W
Wes Mitchell
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Team notes
** South Carolina worked through its second full scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday in what was a key day for a lot of players and head coach Will Muschamp seemed genuinely pleased with a lot of what he saw in the workout. There's always a bit of a give and take with scrimmages - if the offense looks good, then what's wrong with the defense? If the defense looks good, then what's wrong with the offense?, etc. - but I thought Muschamp explained it very well when he talked about how many competitive plays there were in the nearly 170-play scrimmage.
If the offense gets a big play because of a busted coverage or the defense gets a sack because the offensive tackle just whiffs, then those things are probably more negative than positive on the whole. But if there's a converted third down with good coverage, a good rush, and the receiver just goes up and takes the football on a contested catch, then that's probably a decent rep for both guys. Muschamp articulated it very well after the scrimmage and it certainly caught my attention as a positive that there were so many contested plays.
** I continue to hear nothing but confidence internally about the direction of South Carolina's offense this season and it appears that everyone from the coaching staff down to the players is on the same page. There's a genuine excitement about what the group has the chance to do and it's been a nice test for the defense each day in practice too.
** While all of the units worked in, Saturday's scrimmage did have a decided focus on getting some younger players reps and I'm told that on the first-team vs. first-team drives the team didn't tackle to the ground, whereas some of the other units had a full-on scrimmage with tackling. It wasn't just the first-team offense that moved the ball either, both underclassmen quarterbacks, Jay Urich and Dakereon Joyner, had some impressive moments and used their feet and arms to do damage. Urich had a TD run and Joyner had several plays that he used his athleticism to extend the play and make something happen. They are both still working on consistency in the passing game, but the big plays were a positive.
** It may have been a bit of a surprise to some that Bryan Edwards was listed as the starter at punt returner if the season were to start now, but that competition has been heading that direction for some time now as Edwards has been the most consistent guy back there. He returned kicks in high school and catches the football. This coaching staff talks about it all the time - the football is the most important thing, "they named the game after it" - and the most important thing for the punt returner will be to make sure the ball gets to the offense.
Edwards is also quicker and more elusive than he's given credit for and has had really an incredible camp at receiver too. One source said it seems like Edwards makes a highlight grab on a daily basis. He's poised for a huge season.
** Freshman wide receiver Josh Vann had the highlight catch of the day on Saturday when he reached out and snagged a touchdown with one hand, but I'm told he wasn't a one-hit wonder. Vann has consistently shown that he can help this team and I was told it appears the staff is doing everything possible to get him up to speed to help the team early on. The crazy Shi Smith stat about not dropping a catch has been talked about a lot this offseason, but I'm told Vann has some of the stickiest hands you'll see - he just doesn't drop passes.
** True freshman OT Dylan Wonnum continues to impressive onlookers and appears to be someone that's going to play this year. I don't know what the exact plan will be yet, but he's probably already good enough to help.
** The talk of camp continues to be true freshman CB Jaycee Horn and at this point I think there's a better chance than not that he opens the season as a starting cornerback against Coastal Carolina. Horn has continued to take first team reps at cornerback with the move of Nick Harvey to safety and Horn has, at times, looked like one of the team's best defenders, even as a true freshman.
** Josh Belk is obviously still learning and dropping weight, but he's flashed a lot of potential at times too. Belk has so much natural strength that he is already capable of anchoring the middle of the line. Even if he doesn't get in the backfield, he's one of those guys that is nearly immovable when it comes to plugging up the middle. The more I hear, the more I think he can help this team at some point in the season, if he gets cleared by the NCAA.
** One source who has been around the program for years pointed out just how different the team looks now compared to how they did going into Year 1. There are simply more good players on the roster now and less busts in the recruiting process too. It's never going to be perfect, but the hit rate on the 2018 class already seems to be pretty high based on early returns.
** South Carolina has practice today (Tuesday), but will take Wednesday and Thursday off to get their legs back, and then it's officially "game week" in the Gamecock football program. Get ready folks!
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