South Carolina Football 2011: 2 Keys Shake Up Gamecocks' Season

For South Carolina fans, this is the team. 

THIS is the year.

In the Sports Illustrated College Football Preview issue, writer Brian Hendrickson says of the Gamecocks: “A problem has stalked Steve Spurrier during this time at South Carolina. The Gamecocks can win big games but they struggle to handle success.”

As one who has followed this program from near and far for almost 40 years, that statement has always been true of South Carolina.  And it changes—permanently—this year.

In 2010, the Gamecocks won the SEC East with a 9-5 record, 5-3 in conference. Carolina took down three vulnerable division foes—Georgia, Florida and Tennessee—and also beat Alabama. 

Sports Illustrated has the Gamecocks No. 7 in preseason. Sporting News, No. 9. Associated Press, No. 12. Lindy’s says No. 11. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has the Gamecocks No. 14. For those of you who read Playboy for the cultural information, Carolina is No. 8.

The Gamecocks have never been this well-thought of in the preseason. People in these parts are pretty confident of another SEC East title. Fewer folks, but you can hear them, say “SEC title and a BCS game.” Only a courageous few dare say “national championship.” RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery will get Heisman consideration.

If we are talking about the reality of it all in January, two things must happen for this team: They need a fast start and they need to stay healthy.

They open Sept. 3 against East Carolina in Charlotte, which will be a good test.

The Pirates swooned late last year to finish 6-7, losing big to Maryland in the Military Bowl.  The defense gave up 44 points and 479 yards per game. The Pirate offensive line must replace three starters from a unit that gave up only 15 passing sacks last year, paved the way for 119 rush yards per game and enabled quarterback Dominique Davis to set school records in seasonal passing yards and touchdowns.  Preseason talk says the Pirates should be better, but may be only 50-50 for another bowl trip. 

If the expectations are real, if the dreams are to be realized, this is a perfect season-opening, make-a-statement game for South Carolina.  Jeffery and Lattimore need to come out on fire.

The Gamecock defensive front (Melvin Ingram, Devin Taylor, Travian Robertson) is generally recognized as the best in the SEC. Add freshman phenom Jadeveon Clowney to that mix, sooner rather than later, and this front can be one of the nation’s best.  The Gamecocks will be favored by at least two touchdowns but should win by more.

The Gamecocks go to Georgia on Sept. 10.  Sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray and a top-flight recruiting class will make Georgia better than last year’s 6-7 record.  Georgia opens its season this weekend against Boise State at the Chick-Fil-A Classic in Atlanta. The Broncos are picked by many as a preseason Top 5 and BCS bowl player. They also knock off BCS big boys regularly in season openers.

The tone of South Carolina’s season is regularly set by the outcome of the Georgia game.  Traditionally, if Carolina loses, they might win seven.  If they lose this one, the SEC East becomes a season-long slug fest. The guess here is that Georgia plays tough in their first two games, but is not quite ready yet. The Gamecocks win a close one. 

The second issue these Gamecocks must overcome is the ability to stay healthy.  The front-line players are first-rate and the reserves are talented but largely unproven. Lattimore missed half the Kentucky game last year, all of the Vanderbilt game and got knocked out early in the bowl game against Florida State—and USC struggled mightily each time. Alshon Jeffery might be the nation’s best receiver, but the Gamecocks need additional options to get to where they want to go. 

Despite the talk of quarterback competition, Stephen Garcia has to be the starter over Connor Shaw.  All this drama surrounding the quarterbacks is to raise the play of both, giving Steve Spurrier a one-two punch he has never had in Columbia, but had regularly at Florida.

Defensively, the case is the same. In the backfield, Stephon Gilmore is one of the nation’s best.  Ingram, Taylor, Robertson, and (eventually) Clowney form the SEC’s best defensive front, but again the backups are largely untested. 

The Gamecocks will get their 2-0 start and get a handle on the expectations and the success. If they stay healthy, the Gamecocks might be making some history in January.