Seven Questions I Asked While Talking To Myself
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, January 08, 2010
1. What’s Going On With Moe Brown?: First there was a supposed locker room confrontation between Brown and wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier, Jr. following the bowl game and now this June arrest for speeding and illegally carrying a weapon. I laughed when I first heard about the shouting match between Brown and Spurrier Jr. What did you expect? Brown was a senior playing his last game. Along with the rest of the offense, he played poorly against UConn. Did anyone truly expect a happy locker room after that abysmal performance? Of course not. In fact, I would have been more surprised if there hadn’t been an incident. Unfortunately, it looks like the team showed more passion in the post-game locker room than they did on the field during the game.
As for the “gun incident,” (that’s what a head-scratching newspaper headline actually stated) the charge of illegally carrying a weapon as dismissed about a month later when the court ruled the police conducted an improper search. In short, Moe Brown’s constitutional rights were violated by the Columbia police but none of the media reports I’ve read has mentioned that. In short, this case was about a speeding ticket, which, in my opinion, doesn’t justify the media hysteria we’ve seen the last couple of days.
2. What Must USC Do To Become An Elite SEC Team?: When the final SEC statistics are released in a few days, they’ll likely show the Gamecocks last in rushing offense. Again. USC will not become an elite SEC program until they find a way to run the football consistently. The numbers don’t lie. USC was 6-1 this season when they rushed for 100+ yards, 3-0 when they had 150+ yards rushing. Conversely, they were 1-5 when they gained fewer than 100 yards on the ground. Generally, you’ll find the same record with most teams around the nation. Teams that know how to run the football are usually successful more often than not.
What will it take accomplish that? A stud running back and a tougher, meaner offensive line. Marcus Lattimore could be the guy. As for the O-line, that’s why Shawn Elliott was hired. Changes could be in store at both positions in 2010.
3. Does USC Really Have A Chance To Land Sharrif Floyd?: You’re guess is as good as mine. It’s been a wild roller coaster ride of emotions, for sure, over the last several months, but the Gamecocks appear to still be inthe thickof the fight. I’m not sure how I would rate their chances at this point. But this quote by Floyd is encouraging: "I do know my decision. I think a lot of people are going to be shocked by my decision. I can't wait. It will be a lot of weight lifted off of my shoulders. Then I can talk about my school, sit back, relax and finish the rest of my senior year." If Floyd commits to USC, it would be the biggest recruiting upset of the 2010 cycle considering the main competition are national powers Ohio State and Florida. Whatever the outcome, G.A. Mangus deserves a lot of credit for bringing USC this far. They’ve got a shot.
4. Will Jarriel King Move To Defensive Line?: Possibly. You could make the argument King hasn’t developed into the dominating left tackle Steve Spurrier envisioned 18 months ago when King first arrived on campus. But he’s done OK. The biggest obstacle to any move across the line of scrimmage is the shortage of O-linemen in the spring. With Seaver Brown, Pierre Andrews and Kevin Young moving on, that leaves 10 available O-linemen and that’s if Terrence Campbell is ready to play, an iffy proposition at best.
At this point, I would consider it a more likely proposition for Steven Singleton to switch from defensive line back to offensive line to help alleviate the numbers crunch there than for King to move to D-line. But there's no question King would prefer to play D-line. He's said that since the first day he arrived.
5. Will USC Sign A Top 15 Recruiting Class?: It’s quite possible. There are still three five-star prospects left on USC’s board – RB Marcus Lattimore, DT Sharrif Floyd and DE J.R. Ferguson. Sign two of those three (Lattimore is the most likely to sign with USC at this time) and USC is assured of a Top 15 finish. But there are a large number of four-star recruits out there as well, including LB Justin Parker, WR Ace Sanders, OL Morgan Moses, DB Victor Hampton and LB Kendall Moore. There could be others as well. USC has four 4-star commitments right now, They could easily double that number by Signing Day.
6. Can The Basketball Team Make The NCAA Tournament Without Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes?: Very unlikely. The SEC wars begin Saturday in Auburn. We’ll find out a lot about this team between now and the end of the month. Home games with LSU, Vanderbilt and Kentucky will be difficult. But USC has proven they can win consistently at Colonial Life Arena under Darrin Horn. USC’s best hope to make the Big Dance is go 10-6 in the SEC and hope the conference RPI stays high. Win most of the home games, steal a few on the road and USC should be a bubble team.
The smaller lineup Horn introduced the other night against Longwood appears to be USC’s best option. But it was Longwood. The Gamecocks will probably be outrebounded nearly every night in league play. So they must concentrate on limiting turnovers and creating some of their own.
7. How Will The USC Baseball Team Do This Year?: Cautious optimism is rolling through Carolina Stadium. Ray Tanner acknowledged in November following the conclusion of fall practice that the Gamecocks have enough talent to contend for one of the coveted eight spots in Omaha. But some of that talent is young and untested. Front line pitchers Sam Dyson and Blake Cooper must have big years with few wasted starts. Nick Ebert must be eligible to play. The pitching depth appears to be much better than 2009, and that will be the key to a lengthy stay in the NCAA Tournament. Another 40-plus win year? It looks like it. And the beat goes on.
