level player in
this league. Whether Garcia
decides to return, or
for that matter is even
given permission to do
so, what is his value
to begin with? Ask most
any Gamecock fan and they
will flat out tell you
that Garcia was never
the answer. Three years
of starting has produced
statistics, but Garcia
has been unimpressive
too many times on the
field as well as off it.
In the Chick-fil-A Bowl
finale last season Garcia
looked extremely sub par
and left many asking if
this was truly the best
Spurrier could produce.
When Lattimore went down
with injury, Garcia looked
lost.
The
Gamecocks have four areas
they need to improve upon
before taking another
step forward. First, the
offensive line must continue
to improve and find some
sort of cohesiveness with
a few newcomers much as
they achieved with the
same improvements a year
ago. This group cannot
afford another step backwards.
Second, these defensive
backs need a few youngsters
to step up and help contribute
while refusing to settle
for the same inferior
results. Third, the entire
special teams need revamped.
Lastly, the quarterback
issues need settled on
and off the field. This
is the one draining characteristic
that may not be so easily
overcome considering the
limited options. If Coach
Spurrier can find a groove
with the offense then
sure, the Gamecocks are
capable of holding on
to that East Division
crown. One facet is true;
they will start out as
the highest ranked team
in the polls from this
side of the conference.
|
Projected
2011 record: 9-3
|
|
|
CB
Stephon Gilmore |
SOUTH
CAROLINA
2010 Statistical Rankings |
OFFENSE |
|
National |
Conf. |
Rushing: |
60 |
8 |
Passing: |
44 |
6 |
Total
Off: |
47 |
7 |
Sacks
Allow: |
74 |
8 |
|
DEFENSE |
|
National |
Conf. |
Rushing: |
12 |
3 |
Passing: |
97 |
10 |
Total
Def: |
46 |
7 |
Sacks: |
7 |
1 |
|
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Stephen Garcia, 224-349-14,
3059 yds., 20 TD
Rushing: Marcus
Lattimore, 249 att., 1197
yds., 17 TD
Receiving: Alshon
Jeffery, 88 rec., 1517
yds., 9 TD
Scoring: Marcus
Lattimore, 19 TD, 114
pts.
Punting: None
Kicking: Jay Wooten,
0-0 FG, 1-1 PAT, 1 pt.
Tackles: Stephon
Gilmore, 79 tot., 66 solo
Sacks: Melvin Ingram,
9 sacks
Interceptions:
Stephon Gilmore, 3 for
97 yds., 1 TD
Kickoff Returns:
Bryce Sherman, 35 ret.,
20.4 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Stephon
Gilmore, 9 ret., 5.2 avg.,
0 TD
|
|
|
|
|
|
SOUTH
CAROLINA
2011
College Football Preview
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 7 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 6 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Patrick DiMarco-TE, Brian
Maddox-RB, Jarriel King-OT,
Garrett Chisolm-OG, Hutch
Eckerson-OT, Spencer Lanning-K/P,
Tori Gurley-WR (NFL) |
DEFENSE:
Ladi
Ajiboye-DT, Cliff Matthews-DE,
Josh Dickerson-MLB, Tony
Straughter-WLB, Chris Culliver-CB |
|
|
2011
OFFENSE |
QUARTERBACK
The important question now is
whether fifth-year senior Stephen
Garcia will return to the Gamecocks
in 2011 after his second suspension
in less than a month and his
fifth suspension overall since
2007. As a best guess, history
has shown us that Garcia will
likely return. Especially considering
his importance to the team (or
lack of a replacement) and the
fact he is close to several
major school passing records.
