B
Brian Shoemaker
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Gamecocks Today
- Monday, May 27, 2019 -
☀ Good morning from Gamecock Central.
Congrats to Paul Jubb for winning the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship!
We're 96 days away from the Gamecocks playing North Carolina.
Clifton Geathers/Credit: C.J. Driggers
1. 9️⃣6️⃣ Countdown to kickoff: 96 days!
As we count down the days until South Carolina kicks off its 2019 football season against North Carolina, today's featured player is former South Carolina defensive lineman Clifton Geathers.
Geathers, a former standout at Carvers Bay High from Georgetown, S.C., played three seasons at USC before declaring early for the NFL Draft.
Geathers played in 34 career games, but really started to put it together as a starter during his junior season when he collected 41 tackles, including 8.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Geathers spent five seasons in the NFL after the Cleveland Browns drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
– Wes Mitchell
2. Opposing specialists
It’s been well documented that South Carolina’s 2019 football slate is extremely difficult – arguably the hardest schedule in the country. Throughout the course of the challenging season, the Gamecocks will face some of the best players in the country.
This series looks at the five best players USC will face in 2019, position-by-position. We continue with the specialists, which we will list in alphabetical order.
• Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia – One of the best in the country in both the placekicking and kickoff departments. A semifinalist last season for the Lou Groza Award, Blankenship produced touchbacks on 82 of his 97 kickoffs. He also boasts a strong leg and was 18/23 in 2018 on field goals. USC fans saw his impact firsthand last season, with Blankenship hitting 44 and 45-yard attempts and hitting seven touchbacks against the Gamecocks. Blankenship has a 55 yard career long field goal as well.
• Lynn Bowden, Kentucky – This guy can also cause major issues as a receiver or carrying the football, and could have very well made our list of the top five opposing wide receivers if not for the presence of multiple other studs at that spot on USC’s schedule. Bowden also is a returner for the Wildcats and accounted for two punt return touchdowns last season. He’s also a threat on kick return; he broke off a 93-yarder against Vanderbilt in 2017.
• Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State – Not only is Evans a quality running back for the Mountaineers; he’s made a major mark as a returner. He was second in the country last season in yards per kick return (32.7 per attempt). As a freshman in 2016, he had a 94-yard kick return for touchdown. Last season, he had a 100-yarder for a score against Penn State and another long return of 97 yards in the Sun Belt title game.
• Braden Mann, Texas A&M – A true weapon as a specialist, Mann is blessed with perhaps one of the strongest legs college football has ever seen as a punter. He was the Ray Guy Award winner, a unanimous All-American, and the conference’s special teams player of the year. Mann averaged an eye-popping 51 yards per punt and has a bunch of long punts to his credit during the course of his career; for example, he turned in an 82-yarder last season. Mann had a 67-yard punt against the Gamecocks in 2018 and also forced a fumble himself.
• Evan McPherson, Florida – USC will see several other kickers capable of booting touchbacks or hitting key field goals in what could amount to several tight ballgames in 2019. McPherson could be the best of that bunch. Last season, he was perfect on all 50 of his extra point attempts and was also quite solid on field goals. He was 6 of 8 on attempts from 30-49 yards.
– Chris Clark
Paul Jubb/Credit: South Carolina Athletics
3. This, that, and the other
Men's Tennis: Jubb's unlikely journey from England to national champ - The notoriety, the fame and the prowess in the tennis world—was something he really wasn’t thinking about four years ago. (link)
Football Recruiting: Newly offered quarterback has 'amazing' South Carolina visit - Fresh off landing an offer from South Carolina, Dacula, Ga., quarterback Colten Gauthier didn't waste any time in making it to Columbia to check out the program. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Tonka's top five - South Carolina made the cut for Conway class of 2020 three-star defensive end Tonka Hemingway, making his final group of five schools. (link)
Football Recruiting: Murphy coming to campus with high expectations - Offensive linemen are just a different breed of players, and when offensive line coach Eric Wolford is on the recruiting trail it’s those types of players he’s looking for. (link)
Football Recruiting: Walker headed to The Opening Finals - Long-time offensive line commitment Issiah Walker received some big news Friday when he was invited to The Opening Finals. (link)
Football: Players seeing John Scott's impact - Players share impressions of their new defensive line coach after spring practice. (link)
NFL: Why Deebo Samuel landed on the perfect team - After two days of OTAs, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has already learned what South Carolina fans already knew: Deebo Samuel makes plays. (link)
Track & Field: Gamecocks finish regionals with nine NCAA Championships bids- It was a banner Saturday for the track & field team as the Gamecocks earned four more bids to the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Altogether, South Carolina will field nine entries at NCAAs. (link)
Volleyball: 2019 schedule announced - Five of USC's 12 non-conference matches come against returning NCAA tournament participants, and four more tournament teams await Carolina in SEC play. (link)
Women's Tennis: Gamecock duo’s historic season ends in the semifinals - Senior Ingrid Martins and junior Mia Horvit fell in the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship on Friday. (link)
Men's Golf: Season ends on Day Three of NCAA Championship - South Carolina saw its 2018-19 season come to an end on Sunday in the third round NCAA Championship. (link)
Men's Golf: Hall, Miles and Stevens earn honors- Senior Scott Stevens, senior Will Miles and freshman Ryan Hall were named PING All-Southeast Region. It's the second time Stevens has been named to the all-region team, and the first time for Miles and Hall. (link)
Women's Golf: Signee Roussin-Bouchard qualifies for LPGA Tour major event- Signee Pauline Roussin-Bouchard has qualified for The Evian Championship, one of the five major tournaments on the LPGA tour. (link)
– Jackson Fields
4. This Date in Gamecock History
May 27, 2001 – Needing to beat UCF twice in one day to stave off elimination and advance to a super regional, the Gamecocks relied on offense in game one and pitching in game two to sweep the Knights and advance.
