Separating fact from fiction in South Carolina's spring game
March 31, 2018
The one great truth of spring football games – which honestly are only spring football practices with more pomp and circumstance – is that they tell lies.
Annually and all over the country, players star in spring games who will never make a significant contribution in the fall, and flashes of something from someone lead to proclamations of something that by July have been forgotten anyway. In short, if you saw Saturday’s work in Williams-Brice Stadium, whether it be in person or on the SEC Network television broadcast, you might have taken away some things you should leave behind.
For instance, Slade Carroll probably will not get more carries than any other player in a game in the fall, but he did Saturday, gaining 47 yards on 12 carries. Also, freshman quarterbacks Jay Urich and Dakereon Joyner won’t be playing as much as they did Saturday.
“Going to be good players,” Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp said of his young signal-callers. “The game’s got to slow down for them. Dakereon’s got to take care of the ball better in traffic situations, but I’m excited about both guys. Both guys will continue to progress.”
Urich, a redshirt freshman, was 3-for-11 for 20 yards with one interception. Joyner, an early enrollee freshman, was 1-for-5 for 25 yards and an interception and also fumbled once. Both players showed impressive athleticism and had long scrambles called back by penalties, but Muschamp declared after the game that senior Michael Scarnecchia is the team’s backup quarterback, putting to rest the eternal idea by fans everywhere that the newest quarterback on campus must be the best quarterback on campus.
“Michael Scarnecchia will be our backup quarterback,” Muschamp said. “He’s had a very good spring. He throws it extremely well. He’s got a very good grasp of what we’re doing offensively.”
Junior QB Jake Bentley completed 15-of-25 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Scarnecchia finished Saturday 9-of-20 for 146 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. (All the quarterbacks were victimized by dropped passes, of which Muschamp estimated after the game there were seven.)
“I know Jake’s the starter. I understand what my role in, and I’ll be ready whenever, whether we are blowing a team out or something happens for a play, I’ll be ready,” Scarnecchia said. “I want to help this team in any way I can. If that’s the backup, I’ll be ready and I’ll give everything I have for that.”
Speaking of everything they have, the Gamecocks did not show everything their new offense has Saturday. Muschamp made clear before the game they would not. While the pace was new, the plays were not. Schematic changes will be saved for the first two games of the season – against Coastal Carolina and then SEC East foe Georgia.
“There’s always room for improvement, but I have a good grasp of what we’re doing right now,” Bentley said. “As we continue to put more plays in and more things that we’re going to do … just continue to grow every day and get better.”
THE STATE
March 31, 2018
The one great truth of spring football games – which honestly are only spring football practices with more pomp and circumstance – is that they tell lies.
Annually and all over the country, players star in spring games who will never make a significant contribution in the fall, and flashes of something from someone lead to proclamations of something that by July have been forgotten anyway. In short, if you saw Saturday’s work in Williams-Brice Stadium, whether it be in person or on the SEC Network television broadcast, you might have taken away some things you should leave behind.
For instance, Slade Carroll probably will not get more carries than any other player in a game in the fall, but he did Saturday, gaining 47 yards on 12 carries. Also, freshman quarterbacks Jay Urich and Dakereon Joyner won’t be playing as much as they did Saturday.
“Going to be good players,” Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp said of his young signal-callers. “The game’s got to slow down for them. Dakereon’s got to take care of the ball better in traffic situations, but I’m excited about both guys. Both guys will continue to progress.”
Urich, a redshirt freshman, was 3-for-11 for 20 yards with one interception. Joyner, an early enrollee freshman, was 1-for-5 for 25 yards and an interception and also fumbled once. Both players showed impressive athleticism and had long scrambles called back by penalties, but Muschamp declared after the game that senior Michael Scarnecchia is the team’s backup quarterback, putting to rest the eternal idea by fans everywhere that the newest quarterback on campus must be the best quarterback on campus.
“Michael Scarnecchia will be our backup quarterback,” Muschamp said. “He’s had a very good spring. He throws it extremely well. He’s got a very good grasp of what we’re doing offensively.”
Junior QB Jake Bentley completed 15-of-25 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Scarnecchia finished Saturday 9-of-20 for 146 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. (All the quarterbacks were victimized by dropped passes, of which Muschamp estimated after the game there were seven.)
“I know Jake’s the starter. I understand what my role in, and I’ll be ready whenever, whether we are blowing a team out or something happens for a play, I’ll be ready,” Scarnecchia said. “I want to help this team in any way I can. If that’s the backup, I’ll be ready and I’ll give everything I have for that.”
Speaking of everything they have, the Gamecocks did not show everything their new offense has Saturday. Muschamp made clear before the game they would not. While the pace was new, the plays were not. Schematic changes will be saved for the first two games of the season – against Coastal Carolina and then SEC East foe Georgia.
“There’s always room for improvement, but I have a good grasp of what we’re doing right now,” Bentley said. “As we continue to put more plays in and more things that we’re going to do … just continue to grow every day and get better.”
THE STATE