But that decision may not be
left up to Garcia. The suspension
is indefinite for now and he
missed the annual Garnet and
Black Spring Game. The person
currently in charge is Connor
Shaw who still has much growing
to do as a quarterback. He possesses
the most experience of all the
incumbents after proving to
be worthy enough to play as
a true frosh in 2010 on a few
occasions. He was often more
of a running quarterback making
only the short throws. There
were plenty of mistakes in the
spring game for Shaw too. The
Georgia high school prepster
has impressed coaches with his
work ethic and endless film
study since arriving early on
campus in January of 2010, but
he has not received much of
chance to show exactly what
he brings to the table considering
Garcia has started 28 consecutive
games. Ergo, the experience
factor is slim with the remaining
signal callers. The trio of
Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Andrew
Clifford in back up duties has
combined for 35 pass attempts,
33 by Shaw. This offense will
have difficulties if Shaw lines
up here fulltime. He needs more
time to develop but is still
far ahead of the others. This
is one area of massive concern
for 2011.
RUNNING
BACK
While depth is plentiful, the
storyboard here begins and ends
with All-American Marcus Lattimore.
The true freshman sensation
last fall tipped the scales
just under 220 pounds and yet
with his muscular physique still
managed to take quite a pounding
in this power based ground attack.
When he didn’t play due
to those poundings, this offense
was never the same. Since the
bowl game he has hit the weight
room with a vengeance and now
explodes at about 231 pounds.
Unfortunately for opponents
he has managed to get faster
in the process too. There will
be no sophomore slump or drop
off from this fine-tuned specimen.
He could easily be the top running
back in the country and that's
no joke...what a future. Kenny
Miles has taken a slight grasp
of the back up role. As a redshirt
freshman tailback in 2009, he
led the squad with 117 carries
for 626 yards and played in
all 13 games. Since the arrival
of Lattimore, that role has
obviously been diminished. The
"Feel Good" story
of the spring would be the return
of Eric Baker, who missed most
of the last two seasons with
a variety of injuries. He did
more than well enough this spring
to earn a few opportunities
and will certainly contribute
this coming fall.
RECEIVER
The best receiver in the SEC
is easily Alshon Jeffery at
this point. With the early departures
of Georgia's A.J. Green and
Alabama's Julio Jones this appears
to be a no-brainer. Through
21 starts he has hauled in an
amazing 134 receptions. He needs
73 more to catch the school's
all-time career leader Kenny
McKinley. Last year Jefferey
posted multiple school records
in a single season for receptions
(88) and receiving yards (1,517).
The team surprise of the spring
was easily Deangelo Smith who
started out being listed third
on the depth chart. Exiting
spring, Smith is probably one
of the top three receivers,
a remarkable and sudden rise
for a player few knew about.
Smith showed in the spring game
what all the fuss was about
after snaring three sensational
touchdowns grabs, the only ones
of the day. Smith lacks size
at six feet tall but combines
great body control, athleticism
and soft hands much the same
way Jeffery has been able to
operate. If Smith continues
to excel, he could be moved
out of his spot on the depth
chart behind Jeffery and placed
at another spot to increase
his chances of getting on the
field. The main question with
this group is who replaces Tori
Gorley at the slot? Most felt
the job would go to rising sophomore
Ace Sanders. But Jason Barnes,
the lone senior on this unit
sits atop the depth chart. Barnes
has shined during winter conditioning
as he seeks to make his final
season at USC a special one.
The 5-foot-7 Sanders showcased
his blazing speed on several
occasions in 2010 when he had
25 receptions for 316 yards
and two touchdowns in addition
to returning punts. At the third
spot, D.L. Moore began to emerge
as a key component last fall
pulling in 17 catches. Moore
managed five snags in the final
two games and is a solid blocker
but has a tendency to disappear
at times. Behind Moore on the
pre-spring depth chart is redshirt
freshman Nick Jones, a Byrnes,
SC product and former high school
teammate of RB Marcus Lattimore.
TIGHT
END
Justice Cunningham has cemented
his status as the No. 1 tight
end considering all of the players
behind him are new to the position.
Cunningham spent all of last
year backing up fulltime starter
Patrick DeMarco. He excels as
a blocker and managed seven
receptions last fall. Mike Triglia
also saw some time as a reserve
here after fighting through
shoulder rehab earlier in fall
camp only to finish the year
with an injured knee that has
continued to keep him out of
spring action. Former defensive
ends Chaun Gresham and Corey
Simmons and former walk-on QB
Payton Brady are still learning
the position.
