The Sweet Smelley of Success
posted by Scott Hood, Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Does that mean Blake Mitchell won’t take another snap in this, his final season for the Gamecocks? No, because we all know Spurrier’s reputation for impatience with quarterbacks.
Every quarterback who has ever put on a football uniform for a Steve Spurrier-coached team understands he’s only a couple of three-and-outs away from being yanked and someone else being given a chance to call signals.
It just seems to me that Spurrier is going to give Smelley every opportunity to succeed. There’s no question the HBC was pleased with how the redshirt freshman performed in last Saturday’s victory over Mississippi State.
Generally, Smelley made good decisions where and when to throw the ball, an important skill in Spurrier’s offense. He was decisive and stood up well in the pocket.
In fact, Spurrier was so pleased with how the entire team competed, he said it was the best all-around performance by the Gamecocks in his three seasons as head coach.
For the first time in a while, Spurrier saw some semblance of a downfield passing attack. Kenny McKinley had over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns on just four receptions.
After the game, it was the comments of Spurrier and some of the players that piqued my interest. With a big smile on his face, McKinley couldn’t stop talking about Smelley and the presence he brought to the huddle and how he handled his business on and off the field.
In short, he didn’t sound like a guy who was all that eager for Mitchell to regain his spot.
Like all of Spurrier’s quarterbacks, Smelley has a lease. Heck, even Danny Wuerffel was benched for a series or two during his Heisman Trophy season.
But, right now, Smelley has a fairly long leash. But it won’t matter.
There’s no question in my mind Smelley will perform well enough against Kentucky Thursday night to warrant another start against North Carolina on Oct. 13 in Chapel Hill. After USC routs the hapless Tar Heels, Spurrier will start him the next game against Vanderbilt.
And on and on.
By that point, there will be four games left in the season. If USC wins the next three, do you really think Spurrier is going to make a change at QB with the Gamecocks going to Knoxville?
I don’t think so.
Could Smelley still go bad? Sure. Remember, it took just one half of poor production from Syvelle Newton against Arkansas last season to convince Spurrier to bring Mitchell back and make him the starter again.
Can the same scenario happen again? Yes.
Will it happen? No.
When halftime of the LSU game arrived, it was clear Mitchell had lost all of his confidence in himself, his offensive line and his receivers.
Just as important, it’s my opinion his teammates had lost confidence in Mitchell as well. I know those are strong words, but I think they accurately reflect the dynamics of what was happening.
In other words, they’re true.
The truth is painful sometimes, and in this case it’s like a knife straight through the gut.
As I sat in the press box watching the second half of the LSU game, the difference between the Gamecocks in the first and second halves was remarkable. The USC players appeared to play with more energy, enthusiasm and fire in the second half.
The same thing happened in the Mississippi State game last weekend when Smelley played every snap. I don’t think it’s a coincidence USC happened to play one of its best games of Spurrier’s tenure in Smelley’s first SEC home start.
It’s apparent, based on everything I’ve heard from Spurrier and the players the last few days, that Smelley is incredibly popular with his teammates. They definitely want him to succeed, and will do everything in their power to make it happen.
What does this mean for Mitchell? While I believe he could take a few snaps here and there in mop-up duty, his career with the Gamecocks has, for all intents and purposes, come to an end unless Smelley has a complete meltdown in a game and Spurrier has no choice but to put Mitchell in.
But the chances of that happening are slim.
No matter what occurs over the next eight weeks with regards to USC’s quarterback position, Mitchell deserves a proper sendoff when USC plays its final home game Nov. 24 against Clemson.
When I say "proper," I mean a thunderous ovation.
He accomplished some things no other QB ever has at USC, namely beating Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Clemson in their careers, and will likely depart as the seventh leading career passing yardage leader in school history.
No matter what you think of him, Blake Mitchell has had a productive career at USC.
In coach speak, he earned his scholarship.
