The Keys To The Kingdom
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, December 05, 2008
Sure, there are 84 other players on scholarship, but if there’s one lesson the 2008 season taught us, it’s this: it’s very difficult to become an elite program in the SEC without quality play from your quarterback.
Several year ago, Todd Ellis told me that the statistics bore out one cruel reality – unless your quarterback finished among the top six in the conference, it was a battle to win more than six or seven games.
Obviously, the Clemson game showed everybody yet again the importance of the quarterback position. USC was badly outplayed there, with Chris Smelley tossing four interceptions and completing less than half (22-47) of his passes for 212 yards. Clemson QB Cullen Harper attempted just 17 passes, but completed 12 for 199 yards.
Digest that for a minute: Clemson passed the football 30 less times than the Gamecocks but finished with only 13 fewer passing yards. Now you know one of the reasons the Tigers won by nearly three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, it took a poor performance by Smelley against Clemson to finally convince Steve Spurrier that the future of the QB position rests with Garcia. In my opinion, that’s one of the reasons he acted quickly in naming Garcia the starter for the bowl game less than 24 hours after the game clock hit zeroes in the Upstate.
Starting with the bowl game, here’s the reality for USC football – the keys to the kingdom are now firmly held in his hand by a 6-foot-2, 225-pound former phenom from Tampa, Fla.
Clearly, the rest of the USC football team has figured that out. According to my sources, Garcia was voted the “spiritual” leader of the offense at the players only meeting on Wednesday. So, the players understand the potential significant impact Garcia will have on the football team in the future.
In short, they realize their football fortunes are tied directly to Garcia’s fortunes. In short, they’re one and the same.
If you’re a Gamecock fan, here’s what you’re hoping to see from Garcia over the next several months: 1) a great performance in the bowl game; 2) he stays out of trouble (especially if USC plays in the Outback Bowl); 3) he fully participates in spring practice; 4) he intently studies the playbook; 5) fully participates in the summer conditioning program; and 6) wins the job in fall camp.
Interviewing Garcia on Wednesday, there’s no question he’s a different person than when he first stepped on the USC campus in January of 2007. He has matured tremendously, and isn’t caught up in the hoopla of his own celebrity anymore. In fact, he desires a low profile.
If Garcia is able to stay on track, there’s no question he’ll be the centerpiece of a revamped USC offense in 2009. It will also be a fairly young one as well.
Provided USC is able to sign running back Jarvis Giles and hangs on to Ben Axon, the offense should have a little more firepower as well.
But consider this: if Giles and Axon (if he qualifies) both become Gamecocks, there’s a very good possibility the entire 2009 depth chart for the offensive backfield could be made up of freshmen and sophomores.
Think about it. If Smelley transfers (but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t considering his competitive nature) and everything falls into place with recruiting, the top two QB’s could be Garcia and Aramis Hillary, while the top four running backs could be Giles, Axon, Eric Baker and Kenny Miles.
Young, but talented. And a lot of fun to watch.
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The future of South Carolina football largely rests on the broad shoulders of one player – Stephen Garcia.
Sure, there are 84 other players on scholarship, but if there’s one lesson the 2008 season taught us, it’s this: it’s very difficult to become an elite program in the SEC without quality play from your quarterback.
Several year ago, Todd Ellis told me that the statistics bore out one cruel reality – unless your quarterback finished among the top six in the conference, it was a battle to win more than six or seven games.
Obviously, the Clemson game showed everybody yet again the importance of the quarterback position. USC was badly outplayed there, with Chris Smelley tossing four interceptions and completing less than half (22-47) of his passes for 212 yards. Clemson QB Cullen Harper attempted just 17 passes, but completed 12 for 199 yards.
Digest that for a minute: Clemson passed the football 30 less times than the Gamecocks but finished with only 13 fewer passing yards. Now you know one of the reasons the Tigers won by nearly three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, it took a poor performance by Smelley against Clemson to finally convince Steve Spurrier that the future of the QB position rests with Garcia. In my opinion, that’s one of the reasons he acted quickly in naming Garcia the starter for the bowl game less than 24 hours after the game clock hit zeroes in the Upstate.
Starting with the bowl game, here’s the reality for USC football – the keys to the kingdom are now firmly held in his hand by a 6-foot-2, 225-pound former phenom from Tampa, Fla.
Clearly, the rest of the USC football team has figured that out. According to my sources, Garcia was voted the “spiritual” leader of the offense at the players only meeting on Wednesday. So, the players understand the potential significant impact Garcia will have on the football team in the future.
In short, they realize their football fortunes are tied directly to Garcia’s fortunes. In short, they’re one and the same.
If you’re a Gamecock fan, here’s what you’re hoping to see from Garcia over the next several months: 1) a great performance in the bowl game; 2) he stays out of trouble (especially if USC plays in the Outback Bowl); 3) he fully participates in spring practice; 4) he intently studies the playbook; 5) fully participates in the summer conditioning program; and 6) wins the job in fall camp.
Interviewing Garcia on Wednesday, there’s no question he’s a different person than when he first stepped on the USC campus in January of 2007. He has matured tremendously, and isn’t caught up in the hoopla of his own celebrity anymore. In fact, he desires a low profile.
If Garcia is able to stay on track, there’s no question he’ll be the centerpiece of a revamped USC offense in 2009. It will also be a fairly young one as well.
Provided USC is able to sign running back Jarvis Giles and hangs on to Ben Axon, the offense should have a little more firepower as well.
But consider this: if Giles and Axon (if he qualifies) both become Gamecocks, there’s a very good possibility the entire 2009 depth chart for the offensive backfield could be made up of freshmen and sophomores.
Think about it. If Smelley transfers (but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t considering his competitive nature) and everything falls into place with recruiting, the top two QB’s could be Garcia and Aramis Hillary, while the top four running backs could be Giles, Axon, Eric Baker and Kenny Miles.
Young, but talented. And a lot of fun to watch.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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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 @.