2009 NCAA - South Carolina
For the second straight season, South Carolina fizzled down the stretch in 2008. The Gamecocks finished with three straight defeats after a 7-3 start. Margin of defeat? 118-30. Fifth-year coach Steve Spurrier has recruited well enough to be in position to compete in the SEC East, but getting his players to translate on the field has not happened yet. 'The Visor' now will give it a go with six new assistant coaches, just 11 returning starters and seven scholarship seniors. USC also lost only 12 starts to injury and scored just 20.8 ppg, which would have to qualify as Spurrier's worst offensive season in college since at least the Duke days of the 1980s. On the positive side, there's nowhere to go but up with the rush offense, which was dead last in the league, averaging just 88 ypg. With no infantry unit, it was easy for opponents to hone in on the pass, and overmatched freshman Stephen Garcia obliged, tossing EIGHT interceptions in just 65 attempts. He'll be the starter come fall, and there is no Division I-A experience behind him.
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South Carolina
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Four other starters return on offense, including three linemen. Four running backs figure to fight for time at TB, and there is healthy depth at WR. On the other side, six starters return to the aggressive 4-2-5, which was much better against the run in 2008 (only 3.6 ypc). The Gamecocks blitzed frequently, which helped them amass 31 sacks, but there isn't much depth in the young secondary, which could lead to more zone coverage if the starters show some attrition. Standout kicker Ryan Succop must also be replaced. |
ASK the bookie? - Two tough road games out of the box (at N.C. State and Georgia) will tell Spurrier a lot of what he needs to know. Four straight home games should allow USC to once again get on the cusp of bowl eligibility. But this could turn into 2007 and 2008 all over again, as the Gamecocks figure to be favored in no more than two of their final six games. Could this be Spurrier's first losing season?
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