Will Stephen Garcia Save The Gamecocks?
posted by Scott Hood, Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Is Stephen Garcia ready to save the Gamecocks’ season?
Yes, that is what it has come to.
But, a better question might be this one: Is it fair to even put Garcia in that position?
Frankly, the answer to both questions should be ‘No’. Life in the SEC is such that it’s very, very difficult to win consistently when your best players are freshmen.
However, when you’re a super-hyped prospect, the rules change. Coaches, fans, the media, and possibly your teammates, seek a greater reward from your presence on campus.
And so it is with Garcia.
Unfortunately, the USC offense is so lethargic right now that the presence of Garcia might be the jolt of energy it needs. But the rabid Gamecock fan base needs a reason to stay interested, too, and watching No. 5 run out to the huddle for the first snap on Saturday would shake the stadium to its foundation.
Somewhere in the distance, you can hear the notes of ‘Louie, Louie’ playing.
With a redshirt junior and a redshirt sophomore ahead of him on the depth chart when the season started, I’m sure the last thing Spurrier thought would happen was Garcia would be in the thick of the QB hunt before the mid-point of the season.
Later on, maybe. But this soon? No way.
But here we are.
The fact Spurrier is even considering starting Garcia shows the high level of his frustration with the USC offense. More particularly, the complete lack of a vertical passing game has him flabbergasted.
Taking a look at the SEC statistics, you quickly realize what an enigma the USC offense is. How could a team that leads the conference in first downs (88) and ranks fourth in third-down conversions (44.2 percent) also be a lowly 11th in scoring offense (20.2 ppg)? Easy. A lot of wasted scoring opportunities.
And turnovers. Lot of lots of turnovers. Twelve to be exact.
The only school in the SEC with that many turnovers right now is Mississippi State. And the last time I looked, the Bulldogs offense was such a disaster of epic proportions the governor of the Magnolia State had declared state of emergency in Starkville.
You could make the argument right now that the failure to take care of the football is preventing the Gamecocks from fulfilling their potential.
If you look at the rest of the SEC East, the next highest team on the turnover ladder is Tennessee is seven. That’s right, USC has nearly twice as many turnovers as the team with the fifth-highest number.
So, into the abyss steps Garcia.
Garcia might help make the USC offense a little more exciting to watch, but will it be more productive? I question that.
Spurrier has acknowledged that if Garcia played extensively, he would have to simplify the playbook for the redshirt freshman, making an already predictable offense one that’s even more predictable.
Also, will putting Garcia in help the offensive line block a lot better? No question, Spurrier sees a little Syvelle Newton in Garcia – the ability to scramble for a first down when the pass block collapses and the ability to throw the ball deep when he’s called upon to do so.
While Garcia may be able to sidestep defenders a little better than Smelley, will the overthrows and the failure to pick out the open receiver come to an abrupt halt? I don't know.
Finally, will putting Garcia into the game make USC’s wide receivers run a little faster? In case you haven’t noticed, and I’m sure you have, USC’s wide receiver corps sans Kenny McKinley is generally far from fleet of foot.
Spurrier wants the quarterback to throw it deep, but can you actually do that when the wide receivers can’t get there?
OK, let’s say Garcia wins the job, starts against UAB and leads USC to an impressive victory. Will Spurrier trust him enough to help the Gamecocks accomplish the same thing in Oxford, Miss., the following week? Or, in Lexington, Ky., the week after that?
In case you haven’t noticed over the first 16 years, winning on the road in the SEC is extremely difficult, even for an experienced signal caller. Throw a young quarterback into the lion's den and the chances of the home team prevailing multiply.
In my opinion, Spurrier would better served by keeping Smelley as the starting quarterback and gradually working Garcia into the lineup with increased snaps every week. He should take 10 to 15 snaps this week against UAB, and gradually move up from there.
In the long run, that would be best for Garcia and his development as a major college quarterback, as well as the entire USC football team.
As the old saying goes, Steve Taneyhills don't grow on trees.
