10 Predictions Sure To Come True in 2008
posted by Scott Hood, Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It’s my opinion the upcoming season is the most important in South Carolina history for multiple reasons. It’s also huge for Steve Spurrier personally. Last season’s 6-6 mark made some people question during the long off-season whether the HBC can get it done in Columbia. With that in mind, here are 10 things I predict will happen in 2008:
1. Steve Spurrier Will Be Asked About Stephen Garcia At Least 10,000 Times: Spurrier grimly noted last spring, quite correctly by the way, that no USC player in history had received more media coverage without playing a single down than Garcia. The onslaught won’t stop until Garcia is finally, mercifully, reinstated to the team. The buzz should heat up in Hoover, but I figured I’ll get things started early. Hey Coach, when do you think Garcia will return? Any chance he could be reinstated before Aug. 15? Is he doing everything in his power to fulfill all of the conditions for his return? I’m guessing Garcia will be a Gamecock again, which leads to Prediction No. 2. . .
2. Stephen Garcia Will Take A Snap This Season: After 18 months of media frenzy andlost of stops and starts, USC fans should finally get a chance to see Garcia take a snap in a real game. Of course, when that actually happens is anybody’s guess. If Garcia is reinstated early from his suspension, and that’s a big if, he could see game action by the third or fourth week of the season. If he doesn’t make it back until Aug. 15, the original date, it could be until after the midway point before he steps on the field.
3. Chris Culliver Will Return A Kickoff For A Touchdown: With Ray Rychleski now in charge, Culliver and his blazing speed could be the biggest beneficiary of the improved attitude, effort and blocking schemes on USC’s special teams. He came close to breaking off a couple of TD returns last season with a apir of 44-yard returns. One of those came against LSU. He averaged a respectable 23.8 yards per return in 2007. I think he'll do better than that this season.
4. USC Will Lead The SEC In Pass Defense For The Second Year In A Row: The Gamecocks had 21 sacks to tie for 10th among the 12 SEC teams last season, yet still finished atop the conference's passing defense standings. That shows what type of year the secondary had. Just about everybody who made a major contribution last season returns. Captain Munnerlyn is one of the best cover corners in the league. Add senior Carlos Thomas, impressive freshman Akeem Augute, Addison Williams, Jamire Williams and Stoney Woodson to the mix and the ingredients are there for a spectacular season.
5. Jasper Brinkley Will Have More than 100 Tackles: When he was totally healthy, Brinkley led the Gamecocks in tackles by a wide margin with 107 in 2006. Obviously, we don’t know right now how the surgically repaired knee will respond until Brinkley gets out there in a real game. If the knee holds up and Brinkley manages to stay healthy, he’ll be primed for a big season, improving his draft stock for 2009.
6. John Hunt Won’t Have A Heart Attack: That’s because the offensive line will finally perform up to expectations. I’m now saying the O-line is ready to set the world on fire, but with young, emerging stars like Heath Batchelor, Hutch Eckerson, Kyle Nunn and Quintin Richardson, the prospects are even brighter for the coming seasons. If Garrett Anderson is able to return from the back injury that sidelined him for most of fall practice, he should solidify the center spot. An O-Line with LT Eckerson, LG Lemuel Jeanpierre, C Anderson, RG Batchelor and RT Justin Sorensen should be respectable, with Jamon Meredith ready to fill in at a number of positions.
7. Mike Davis Will Rush For 800 Yards: If he reaches 842 yards, Davis will leave USC with 2,500 career rushing yards, a pretty good figure for someone who has spent the last two years second on the depth chart behind Cory Boyd. This is Davis’ time. He’s a senior with tons of experience. He’s been the No. 1 guy before, so there are no excuses. As long as the offensive line functions properly, Davis should enjoy a solid season. Since he has to sit out one game for academic reasons going back to the Fall of 2007, he needs to average 72.7 yards per game to get to the magic 800 yard figure.
