Five Things We Learned From The Spring Game
posted by Scott Hood, Monday, April 13, 2009
1. There’s No Drama At The Quarterback Position: Unlike last year, this spring lacked the day-to-day drama surrounding the quarterback position that 2008 did when Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher dueled for the top job. Beecher was eventually named the No. 1 QB before struggling in the season opener. This year, we knew Stephen Garcia was clearly the No. 1 QB going into spring practice and the gap remained substantial as the spring game showed. Garcia has just three career starts under his belt, but is the most experienced quarterback on the roster and has by far the best command of the offense. In reality, his only competitor for the top job is redshirt freshman Reid McCollum, and even he acknowledged he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to play.
2. Jarvis Giles Has A Chance To Become The No. 1 RB: Spurrier discounted Giles’ solid spring game performance by claiming many of his best runs came against second and third teamers on defense. While that might be true, Giles showed the shiftiness, elusiveness and the quick feet to become a quality SEC running back. In my opinion, Brian Maddox proved throughout spring practice that he’s the best running back right now and should remain atop the perch when pre-season camp begins. But if Giles has an excellent summer and remains committed to improving his weaknesses and learning the plays better (something he said he had to do), he’ll have a legitimate shot to steal Maddox’s thunder.
3. Stephon Gilmore Will Contribute Both Ways: Steve Spurrier’s fascination with mobile quarterbacks started in 2006 when Syvelle Newton used his quick feet to carry the USC offense on his back for a seven-week span. Gilmore has the talent to do the same thing for the Gamecocks, but on a far more limited scale. Garcia brings some of the same skill set with his mobility. But look for Gilmore, who quarterbacked South Pointe High School to the state title last December, to take multiple snaps throughout the games this upcoming season, just as he did on Saturday. But his main job will remain playing cornerback.
4. Depth In The Secondary Is A Concern: Ellis Johnson has talked about this since spring practice began. He is deeply concerned about the lack of depth in the secondary, particularly at the cornerback spot, caused by the departures of Captain Munnerlyn, Carlos Thomas and Stoney Woodson. It’s entirely possible that when the season opener rolls around on Sept. 3, three of the top four cornerbacks could be true freshmen. The most experienced cornerback is diminutive junior Addison Williams, but he struggled early on and was eventually beaten out by freshman Stephon Gilmore. The fourth cornerback right now is walk-on Cedric Snead. Johnson hopes C.C. Whitlock finds a way to make it back. If he doesn’t, a slew of newcomers in July could get a look.
5. Now The Hard Work Begins: Quarterbacks G.A. Mangus may have said it best on Saturday after the spring game - spring practice is now the opening act to summer workouts. The paranoid NCAA has gutted spring practice to such an extent that many coaches – including several at USC - feel its borderline useless. But one purpose spring practice serves is exposing what players need to work on. Take the quarterback position. Mangus wants Garcia to make “thousand of throws” over the course of the summer in order to improve enough to become a legitimate SEC quarterback. In short, skill position players have an opportunity to progress at an accelerated pace during the summer.
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Spring practice for South Carolina is now in the history books. Saturday, about 25,000 fans watched USC's annual Garnet and Black game under sunny skies. The weather was perfect. Steve Spurrier called it a typical spring game. Here are the five things we learned from the game:
1. There’s No Drama At The Quarterback Position: Unlike last year, this spring lacked the day-to-day drama surrounding the quarterback position that 2008 did when Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher dueled for the top job. Beecher was eventually named the No. 1 QB before struggling in the season opener. This year, we knew Stephen Garcia was clearly the No. 1 QB going into spring practice and the gap remained substantial as the spring game showed. Garcia has just three career starts under his belt, but is the most experienced quarterback on the roster and has by far the best command of the offense. In reality, his only competitor for the top job is redshirt freshman Reid McCollum, and even he acknowledged he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to play.
2. Jarvis Giles Has A Chance To Become The No. 1 RB: Spurrier discounted Giles’ solid spring game performance by claiming many of his best runs came against second and third teamers on defense. While that might be true, Giles showed the shiftiness, elusiveness and the quick feet to become a quality SEC running back. In my opinion, Brian Maddox proved throughout spring practice that he’s the best running back right now and should remain atop the perch when pre-season camp begins. But if Giles has an excellent summer and remains committed to improving his weaknesses and learning the plays better (something he said he had to do), he’ll have a legitimate shot to steal Maddox’s thunder.
3. Stephon Gilmore Will Contribute Both Ways: Steve Spurrier’s fascination with mobile quarterbacks started in 2006 when Syvelle Newton used his quick feet to carry the USC offense on his back for a seven-week span. Gilmore has the talent to do the same thing for the Gamecocks, but on a far more limited scale. Garcia brings some of the same skill set with his mobility. But look for Gilmore, who quarterbacked South Pointe High School to the state title last December, to take multiple snaps throughout the games this upcoming season, just as he did on Saturday. But his main job will remain playing cornerback.
4. Depth In The Secondary Is A Concern: Ellis Johnson has talked about this since spring practice began. He is deeply concerned about the lack of depth in the secondary, particularly at the cornerback spot, caused by the departures of Captain Munnerlyn, Carlos Thomas and Stoney Woodson. It’s entirely possible that when the season opener rolls around on Sept. 3, three of the top four cornerbacks could be true freshmen. The most experienced cornerback is diminutive junior Addison Williams, but he struggled early on and was eventually beaten out by freshman Stephon Gilmore. The fourth cornerback right now is walk-on Cedric Snead. Johnson hopes C.C. Whitlock finds a way to make it back. If he doesn’t, a slew of newcomers in July could get a look.
5. Now The Hard Work Begins: Quarterbacks G.A. Mangus may have said it best on Saturday after the spring game - spring practice is now the opening act to summer workouts. The paranoid NCAA has gutted spring practice to such an extent that many coaches – including several at USC - feel its borderline useless. But one purpose spring practice serves is exposing what players need to work on. Take the quarterback position. Mangus wants Garcia to make “thousand of throws” over the course of the summer in order to improve enough to become a legitimate SEC quarterback. In short, skill position players have an opportunity to progress at an accelerated pace during the summer.
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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 @.