South Carolina scouting report
by Murray Poole
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Conference: SEC East
Enrollment: 30,000 (approx.)
Record: 1-0 after Saturday’s 56-37 opening win over East
Carolina.
Mascot: Cocky
Why South Carolina could win: The 12th-ranked
Gamecocks returned seven offensive starters and six defensive
regulars from last season’s SEC Eastern Division
championship squad, which went 9-5 including a 56-17
pounding by Auburn in the SEC title game and then a 26-
17 setback to Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. In junior
wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (5 catches for 92 yards in
opener) and sophomore tailback Marcus Lattimore (112
yards, 3 touchdowns in win over ECU), Carolina has two of
the best playmakers in the country and if ultra-troubled senior
quarterback Stephen Garcia, who came off the bench and rallied the Gamecocks to the opening win over East Carolina,
can have another solid performance then these Gamecocks are good enough on offense to beat Georgia and about
anybody else they encounter this season. And if top national recruit Jadeveon Clowney makes an instant impact for Carolina
at defensive end, as he’s expected to do, then the Gamecock defense, which is led by junior corner Stephon Gilmore,
senior tackles Travian Robertson and Melvin Ingram and junior end Devin Taylor, could indeed be tough to run against …
just like last year when the Gamecocks limited the Bulldogs to a pair of Blair Walsh field goals in Columbia.
Why South Carolina could lose: The Gamecocks will be facing a severely wounded Georgia team Saturday between
the hedges, one that will be determined to make amends for the opening loss to Boise State. And, as everyone knows,
a cornered Bulldog can be difficult to handle. Too, the Gamecock defense looked shaky at times in their opening victory
over East Carolina and if Aaron Murray and the Georgia offense can perform with consistency over an entire game – something
it couldn’t manage against the Broncos – then the Bulldogs could be 1-0 in the SEC late Saturday night.
What South Carolina’s coach is saying: “We need to tighten up and play a lot better next week,” Steve Spurrier said
after the win over ECU. “Overall, it was a pretty good opening game and nobody got hurt seriously. Hopefully, we can improve
from the first game to the second game and get ready for the Bulldogs next week.”
What South Carolina’s players are saying: “I was just playing the way I know how to play,” Garcia said, after passing
for 110 yards and running for two touchdowns in Carolina’s opening win last weekend. “I’m going to get chewed out
pretty hard for that first run I had (when he lowered his head and ran over an East Carolina defender), ducking my head
like I did, but I just felt like we needed a little spark and I felt like I needed to do that.”
What South Carolina’s fans are saying:“UGA will be a big challenge as usual, and if they don’t sputter after dropping
a tough one to us between the hedges, they’ll probably surprise some people and finish second in the East,” said one Gamecock
fan.
“UGA has talent, but their QB has to carry their team and we know that the QB can’t do it all,” said another. “The only
player on their team I would want is Murray! That says a lot.”
“If some of you cliff jumpers want to feel better (after early struggle with East Carolina),” declared still another avid Carolina
supporter, “UGA’s defensive line won’t be able to stop Lattimore either. UGA’s offensive line is in turmoil and will not
be able to keep Aaron Murray upright very long next Saturday. If the Gamecocks don’t turn the ball over, it’s 24-10, easy.”
Noteworthy: The Bulldogs still hold a commanding 46-15-2 advantage in the series with the Gamecocks, which dates
back to 1894. But the two teams have split the past four games, Georgia winning 14-7 in 2008 in Columbia and by 41-
37 in ’09 in Athens and the Gamecocks prevailing 16-12 in 2007 in Athens and by 17-6 last year in Columbia.
Tagged: uga football, south carolina football, georgia sports news, steve spurrier
