2010 FLORIDA FOES: USC Gamecocks

By DUGAN ARNETT

Stuck in an ultra-competitive SEC East Division traditionally dominated by the likes of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, rare has been the occasion when a Steve Spurrier-led South Carolina team has entered a season with any kind of realistic hope of battling for a division crown.

The Gamecocks certainly don’t enter the 2010 season as the favorite to advance to December’s conference championship game in Atlanta, either, but with 15 starters returning from last year’s 7-6 team and with each of the aforementioned divisional foes breaking in new quarterbacks, the window of opportunity, at least temporarily, seems to have been cracked open.

Turning this season into something special, however, will require South Carolina to shore up a handful of issues, none more glaring than an abysmal running game that has ranked last in the SEC in each of the past three seasons.

The Gamecocks took a big step in the right direction with the signing of Marcus Lattimore, the top-rated running back recruit in the Class of 2010. He arrives in Columbia this season with a chance to immediately compete with sophomore Kenny Miles (117 carries, 626 yards in ‘09) and senior Brian Maddox (102 carries, 307 yards, six touchdowns) for carries, though South Carolina’s success in the run game will likely hinge on the improvement of an offensive line that has been – to put it mildly – less-than-stellar over the past few seasons.

Despite possessing a future high-round NFL draftee in tackle Jarriel King, the group has yet to gel and is coming off a season in which it allowed 37 sacks, tied for most in the conference, though Spurrier plucked new offensive line coach Shawn Elliott from Appalachian State in hopes of shoring up the issues (Elliott marks the third offensive line coach in the past three seasons for the Gamecocks). 

When not evading tacklers, quarterback Stephen Garcia managed to finish with 2,862 passing yards and 21 total touchdowns last season, and he’s spent the offseason working on developing a quicker release in hopes of taking better advantage of a stable of able-bodied receivers that includes 6-foot-4 Alshon Jeffery (46 catches, 763 yards, six touchdowns), 6-foot-5 Tori Gurley (31 catches, 440 yards, two touchdowns) and 6-foot-6 tight end Weslye Saunders (32 catches, 353 yards, three touchdowns).

Spurrier, who throughout his career has developed a reputation for swapping quarterbacks mid-season, stuck with Garcia for all 13 games in ‘09, but has said publicly that he wants to see an increased level of focus from the junior signal-caller.

Defensively, meanwhile, South Carolina isn’t lacking playmakers.

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore proved his worth during a breakout freshman season in ’09, when he finished with 56 tackles (including six for loss) and an interception, and he’s joined in the secondary by cornerback Chris Culliver (62 tackles, nine passes defended) and safeties Akeem Auguste and DeVonte Holloman.

Disruptive defensive end Cliff Matthews returns after tallying 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks in ’09, as does linebacker and leading tackler Shaq Wilson, making it conceivable that the team could improve upon its performance last season, when the Gamecocks finished in the Top 25 nationally in both scoring defense (24th, 20.4 points-per-game) and total defense (15th, 300.7 yards-per-game).

One thing to keep an eye on this fall will be the South Carolina’s ability to close out the season strong.

The Gamecocks have made a habit of fizzling late in the year, dropping five of their final seven games last fall (after a 5-1 start) and going a combined 3-12 in the last five games of the past three seasons, a total that includes back-to-back bowl losses.

With games against Tennessee and Arkansas and at Florida and Clemson, the second-half of their 2010 schedule certainly isn’t without potential speed bumps. But successfully navigating that late-season terrain – and knocking off Georgia during a Week 2 matchup in Columbia – would go a long way in making 2010 the most successful in Spurrier’s tenure.

FLORIDA’S FOES / South Carolina / Saturday, Nov. 13 / Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. / TBD

Location: Columbia, S.C. Conference: Southeastern (East Division). Nickname: Gamecocks. Stadium: Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250). Debut season/Overall record: 1892 / 534-536-44.

Head coach: Steve Spurrier (Florida, 1967). Record at South Carolina (Years)/Overall (Years): 35-28 (5) / 177-68-2 (20) (20-13-1 in 3 seasons at Duke; 122-27-1 in 12 seasons at Florida; 35-28 in 5 seasons at South Carolina).

