M
Matt OBrien
Guest
Good morning Gamecock fans -
Football season is right around the corner (finally!) and hope you're all excited for this year's squad. Though there's a tough schedule, I believe this is the best team Coach Muschamp has fielded so far as he enters his fourth season as Head Coach.
Rather than deep dive into my thoughts on the team overall, I thought I'd share my headlines on each position group or area. We did a similar exercise at work for one of our upcoming projects and I think it translates well to previewing a team, as well.
Since I am just posting a few lines for each area and not mentioning the full depth charts, I'm looking forward to discussion from everyone!
Thank you
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Quarterback: Jake Bentley enters his final season and the Gamecocks need a strong, steady campaign from the signal-caller to navigate a brutal schedule. Bentley doesn't need to put up huge numbers like he did against Clemson in 2018, but he will need to show more consistency and limit his turnovers. With three marquee match ups on this year's schedule (Bama, UGA, Clemson), Bentley has tough opportunities to finally get a signature win to add to his legacy.
Running Back: Rico Dowdle has not been able to stay healthy and reach his potential, while AJ Turner and Mon Denson never quite found their way into the rotation consistently. Tavien Feaster also joins the group and could very well be the perimeter threat we've been looking for. With a new RB Coach and a level fight for carries, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kevin Harris find his way onto the field. If Coach Brown can get each of these guys into a good rotation based on skill-set, I wouldn't be surprised if RB ends up being a solid position for the squad in 2019. Still, there's a lot to sell recruits on based on talent on roster.
Wide Receiver: Bryan Edwards and Shi Smith will be playing on Sundays in a couple of seasons, so there's no reason not to feel good about wide receiver overall -- IF the unit fixed the drop issues from 2018. However, I'm looking for who steps up as the #3 guy. Josh Vann is my pick to secure the spot, but I'm intrigued by Jay Urich after his switch from QB and OrTre Smith after his return from injury.
Tight End: Perhaps the most pedestrian unit on the team, the Gamecocks still do not have a tight end who can play both inline and out wide. Because of this, defenses can better diagnose what's coming. Kiel Pollard is of course a good receiving threat - perhaps underutilized - and Kyle Markway grew quite a bit as a blocker last season. If either of those guys can balance out their skill-set heading into the season, the tight end position outlook should be a lot brighter.
Offensive Line: Priority #1 for the offensive line will be continue to be protecting Bentley. Once the final position battles shake out over next few weeks, I believe we'll see one of the better all-around OLs the Gamecocks have had in a few seasons. Sadarius Hutcherson, Dylan Wonnum, and Donnell Stanley are potential All-SEC players this season.
Defensive Front: The unit should be in for a breakout year under Coach Muschamp, as it has the best balance of veterans, young talent, interior rush, and versatility. The one question mark for me is every-down pass rush, but that could very well be solved by DJ Wonnum returning from injury and rising sophomore JJ Enagbare. Javon Kinlaw and Kobe Smith could make for one of the better DT tandems in the SEC and it's hard not to be excited to see how quickly Zacch Pickens cracks the key rotation, as well.
Linebacker: The two best interior LBs for my money are TJ Brunson and Ernest Jones. We'll see how long it takes for this to be the starting duo at Mike/Will, but I also think Sherrod Greene should see a better season in 2019 and could hold Jones off some. Derek Boykins has legit potential, as well, and should see plenty of action. Overall, this group is average but should have a much more productive season with an improved defensive front.
Secondary: Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu will be one of the better CB duos in the SEC over the next two seasons, while the Gamecocks also added in some talented freshmen to provide depth at CB. Safety is a question mark due to health history of JT Ibe and Jamyest Williams, but Jammie Robinson and Jamel Cook look to make some noise for playing time. RJ Roderick is a bit of an X-factor as he could fit as a safety or Nickel and I believe we'll see him get plenty of playing time this season at both. There are too many moving pieces to feel great about this unit right now, but with Horn and Mukuamu on the outside, there's no reason to feel bad.
Special Teams: Joseph Charlton is one of the very best punters in the nation and an absolute weapon in the ST game, while Parker White enjoyed a much-improved sophomore season. South Carolina should feel good about both of these guys. With many tight match ups set this season, the team could lean on some big plays in the Special Teams category to churn out some wins. I'm interested to see the Kick and Punt Return guys since we have a more robust group of athletes who can take it to the house this season. Who would be your picks to be the Kick and Punt Returners?