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As Steve Spurrier contemplates this week who should start at quarterback for South Carolina, I have a question:
Is Stephen Garcia ready to save the Gamecocks’ season?
Yes, that is what it has come to.
But, a better question might be this one: Is it fair to even put Garcia in that position?
Frankly, the answer to both questions should be ‘No’. Life in the SEC is such that it’s very, very difficult to win consistently when your best players are freshmen.
However, when you’re a super-hyped prospect, the rules change. Coaches, fans, the media, and possibly your teammates, seek a greater reward from your presence on campus.
And so it is with Garcia.
Unfortunately, the USC offense is so lethargic right now that the presence of Garcia might be the jolt of energy it needs. But the rabid Gamecock fan base needs a reason to stay interested, too, and watching No. 5 run out to the huddle for the first snap on Saturday would shake the stadium to its foundation.
Somewhere in the distance, you can hear the notes of ‘Louie, Louie’ playing.
With a redshirt junior and a redshirt sophomore ahead of him on the depth chart when the season started, I’m sure the last thing Spurrier thought would happen was Garcia would be in the thick of the QB hunt before the mid-point of the season.
Later on, maybe. But this soon? No way.
But here we are.
The fact Spurrier is even considering starting Garcia shows the high level of his frustration with the USC offense. More particularly, the complete lack of a vertical passing game has him flabbergasted.
Taking a look at the SEC statistics, you quickly realize what an enigma the USC offense is. How could a team that leads the conference in first downs (88) and ranks fourth in third-down conversions (44.2 percent) also be a lowly 11th in scoring offense (20.2 ppg)? Easy. A lot of wasted scoring opportunities.
And turnovers. Lot of lots of turnovers. Twelve to be exact.
The only school in the SEC with that many turnovers right now is Mississippi State. And the last time I looked, the Bulldogs offense was such a disaster of epic proportions the governor of the Magnolia State had declared state of emergency in Starkville.
You could make the argument right now that the failure to take care of the football is preventing the Gamecocks from fulfilling their potential.
If you look at the rest of the SEC East, the next highest team on the turnover ladder is Tennessee is seven. That’s right, USC has nearly twice as many turnovers as the team with the fifth-highest number.
So, into the abyss steps Garcia.
Garcia might help make the USC offense a little more exciting to watch, but will it be more productive? I question that.
Spurrier has acknowledged that if Garcia played extensively, he would have to simplify the playbook for the redshirt freshman, making an already predictable offense one that’s even more predictable.
Also, will putting Garcia in help the offensive line block a lot better? No question, Spurrier sees a little Syvelle Newton in Garcia – the ability to scramble for a first down when the pass block collapses and the ability to throw the ball deep when he’s called upon to do so.
While Garcia may be able to sidestep defenders a little better than Smelley, will the overthrows and the failure to pick out the open receiver come to an abrupt halt? I don't know.
Finally, will putting Garcia into the game make USC’s wide receivers run a little faster? In case you haven’t noticed, and I’m sure you have, USC’s wide receiver corps sans Kenny McKinley is generally far from fleet of foot.
Spurrier wants the quarterback to throw it deep, but can you actually do that when the wide receivers can’t get there?
OK, let’s say Garcia wins the job, starts against UAB and leads USC to an impressive victory. Will Spurrier trust him enough to help the Gamecocks accomplish the same thing in Oxford, Miss., the following week? Or, in Lexington, Ky., the week after that?
In case you haven’t noticed over the first 16 years, winning on the road in the SEC is extremely difficult, even for an experienced signal caller. Throw a young quarterback into the lion's den and the chances of the home team prevailing multiply.
In my opinion, Spurrier would better served by keeping Smelley as the starting quarterback and gradually working Garcia into the lineup with increased snaps every week. He should take 10 to 15 snaps this week against UAB, and gradually move up from there.
In the long run, that would be best for Garcia and his development as a major college quarterback, as well as the entire USC football team.
As the old saying goes, Steve Taneyhills don't grow on trees.
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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 @.