Five Things USC Must Accomplish During Spring Practice
posted by Scott Hood on Thursday, March 20, 2008
1. FIND A QUARTERBACK: Steve Spurrier has promised a three-way quarterback battle this spring between fan favorite Stephen Garcia, five-game starter Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher.
Handicapping the race, I would give the edge to Garcia based upon his superior physical skills. However, Smelley clearly has the edge in experience, even though his arm strength doesn’t matchup with Garcia’s.
No question, it will be a tough battle. But here’s the catch: it would be in USC’s best interest for someone to emerge as the clear-cut winner. If it’s a tie or too close to call, then it’s likely the battle will extend into the fall.
If that happens, the quarterback position could experience the same kind of flux it did last season when the job swung back and forth between Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley. You saw what happened against Vanderbilt when Spurrier essentially couldn’t make up his mind who to play.
Hopefully, Spurrier will pick a starter and go with it.
2. SOLIDIFY THE OFFENSIVE LINE: There is no truth to the rumor that USC’s offensive line was declared a disaster area by Gov. Sanford by the end of last season. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few National Guardsmen show up at Friday’s practice.
As far as I’m concerned, whether the offensive can come together is the million dollar question this spring. Spurrier recently acknowledged to a pair of Gamecock Club audiences that he finally admitted to himself that when the offensive line plays like crap, so will the quarterback. That’s what happened last season. When the offensive line faltered, so did the rest of the USC offense.
John Hunt will certainly have plenty of players to pick from. He’ll have over a dozen players at his disposal. Spurrier said last July he wanted to quickly identify the five best linemen and play those guys. It never happened. Hopefully, that will change this year.
3. FIND ANOTHER WIDE RECEIVER: Kenny McKinley will likely take it easy this spring while he rebabs from bone spurs in his toe. Dion Lecorn is still indefinitely suspended, and we don’t know when he’ll return. That’s 100 percent Spurrier’s call. But, considering his history, Lecorn could be reinstated before the Gamecocks hit the practice field for the first time on Friday afternoon.
But the probably absence of McKinley and the unsettled status of Lecorn means the door is wide open for a young wide receiver to run through. There are certainly plenty of candidates – Jason Barnes, Mark Barnes, Joseph Hills and Chris Culliver. There’s also the veterans like Moe Brown, Freddie Brown and Larry Freeman.
Frankly, someone MUST emerge. There’s no choice. Most of these wide receivers will have no greater opportunity to impress the coaches. McKinley won’t be there to overshadow what they do. If they fail to take advantage of the opportunity before them, they'll have no one to blame but themselves.
4. GAIN A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF ELLIS JOHNSON’S DEFENSIVE SCHEME: In talking with a USC assistant coach recently, Ellis Johnson’s defensive scheme isn’t radically different from the one favored by Tyrone Nix. But the terminology is different, which the players must master.
Fortunately, the NCAA rules allow for coaches and players to meet two hours per week in the weeks leading up to the start of spring practice. But the defensive players must grasp the scheme quickly because chances are USC will have to rely on solid defense early in the 2008 season to win games while the offense is still trying to find its footing.
5. DEVELOP DEPTH IN THE SECONDARY: Captain Munnerlyn, USC’s best cornerback, will sit out spring practice while he continues his rehab from the broken foot sustained in the Arkansas game. No question, Munnerlyn’s absence in the Florida and Clemson games hurt USC’s defense in those games.
Also, Carlos Thomas is still indefinitely suspended for behavioral issues. So, just like the wide receivers, several young defensive backs have a chance to show their stuff, especially at cornerback.
I’m looking forward to watching young players like Akeem Auguste, Jamire Williams and Addison Williams compete this spring for playing time. It should be a war. But don’t forget senior Stoney Woodson, either.
We all know who’s playing safety – Emanuel Cook and Darian Stewart. But we saw last season that they’re not immune from injury.