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Coaching:
Defense --- With a roster that's more talented and well-rounded than it's been since Coach Muschamp took over, I expect to see some more exotic defensive alignments and calls than we've seen the past few seasons. This will be key as the Gamecocks need to manufacture a pass rush to beat the better teams in the league.
Offense --- Coach McClendon's strategy heading into the season will likely be to control the tempo of the game and remain balanced between pass/run, and it will be interesting to see how this strategy plays out over the season given the variety of defense types the team will face. I believe that Coach McClendon should look to maintain better tempo by utilizing more perimeter plays to get easy yardage and control the clock, but this will of course be dictated by full coaching strategy and each opponent. There is also some legit weaponry on the outside with Edwards and Smith, so it wouldn't surprise me to see more "air raid" type attacks in 2019.
Game Management--- this is one area I haven't been overly impressed in by Coach Muschamp and staff of course. There are games like Florida in 2018 where it's hard to understand the decision to change what's working, or personnel management; the two most glaring issues being lack of RB rotation management past couple of seasons and reluctance to switch QBs when play is poor -- see Akron or Virginia from 2018. With a tough, unforgiving schedule, Coach Muschamp and staff will have manage individual games at a higher level than what we've seen in order to improve from 7 wins last year.
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Schedule outlook: As a former player, I love to see a schedule like South Carolina has, as I always wanted to play against the best. As a fan, I do appreciate having a tough, fun schedule of big games and think it will end up producing a better overall team for the Gamecocks this year. However, objectively, this schedule is a tough draw for a South Carolina program looking to continue its climb back up the SEC pecking order. While Bama, UGA, and Clemson headline the big games on the schedule, there are four matchups I believe are critical for the growth of the program; Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. If South Carolina can best three of those four teams, there is a high probability the Gamecocks will finish in the top 2 in SEC East and will play for a higher profile bowl game. Those are two goals I'd bet Coach Muschamp has as we head into 2019.
Football season is right around the corner (finally!) and hope you're all excited for this year's squad. Though there's a tough schedule, I believe this is the best team Coach Muschamp has fielded so far as he enters his fourth season as Head Coach.
Rather than deep dive into my thoughts on the team overall, I thought I'd share my headlines on each position group or area. We did a similar exercise at work for one of our upcoming projects and I think it translates well to previewing a team, as well.
Since I am just posting a few lines for each area and not mentioning the full depth charts, I'm looking forward to discussion from everyone!
Thank you
-------
Quarterback: Jake Bentley enters his final season and the Gamecocks need a strong, steady campaign from the signal-caller to navigate a brutal schedule. Bentley doesn't need to put up huge numbers like he did against Clemson in 2018, but he will need to show more consistency and limit his turnovers. With three marquee match ups on this year's schedule (Bama, UGA, Clemson), Bentley has tough opportunities to finally get a signature win to add to his legacy.
Running Back: Rico Dowdle has not been able to stay healthy and reach his potential, while AJ Turner and Mon Denson never quite found their way into the rotation consistently. Tavien Feaster also joins the group and could very well be the perimeter threat we've been looking for. With a new RB Coach and a level fight for carries, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kevin Harris find his way onto the field. If Coach Brown can get each of these guys into a good rotation based on skill-set, I wouldn't be surprised if RB ends up being a solid position for the squad in 2019. Still, there's a lot to sell recruits on based on talent on roster.
Wide Receiver: Bryan Edwards and Shi Smith will be playing on Sundays in a couple of seasons, so there's no reason not to feel good about wide receiver overall -- IF the unit fixed the drop issues from 2018. However, I'm looking for who steps up as the #3 guy. Josh Vann is my pick to secure the spot, but I'm intrigued by Jay Urich after his switch from QB and OrTre Smith after his return from injury.
Tight End: Perhaps the most pedestrian unit on the team, the Gamecocks still do not have a tight end who can play both inline and out wide. Because of this, defenses can better diagnose what's coming. Kiel Pollard is of course a good receiving threat - perhaps underutilized - and Kyle Markway grew quite a bit as a blocker last season. If either of those guys can balance out their skill-set heading into the season, the tight end position outlook should be a lot brighter.
