ESPN Thursday College Football: South Carolina Primed For An Upset?

James BrownAug 29, 2010

The college football season kicks off this Thursday night when the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles travel to play South Carolina Gamecocks. This game will be televised on ESPN.

The oddsmakers at Bet Mania have posted the line and they have South Carolina as 14 point favorites and the total at 47 points. South Carolina is a hefty favorite for a reason, but they should approach this game cautiously, or the Golden Eagles could spring the upset.

South Carolina Distractions

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South Carolina has a game against the Georgia Bulldogs, an SEC rival, following this meeting. If this was not a nationally televised game to kick off the season, the Gamecocks could be accused of looking past the Eagles. The Gamecocks do enter this game with question marks on, and off the football field, staring with injuries.

Projected starting outside linebacker and USC’s leading tackler last season, Shaq Wilson, is expected to miss the game on Thursday night. He has been sidelined with a sore hamstring and it is unlikely that head coach Steve Spurrier will force him into action. “He might be able to play a few plays, I don’t know,” Spurrier said. “If he’s not 100 percent, we won’t play him. He hasn’t practiced all (camp).”

Quarterback Quandry

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Another quandary that is surrounding the team is the quarterback battle between Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw. Spurrier is in favor of giving both of the quarterbacks playing time and letting the hot hand stay in the game.

“They’re about the same. Both of them are going to play,” Spurrier said. “If one is playing better, he’ll probably play most of it.”

Garcia will probably see the bulk of action on Thursday night because Shaw is a freshman and has yet to take a snap. The coaches rave about his work ethic and his progress at the quarterback position, but it’s easy to see where playing in front of 70,000 rabid fans on national television could get a bit overwhelming. Spurrier likes to take a mysterious approach to the way he handles his quarterbacks so don’t be surprised if Shaw starts the game, but except the majority of the plays to be called by Garcia.

Golden Eagles "D"

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The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles have been known in the past for their ferocious blitzing style of defense, but last year it was a different story. They ranked near the bottom in most defensive categories and they look for an upgrade this year. Golden Eagles defensive coordinator Todd Bradford is using a unique approach in rotating defenders in out of the game to start the improvement process.

“We’re going to take 11 (defensive linemen) to the game and play all of them,” said Bradford. “They’re the strength of our team. They have the most snaps under their belts — we’re talking thousands of plays when you add all those guys up together. We need them to play well.

This will allow the defense to be well rested and to get the most out of the strength of his team, the defensive front. The defense returns nine starters and will be ready to go this year. Last year the offense picked up the slack for the defense and this year they should be even better.

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Golden Eagles Offense

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Golden Eagles Head Coach Larry Fedora, loves to run a high tempo, spread formation offense that attacks on nearly every play. The Eagles were 18th in scoring offense last season and return many of the main cogs from that offense in 2010.

That offense includes one of the deadliest wide outs in the game in DeAndre Brown. Austin Davis returns at quarterback after sitting out most of last year with an injury. Martevious Young filled his shoes admirably last year and gives Fedora depth at the quarterback position. The offensive line needs some work as they replace four starters from a year ago, but a quick strike offense will allow them some breathing room as they gain experience.