This Spring's Five Most Intriguing Questions
posted by Scott Hood, 3/21/2008 01:06:00 PM
For South Carolina football fans who can’t get enough of their team, it’s Good Friday as well.
Spring practice starts this afternoon with plenty of questions surrounding the Gamecock program after last season ended with the loud thud of a five-game losing streak. In my opinion, here are the five most intriguing questions facing USC as it heads into Steve Spurrier's fourth spring as head coach:
1. Is the Offensive Line Really That Bad? I don’t think so. Spurrier plans to up the ante with the O-Line this spring, getting personally involved to make sure the unit steps it up next season. I know there are good football players playing on the offensive line. They just need to start performing.
Garrett Anderson was an all-state player at Dutch Fork High School. He’s a hard worker. He does what he’s supposed to do in terms of weight lifting and conditioning. Now he just needs to take it from the practice field to the stadium on Saturdays. Once he does, he’ll be fine, and I’m sure the rest of the O-linemen are the same way.
There’s talent there. O-Line coach John Hunt and Spurrier just need to draw it out. With Spurrier raising the stakes, it could happen this spring.
2. Is Stephen Garcia The Answer At QB?: Maybe, maybe not. We know he has the physical skills to play quarterback at the SEC level. You can even say he’s a better fit for the new package Spurrier plans to install giving the QB more freedom to run with the football.
But this spring will also be his first opportunity to face the first team defense while running USC’s plays. Last year, of course, he was the scout team QB.
I have a feeling Chris Smelley is ready for a war. By all accounts, he's worked incredibly hard thisoff-season. This is Smelley’s second spring with the program after arriving in the fall of 2006. You have to think his knowledge of Spurrier’s offense is where it needs to be. With Blake Mitchell gone, Smelley believes his opportunity to earn the spot as full-time QB has arrived. It should be fun to watch.
3. Can Ellis Johnson Succeed Where Tyrone Nix Failed?: Watching the defense over the final few games last season, I got the sense there was a disconnect between the players and coaches. The performances against Arkansas and Florida were dreadful, as you know. It wasn’t working. Spurrier has said that often. The players appeared uninspired. So, Nix was gently pushed out the door and replaced first by Brian VanGorder for about 24 hours, it seems, and then finally by Ellis Johnson.
Can Johnson push the right buttons to get the defense back on track? Granted, two of the best players on defense – LB Jasper Brinkley and CB Captain Munnerlyn - won’t participate at all this spring as they heal from injuries, so the defense the fans see on the field over the next month won't be the same when fall camp starts.
But, I think the answer to that question is yes. Johnson has been a defensive coordinator in the SEC for close to a decade. Talking with Johnson after he was hired, it appears he favors an aggressive scheme, especially on third down. I know USC fans will like that. Spurrier certainly does.
4. Will The Defense Be Able To Stop The Run This Year?: They’d better, or it could be another long year on the defensive side of the ball. This is the key question for the defense, because the secondary should be just as strong, if not stronger, than last season.
If USC finishes dead last in the SEC in rushing defense again, guess what? The Gamecocks will finish 6-6 again. But I don’t think that will occur again. Well, not if the USC players have any pride.
I think the poor showing against the run in 2007 was an ill-timed combination of poor performances and injuries. Losing Jasper Brinkley and Nathan Pepper for the year didn’t help, and having Marque Hall, USC’s best defensive lineman when the 2006 season opened, struggle in his return from a serious knee injury compounded the problem.
Provided everyone stays healthy, I could see the USC defense finishing in the upper half of the SEC in run defense. That’s certainly Spurrier’s goal.
5. Can Spurrier Win Consistently At USC?: This is a natural question considering how last season ended. It means can USC run off a stretch of eight or nine win seasons over the next five years? Spurrier’s contract runs through 2012. He’s hinted he could stay on longer, but nothing is definite. He’ll be in his upper 60’s when his current contract expires.
After listening to Spurrier at the recent Gamecock Club meetings, there’s no question his competitive fires still burn brightly. He wants to win badly. The five-game losing streak gnaws at him every day. I think he likes this year’s team. He’s talked about the players being bigger, stronger and faster than his first three teams. In fact, his approach towards this season appears to be this: we have the players, now it’s up to the coaches.
Let’s get going.
