South Carolina Football: Winners and Losers from Gamecocks' 2013 Spring Game

The South Carolina Gamecocks took the field at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday for the annual Garnet and Black spring game to showcase the team's progress so far this spring.  

With questions to be answered about the running game, wide receivers, linebackers and more, head coach Steve Spurrier utilized various sets and experimented with players from all over the depth chart.  

The Black team defeated the Garnet team 44-30 in a game filled with offensive success and defensive struggles, especially in the secondary.  

Some players stepped up and positioned themselves for a higher spot on the depth chart, while others failed to rise up to the challenge.

Here are the winners and losers from the 2013 South Carolina Gamecocks' Garnet and Black spring game.  

Loser: Kendric Salley

With the loss of star running back Marcus Lattimore, the Gamecocks need to find a successor.  

South Carolina is unlikely to have one premier back, so multiple running backs have a chance at a significant role in the rushing attack.  

Redshirt freshman Kendric Salley entered the spring as the third running back on the spring depth chart, and the spring game presented him with an opportunity to prove his worth.  

Unfortunately, Salley was not impressive, as he failed to break tackles and did not show his running talents.  Salley has similar skills to those of Mike Davis, though Salley looked a bit off in the spring game.  

He struggled to find holes except for a five-yard touchdown run where he was completely untouched thanks to spectacular blocking on the play.  

Salley still has a lot of upside, but he did not bring his best game to the field on Saturday.  

Winner: Mike Davis

Sophomore running back Mike Davis is in the heat of a position battle with redshirt sophomore Brandon Wilds for the coveted No. 1 slot on the running back depth chart.  

Wilds ran the ball well, as he utilized his power-running skills and interior patience to wait for blocks to open up.  Even though Wilds played well, Davis overshadowed him.

Davis bounced left and right off of tackles, showed his speed, slid between the blocks and also bounced outside.  

Beyond the run game, Davis also picked up the slack in an important part of the South Carolina offense—the receiving game out of the backfield.  

Davis had a 25-yard scamper for a touchdown where he broke free into space, eluded a tackle and took off into the end zone.  

In a game where the power-running game looked very solid with both Davis and Wilds, Davis separated himself as a more fluid back who has the versatility to do everything needed in the offense.

Wilds will still have a major role in the offense, but Davis was the true winner of the spring game.   

Loser: Shamier Jeffery

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shamier Jeffery is trying to gain an increased role in the passing game, as he has seen very limited action so far in his young career.  

Entering the spring game, Jeffery was considered to be in a position battle with sophomore Shaq Roland, but Roland separated himself from the pack. 

By taking advantage of loose coverage, Jeffery was able to snag some short passes and had a good chance at hauling in a touchdown in the corner.  Yet, other than the open catches, Jeffery did not do enough to stay in contention with Roland for a major role in the offense.  

With an early drop and a stumble while coming out of a catch, Jeffery did improve as the game went on, but he did not provide enough to keep pace with Roland.  

Roland won in the spring game, and in turn, Jeffery lost out.  He will still see playing time this fall, but not to the capacity once thought.  

Winner: Chaz Elder

In a game marred by poor play in the secondary, redshirt freshman free safety Chaz Elder was the spring game's lone bright spot among the defensive backs.  

Elder is competing for a slot in the rotation at free safety and potentially the starting role.  

He started his college career at cornerback but is now finding a home roaming the deep field as a free safety after switching to the position this spring.

Elder started off the game by putting his speed on display, as he hawked a ball thrown by Dylan Thompson that floated over the middle for an interception.  His positioning and closing speed to make the play were very impressive, as well as his return after the pick for 44 yards.

Elder nearly snagged a second interception a little later in the game and continued to maintain his coverages and secure the top of the defense.  

Overall, the secondary played poorly, but Elder played at a very high level and should continue to push for a chance to start at free safety this fall.   

Loser: D.J. Park

The Gamecocks need younger offensive linemen to step up and be ready to play when called upon this season.  

The depth chart will consist of young talented players, and one of them is freshman D.J. Park.

Park is a highly touted offensive guard recruit who has impressive size and instincts and will become a solid contributor to the offensive line in the future. 

Though, Park did not prove that he is ready to play after his spring game performance.  

A combination of poor lateral movement and an inability to get out of his stance quickly doomed Park as he attempted to stop the defensive pass rush.  

Park probably would not have seen a significant role on the line this season, but his spring game performance is a bit concerning, as it shows that Park still has a lot of work to do in order to reach his potential and be a consistent contributor on the line.  

Winner: The Tight Ends

South Carolina's tight ends stole the show during Saturday's spring game. 

As Spurrier shifts toward an offense that will utilize tight ends more, junior Rory "Busta" Anderson and sophomore Jerell Adams proved why they are so important to the Gamecocks offense.  

Anderson split the defense on multiple seam routes and was nearly impossible for the defense to match up with.  His size, athleticism and football instincts are too much for defenses to deal with, and an impressive spring game shows how big of an impact he will have this fall.  

Even more impressive than Anderson was Adams, who caught two touchdown passes.  

Adams plays like a huge wide receiver who has the speed to beat coverages in a footrace and the size to battle for jump balls.  

Adams played for both teams throughout the game and racked up the receiving yards.  

It is no wonder that Spurrier wants to work two-tight end sets into the offense.  After all, Anderson and Adams dominated and were the biggest winners for South Carolina in the spring game.