Staff: Shane Beamer, spurs and strong safeties/recruiting coordinator/special teams coordinator (Virginia Tech, 1999); Shawn Elliott, offensive line/running game coordinator (Appalachian State); Craig Fitzgerald, director of strength and conditioning (Maryland, 1997); Jay Graham, running backs/assistant special teams coordinator (Tennessee, 2004); Johnson Hunter, tight ends/assistant special teams coordinator (Catawba College, 1991); Ellis Johnson, assistant head coach-defense/linebackers (The Citadel, 1975); Brad Lawing, defensive line (Lenoir-Rhyne, 1979); G.A. Mangus, quarterbacks (Florida, 1992); Steve Spurrier Jr., receivers (Duke, 1994); Lorenzo Ward, defensive coordinator/safeties (Alabama, 1991).

Basic offense: Multiple. Basic defense: 4-2-5.

Starters back/lost: 17/7. Offense: 8/3; 7/4; Kicker/punter: 2/0.

Top players returning: Junior QB Stephen Garcia 239-432 passing, 2,862 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions; sophomore WR Alshon Jeffery 46 catches, 763 yards, 6 touchdowns; sophomore CB Stephon Gilmore 56 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 9 passes defended; senior DE Cliff Matthews 47 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries; junior LB Shaq Wilson 85 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception. 

Did you know? The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees banned football for the 1906 season after members of the school’s faculty complained about the “coarseness” of chants the students yelled during games.

2010 SCHEDULE

Sept. 2
(Thursday) / SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 7:30 p.m. / ESPN

Sept. 11 (Saturday) / GEORGIA (SEC) / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 12 p.m. / ESPN/ESPN2

Sept. 18 (Saturday) / FURMAN / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / TBD

Sept. 25 (Saturday) / at Auburn (SEC) / Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala. / TBD

Oct. 9 (Saturday) / ALABAMA (SEC) / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / TBD

Oct. 16 (Saturday) / at Kentucky (SEC) / Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Ky. / TBD

Oct. 23 (Saturday) / at Vanderbilt (SEC) / Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tenn. / TBD

Oct. 30 (Saturday) / TENNESSEE (SEC) / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / TBD

Nov. 6 (Saturday) / ARKANSAS (SEC) / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / TBD

Nov. 13 (Saturday) / at Florida (SEC) / Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. / TBD

Nov. 20 (Saturday) / TROY / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / TBD

Nov. 27 (Saturday) / at Clemson / Clemson Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C. / TBD

Dec. 4 (Saturday) / SEC Championship / Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. / TBD / CBS

2009 RESULTS

Sept. 3
(Thursday) / at North Carolina State / W, 7-3 / Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, N.C. / 1-0 (0-0 SEC)

Sept. 12 (Saturday) / at Georgia (SEC) / L, 37-41 / Sanford Stadium, Athens, Ga. / 1-1 (0-1 SEC)

Sept. 19 (Saturday) / FLORIDA ATLANTIC / W, 38-16 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 2-1 (0-1 SEC)

Sept. 24 (Thursday) / MISSISSIPPI (SEC) / W, 16-10 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 3-1 (1-1 SEC)

Oct. 3 (Saturday) / SOUTH CAROLINA STATE / W, 38-14 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 4-1 (1-1 SEC)

Oct. 10 (Saturday) / KENTUCKY (SEC) / W, 28-26 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 5-1 (2-1 SEC)

Oct. 17 (Saturday) / at Alabama (SEC) / L, 6-20 / Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. / 5-2 (2-2 SEC)

Oct. 24 (Saturday) / VANDERBILT (SEC) / W, 14-10 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 6-2 (3-2 SEC)

Oct. 31 (Saturday) / at Tennessee (SEC) / L, 13-31 / Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. / 6-3 (3-3 SEC)

Nov. 7 (Saturday) / at Arkansas (SEC) / L, 16-33 / Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark. / 6-4 (3-4 SEC)

Nov. 14 (Saturday) / FLORIDA (SEC) / L, 14-24 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 6-5 (3-5 SEC)

Nov. 28 (Saturday) / CLEMSON / W, 34-17 / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. / 7-5 (3-5 SEC)

Jan. 2, 2010 (Saturday) / Connecticut (Papajohns.com Bowl) / L, 7-20 / Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala. / 7-6 (3-5 SEC)