For those among us who are religiously-inclined, it’s Good Friday, one of the most solemn days on the calendar.
For South Carolina football fans who can’t get enough of their team, it’s Good Friday as well.
Spring practice starts this afternoon with plenty of questions surrounding the Gamecock program after last season ended with the loud thud of a five-game losing streak. In my opinion, here are the five most intriguing questions facing USC as it heads into Steve Spurrier's fourth spring as head coach:
1. Is the Offensive Line Really That Bad? I don’t think so. Spurrier plans to up the ante with the O-Line this spring, getting personally involved to make sure the unit steps it up next season. I know there are good football players playing on the offensive line. They just need to start performing.
Garrett Anderson was an all-state player at Dutch Fork High School. He’s a hard worker. He does what he’s supposed to do in terms of weight lifting and conditioning. Now he just needs to take it from the practice field to the stadium on Saturdays. Once he does, he’ll be fine, and I’m sure the rest of the O-linemen are the same way.
There’s talent there. O-Line coach John Hunt and Spurrier just need to draw it out. With Spurrier raising the stakes, it could happen this spring.
2. Is Stephen Garcia The Answer At QB?: Maybe, maybe not. We know he has the physical skills to play quarterback at the SEC level. You can even say he’s a better fit for the new package Spurrier plans to install giving the QB more freedom to run with the football.
But this spring will also be his first opportunity to face the first team defense while running USC’s plays. Last year, of course, he was the scout team QB.
I have a feeling Chris Smelley is ready for a war. By all accounts, he's worked incredibly hard thisoff-season. This is Smelley’s second spring with the program after arriving in the fall of 2006. You have to think his knowledge of Spurrier’s offense is where it needs to be. With Blake Mitchell gone, Smelley believes his opportunity to earn the spot as full-time QB has arrived. It should be fun to watch.
3. Can Ellis Johnson Succeed Where Tyrone Nix Failed?: Watching the defense over the final few games last season, I got the sense there was a disconnect between the players and coaches. The performances against Arkansas and Florida were dreadful, as you know. It wasn’t working. Spurrier has said that often. The players appeared uninspired. So, Nix was gently pushed out the door and replaced first by Brian VanGorder for about 24 hours, it seems, and then finally by Ellis Johnson.
Can Johnson push the right buttons to get the defense back on track? Granted, two of the best players on defense – LB Jasper Brinkley and CB Captain Munnerlyn - won’t participate at all this spring as they heal from injuries, so the defense the fans see on the field over the next month won't be the same when fall camp starts.
But, I think the answer to that question is yes. Johnson has been a defensive coordinator in the SEC for close to a decade. Talking with Johnson after he was hired, it appears he favors an aggressive scheme, especially on third down. I know USC fans will like that. Spurrier certainly does.
4. Will The Defense Be Able To Stop The Run This Year?: They’d better, or it could be another long year on the defensive side of the ball. This is the key question for the defense, because the secondary should be just as strong, if not stronger, than last season.
If USC finishes dead last in the SEC in rushing defense again, guess what? The Gamecocks will finish 6-6 again. But I don’t think that will occur again. Well, not if the USC players have any pride.
I think the poor showing against the run in 2007 was an ill-timed combination of poor performances and injuries. Losing Jasper Brinkley and Nathan Pepper for the year didn’t help, and having Marque Hall, USC’s best defensive lineman when the 2006 season opened, struggle in his return from a serious knee injury compounded the problem.
Provided everyone stays healthy, I could see the USC defense finishing in the upper half of the SEC in run defense. That’s certainly Spurrier’s goal.
5. Can Spurrier Win Consistently At USC?: This is a natural question considering how last season ended. It means can USC run off a stretch of eight or nine win seasons over the next five years? Spurrier’s contract runs through 2012. He’s hinted he could stay on longer, but nothing is definite. He’ll be in his upper 60’s when his current contract expires.
After listening to Spurrier at the recent Gamecock Club meetings, there’s no question his competitive fires still burn brightly. He wants to win badly. The five-game losing streak gnaws at him every day. I think he likes this year’s team. He’s talked about the players being bigger, stronger and faster than his first three teams. In fact, his approach towards this season appears to be this: we have the players, now it’s up to the coaches.
Let’s get going.
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