OFFENSIVE
LINE
The main concern other than
at quarterback on the offensive
side is with all the new guys
stepping into the line of scrimmage.
Gone is a trio of starting linemen
from last fall who combined
for 67 career starts between
them. Coach Spurrier has stated
this group is lacking in the
"smartness" category
right now and has a long ways
to go. That doesn't sound good
considering the pains this team
has had to endure due to the
horrific performances this group
put together over Spurrier's
tenure. Line coach Shawn Elliott
has been handcuffed to some
degree by the lack of numbers.
He often has been working with
just eight or nine healthy bodies
since January. The incoming
recruiting class will welcome
in five players this fall and
that is where depth will have
to derive. The good news has
been the improvement of guard
A.J. Cann and right tackle Cody
Gibson. Both have earned great
praise from coaches while Cann
has made himself a fixture at
left guard all through the spring.
The 6'6 Gibson was honored as
the Most Improved Offensive
Lineman of the spring. Rokevious
Watkins, a former JUCO player
who started every game in 2010
has been moved from guard to
right tackle. The possibility
exists that Watkins can slide
back to guard assuming either
the improved Gibson or JUCO
All-American Kaleb Broome who
just transferred in for the
spring can take over. Center
T.J. Johnson is a mainstay who
has started every game the past
two seasons. Sixth-year senior
Terrence Campbell, who has made
13 career starts, is penciled
in as the starter at left guard.
Campbell has battled injuries
throughout his career, but has
been a serviceable player when
called upon. As mentioned, depth
is extremely thin. Hopes are
that massive incoming four-star
freshman Brandon Shell can step
in immediately to provide support
at left tackle where Corey Robinson,
the biggest player on this front,
has shifted to defensive tackle.
|
|
WR
Alshon Jeffery
|
|
|
SOUTH
CAROLINA 2011 DEPTH
CHART
Returning
Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Stephen
Garcia-Sr (6-2, 230)
(susp.) |
Connor
Shaw-So (6-1, 202)
Dylan Thompson-RFr
(6-2, 208) |
TB |
Marcus
Lattimore-So (6-0,
231) |
Kenny
Miles-Jr (5-10, 184) |
WR |
Alshon
Jeffery-Jr (6-4, 233) |
DeAngelo
Smith-So (6-0, 191) |
WR |
D.L.
Moore-Jr (6-4, 212) |
Nick
Jones-RFr (5-8, 189) |
WR |
Jason
Barnes-Sr (6-4, 213) |
Ace
Sanders-So (5-7, 173) |
TE |
Justice
Cunningham-Jr (6-3,
262) |
Chaun
Gresham-So (6-1, 248)
Mike Triglia-Jr (6-4,
240) |
OT |
Kyle
Nunn-Sr (6-5, 296) |
Brandon
Shell-Fr (6-6, 316) |
OG |
A.J.
Cann-RFr (6-3, 304) |
Kenny
Davis-Jr (6-3, 310) |
C |
T.J.
Johnson-Jr (6-4, 314) |
Travis
Ford-So (6-2, 265) |
OG |
Terrence
Campbell-Sr (6-3,
295) |
Ronald
Patrick-So (6-1, 295) |
OT |
Rokevious
Watkins-Sr (6-4, 334) |
Cody
Gibson-RFr (6-6, 282)
Kaleb Broome-Jr (6-5,
319) |
K |
Jay
Wooten-Sr (6-3, 203) |
Joey
Scribner-Howard-Sr
(6-1, 212) |
|
|
|
2011
DEFENSE |
DEFENSIVE
LINE
Defensive line coach Brad Lawing
has to be giddy about his prospects
at defensive end. Last season
his group led a charge with
a school record 41 sacks, ranking
seventh in the nation. The process
starts with NationalChamps.net
2011 Preseason First Team All-American
Devin Taylor. The 6'7, 248-pounder
took the SEC by storm last season.
