South Carolina Football: Does a QB Need to Emerge in the Spring Game?

South Carolina is a week away from its spring game, and head coach Steve Spurrier hasn't been pleased with the progress of his offense.

Following the second straight offensively challenged scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, the Head Ball Coach let it be known that there's still plenty of work to be done on that side of the ball.

Photo: John Whittle / 247Sports

"The offense didn't do much at all," Spurrier said in the post-scrimmage release. "But it was good practice. Nobody got hurt. None of the quarterbacks shined too much. It was not encouraging on the offensive side, but we've got one more week. Hopefully by the spring game time next week we'll throw some completions and look like we know what we're doing on offense."

According to stats released by the school, Connor Mitch finished 4-of-9 for 77 yards, one touchdown and a pick, Perry Orth was 4-of-6 for 29 yards and Michael Sarnecchia was 2-of-7 for 15 yards and a touchdown.

"Connor Mitch held the ball too much at times and threw late at times, as did all of them," Spurrier said in the release. "But the protection probably wasn't all that super at times either. Hopefully we can learn from it."

Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press

Is that Spurrier talking down his offense in classic Spurrier fashion in an attempt to keep the fire burning bright, or an indicator that the quarterbacks haven't progressed in a way that is suitable to Spurrier?

Perhaps the former.

According to JC Shurburtt of 247Sports.com—who was at Saturday's scrimmage, Mitch isn't only "the man," but an "upgrade" from former starter Dylan Thompson. 

"Mitch is faster than Thompson running the ball (he’s a lot like Stephen Garcia speed-wise, but not as fast as Connor Shaw) and has a better arm," wrote Shurburtt.

Is it necessary for South Carolina to settle on a signal-caller exiting spring practice?

Not at all, especially since you—yes, you sitting at home reading this who has never taken a college snap—have six fewer passing attempts that Mitch, South Carolina's most experienced passer.

Player	Year	Comp./Att.	Yds.	TDs	INTs
Connor Mitch	Sophomore (RS)	2-for-6	19	0	0
Perry Orth	Junior (RS)	1-for-3	5	0	0
Michael Sarnecchia	Freshman (RS)	-	-	-	-

This is the first true quarterback competition for all involved, so establishing a rough framework of the depth chart is all Spurrier and his staff needs once the spring game wraps up on Saturday. That will give players an idea of who their leaders will be, while avoiding any sense of complacency that could creep in by naming a true starter exiting spring practice.

There's no denying Mitch's talent.

The 20th-ranked pro-style passer in the class of 2013 had offers from all over the place, including Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and LSU, according to his 247Sports.com bio. One look at his high school highlights, and you can see that he has a big arm and doesn't lose accuracy when he takes something off.

But can he lead?

Thompson was already a season-veteran who had come in for former starter Connor Shaw in big spots—including a 310-yard performance on the road vs. Clemson in 2012—when he was anointed the starting quarterback in Columbia in January 2014.

Mitch doesn't have that. For the coaching staff to have full confidence in him, he needs to take the reins this summer, act like a veteran and rally the troops during "optional" workouts. That will be the final piece of the puzzle for Mitch and Spurrier's quest to find Thompson's replacement.

No matter what the quarterbacks look like during the spring football game, it's probably best for South Carolina if Spurrier waits to name a starter. The offense—as is the case with most schools—has been behind the defense so far this spring.

With so many new pieces around the quarterback—including a new-look offensive line and new No. 1 running back—Spurrier should let the battle simmer for a little while before settling on a starter.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.