5. Birthdays!
• Chuck Allen (defensive tackle, 1977-1980)
• Lee Andrews (defensive back, 1970-1972)
• Chip Beake (quarterback, 1990-1991)
• Tommy Bell (kicker, 1969-1972)
• Kenny Favors (cornerback, 1991-1992)
• Ed King (defensive end, 1974-1976)
• Danny Smith (tight end/receiver, 1984-1987)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
6. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• June 3 – MLB Draft, Day 1 (7 days)
• June 4 – MLB Draft, Day 2 (8)
• June 5 – MLB Draft, Day 3 (9)
• June 6 – Football: One-day camp (10)
• June 7 – Football: One-day camp (11)
• June 8 – Football: One-day camp (12)
• June 13 – Football: OL/DL camps (17)
• June 13 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (17)
• June 14 – Football: OL/DL camps (18)
• June 14 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (18)
• June 15 – Football: One-day camp (19)
• June 19 – Football: One-day camp (23)
• June 20 – Football: One-day camp (24)
• June 21 – Football: One-day camp (25)
• June 22 – Football: One-day camp (26)
• June 22 – Football: Specialists camp (26)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days, Day 1 (49)
• July 16 – SEC Media Days, Day 2 (50)
• July 17 – SEC Media Days, Day 3 (51)
• July 18 – SEC Media Days, Day 4 (52)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (54)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (96)
DID YOU KNOW? You can receive this report (Gamecocks Today) early each morning in your email inbox. Sign up here.
------------------------
Gamecocks Today
- Monday, May 27, 2019 -
☀ Good morning from Gamecock Central.
Congrats to Paul Jubb for winning the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship!
We're 96 days away from the Gamecocks playing North Carolina.
Clifton Geathers/Credit: C.J. Driggers
1. 9️⃣6️⃣ Countdown to kickoff: 96 days!
As we count down the days until South Carolina kicks off its 2019 football season against North Carolina, today's featured player is former South Carolina defensive lineman Clifton Geathers.
Geathers, a former standout at Carvers Bay High from Georgetown, S.C., played three seasons at USC before declaring early for the NFL Draft.
Geathers played in 34 career games, but really started to put it together as a starter during his junior season when he collected 41 tackles, including 8.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Geathers spent five seasons in the NFL after the Cleveland Browns drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
– Wes Mitchell
2. Opposing specialists
It’s been well documented that South Carolina’s 2019 football slate is extremely difficult – arguably the hardest schedule in the country. Throughout the course of the challenging season, the Gamecocks will face some of the best players in the country.
This series looks at the five best players USC will face in 2019, position-by-position. We continue with the specialists, which we will list in alphabetical order.
• Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia – One of the best in the country in both the placekicking and kickoff departments. A semifinalist last season for the Lou Groza Award, Blankenship produced touchbacks on 82 of his 97 kickoffs. He also boasts a strong leg and was 18/23 in 2018 on field goals. USC fans saw his impact firsthand last season, with Blankenship hitting 44 and 45-yard attempts and hitting seven touchbacks against the Gamecocks. Blankenship has a 55 yard career long field goal as well.
• Lynn Bowden, Kentucky – This guy can also cause major issues as a receiver or carrying the football, and could have very well made our list of the top five opposing wide receivers if not for the presence of multiple other studs at that spot on USC’s schedule. Bowden also is a returner for the Wildcats and accounted for two punt return touchdowns last season. He’s also a threat on kick return; he broke off a 93-yarder against Vanderbilt in 2017.
• Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State – Not only is Evans a quality running back for the Mountaineers; he’s made a major mark as a returner. He was second in the country last season in yards per kick return (32.7 per attempt). As a freshman in 2016, he had a 94-yard kick return for touchdown. Last season, he had a 100-yarder for a score against Penn State and another long return of 97 yards in the Sun Belt title game.
• Braden Mann, Texas A&M – A true weapon as a specialist, Mann is blessed with perhaps one of the strongest legs college football has ever seen as a punter. He was the Ray Guy Award winner, a unanimous All-American, and the conference’s special teams player of the year. Mann averaged an eye-popping 51 yards per punt and has a bunch of long punts to his credit during the course of his career; for example, he turned in an 82-yarder last season. Mann had a 67-yard punt against the Gamecocks in 2018 and also forced a fumble himself.
