The 10 Most Important Players For USC In 2008
posted by Scott Hood on Monday, June 16, 2008
1. Tommy Beecher/Chris Smelley: The quarterback is the most important player on most Div. I football teams, especially when the head coach is Steve Spurrier and he wants to throw the ball vertically downfield. Right now, Beecher is 1A and Smelley is 1B heading into the start of fall camp. Beecher has a slight lead, but it’s nothing Smelley can’t overcome with a strong summer and then a solid pre-season camp. Whoever the starting QB is, they must play well for USC to win a majority of its games. More performances like the one we saw against Vanderbilt and it will be a long, long season. I’m a firm believer in the concept that a football team is only as good as its QB. USC doesn’t need either QB to be spectacular, just consistently productive.
2. Jasper Brinkley: The USC defense wasn’t the same after Brinkley went down with torn knee ligaments in the fourth game of last season at LSU. USC must dramatically improve its run defense this season and the man in the middle always hold the key. Brinkley must stay healthy for USC to stay in the hunt for a bowl game. Players like Marvin Sapp and Melvin Ingram are capable, but they don’t bring Brinkley’s rare combination of size and speed to the table. It’s not a coincidence that Spurrier’s most successful season at USC came in 2006 when Brinkley was a beast with 107 tackles.
3. Kenny McKinley: Unless another wide receiver emerges from the pack, McKinley will be USC’s primary, and possibly only, deep threat. He’s also the Gamecocks’ best wide receiver by wide margin. McKinley needs to have another monster season to keep defenses honest. If Dion Lecorn improves from last season and another receiver or two steps up, USC’s passing offense should generate enough yardage to keep Spurrier happy. But it all begins with McKinley. By the close of the season, he should hold nearly every major USC pass receiving record.
4. Captain Munnerlyn: USC had the top passing defense in the SEC last season and Munnerlyn gets a large share of the credit for that. Many scouts consider him the best cover corner in the conference. His absence was certainly felt in the final two games against Florida and Clemson when USC’s passing defense struggled in key situations. If Munnerlyn regains his form prior to suffering the broken foot, the Gamecocks should be in good shape again when it comes to stopping the passing games of opposing offenses.
5. Hutch Eckerson: The left tackle position is the most important along the offensive line because he protects the quarterback’s blind side. Jamon Meredith has started 18 consecutive games at LT over the last two seasons but he’ll miss the first two games as a result of a NCAA ruling two years ago granting him an additional year of eligibility. That means the burden falls to Eckerson to block the right defensive end and keep him away from USC’s QB. If Eckerson is able to perform his job adequately, Beecher and/or Smelley won’t have to worry about getting bushwhacked from behind.
6. Ryan Succop: An effective field goal kicker is one of the best weapons a football team can possess. Succop is nearly perfect in his career from inside 40 yards and he’s downright dangerous from beyond 40 yards as well. His extended range (55+ yards) means the Gamecocks are a threat to score every time they cross the opponent’s 40-yard line. Succop was 13 of 17 on field goals last season. He needs to come up big again because I’m predicting most of USC’s games this season will be hard-fought, close affairs and could come down to a kick or two at the end.
7. Mike Davis: The most productive season of Davis’ career came in 2005 when as a freshman he rushed for 666 yards. Last year, however, he hurtled off the track and ended up carrying the ball just four times in the last two games. With Cory Boyd now in Tampa and his backups largely inexperienced, it’s up to Davis to ignite USC’s rushing attack for this season. He’ll certainly get help from Brian Maddox and Eric Baker, but Davis must at least reach his career-high for a single season if USC wants to have a respectable rushing attack. It didn’t last season when the Gamecocks finished 12th in the SEC in rushing offense.
8. Jared Cook: Steve Spurrier exclaimed in the spring that Cook and fellow tight end Weslye Saunders were the second and third best pass catchers on USC. Cook had 30 receptions in 2007 and he could easily double that number this season. If Cook emerges as a legitimate threat, it could take some pressure off McKinley and make opponents think twice about double-teaming USC’s top pass-catcher. Cook is too fast for most SEC linebackers to cover, so opponents would likely have to dedicate a defensive back to cover him and hope for the best.
9. Ladi Ajiboye: USC’s last-place finish in 2007 among the 12 SEC teams in rushing defense was embarrassing. A strong season from Ajiboye would go a long ways towards sealing up the inside when opponents want to run the football between the tackles. Ajiboye is USC’s top defensive tackle, as he showed time and again in the spring, and he must play like it this season.
10. Cliff Matthews: USC DL coach Brad Lawing loves this guy, and for good reason. Matthews had a splendid season at outside linebacker in 2007, but was shifted back to defensive end in the spring to take advantage of his height and pass rushing skills. If Matthews, along with Eric Norwood, is able to bring the heat upon opposing QB’s, the USC defense could be primed for a special season. Matthews knows how to play fast, something some of his fellow players on defense need to learn. Once they do, watch out.
The biggest omissions? Norwood will be a critical player on defense, as well, from his outside linebacker position. Emanuel Cook and Darian Stewart are two stalwarts at the strong safety and free positions, respectively. Dion Lecorn needs to have another solid season as USC’s No. 2 wide receiver.
Spurrier was correct when he proclaimed during the Gamecock Club tour that USC had plenty of good players to compete in the SEC.
Now they just need to go out on the field and prove it.