You should thank him for that.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
After listening to Steve Spurrier and several South Carolina players talk this week, it’s apparent this whole deal with Chris Smelley playing quarterback may be more permanent than people think.
Does that mean Blake Mitchell won’t take another snap in this, his final season for the Gamecocks? No, because we all know Spurrier’s reputation for impatience with quarterbacks.
Every quarterback who has ever put on a football uniform for a Steve Spurrier-coached team understands he’s only a couple of three-and-outs away from being yanked and someone else being given a chance to call signals.
It just seems to me that Spurrier is going to give Smelley every opportunity to succeed. There’s no question the HBC was pleased with how the redshirt freshman performed in last Saturday’s victory over Mississippi State.
Generally, Smelley made good decisions where and when to throw the ball, an important skill in Spurrier’s offense. He was decisive and stood up well in the pocket.
In fact, Spurrier was so pleased with how the entire team competed, he said it was the best all-around performance by the Gamecocks in his three seasons as head coach.
For the first time in a while, Spurrier saw some semblance of a downfield passing attack. Kenny McKinley had over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns on just four receptions.
After the game, it was the comments of Spurrier and some of the players that piqued my interest. With a big smile on his face, McKinley couldn’t stop talking about Smelley and the presence he brought to the huddle and how he handled his business on and off the field.
In short, he didn’t sound like a guy who was all that eager for Mitchell to regain his spot.
Like all of Spurrier’s quarterbacks, Smelley has a lease. Heck, even Danny Wuerffel was benched for a series or two during his Heisman Trophy season.
But, right now, Smelley has a fairly long leash. But it won’t matter.
There’s no question in my mind Smelley will perform well enough against Kentucky Thursday night to warrant another start against North Carolina on Oct. 13 in Chapel Hill. After USC routs the hapless Tar Heels, Spurrier will start him the next game against Vanderbilt.
And on and on.
By that point, there will be four games left in the season. If USC wins the next three, do you really think Spurrier is going to make a change at QB with the Gamecocks going to Knoxville?
I don’t think so.
Could Smelley still go bad? Sure. Remember, it took just one half of poor production from Syvelle Newton against Arkansas last season to convince Spurrier to bring Mitchell back and make him the starter again.
Can the same scenario happen again? Yes.
Will it happen? No.
When halftime of the LSU game arrived, it was clear Mitchell had lost all of his confidence in himself, his offensive line and his receivers.
Just as important, it’s my opinion his teammates had lost confidence in Mitchell as well. I know those are strong words, but I think they accurately reflect the dynamics of what was happening.
In other words, they’re true.
The truth is painful sometimes, and in this case it’s like a knife straight through the gut.
As I sat in the press box watching the second half of the LSU game, the difference between the Gamecocks in the first and second halves was remarkable. The USC players appeared to play with more energy, enthusiasm and fire in the second half.
The same thing happened in the Mississippi State game last weekend when Smelley played every snap. I don’t think it’s a coincidence USC happened to play one of its best games of Spurrier’s tenure in Smelley’s first SEC home start.
It’s apparent, based on everything I’ve heard from Spurrier and the players the last few days, that Smelley is incredibly popular with his teammates. They definitely want him to succeed, and will do everything in their power to make it happen.
What does this mean for Mitchell? While I believe he could take a few snaps here and there in mop-up duty, his career with the Gamecocks has, for all intents and purposes, come to an end unless Smelley has a complete meltdown in a game and Spurrier has no choice but to put Mitchell in.
But the chances of that happening are slim.
No matter what occurs over the next eight weeks with regards to USC’s quarterback position, Mitchell deserves a proper sendoff when USC plays its final home game Nov. 24 against Clemson.
When I say "proper," I mean a thunderous ovation.
He accomplished some things no other QB ever has at USC, namely beating Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Clemson in their careers, and will likely depart as the seventh leading career passing yardage leader in school history.
No matter what you think of him, Blake Mitchell has had a productive career at USC.
In coach speak, he earned his scholarship.
You should thank him for that.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.