Offense Promises More Excitement In 2009
posted by Scott Hood, Thursday, March 26, 2009
But after watching six practices, I can confidently make one claim – the offense will be a lot more exciting to watch.
Believe me, after what USC fans endured over the final three games of the season, that’s a major step forward. Hopefully, the terms ‘exciting offense’ and ‘higher scoring offense are synonymous.
My claim passes the snicker test for multiple reasons. First, Stephen Garcia thankfully looks like a different quarterback this spring than he did in the Outback Bowl. Of course, he hasn’t faced a true pass rush yet, so we’ll have to see how he does in the first full team scrimmage on Friday.
But it appears he’s quarterbacking the offense with more confidence and leadership. Imagine how good Garcia would be right now if he had acted in accordance with the law the past two springs.
No question, Garcia has been buoyed by the fact that he’s ‘The Man’ at quarterback in Columbia right now. It took two years to get to this point but it’s finally here, thanks in part to the decisions by Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley to transfer.
Garcia knows he must step up this spring and, together with a growing maturity, it looks like he’s accepted the challenge.
I also believe Garcia is determined to make amends for his poor performance in the Outback Bowl. Considering it occurred in his hometown of Tampa, he had to be embarrassed. Hopefully, he’s adopted the mantra, ‘Never Again.’
There’s one other quarterback who’s been showcasing his skills the last few practices – Dion LeCorn. With the junior from Ocala, Fla. at the controls, the Wild Cocky formation looks like it will play more than an insignificant role this season.
When the Wild Cocky offense first debuted about a week or so ago, LeCorn simply took the snap and ran forward. But he started throwing the ball out of the formation in the last practice and, quite frankly, looked great. He has a very underrated throwing arm. He can certainly throw the fade pass.
But, as we know, an offense is much more than the quarterback. The four running backs in contention for the No. 1 job are all talented, but also inexperienced. Mike Davis carried the ball a large percentage of the time last season, but the early stages of spring practice point to a possible “running back by committee” approach this fall.
However, if one running back appears set to emerge, I’m guessing it will be Brian Maddox. He lacks super speed, but certainly has the size (229 pounds) you’re looking in a productive SEC running back.
With Mike Davis and Cory Boyd now out of the picture, and with just two years of eligibility remaining, Maddox has accepted the proposition that his time is now. Now or never? It might be early for that, but I wouldn’t blame Maddox for feeling that way.
With Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles still in the mix, the speed at the running back position has greatly improved. And Eric Baker isn’t bad either.
Finally, there’s the wide receivers. Except for his performance against Ole Miss last fall, Tuesday night may have marked Jason Barnes’ best two hours on a football field since he joined USC in 2007.
Joe Hills, who’s been practically silent for two years despite immense physical skills, also made a couple of nice catches.
Are Barnes and Hills ready to fill the large shoes of Kenny McKinley? Good question. Through six practices, the answer is moving in the direction of ‘yes,’ but there’s still 38 practices plus a long, long summer ahead before the first game.
Overall, the offense will be exceptionally young and inexperienced in 2009. Few of the players set to make an impact at the offensive skill positions will be upper classmen.
Here’s the key question: will USC be able to overcome that and still win its share of games in the SEC? It’s an unforgiving league. There’s no time for sympathy.
Road trips to Athens, Tuscaloosa, Knoxville and Fayetteville beckon. Are there four more inhospitable places on earth for an opposing football team? Furthermore, with two road games to start the season, all this young talent will have to grow up quickly.
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Since we’re just 40 percent through spring practice, I can’t promise you that the South Carolina offense will be more productive in 2009.
But after watching six practices, I can confidently make one claim – the offense will be a lot more exciting to watch.
Believe me, after what USC fans endured over the final three games of the season, that’s a major step forward. Hopefully, the terms ‘exciting offense’ and ‘higher scoring offense are synonymous.
My claim passes the snicker test for multiple reasons. First, Stephen Garcia thankfully looks like a different quarterback this spring than he did in the Outback Bowl. Of course, he hasn’t faced a true pass rush yet, so we’ll have to see how he does in the first full team scrimmage on Friday.
But it appears he’s quarterbacking the offense with more confidence and leadership. Imagine how good Garcia would be right now if he had acted in accordance with the law the past two springs.
No question, Garcia has been buoyed by the fact that he’s ‘The Man’ at quarterback in Columbia right now. It took two years to get to this point but it’s finally here, thanks in part to the decisions by Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley to transfer.
Garcia knows he must step up this spring and, together with a growing maturity, it looks like he’s accepted the challenge.
I also believe Garcia is determined to make amends for his poor performance in the Outback Bowl. Considering it occurred in his hometown of Tampa, he had to be embarrassed. Hopefully, he’s adopted the mantra, ‘Never Again.’
There’s one other quarterback who’s been showcasing his skills the last few practices – Dion LeCorn. With the junior from Ocala, Fla. at the controls, the Wild Cocky formation looks like it will play more than an insignificant role this season.
When the Wild Cocky offense first debuted about a week or so ago, LeCorn simply took the snap and ran forward. But he started throwing the ball out of the formation in the last practice and, quite frankly, looked great. He has a very underrated throwing arm. He can certainly throw the fade pass.
But, as we know, an offense is much more than the quarterback. The four running backs in contention for the No. 1 job are all talented, but also inexperienced. Mike Davis carried the ball a large percentage of the time last season, but the early stages of spring practice point to a possible “running back by committee” approach this fall.
However, if one running back appears set to emerge, I’m guessing it will be Brian Maddox. He lacks super speed, but certainly has the size (229 pounds) you’re looking in a productive SEC running back.
With Mike Davis and Cory Boyd now out of the picture, and with just two years of eligibility remaining, Maddox has accepted the proposition that his time is now. Now or never? It might be early for that, but I wouldn’t blame Maddox for feeling that way.
With Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles still in the mix, the speed at the running back position has greatly improved. And Eric Baker isn’t bad either.
Finally, there’s the wide receivers. Except for his performance against Ole Miss last fall, Tuesday night may have marked Jason Barnes’ best two hours on a football field since he joined USC in 2007.
Joe Hills, who’s been practically silent for two years despite immense physical skills, also made a couple of nice catches.
Are Barnes and Hills ready to fill the large shoes of Kenny McKinley? Good question. Through six practices, the answer is moving in the direction of ‘yes,’ but there’s still 38 practices plus a long, long summer ahead before the first game.
Overall, the offense will be exceptionally young and inexperienced in 2009. Few of the players set to make an impact at the offensive skill positions will be upper classmen.
Here’s the key question: will USC be able to overcome that and still win its share of games in the SEC? It’s an unforgiving league. There’s no time for sympathy.
Road trips to Athens, Tuscaloosa, Knoxville and Fayetteville beckon. Are there four more inhospitable places on earth for an opposing football team? Furthermore, with two road games to start the season, all this young talent will have to grow up quickly.
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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 @.