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If South Carolina wants to attain a successful season (7+ wins) in 2008, these are the 10 players (OK, 11) that must show the way. Of course, since football is the consummate team game, there are numerous other players on both sides of the ball that must play well also in order for USC to register its fifth consecutive season of .500 or better. But these are the 10 players that absolutely need to perform at their best each and every week to give USC a chance to win.
1. Tommy Beecher/Chris Smelley: The quarterback is the most important player on most Div. I football teams, especially when the head coach is Steve Spurrier and he wants to throw the ball vertically downfield. Right now, Beecher is 1A and Smelley is 1B heading into the start of fall camp. Beecher has a slight lead, but it’s nothing Smelley can’t overcome with a strong summer and then a solid pre-season camp. Whoever the starting QB is, they must play well for USC to win a majority of its games. More performances like the one we saw against Vanderbilt and it will be a long, long season. I’m a firm believer in the concept that a football team is only as good as its QB. USC doesn’t need either QB to be spectacular, just consistently productive.
2. Jasper Brinkley: The USC defense wasn’t the same after Brinkley went down with torn knee ligaments in the fourth game of last season at LSU. USC must dramatically improve its run defense this season and the man in the middle always hold the key. Brinkley must stay healthy for USC to stay in the hunt for a bowl game. Players like Marvin Sapp and Melvin Ingram are capable, but they don’t bring Brinkley’s rare combination of size and speed to the table. It’s not a coincidence that Spurrier’s most successful season at USC came in 2006 when Brinkley was a beast with 107 tackles.
3. Kenny McKinley: Unless another wide receiver emerges from the pack, McKinley will be USC’s primary, and possibly only, deep threat. He’s also the Gamecocks’ best wide receiver by wide margin. McKinley needs to have another monster season to keep defenses honest. If Dion Lecorn improves from last season and another receiver or two steps up, USC’s passing offense should generate enough yardage to keep Spurrier happy. But it all begins with McKinley. By the close of the season, he should hold nearly every major USC pass receiving record.
4. Captain Munnerlyn: USC had the top passing defense in the SEC last season and Munnerlyn gets a large share of the credit for that. Many scouts consider him the best cover corner in the conference. His absence was certainly felt in the final two games against Florida and Clemson when USC’s passing defense struggled in key situations. If Munnerlyn regains his form prior to suffering the broken foot, the Gamecocks should be in good shape again when it comes to stopping the passing games of opposing offenses.
5. Hutch Eckerson: The left tackle position is the most important along the offensive line because he protects the quarterback’s blind side. Jamon Meredith has started 18 consecutive games at LT over the last two seasons but he’ll miss the first two games as a result of a NCAA ruling two years ago granting him an additional year of eligibility. That means the burden falls to Eckerson to block the right defensive end and keep him away from USC’s QB. If Eckerson is able to perform his job adequately, Beecher and/or Smelley won’t have to worry about getting bushwhacked from behind.
6. Ryan Succop: An effective field goal kicker is one of the best weapons a football team can possess. Succop is nearly perfect in his career from inside 40 yards and he’s downright dangerous from beyond 40 yards as well. His extended range (55+ yards) means the Gamecocks are a threat to score every time they cross the opponent’s 40-yard line. Succop was 13 of 17 on field goals last season. He needs to come up big again because I’m predicting most of USC’s games this season will be hard-fought, close affairs and could come down to a kick or two at the end.
7. Mike Davis: The most productive season of Davis’ career came in 2005 when as a freshman he rushed for 666 yards. Last year, however, he hurtled off the track and ended up carrying the ball just four times in the last two games. With Cory Boyd now in Tampa and his backups largely inexperienced, it’s up to Davis to ignite USC’s rushing attack for this season. He’ll certainly get help from Brian Maddox and Eric Baker, but Davis must at least reach his career-high for a single season if USC wants to have a respectable rushing attack. It didn’t last season when the Gamecocks finished 12th in the SEC in rushing offense.
8. Jared Cook: Steve Spurrier exclaimed in the spring that Cook and fellow tight end Weslye Saunders were the second and third best pass catchers on USC. Cook had 30 receptions in 2007 and he could easily double that number this season. If Cook emerges as a legitimate threat, it could take some pressure off McKinley and make opponents think twice about double-teaming USC’s top pass-catcher. Cook is too fast for most SEC linebackers to cover, so opponents would likely have to dedicate a defensive back to cover him and hope for the best.
9. Ladi Ajiboye: USC’s last-place finish in 2007 among the 12 SEC teams in rushing defense was embarrassing. A strong season from Ajiboye would go a long ways towards sealing up the inside when opponents want to run the football between the tackles. Ajiboye is USC’s top defensive tackle, as he showed time and again in the spring, and he must play like it this season.
10. Cliff Matthews: USC DL coach Brad Lawing loves this guy, and for good reason. Matthews had a splendid season at outside linebacker in 2007, but was shifted back to defensive end in the spring to take advantage of his height and pass rushing skills. If Matthews, along with Eric Norwood, is able to bring the heat upon opposing QB’s, the USC defense could be primed for a special season. Matthews knows how to play fast, something some of his fellow players on defense need to learn. Once they do, watch out.
The biggest omissions? Norwood will be a critical player on defense, as well, from his outside linebacker position. Emanuel Cook and Darian Stewart are two stalwarts at the strong safety and free positions, respectively. Dion Lecorn needs to have another solid season as USC’s No. 2 wide receiver.
Spurrier was correct when he proclaimed during the Gamecock Club tour that USC had plenty of good players to compete in the SEC.
Now they just need to go out on the field and prove it.
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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 @.