South Carolina Receiver Tori Gurley Has Nice Hands, But His Concentration Slips

Tori Gurley.

What a heck of a year you are having (in theory).  At 6'5", you have the frame of an elite wide receiver, and you have shown the potential to be Steven Garcia's go-to guy in South Carolina.

Your modest stat line (8 receptions, 80 yards, 1 touchdown) does not reflect the ability that you have shown in your first two games. 

It was amazing to watch you catch 34 touchdowns in one game against Georgia, only to have all of them called back due to stupid penalties by your teammates. 

Because I have been so impressed with Tori Gurley in the first few games, I sat down and watched the first two games over again, with the intention of breaking down the "what could have been" factor for this freshman receiver.

Stephen Garcia has looked his way many times this season.  That shows that Garcia (a redshirt sophomore) has a trust factor with Gurley.  He is going to continue to give him looks.  Gurley has brought down eight of these balls. 

What happened to the others?  Well, it breaks down quite simply.  Tori has had a case of the "freshman concentration breakdowns."  Seven of those balls were perfectly thrown strikes. 

Three of them could have been touchdowns, but they were called back.

Four of these balls (and these are the ones that hurt), could have been caught and were directly in Gurley's hands.  However, he has had a tough time making those concentration catches.  

He struggles to see through defensive backs and to the ball.  If a defensive back is close by, he seems to get the jitters. 

If he made plays on the tough catchable balls and his team cut down on the penalties, this could be his stat line. 

15 catches, 178 yards, and 4 touchdowns. 

If he learns to adjust to the ball, and concentrate to make the tough catches, he could be the receiver that makes South Carolina forget the names Sydney Rice, Kinney McKinnley, and Troy Williamson. 

He may even make them forget one Sterling Sharpe.

He has the physical skills to create magic every game, no doubt.  With at least two more seasons with Stephen Garcia at the helm, they could form a dynamic duo to lead Carolina into the elite of the SEC.