One thing is certain - Taylor
is only getting better as he
gets older and will consume
the vast majority of snaps at
one defensive end spot. In two
years, Taylor has 74 tackles,
18.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks. On the
other side is a battle to replace
four-year starter Cliff Matthews.
First in line is senior Melvin
Ingram, who just posted a banner
year while being used primarily
in passing situations. He led
the team and was third in the
SEC with nine sacks. He can
also move to the interior of
the line in certain pressure
packages. Of course, none of
this even takes into account
the most highly anticipated,
most highly decorated recruit
in South Carolina football history
when recruit Jadeveon Clowney
comes to campus. The No. 1 rated
prep player at any position
according to every scouting
report claims the Gamecocks
only have three years to utilize
his services before he heads
to the NFL. Ask any coach who
the main prospect is to replace
tackle Ladi Ajiboye and the
quick response is, "It's
wide open between as many as
five guys." That would
include Aldrick Fordham, Kelcy
Quarles, J.T. Surratt, Byron
Jerideau and offensive line
transfer Corey Robinson. Jerideau
had a tremendous spring while
Quarles too made progress towards
cracking the rotation after
enrolling early this semester
fresh out of high school. Returning
starter Travian Robertson is
considered the strongest player
on the entire squad and will
continue to man the other tackle
spot.
LINEBACKER
The spring M*A*S*H unit award
goes to this group. The battle
to fill two of these open positions
will have to be put in a holding
pattern until August seeing
that projected starters Rodney
Paulk and Shaq Wilson continue
to fight through injuries that
have been lingering for a very
long time. Paulk hasn't practiced
all spring and Wilson has been
on a limited schedule. The same
can be said for many of the
back ups. Paulk, a sixth-year
senior hopes to be closer to
100 percent healthy for his
final outing. Reggie Bowens
who also has battled injuries
through out his career has been
getting extra attention in the
middle. Getting Shaq Wilson
back to 100% is even more crucial.
Defensive head coach Ellis Johnson
is a big fan of the junior from
Jacksonville who is in the final
stages of recovering from a
hamstring injury that kept him
out of 13 games last fall. The
energy he brings to the field
is intense while those around
him hold his remarkable knowledge
of the defensive schemes with
high regard. Whenever a player
has a question on where to line
up, Wilson has been the extra
coach on the field. Coach Johnson
calls him the quarterback of
the defense. Wilson will likely
start out at outside linebacker,
but don't be surprised if he
moves inside in some defensive
formations to help Rodney Paulk,
especially if the hard-hitting
Quin Smith develops as quickly
as the coaches hope. DeVonte
Hollomon has been one of the
more surprising position changes.
The stalwart at strong safety
for two seasons has moved to
SPUR linebacker, which is almost
like a nickel back in a pass-oriented
scheme. Since Hollomon is sharing
the same position with last
year's starter Antonio Allen,
this could mean that one of
the top defensive talents could
be on the bench. When reading
into Coach Johnson’s future
plans it appears he has a situation
where both guys can get on the
field at the same time with
one operating as a dime linebacker,
which is short for a sixth guy
who is capable of covering a
receiver.
DEFENSIVE
BACK
This secondary fell hard last
season in many areas. The SEC's
10th worst pass coverage gave
up almost 80 yards more per
game and double the number of
touchdown passes compared to
the previous season. Too often
this group was giving up huge
chunks of yardage and the results
were costly. The Gamecocks will
be without the services of Chris
Culliver but have three capable
cornerbacks who have played
extensively throughout their
careers. Junior Stephon Gilmore
is a NationalChamps.net Preseason
All-American honoree that has
started every game since he
stepped onto the Columbia campus.
With a little more consistency
the former South Carolina high
school "Mr. Football"
Award winner has all the athletic
skills needed to be the absolute
best at his position by any
measurement. Akeem Auguste and
C.C. Whitlock provide a 1-2
package at the other corner.
Auguste spent most of last season
at safety after starting nine
games at cornerback in 2009
and Whitlock saw a few starts
at the corner last fall too.