Offensive Line: Priority #1 for the offensive line will be continue to be protecting Bentley. Once the final position battles shake out over next few weeks, I believe we'll see one of the better all-around OLs the Gamecocks have had in a few seasons. Sadarius Hutcherson, Dylan Wonnum, and Donnell Stanley are potential All-SEC players this season.
Defensive Front: The unit should be in for a breakout year under Coach Muschamp, as it has the best balance of veterans, young talent, interior rush, and versatility. The one question mark for me is every-down pass rush, but that could very well be solved by DJ Wonnum returning from injury and rising sophomore JJ Enagbare. Javon Kinlaw and Kobe Smith could make for one of the better DT tandems in the SEC and it's hard not to be excited to see how quickly Zacch Pickens cracks the key rotation, as well.
Linebacker: The two best interior LBs for my money are TJ Brunson and Ernest Jones. We'll see how long it takes for this to be the starting duo at Mike/Will, but I also think Sherrod Greene should see a better season in 2019 and could hold Jones off some. Derek Boykins has legit potential, as well, and should see plenty of action. Overall, this group is average but should have a much more productive season with an improved defensive front.
Secondary: Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu will be one of the better CB duos in the SEC over the next two seasons, while the Gamecocks also added in some talented freshmen to provide depth at CB. Safety is a question mark due to health history of JT Ibe and Jamyest Williams, but Jammie Robinson and Jamel Cook look to make some noise for playing time. RJ Roderick is a bit of an X-factor as he could fit as a safety or Nickel and I believe we'll see him get plenty of playing time this season at both. There are too many moving pieces to feel great about this unit right now, but with Horn and Mukuamu on the outside, there's no reason to feel bad.
Special Teams: Joseph Charlton is one of the very best punters in the nation and an absolute weapon in the ST game, while Parker White enjoyed a much-improved sophomore season. South Carolina should feel good about both of these guys. With many tight match ups set this season, the team could lean on some big plays in the Special Teams category to churn out some wins. I'm interested to see the Kick and Punt Return guys since we have a more robust group of athletes who can take it to the house this season. Who would be your picks to be the Kick and Punt Returners?
-----
Coaching:
Defense --- With a roster that's more talented and well-rounded than it's been since Coach Muschamp took over, I expect to see some more exotic defensive alignments and calls than we've seen the past few seasons. This will be key as the Gamecocks need to manufacture a pass rush to beat the better teams in the league.
Offense --- Coach McClendon's strategy heading into the season will likely be to control the tempo of the game and remain balanced between pass/run, and it will be interesting to see how this strategy plays out over the season given the variety of defense types the team will face. I believe that Coach McClendon should look to maintain better tempo by utilizing more perimeter plays to get easy yardage and control the clock, but this will of course be dictated by full coaching strategy and each opponent. There is also some legit weaponry on the outside with Edwards and Smith, so it wouldn't surprise me to see more "air raid" type attacks in 2019.
Game Management--- this is one area I haven't been overly impressed in by Coach Muschamp and staff of course. There are games like Florida in 2018 where it's hard to understand the decision to change what's working, or personnel management; the two most glaring issues being lack of RB rotation management past couple of seasons and reluctance to switch QBs when play is poor -- see Akron or Virginia from 2018. With a tough, unforgiving schedule, Coach Muschamp and staff will have manage individual games at a higher level than what we've seen in order to improve from 7 wins last year.
-----
Schedule outlook: As a former player, I love to see a schedule like South Carolina has, as I always wanted to play against the best. As a fan, I do appreciate having a tough, fun schedule of big games and think it will end up producing a better overall team for the Gamecocks this year. However, objectively, this schedule is a tough draw for a South Carolina program looking to continue its climb back up the SEC pecking order. While Bama, UGA, and Clemson headline the big games on the schedule, there are four matchups I believe are critical for the growth of the program; Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. If South Carolina can best three of those four teams, there is a high probability the Gamecocks will finish in the top 2 in SEC East and will play for a higher profile bowl game. Those are two goals I'd bet Coach Muschamp has as we head into 2019.