• Evan McPherson, Florida – USC will see several other kickers capable of booting touchbacks or hitting key field goals in what could amount to several tight ballgames in 2019. McPherson could be the best of that bunch. Last season, he was perfect on all 50 of his extra point attempts and was also quite solid on field goals. He was 6 of 8 on attempts from 30-49 yards.
– Chris Clark
Paul Jubb/Credit: South Carolina Athletics
3. This, that, and the other
Men's Tennis: Jubb's unlikely journey from England to national champ - The notoriety, the fame and the prowess in the tennis world—was something he really wasn’t thinking about four years ago. (link)
Football Recruiting: Newly offered quarterback has 'amazing' South Carolina visit - Fresh off landing an offer from South Carolina, Dacula, Ga., quarterback Colten Gauthier didn't waste any time in making it to Columbia to check out the program. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Tonka's top five - South Carolina made the cut for Conway class of 2020 three-star defensive end Tonka Hemingway, making his final group of five schools. (link)
Football Recruiting: Murphy coming to campus with high expectations - Offensive linemen are just a different breed of players, and when offensive line coach Eric Wolford is on the recruiting trail it’s those types of players he’s looking for. (link)
Football Recruiting: Walker headed to The Opening Finals - Long-time offensive line commitment Issiah Walker received some big news Friday when he was invited to The Opening Finals. (link)
Football: Players seeing John Scott's impact - Players share impressions of their new defensive line coach after spring practice. (link)
NFL: Why Deebo Samuel landed on the perfect team - After two days of OTAs, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has already learned what South Carolina fans already knew: Deebo Samuel makes plays. (link)
Track & Field: Gamecocks finish regionals with nine NCAA Championships bids- It was a banner Saturday for the track & field team as the Gamecocks earned four more bids to the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Altogether, South Carolina will field nine entries at NCAAs. (link)
Volleyball: 2019 schedule announced - Five of USC's 12 non-conference matches come against returning NCAA tournament participants, and four more tournament teams await Carolina in SEC play. (link)
Women's Tennis: Gamecock duo’s historic season ends in the semifinals - Senior Ingrid Martins and junior Mia Horvit fell in the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship on Friday. (link)
Men's Golf: Season ends on Day Three of NCAA Championship - South Carolina saw its 2018-19 season come to an end on Sunday in the third round NCAA Championship. (link)
Men's Golf: Hall, Miles and Stevens earn honors- Senior Scott Stevens, senior Will Miles and freshman Ryan Hall were named PING All-Southeast Region. It's the second time Stevens has been named to the all-region team, and the first time for Miles and Hall. (link)
Women's Golf: Signee Roussin-Bouchard qualifies for LPGA Tour major event- Signee Pauline Roussin-Bouchard has qualified for The Evian Championship, one of the five major tournaments on the LPGA tour. (link)
– Jackson Fields
4. This Date in Gamecock History
May 27, 2001 – Needing to beat UCF twice in one day to stave off elimination and advance to a super regional, the Gamecocks relied on offense in game one and pitching in game two to sweep the Knights and advance.
- The Gamecocks scored seven runs in the third inning of game one as they piled up 15 hits on their way to a 9-7 win.
- Bryon Jeffcoat's three-run homer was the big blow in the seven-run outburst that saw USC bat around and end up with 11 batters in the inning.
- David Marchbanks got the win, improving to 7-1, while Lee Gronkiewicz picked up his 18th save.
- Game two saw USC pitchers Blake Taylor and Kip Bouknight hold UCF to two runs in a 5-2 win.
- Carolina relied on the long ball for offense, as Tripp Kelly, Garris Gonce and Tim Whittaker all homered, with Gonce and Whittaker going back to back in the eighth to ice the victory.
5. Birthdays!
• Chuck Allen (defensive tackle, 1977-1980)
• Lee Andrews (defensive back, 1970-1972)
• Chip Beake (quarterback, 1990-1991)
• Tommy Bell (kicker, 1969-1972)
• Kenny Favors (cornerback, 1991-1992)
• Ed King (defensive end, 1974-1976)
• Danny Smith (tight end/receiver, 1984-1987)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
6. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• June 3 – MLB Draft, Day 1 (7 days)
• June 4 – MLB Draft, Day 2 (8)
• June 5 – MLB Draft, Day 3 (9)
• June 6 – Football: One-day camp (10)
• June 7 – Football: One-day camp (11)
• June 8 – Football: One-day camp (12)
• June 13 – Football: OL/DL camps (17)
• June 13 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (17)
• June 14 – Football: OL/DL camps (18)
• June 14 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (18)
• June 15 – Football: One-day camp (19)
• June 19 – Football: One-day camp (23)
• June 20 – Football: One-day camp (24)
• June 21 – Football: One-day camp (25)
• June 22 – Football: One-day camp (26)
• June 22 – Football: Specialists camp (26)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days, Day 1 (49)
• July 16 – SEC Media Days, Day 2 (50)
• July 17 – SEC Media Days, Day 3 (51)
• July 18 – SEC Media Days, Day 4 (52)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (54)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (96)