8. Ryan Succop Will Convert 80 Percent Of His FG Attempts: Hopefully, either Spencer Lanning or Ryan Doerr will show enough in fall camp to win the punting job. If that happens, it will free Succop to concentrate on place kicking, his best genre. Succop enters 2008 with a 74.4 percentage on field goals (29 for 39). If he’s finally freed from the punting chores, Succop will thrive. I expect him to show off his powerful leg and boom a few 50-plus yarders through the uprights this season.
9. Larry Freeman Will Be The Second Most Productive Wide Receiver: Okay, I acknowledge I’m making a leap of faith here. But it was apparent to me during the spring that when Freeman started making plays on special teams, he started doing the same at wide receiver. It seems his new-found confidence from special teams carried over to his wide receiver responsibilities. With just two receptions in 2008, Freeman took a year to find out how tough life can be in the SEC. Hopefully, he learned his lessons well.
10. USC Will Win Eight Games This Season: I believe USC is ready to take it to the next level this season with a strong defense and an offense that will do just enough to win games. Right now, I believe the Gamecocks will definitely win the following games: N.C. State, Vanderbilt, Wofford, UAB, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Arkansas. They should be favored in every one of those games. So, that’s seven. In order to get to the coveted eight-win level, USC must find a way to beat Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Florida or Clemson. The Vols appear to be the most likely candidate to get knocked off, but Clemson is a rivalry game and we know what happened the last time the Gamecocks played in the Upstate.
Of course, some events are so certain to happen I avoided making a prediction, like contending Kenny McKinley will break all of the school’s major receiving records. We all know that will happen. And fairly soon, too.
If USC wins eight games, they’re in position for a pretty nice bowl game. My guess is they’ll be facing an ACC team on New Years Eve in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. A bowl win and the Gamecocks will have a ton of momentum heading into 2009 when the roster should feature even more depth.
Of course, if USC manages 8+ wins, you can expect more wild rumors next off-season about Spurrier leaving USC for “greener pastures” elsewhere. It goes with the territory.
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SEC Media Days starts one week from today in Hoover, Ala., so the time has finally come to put on the thinking caps and consider what will happen during the much-anticipated 2008 season.
It’s my opinion the upcoming season is the most important in South Carolina history for multiple reasons. It’s also huge for Steve Spurrier personally. Last season’s 6-6 mark made some people question during the long off-season whether the HBC can get it done in Columbia. With that in mind, here are 10 things I predict will happen in 2008:
1. Steve Spurrier Will Be Asked About Stephen Garcia At Least 10,000 Times: Spurrier grimly noted last spring, quite correctly by the way, that no USC player in history had received more media coverage without playing a single down than Garcia. The onslaught won’t stop until Garcia is finally, mercifully, reinstated to the team. The buzz should heat up in Hoover, but I figured I’ll get things started early. Hey Coach, when do you think Garcia will return? Any chance he could be reinstated before Aug. 15? Is he doing everything in his power to fulfill all of the conditions for his return? I’m guessing Garcia will be a Gamecock again, which leads to Prediction No. 2. . .
2. Stephen Garcia Will Take A Snap This Season: After 18 months of media frenzy andlost of stops and starts, USC fans should finally get a chance to see Garcia take a snap in a real game. Of course, when that actually happens is anybody’s guess. If Garcia is reinstated early from his suspension, and that’s a big if, he could see game action by the third or fourth week of the season. If he doesn’t make it back until Aug. 15, the original date, it could be until after the midway point before he steps on the field.
3. Chris Culliver Will Return A Kickoff For A Touchdown: With Ray Rychleski now in charge, Culliver and his blazing speed could be the biggest beneficiary of the improved attitude, effort and blocking schemes on USC’s special teams. He came close to breaking off a couple of TD returns last season with a apir of 44-yard returns. One of those came against LSU. He averaged a respectable 23.8 yards per return in 2007. I think he'll do better than that this season.
