What We Learned Monday Night In Orangeburg
posted by Scott Hood, 3/04/2008 01:15:00 AM
First, Spurrier appears genuinely excited about spring practice and South Carolina’s prospects for next season. Nearly every player on this year’s roster will be one of his recruits. Only DT Marque Hall, the Lindsey Twins and LT Jamon Meredith, and possibly one or two others, remain from the Lou Holtz Era.
Spurrier spoke about how the commitment level of the players has improved dramatically this off-season, as evidenced by the participation rate in winter workouts, which he described as “excellent.”
Is there a connection between the fact that the players appear more committed to the program and the rapidly decreasing number of Lou Holtz recruits on the roster? His language leads one to believe Spurrier certainly thinks so.
Spurrier’s comments about the bigger and better commitment level are encouraging to the extent the players don’t seem to be hanging their heads or feeling sorry for themselves in the aftermath of last season’s disappointing finish. Rather than lamenting, they’ve gone back to work.
In my opinion, that’s a good sign. It leads me to believe that maybe, just maybe, the long-sought solid foundation is finally being constructed.
Second, Spurrier made it clear he’s going to take a hands-on approach with the offensive line this spring.
The offensive line may have been the biggest disappointment on the Gamecocks last season. USC gave up the second highest number of sacks, the ground game was the worst in the SEC and nobody stepped up and claimed either of the guard spots on a long-term basis.
No one on the O-Line was immune from Spurrier’s criticism last season. He often said the tackles were performing just as poorly as the guards were, yet everybody was focused on the revolving door at the latter position. Problem is, there was no one experienced enough to replace Meredith or RT Justin Sorensen.
Will someone take on the challenge this season? Spurrier would be happy to see it.
Spurrier is putting in some new plays this spring to help diversify the offense. The quarterback will be more of a running threat, a philosophy which would seem to help redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia.
Third, there’s no question Spurrier is excited about this year’s coaching staff, especially the recent hires of Ellis Johnson as defensive coordinator and Ray Rychleski as special teams coordinator.
I’ve already spoken with Rychleski on several occasions, and there’s no question he’s a solid football coach and solid person. He has the perfect personality for a special teams coach.
With Johnson and Rychleski on board, Spurrier definitely believes both the Gamecock defense and special teams will be substantially improved next season.
Frankly, he got tired of watching the defense constantly give up third-and-long situations to the opponents, and for the special teams units to recklessly commit mistake after mistake.
Here’s a secret - so did I.
Based on what I heard Monday night, I believe the additions of Johnson and Rychleski have impacted the rest of the coaching staff. Both coaches have a ton of experience and have been highly respected for a long time, and it shows.
Of course, there’s really no place to go but up when it comes to USC’s run defense and punt block teams. Both were certified disaster areas last season. That’s why Tyrone Nix and Fred Chatham are no longer employed by Spurrier.
I think Spurrier is going to do everything in his power to make sure USC comes out with all guns blazing in those first two Thursday night games against N.C. State and Vanderbilt.
Spurrier understands another 6-6 season, or even a 7-5 campaign, will lead to people questioning whether he can truly make the Gamecock program a consistent winner.
With the first two games set for national TV, millions of eyeballs will be watching to see if this whole Spurrier-USC thing is for real.
Is Spurrier’s legacy on the line? No. He’s already proven he can win big at Florida. He’s a Hall of Fame coach whether he eventually succeeds in leading USC to the promised land or not.
Know this about Spurrier – he’s incredibly competitive and the challenge of making USC a winner has whetted his appetite. Like he said a couple of months ago when coaching rumors swirled around him again, he and his wife have cast their lot here at USC.
Translation: Spurrier is here for the long haul.
But the whispers that started after last season will grow into a crescendo if USC doesn’t at least post a winning record in 2008.
I know it’s only the first week in March, but I’d be surprised if the Gamecocks don’t accomplish that goal this season.