Now a senior, Auguste (114 career
tackles) enters 2011 as the
most experienced defensive back
on the roster. The move of DeVonte
Holloman to linebacker has a
good many people scratching
their heads. There was very
little depth to begin with at
safety. Now other than D.J.
Swearinger at free safety, no
one is quite sure who will play
the strong side. Even cornerback
Jimmy Legree, who had two picks
in the spring game, got bounced
back to safety two days after
the spring game was already
complete. So much inexperience
at Holloman's former strong
safety position means that Swearinger,
honored as the Best Defensive
Player of the spring, must shoulder
more of the responsibility of
assuring the younger players
are lined up correctly and know
their assignments. The move
of Hollomon was a huge risk.
However, the status quo obviously
was not getting much accomplished
either in this backfield...pick
your poison.
|
|
DE
Devin Taylor
|
|
|
SOUTH
CAROLINA 2011 DEPTH
CHART
Returning
Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Devin
Taylor-Jr (6-7, 248) |
Byron
McKnight-Sr (6-5,
242) |
DT |
Travian
Robertson-Sr (6-4,
298) |
Byron
Jerideau-Jr (6-0,
315) |
DT |
Aldrick
Fordham-Jr (6-4, 273) |
Kelcy
Quarles-Fr (6-3, 271) |
DE |
Melvin
Ingram-Sr (6-2, 271) |
Jadeveon
Clowney-Fr (6-6, 247)
Chaz Sutton-So (6-4,
245) |
WLB |
Shaq
Wilson-Jr (5-11, 233) |
Damario
Jeffery-Jr (6-3, 230)
Quin Smith-Jr (6-0,
230) |
MLB |
Rodney
Paulk-Sr (6-0, 229) |
Reginald
Bowens-Jr (6-2, 246) |
SPUR |
Antonio
Allen-Sr (6-2, 208) |
DeVonte
Holloman-Jr (6-2,
226) |
CB |
Stephon
Gilmore-Jr (6-1, 194) |
Jimmy
Legree-So (5-11, 180) |
CB |
Akeem
Auguste-Sr (5-10,
183) |
C.C.
Whitlock-Sr (5-10,
181) |
SS |
Brison
Williams-Fr (5-10,
206) |
Corey
Addison-So (6-0, 209) |
FS |
D.J.
Swearinger-Jr (5-11,
206) |
Sharrod
Golightly-RFr (5-10,
179) |
P |
Jay
Wooten-Sr (6-3, 203) |
Patrick
Fish-RFr (5-11, 190) |
|
|
|
|
2011
SPECIAL TEAMS |
The
last two field goal kickers have been
Ryan Succop, who is now in the NFL
with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the
dependable Spencer Lanning, who was
very accurate from inside 40 yards.
The battle to replace Lanning will
be decided between two guys that have
yet to attempt a field goal dressed
in Garnet & Black. That’s
a good bit of pressure. Senior Jay
Wooten has some experience at this
level since going 4-of-6 for North
Carolina during the 2008 season. Joey
Scribner-Howard was 1-for-2 at Carson-Newman
College during the 2007-2008 seasons.
Right now the race is "too close"
to call between these two with Adam
Yates sitting not far behind. Lanning
also handled all the punting duties
last fall. The new face here has boiled
down to either Patrick Fish or Scribner-Howard,
who maintains the strongest leg but
consistency has not been his forte.
New special teams coordinator John
Butler has a tough job ahead as the
Gamecocks finished near the bottom
of the SEC in kick returns last season.
He needs a significant upgrade across
the board and is a prime reason why
he was hired. The starting kick return
duties will likely stick with the
guys that are already here. Free safety
D.J. Swearinger is the first option.
Ace Sanders and Kenny Miles are behind
him on the depth chart. Bryce Sherman
handled this position much of last
year but has been held back this spring
with a yellow no-contact jersey. Returning
punts is an honor that likely falls
to Stephon Gilmore. His All-American
talents as a cornerback are sorely
needed here too. Ace Sanders and Nick
Jones are other options. Coach Butler
will admit there has not been much
work done with the punt return game
throughout the spring. That’s
not a good sign.
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