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
After a rain delay, spring practice for South Carolina begins on Friday afternoon. There are plenty of storylines for this year’s 15-practice endeavor. We all know who the key players are. So, here are the five things I want to see accomplished by the time the final gun sounds on the Garnet and Black game April 19:
1. FIND A QUARTERBACK: Steve Spurrier has promised a three-way quarterback battle this spring between fan favorite Stephen Garcia, five-game starter Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher.
Handicapping the race, I would give the edge to Garcia based upon his superior physical skills. However, Smelley clearly has the edge in experience, even though his arm strength doesn’t matchup with Garcia’s.
No question, it will be a tough battle. But here’s the catch: it would be in USC’s best interest for someone to emerge as the clear-cut winner. If it’s a tie or too close to call, then it’s likely the battle will extend into the fall.
If that happens, the quarterback position could experience the same kind of flux it did last season when the job swung back and forth between Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley. You saw what happened against Vanderbilt when Spurrier essentially couldn’t make up his mind who to play.
Hopefully, Spurrier will pick a starter and go with it.
2. SOLIDIFY THE OFFENSIVE LINE: There is no truth to the rumor that USC’s offensive line was declared a disaster area by Gov. Sanford by the end of last season. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few National Guardsmen show up at Friday’s practice.
As far as I’m concerned, whether the offensive can come together is the million dollar question this spring. Spurrier recently acknowledged to a pair of Gamecock Club audiences that he finally admitted to himself that when the offensive line plays like crap, so will the quarterback. That’s what happened last season. When the offensive line faltered, so did the rest of the USC offense.
John Hunt will certainly have plenty of players to pick from. He’ll have over a dozen players at his disposal. Spurrier said last July he wanted to quickly identify the five best linemen and play those guys. It never happened. Hopefully, that will change this year.
3. FIND ANOTHER WIDE RECEIVER: Kenny McKinley will likely take it easy this spring while he rebabs from bone spurs in his toe. Dion Lecorn is still indefinitely suspended, and we don’t know when he’ll return. That’s 100 percent Spurrier’s call. But, considering his history, Lecorn could be reinstated before the Gamecocks hit the practice field for the first time on Friday afternoon.
But the probably absence of McKinley and the unsettled status of Lecorn means the door is wide open for a young wide receiver to run through. There are certainly plenty of candidates – Jason Barnes, Mark Barnes, Joseph Hills and Chris Culliver. There’s also the veterans like Moe Brown, Freddie Brown and Larry Freeman.
Frankly, someone MUST emerge. There’s no choice. Most of these wide receivers will have no greater opportunity to impress the coaches. McKinley won’t be there to overshadow what they do. If they fail to take advantage of the opportunity before them, they'll have no one to blame but themselves.
4. GAIN A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF ELLIS JOHNSON’S DEFENSIVE SCHEME: In talking with a USC assistant coach recently, Ellis Johnson’s defensive scheme isn’t radically different from the one favored by Tyrone Nix. But the terminology is different, which the players must master.
Fortunately, the NCAA rules allow for coaches and players to meet two hours per week in the weeks leading up to the start of spring practice. But the defensive players must grasp the scheme quickly because chances are USC will have to rely on solid defense early in the 2008 season to win games while the offense is still trying to find its footing.
5. DEVELOP DEPTH IN THE SECONDARY: Captain Munnerlyn, USC’s best cornerback, will sit out spring practice while he continues his rehab from the broken foot sustained in the Arkansas game. No question, Munnerlyn’s absence in the Florida and Clemson games hurt USC’s defense in those games.
Also, Carlos Thomas is still indefinitely suspended for behavioral issues. So, just like the wide receivers, several young defensive backs have a chance to show their stuff, especially at cornerback.
I’m looking forward to watching young players like Akeem Auguste, Jamire Williams and Addison Williams compete this spring for playing time. It should be a war. But don’t forget senior Stoney Woodson, either.
We all know who’s playing safety – Emanuel Cook and Darian Stewart. But we saw last season that they’re not immune from injury.
- Permalink, Discuss, 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 @.