Monday night win Orangeburg was the first time I had seen Steve Spurrier talk about the 2008 season at length and a few things stood out to me.
First, Spurrier appears genuinely excited about spring practice and South Carolina’s prospects for next season. Nearly every player on this year’s roster will be one of his recruits. Only DT Marque Hall, the Lindsey Twins and LT Jamon Meredith, and possibly one or two others, remain from the Lou Holtz Era.
Spurrier spoke about how the commitment level of the players has improved dramatically this off-season, as evidenced by the participation rate in winter workouts, which he described as “excellent.”
Is there a connection between the fact that the players appear more committed to the program and the rapidly decreasing number of Lou Holtz recruits on the roster? His language leads one to believe Spurrier certainly thinks so.
Spurrier’s comments about the bigger and better commitment level are encouraging to the extent the players don’t seem to be hanging their heads or feeling sorry for themselves in the aftermath of last season’s disappointing finish. Rather than lamenting, they’ve gone back to work.
In my opinion, that’s a good sign. It leads me to believe that maybe, just maybe, the long-sought solid foundation is finally being constructed.
Second, Spurrier made it clear he’s going to take a hands-on approach with the offensive line this spring.
The offensive line may have been the biggest disappointment on the Gamecocks last season. USC gave up the second highest number of sacks, the ground game was the worst in the SEC and nobody stepped up and claimed either of the guard spots on a long-term basis.
No one on the O-Line was immune from Spurrier’s criticism last season. He often said the tackles were performing just as poorly as the guards were, yet everybody was focused on the revolving door at the latter position. Problem is, there was no one experienced enough to replace Meredith or RT Justin Sorensen.
Will someone take on the challenge this season? Spurrier would be happy to see it.
Spurrier is putting in some new plays this spring to help diversify the offense. The quarterback will be more of a running threat, a philosophy which would seem to help redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia.
Third, there’s no question Spurrier is excited about this year’s coaching staff, especially the recent hires of Ellis Johnson as defensive coordinator and Ray Rychleski as special teams coordinator.
I’ve already spoken with Rychleski on several occasions, and there’s no question he’s a solid football coach and solid person. He has the perfect personality for a special teams coach.
With Johnson and Rychleski on board, Spurrier definitely believes both the Gamecock defense and special teams will be substantially improved next season.
Frankly, he got tired of watching the defense constantly give up third-and-long situations to the opponents, and for the special teams units to recklessly commit mistake after mistake.
Here’s a secret - so did I.
Based on what I heard Monday night, I believe the additions of Johnson and Rychleski have impacted the rest of the coaching staff. Both coaches have a ton of experience and have been highly respected for a long time, and it shows.
Of course, there’s really no place to go but up when it comes to USC’s run defense and punt block teams. Both were certified disaster areas last season. That’s why Tyrone Nix and Fred Chatham are no longer employed by Spurrier.
I think Spurrier is going to do everything in his power to make sure USC comes out with all guns blazing in those first two Thursday night games against N.C. State and Vanderbilt.
Spurrier understands another 6-6 season, or even a 7-5 campaign, will lead to people questioning whether he can truly make the Gamecock program a consistent winner.
With the first two games set for national TV, millions of eyeballs will be watching to see if this whole Spurrier-USC thing is for real.
Is Spurrier’s legacy on the line? No. He’s already proven he can win big at Florida. He’s a Hall of Fame coach whether he eventually succeeds in leading USC to the promised land or not.
Know this about Spurrier – he’s incredibly competitive and the challenge of making USC a winner has whetted his appetite. Like he said a couple of months ago when coaching rumors swirled around him again, he and his wife have cast their lot here at USC.
Translation: Spurrier is here for the long haul.
But the whispers that started after last season will grow into a crescendo if USC doesn’t at least post a winning record in 2008.
I know it’s only the first week in March, but I’d be surprised if the Gamecocks don’t accomplish that goal this season.
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