4. USC Will Lead The SEC In Pass Defense For The Second Year In A Row: The Gamecocks had 21 sacks to tie for 10th among the 12 SEC teams last season, yet still finished atop the conference's passing defense standings. That shows what type of year the secondary had. Just about everybody who made a major contribution last season returns. Captain Munnerlyn is one of the best cover corners in the league. Add senior Carlos Thomas, impressive freshman Akeem Augute, Addison Williams, Jamire Williams and Stoney Woodson to the mix and the ingredients are there for a spectacular season.
5. Jasper Brinkley Will Have More than 100 Tackles: When he was totally healthy, Brinkley led the Gamecocks in tackles by a wide margin with 107 in 2006. Obviously, we don’t know right now how the surgically repaired knee will respond until Brinkley gets out there in a real game. If the knee holds up and Brinkley manages to stay healthy, he’ll be primed for a big season, improving his draft stock for 2009.
6. John Hunt Won’t Have A Heart Attack: That’s because the offensive line will finally perform up to expectations. I’m now saying the O-line is ready to set the world on fire, but with young, emerging stars like Heath Batchelor, Hutch Eckerson, Kyle Nunn and Quintin Richardson, the prospects are even brighter for the coming seasons. If Garrett Anderson is able to return from the back injury that sidelined him for most of fall practice, he should solidify the center spot. An O-Line with LT Eckerson, LG Lemuel Jeanpierre, C Anderson, RG Batchelor and RT Justin Sorensen should be respectable, with Jamon Meredith ready to fill in at a number of positions.
7. Mike Davis Will Rush For 800 Yards: If he reaches 842 yards, Davis will leave USC with 2,500 career rushing yards, a pretty good figure for someone who has spent the last two years second on the depth chart behind Cory Boyd. This is Davis’ time. He’s a senior with tons of experience. He’s been the No. 1 guy before, so there are no excuses. As long as the offensive line functions properly, Davis should enjoy a solid season. Since he has to sit out one game for academic reasons going back to the Fall of 2007, he needs to average 72.7 yards per game to get to the magic 800 yard figure.
8. Ryan Succop Will Convert 80 Percent Of His FG Attempts: Hopefully, either Spencer Lanning or Ryan Doerr will show enough in fall camp to win the punting job. If that happens, it will free Succop to concentrate on place kicking, his best genre. Succop enters 2008 with a 74.4 percentage on field goals (29 for 39). If he’s finally freed from the punting chores, Succop will thrive. I expect him to show off his powerful leg and boom a few 50-plus yarders through the uprights this season.
9. Larry Freeman Will Be The Second Most Productive Wide Receiver: Okay, I acknowledge I’m making a leap of faith here. But it was apparent to me during the spring that when Freeman started making plays on special teams, he started doing the same at wide receiver. It seems his new-found confidence from special teams carried over to his wide receiver responsibilities. With just two receptions in 2008, Freeman took a year to find out how tough life can be in the SEC. Hopefully, he learned his lessons well.
10. USC Will Win Eight Games This Season: I believe USC is ready to take it to the next level this season with a strong defense and an offense that will do just enough to win games. Right now, I believe the Gamecocks will definitely win the following games: N.C. State, Vanderbilt, Wofford, UAB, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Arkansas. They should be favored in every one of those games. So, that’s seven. In order to get to the coveted eight-win level, USC must find a way to beat Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Florida or Clemson. The Vols appear to be the most likely candidate to get knocked off, but Clemson is a rivalry game and we know what happened the last time the Gamecocks played in the Upstate.
Of course, some events are so certain to happen I avoided making a prediction, like contending Kenny McKinley will break all of the school’s major receiving records. We all know that will happen. And fairly soon, too.
If USC wins eight games, they’re in position for a pretty nice bowl game. My guess is they’ll be facing an ACC team on New Years Eve in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. A bowl win and the Gamecocks will have a ton of momentum heading into 2009 when the roster should feature even more depth.
Of course, if USC manages 8+ wins, you can expect more wild rumors next off-season about Spurrier leaving USC for “greener pastures” elsewhere. It goes with the territory.
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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 @.