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It’s January. It’s cold. Alabama has won the national championship, defending the SEC's honor against Texas at the Rose Bowl Thursday night. Here are seven questions I’ve asked myself over the last few days:
1. What’s Going On With Moe Brown?: First there was a supposed locker room confrontation between Brown and wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier, Jr. following the bowl game and now this June arrest for speeding and illegally carrying a weapon. I laughed when I first heard about the shouting match between Brown and Spurrier Jr. What did you expect? Brown was a senior playing his last game. Along with the rest of the offense, he played poorly against UConn. Did anyone truly expect a happy locker room after that abysmal performance? Of course not. In fact, I would have been more surprised if there hadn’t been an incident. Unfortunately, it looks like the team showed more passion in the post-game locker room than they did on the field during the game.
As for the “gun incident,” (that’s what a head-scratching newspaper headline actually stated) the charge of illegally carrying a weapon as dismissed about a month later when the court ruled the police conducted an improper search. In short, Moe Brown’s constitutional rights were violated by the Columbia police but none of the media reports I’ve read has mentioned that. In short, this case was about a speeding ticket, which, in my opinion, doesn’t justify the media hysteria we’ve seen the last couple of days.
2. What Must USC Do To Become An Elite SEC Team?: When the final SEC statistics are released in a few days, they’ll likely show the Gamecocks last in rushing offense. Again. USC will not become an elite SEC program until they find a way to run the football consistently. The numbers don’t lie. USC was 6-1 this season when they rushed for 100+ yards, 3-0 when they had 150+ yards rushing. Conversely, they were 1-5 when they gained fewer than 100 yards on the ground. Generally, you’ll find the same record with most teams around the nation. Teams that know how to run the football are usually successful more often than not.
What will it take accomplish that? A stud running back and a tougher, meaner offensive line. Marcus Lattimore could be the guy. As for the O-line, that’s why Shawn Elliott was hired. Changes could be in store at both positions in 2010.
3. Does USC Really Have A Chance To Land Sharrif Floyd?: You’re guess is as good as mine. It’s been a wild roller coaster ride of emotions, for sure, over the last several months, but the Gamecocks appear to still be inthe thickof the fight. I’m not sure how I would rate their chances at this point. But this quote by Floyd is encouraging: "I do know my decision. I think a lot of people are going to be shocked by my decision. I can't wait. It will be a lot of weight lifted off of my shoulders. Then I can talk about my school, sit back, relax and finish the rest of my senior year." If Floyd commits to USC, it would be the biggest recruiting upset of the 2010 cycle considering the main competition are national powers Ohio State and Florida. Whatever the outcome, G.A. Mangus deserves a lot of credit for bringing USC this far. They’ve got a shot.
4. Will Jarriel King Move To Defensive Line?: Possibly. You could make the argument King hasn’t developed into the dominating left tackle Steve Spurrier envisioned 18 months ago when King first arrived on campus. But he’s done OK. The biggest obstacle to any move across the line of scrimmage is the shortage of O-linemen in the spring. With Seaver Brown, Pierre Andrews and Kevin Young moving on, that leaves 10 available O-linemen and that’s if Terrence Campbell is ready to play, an iffy proposition at best.
At this point, I would consider it a more likely proposition for Steven Singleton to switch from defensive line back to offensive line to help alleviate the numbers crunch there than for King to move to D-line. But there's no question King would prefer to play D-line. He's said that since the first day he arrived.
5. Will USC Sign A Top 15 Recruiting Class?: It’s quite possible. There are still three five-star prospects left on USC’s board – RB Marcus Lattimore, DT Sharrif Floyd and DE J.R. Ferguson. Sign two of those three (Lattimore is the most likely to sign with USC at this time) and USC is assured of a Top 15 finish. But there are a large number of four-star recruits out there as well, including LB Justin Parker, WR Ace Sanders, OL Morgan Moses, DB Victor Hampton and LB Kendall Moore. There could be others as well. USC has four 4-star commitments right now, They could easily double that number by Signing Day.
6. Can The Basketball Team Make The NCAA Tournament Without Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes?: Very unlikely. The SEC wars begin Saturday in Auburn. We’ll find out a lot about this team between now and the end of the month. Home games with LSU, Vanderbilt and Kentucky will be difficult. But USC has proven they can win consistently at Colonial Life Arena under Darrin Horn. USC’s best hope to make the Big Dance is go 10-6 in the SEC and hope the conference RPI stays high. Win most of the home games, steal a few on the road and USC should be a bubble team.
The smaller lineup Horn introduced the other night against Longwood appears to be USC’s best option. But it was Longwood. The Gamecocks will probably be outrebounded nearly every night in league play. So they must concentrate on limiting turnovers and creating some of their own.
7. How Will The USC Baseball Team Do This Year?: Cautious optimism is rolling through Carolina Stadium. Ray Tanner acknowledged in November following the conclusion of fall practice that the Gamecocks have enough talent to contend for one of the coveted eight spots in Omaha. But some of that talent is young and untested. Front line pitchers Sam Dyson and Blake Cooper must have big years with few wasted starts. Nick Ebert must be eligible to play. The pitching depth appears to be much better than 2009, and that will be the key to a lengthy stay in the NCAA Tournament. Another 40-plus win year? It looks like it. And the beat goes on.
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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 @.