The University of South Carolina football team held its first scrimmage of the spring recently at Williams-Brice Stadium. Lots of good vibes coming from the camp as the team is working towards a BCS berth in 2012.
To realize the dream of BCS glory in 2012, this squad has to determine which talented players are ready to step up and continue the Gamecocks momentum after a 11-win 2011 season.
Here are five quick impressions from the recent scrimmage:
As with any spring football session, the likely starters are limited to protect them and allow some of the reserves get reps.
In this spring scrimmage, the Gamecocks saw action from five different quarterbacks, 10 different players had carries and a dozen players had catches. That shows this team is deep but which of those will push for playing time in 2012? There lies the question that has to be determined, and that is a good problem for USC to have.
It is safe to say that the Gamecocks are not going to experience a decline in production from their defensive line in 2012 as they are just nasty.
In the spring game, the Gamecocks coaches had to hold back the pressure from the defensive line. Don't be surprised in 2012 when you hear a lot of talk about how good the line is with Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor pacing the unit.
Alshon Jeffery has left the Gamecocks to pursue his NFL dreams. His departure leaves a huge void in the receiving corps for USC, but rest assured that Coach Spurrier has the situation under control.
The fact is that the Gamecocks can not replace a player like Jeffery as he was a special talent. What USC can do is allow one of the deepest receiving corps to perform and meet the need. This is evidenced by 12 players getting into the stat sheet during the scrimmage recently.
Speaking of which, here is the receiving stats so you can see that many wide outs will play a factor in the BCS pursuit this upcoming season:
RECEIVING: Lamar Scruggs 6-52; Drew Owens 4-44; K.J. Brent 2-52, 1 TD; Corey Simmons 2-25; Dwayne Duckett 2-8; Blair Lowery 1-24; Kelvin Rainey 1-17; Brandon Wilds 1-12; DeAngelo Smith 1-10; Cody Gilbert 1-6; Sidney Rhodes 1-4; Riley Gallaher 1-0. TOTALS: 23-254, 1 TD.
Take these guys with the freshmen coming this fall to the team, and the Gamecocks offense is going to be hard to stop.
The South Carolina Gamecocks should think about using a two-tight end set like the New England Patriots did with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
In Saturday’s scrimmage, Drew Owens caught four passes for 44 yards. Backup Corey Simmons had two catches for 25 yards, including one of the highlight-reel grabs going over a defender along the sideline and coming down in bounds.
Justice Cunningham played sparingly but did not have a catch. Buster Anderson is currently out with a sprained ankle. Not eye-popping stats, but just having so many options is a good problem to have at this position in the SEC.
This unit is deep and very talented with the above mentioned players but also two others, Kelvin Rainey and Jerell Adams. With potential like this, Coach Spurrier needs to find ways to get these playmakers on the field.
Connor Shaw is having a strong spring as he shows that he is the leader of the team and has command of the pocket.
His 2011 campaign, after assuming the role of starter due to the untimely departure of Stephen Garcia, was stellar. Now he is proving it was not a one-hit wonder.
Shaw was only 4-for-8 in passing that yielded 72 yards, but he did impress on a 34-yard strike to K.J. Brent for a touchdown.
A maturing Shaw, combined with a eager Steve Spurrier, should make the 2012 march towards the BCS fun to watch.
LINK: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1125172-south-carolina-football-5-impressions-from-the-first-spring-2012-scrimmage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=south-carolina-football#/articles/1125172-south-carolina-football-5-impressions-from-the-first-spring-2012-scrimmage
To realize the dream of BCS glory in 2012, this squad has to determine which talented players are ready to step up and continue the Gamecocks momentum after a 11-win 2011 season.
Here are five quick impressions from the recent scrimmage:
As with any spring football session, the likely starters are limited to protect them and allow some of the reserves get reps.
In this spring scrimmage, the Gamecocks saw action from five different quarterbacks, 10 different players had carries and a dozen players had catches. That shows this team is deep but which of those will push for playing time in 2012? There lies the question that has to be determined, and that is a good problem for USC to have.
It is safe to say that the Gamecocks are not going to experience a decline in production from their defensive line in 2012 as they are just nasty.
In the spring game, the Gamecocks coaches had to hold back the pressure from the defensive line. Don't be surprised in 2012 when you hear a lot of talk about how good the line is with Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor pacing the unit.
Alshon Jeffery has left the Gamecocks to pursue his NFL dreams. His departure leaves a huge void in the receiving corps for USC, but rest assured that Coach Spurrier has the situation under control.
The fact is that the Gamecocks can not replace a player like Jeffery as he was a special talent. What USC can do is allow one of the deepest receiving corps to perform and meet the need. This is evidenced by 12 players getting into the stat sheet during the scrimmage recently.
Speaking of which, here is the receiving stats so you can see that many wide outs will play a factor in the BCS pursuit this upcoming season:
RECEIVING: Lamar Scruggs 6-52; Drew Owens 4-44; K.J. Brent 2-52, 1 TD; Corey Simmons 2-25; Dwayne Duckett 2-8; Blair Lowery 1-24; Kelvin Rainey 1-17; Brandon Wilds 1-12; DeAngelo Smith 1-10; Cody Gilbert 1-6; Sidney Rhodes 1-4; Riley Gallaher 1-0. TOTALS: 23-254, 1 TD.
Take these guys with the freshmen coming this fall to the team, and the Gamecocks offense is going to be hard to stop.
The South Carolina Gamecocks should think about using a two-tight end set like the New England Patriots did with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
In Saturday’s scrimmage, Drew Owens caught four passes for 44 yards. Backup Corey Simmons had two catches for 25 yards, including one of the highlight-reel grabs going over a defender along the sideline and coming down in bounds.
Justice Cunningham played sparingly but did not have a catch. Buster Anderson is currently out with a sprained ankle. Not eye-popping stats, but just having so many options is a good problem to have at this position in the SEC.
This unit is deep and very talented with the above mentioned players but also two others, Kelvin Rainey and Jerell Adams. With potential like this, Coach Spurrier needs to find ways to get these playmakers on the field.
Connor Shaw is having a strong spring as he shows that he is the leader of the team and has command of the pocket.
His 2011 campaign, after assuming the role of starter due to the untimely departure of Stephen Garcia, was stellar. Now he is proving it was not a one-hit wonder.
Shaw was only 4-for-8 in passing that yielded 72 yards, but he did impress on a 34-yard strike to K.J. Brent for a touchdown.
A maturing Shaw, combined with a eager Steve Spurrier, should make the 2012 march towards the BCS fun to watch.
LINK: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1125172-south-carolina-football-5-impressions-from-the-first-spring-2012-scrimmage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=south-carolina-football#/articles/1125172-south-carolina-football-5-impressions-from-the-first-spring-2012-scrimmage