Five Predictions For The USC-SC State Game
posted by Scott Hood, Saturday, October 03, 2009
1. USC Will Set A Season High In Sacks: The Gamecocks had six against NC State in the season. If Eric Norwood and Cliff Matthews charge off the edge as aggressively as they did against Ole Miss, the Gamecocks should be able to exceed their season high in sacks. S.C. State has some big O-linemen, but it’s questionable whether they possess the mobility to stop two of the best pass rushers in the country. Norwood has already established the school record for sacks and Matthews is capable of picking a sack or two every game.
2. Reid McCollum Will Attempt At Least Five Passes: A week ago, McCollum was so sick he couldn’t dress for the Ole Miss game. Now, after taking most of the practice snaps while Stephen Garcia was careful not to do too much with his bruised ribs, McCollum is ready for the first significant action of his career. Spurrier said this week he might toss McCollum into the game even if the score is close. Garcia’s injury shows USC must develop a reliable backup QB. Right now, McCollum is by far the best option for that job. He’s thrown one pass this season but needs more work. After today, USC plays five straight games against SEC opponents. McCollum must be ready.
3. Kenny Miles And Jarvis Giles Will Each Rush For At Least 75 Yards: The freshmen have taken over the running back position, forcing Brian Maddox to third-string. But, the reality is the young players have been more productive when they’ve carried the ball. That’s why they’re 1-2 on the depth chart. Miles is averaging exactly six yards every time he runs with the football, Giles 5.6 yards. Maddox has a 2.6 yards per carry average. I look for Miles and Giles to share the carried in this game. Spurrier said Maddox would join the party later, but if the freshmen are productive, that may not happen.
4. OL Garrett Chisolm Will Play At Least 10 Snaps: With each passing day this week, the legend of walk-on Garrett Chisolm grew by leaps and bounds. No one has spoken to the guy because we haven’t been allowed to. But Spurrier has vowed the 6-foot-6, 290 pound Charleston native will play against SC State even if he has to put him into the game himself. Amazingly, Chisolm has been with the program for only about six weeks but has already jumped over a number of players who have been involved with the program for two or three years. This game against a Div. I-AA opponent will provide a good test run for Chisolm to see if he can hold up against SEC defensive linemen.
5. USC Will Score A Special Teams Touchdown: It hasn’t happened since 2003 when Chavez Donnings returned a punt for a TD against Florida but USC has come close on a number of occasions, especially on kickoffs. Question is, who will take it to the house? Will it be Chris Culliver, who’s close to setting a new school record for receiving yardage, or walk-on freshman sensation Bryce Sherman, who handled kickoff return duties last week? Either one possesses the speed it takes to go all the way.
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South Carolina squares off with SC State Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Here are five things I predict will happen in the game:
1. USC Will Set A Season High In Sacks: The Gamecocks had six against NC State in the season. If Eric Norwood and Cliff Matthews charge off the edge as aggressively as they did against Ole Miss, the Gamecocks should be able to exceed their season high in sacks. S.C. State has some big O-linemen, but it’s questionable whether they possess the mobility to stop two of the best pass rushers in the country. Norwood has already established the school record for sacks and Matthews is capable of picking a sack or two every game.
2. Reid McCollum Will Attempt At Least Five Passes: A week ago, McCollum was so sick he couldn’t dress for the Ole Miss game. Now, after taking most of the practice snaps while Stephen Garcia was careful not to do too much with his bruised ribs, McCollum is ready for the first significant action of his career. Spurrier said this week he might toss McCollum into the game even if the score is close. Garcia’s injury shows USC must develop a reliable backup QB. Right now, McCollum is by far the best option for that job. He’s thrown one pass this season but needs more work. After today, USC plays five straight games against SEC opponents. McCollum must be ready.
3. Kenny Miles And Jarvis Giles Will Each Rush For At Least 75 Yards: The freshmen have taken over the running back position, forcing Brian Maddox to third-string. But, the reality is the young players have been more productive when they’ve carried the ball. That’s why they’re 1-2 on the depth chart. Miles is averaging exactly six yards every time he runs with the football, Giles 5.6 yards. Maddox has a 2.6 yards per carry average. I look for Miles and Giles to share the carried in this game. Spurrier said Maddox would join the party later, but if the freshmen are productive, that may not happen.
4. OL Garrett Chisolm Will Play At Least 10 Snaps: With each passing day this week, the legend of walk-on Garrett Chisolm grew by leaps and bounds. No one has spoken to the guy because we haven’t been allowed to. But Spurrier has vowed the 6-foot-6, 290 pound Charleston native will play against SC State even if he has to put him into the game himself. Amazingly, Chisolm has been with the program for only about six weeks but has already jumped over a number of players who have been involved with the program for two or three years. This game against a Div. I-AA opponent will provide a good test run for Chisolm to see if he can hold up against SEC defensive linemen.
5. USC Will Score A Special Teams Touchdown: It hasn’t happened since 2003 when Chavez Donnings returned a punt for a TD against Florida but USC has come close on a number of occasions, especially on kickoffs. Question is, who will take it to the house? Will it be Chris Culliver, who’s close to setting a new school record for receiving yardage, or walk-on freshman sensation Bryce Sherman, who handled kickoff return duties last week? Either one possesses the speed it takes to go all the way.
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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 @.