South Carolina Football 2010: Grading the Gamecocks' Positional Performance
South Carolina, as stated many times before, had a fantastic season.
In my initial preview of South Carolina, I gave each position a preseason grade.
How have they changed during the course of the season? Some groups surprised, while other groups disappointed.
Who will need to step up for the bowl game against Florida State and next year?
Quarterbacks
1 of 12
End of Season Grade: B
Preseason Grade: C+
Key Contributors: Stephen Garcia, Connor Shaw
Stephen Garcia proved that he was a solid SEC quarterback and will continue to grow as a senior. Connor Shaw showed flashes of being the next big thing in the SEC and contributed a great deal to the team with his running.
Still prone to mistakes, Garcia has a little ways to go before leading the position to an A+ rating.
Running Backs/Fullbacks
2 of 12
End of Season Grade: B+
Preseason Grade: B
Key Contributors: Marcus Lattimore, Brian Maddox, Patrick DiMarco
Marcus Lattimore is one of the greatest backs in college football as of right now. He is easily a top five back, more likely a top three.
Brian Maddox had some big runs for the team and ran hard as a senior. He deserves to be mentioned.
Kenny Miles disappeared, and Jarvis Giles literally disappeared. This would be an A if there was more production from Lattimore's backups.
Pat DiMarco played his usual role of bruising blocker. He also doubled as a tight end.
Wide Receivers
3 of 12
End of Season Grade: A+
Preseason Grade: A+
Key Contributors: Alshon Jeffery, Tori Gurley, Ace Sanders, D.L. Moore
This group had another tremendous year. Alshon Jeffery is considered an elite college football player, and Tori Gurley used his size to bring in four touchdowns.
Ace Sanders is explosive, and D.L. Moore showed signs of being the next Tori Gurley—only much faster.
That could be useful if the rumors regarding Gurley going pro are true.
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Tight Ends
4 of 12
End of Season Grade: C-
Preseason Grade: C
Key Contributors: Justice Cunningham, Patrick DiMarco
This group had a rough season in terms of production. Weslye Saunders being dismissed also lowered the score. He was missed.
However, the players blocked admirably, and DiMarco made a couple of big catches.
Offensive Line
5 of 12
End of Season Grade: B
Preseason Grade: D+
Key Contributors: Kyle Nunn, Jarriel King, Garrett Chisolm, Rokevious Watkins, T.J. Johnson, Hutch Eckerson
Initially, I assumed that the highly regarded freshman class would come in and take this underperforming group by storm.
However, all it took was a great coach. Shawn Elliot created a group of scrappers who played much better than usual. Even though they were thin in depth, they played admirably.
Defensive Ends
6 of 12
End of Season Grade: A+
Preseason Grade: B
Key Contributors: Devin Taylor, Cliff Matthews, Melvin Ingram
Can anybody in the SEC block these guys? Obviously not.
Well, maybe Auburn.
These boys exploded on the scene and helped lead the Gamecocks to an SEC "sack title."
Jadeveon Clowney, you're the next star of this group. Come on down.
Defensive Tackles
7 of 12
End of Season Grade: A+
Preseason Grade: B
Key Contributors: Ladi Ajiboye, Travian Robertson, Kenny Davis
This group turned in one of the most consistently dominant performances on the team. Not only did they produce sacks, but they stuffed the run as well.
South Carolina had the toughest defense in the SEC to run against.
Linebackers/Spurs
8 of 12
End of Season Grade: B
Preseason Grade: A
Key Contributors: Josh Dickerson, Rodney Paulk, Tony Straughter, Antonio Allen, Damario Jeffery
Losing Shaq Wilson to injury really hurt this group. This group was excellent in run support but absolutely inept at defending against the pass—which is strange, because this linebacker corps is based on speed.
Hopefully, with another year of training and work together and the hopeful return of Shaq Wilson (medical redshirt), they could be poised to have a big year in 2011.
Cornerbacks
9 of 12
End of Season Grade: D
Preseason Grade: B+
Key Contributors: Stephon Gilmore, C.C. Whitlock, Marty Markett, Chris Culliver
What happened to this group? They looked lost and completely unable to cover people. The selection of Stephon Gilmore to All-SEC teams surprises even the most diehard South Carolina fan.
There are some great defensive backs coming into the program next year. Hopefully they push the current starters.
Losing Chris Culliver to injury wasn't the best thing that happened to the team, but it did allow Marty Markett, a walk-on, to get playing time. He actually played well and turned into a pretty good story for the team.
Safeties
10 of 12
End of Season Grade: C-
Preseason Grade: B+
Key Contributors: Akeem Auguste, DeVonte Holloman, D.J. Swearinger
What is safety help? This should be the first question that these boys answer over the summer (preferably before the bowl game).
They get a higher grade than the corners because they seemed to make big plays when it counted. Still, a poor season.
One has to wonder...did the Akeem Auguste-Chris Culliver switch affect this group? It is a possibility.
Special Teams
11 of 12
End of Season Grade: C
Preseason Grade: C-
Key Contributors: Spencer Lanning, Bryce Sherman, Ace Sanders
The special teams unit improved on its coverage. That was big.
However, a failure to make any big plays in the return game and some spotty kicking from a generally reliable Spencer Lanning only made this a small improvement.
Conclusion
12 of 12
Most Improved: Offensive Line
Needs Improvement: Cornerbacks
Most Valuable: Wide Receivers
Underrated: Quarterbacks
The most improved group on the team is easily the offensive line. Coach Elliot has done a tremendous job and was a fantastic hire.
The cornerbacks have to step up next year, or the lofty goals that team will inherit from this year's squad will go unreached.
The wide receivers may be the best group in the SEC, and Stephen Garcia is one of the most underrated players in college football.
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