The competition to be South Carolina’s starting right tackle is so close that one play can make a difference.
It did Wednesday, on the third snap of the Gamecocks’ scrimmage, when defensive end Devin Taylor pushed sophomore tackle Cody Gibson back into quarterback Connor Shaw, forcing a drive-killing sack.
“I told (Gibson), ‘You are second team now. You did not play like I wanted you to play,’” offensive line coach Shawn Elliott said. “He understood that.”
Elliott demoted Gibson on the spot, moving sophomore Mike Matulis into the top position for the remainder of the scrimmage, and Matulis worked there Thursday morning. Matulis started five games in 2011, while Gibson started four.
“I expect a lot more out of (Gibson) if he wants to win that starting job,” Elliott said. “When it’s the first series of the game, we want to set the tempo. The first series of any game sets the tempo, and that’s not the tempo I wanted to set last night.” http://www.gogamecocks.com/2012/08/16/272306/practice-report-matulis-back-at.html
It did Wednesday, on the third snap of the Gamecocks’ scrimmage, when defensive end Devin Taylor pushed sophomore tackle Cody Gibson back into quarterback Connor Shaw, forcing a drive-killing sack.
“I told (Gibson), ‘You are second team now. You did not play like I wanted you to play,’” offensive line coach Shawn Elliott said. “He understood that.”
Elliott demoted Gibson on the spot, moving sophomore Mike Matulis into the top position for the remainder of the scrimmage, and Matulis worked there Thursday morning. Matulis started five games in 2011, while Gibson started four.
“I expect a lot more out of (Gibson) if he wants to win that starting job,” Elliott said. “When it’s the first series of the game, we want to set the tempo. The first series of any game sets the tempo, and that’s not the tempo I wanted to set last night.” http://www.gogamecocks.com/2012/08/16/272306/practice-report-matulis-back-at.html
