Some poster said we haven't been able to get an outstanding RB in the last

[uscg1984]

Are you selling the SEC team or USC. A rb or any player will come to USC because of the school, not because Carolina is SEC. The SEC certainly brings more money into Carolina, but I don’t think any player comes to Carolina because they want to play SEC. if they did would they not chose an SEC school with more SEC prestige

Certainly, a player comes here primarily because he likes what he sees at USC, but without a doubt, the ability to play in this conference and against SEC competition is a draw for a lot of players. As for why a player would choose this SEC school over one of the power programs, perhaps the ability to see the field before his junior year is a major draw.

 

[lowcountry_cock13]

I disagree our offensive line wasn't bad 2013. The 2013 offensive line is best we"ve had since joining the SEC.

I think the 2013 Oline starters were pretty good but there was no depth behind them.

 

[Johnnie Cockran]

I'm not sure what Clemson team you have been watching the last few years. Wayne Gallman is putting together a pretty nice NFL career. Travis Etienne is a lock to play in the league. So not really sure where you think Clemson hasn't had any good backs. Their second string back, Feaster, would easily be the #1 back if he were at USC

Hold on just a sec...Gallman didn’t even rush for 200 yards last season, and has 1 career TD...let’s not pretend like he is blowing anyone’s hair back. He is still on a roster, that’s about as much as you can say there.

Etienne looked like a stud last year, agreed, but look at the line he ran behind. He was a high 3 to low 4 star recruit depending on which service you trust. Were those recruiting services all wrong, is he elite, or is he just pretty good? We get at least 2 more seasons to find out. Great freshman year though.

Etienne and Feaster would definitely start here, no doubt. Clemson has better talent all over the field than we do. I would just argue that of our mediocre bunch of players, the backfield wasn’t a particularly glaring weakness. Someone said “serviceable,” I can go along with that.

 

[Dizzy01]

Our OL historically have been bad, until really last year and we have also had a QB coach coaching the RB. We have no have some good RB on roster but no great ones. Williams last year was the best talent wise in my opinion. Dowdle doesn’t like contact, Mon is not fast, and Fenwick hasn’t played much. Valentine is still doing track and AJ is too small for every down back.

We will pick up an elite one this year I believe.

That’s simply not true. You aren’t putting up the numbers we did under Spurrier with a poor oline. There was a run of 1000 yard rushers and record setting passing seasons and that doesn’t happen with bad olines.

 

[Thigh Man]

108 to 110 = no improvement 110 to 91 = improvement but not so much

"But at least we are seeing some improvement from year to year."

I told ya, I told ya, I told ya ... didn't I?
WONDERFUL ... Now we're going to have to listen to the Sunshine Pumpers boast about the vast improvement in the running game over the last 3 years. Just had to feed the trolls didntcha! ... LOL!!!

Now what are we going to boast about??? ... that we have the tallest midget or that we have the shortest midget???

 

[lexgamecock]

M

Mike Davis was pretty and good highly sought after. We have had some other good ones, but we also had some missed, Giles comes to mind. I think there is a Tank coming.

Mike Davis is the last 'elite' RB that we've had. We absolutely need someone close to him that's a breakaway threat.

 

[funktavious]

I'm not sure what Clemson team you have been watching the last few years. Wayne Gallman is putting together a pretty nice NFL career. Travis Etienne is a lock to play in the league. So not really sure where you think Clemson hasn't had any good backs. Their second string back, Feaster, would easily be the #1 back if he were at USC

and Feaster was the #1 rated RB in his class when he graduated HS. Clempson has done a much better job getting RBs to commit to them. Hopefully now that we have Brown on the sidelines we'll be able to pick up a few ourselves. I think we get a really good one this cycle.

 

[king ward]

several years. I wonder why? It seems to me a good running back who has a great chance to be the featured back for an SEC team would be fairly easy to recruit. I'm not talking necessarily about a Marcus Lattimore or George Rogers but a very good RB.

Surely, there are good RBs available that would want to be the star of an SEC team.

Very good running backs are not unattainable. It takes a Lattimore or Rogers to elevate a program.

 

[_NOVA_]

Hopefully now that we have Brown on the sidelines we'll be able to pick up a few ourselves. I think we get a really good one this cycle.

You have McClendon and his incredible contact list of RBs he's recruited and coached over the years. Todd Gurley, Sony Michel, Nick Chubb and Isaiah Crowell. Brown doesn't have that history, but has shown he can land top RB recruits. And he himself has experience as an NFL running back. It seems unlikely that this duo wouldn't be able to land a big time RB prospect.

 

[lowcountry_cock13]

That’s simply not true. You aren’t putting up the numbers we did under Spurrier with a poor oline. There was a run of 1000 yard rushers and record setting passing seasons and that doesn’t happen with bad olines.

By the numbers we had Spurrier has two thousand yard rushers in his tenure. Lattimore (2010) and Mike Davis (2013). And one record setting passing years with Dylan Thompson (2014). I wouldn’t call that a run. 2010 you had a dual threat QB and MARCUS LATTIMORE. 2013 you had Connor Shaw as dual threat, which covers up a lot of holes in an offensive line. 2014 our defense was so bad Thompson had to sling it like crazy to achieve those yards. I’m saying they were not good and the current recruiting and Oline development is surpassing those Olines by far.

 

[_NOVA_]

By the numbers we had Spurrier has two thousand yard rushers in his tenure. Lattimore (2010) and Mike Davis (2013). And one record setting passing years with Dylan Thompson (2014). I wouldn’t call that a run. 2010 you had a dual threat QB and MARCUS LATTIMORE. 2013 you had Connor Shaw as dual threat, which covers up a lot of holes in an offensive line. 2014 our defense was so bad Thompson had to sling it like crazy to achieve those yards. I’m saying they were not good and the current recruiting and Oline development is surpassing those Olines by far.

This is disingenuous. Spurrier had an offensive line that featured AJ Cann, Corey Robinson and Brandon Shell 2012, 2013 and 2014. All guys played in the NFL and we standout college players.

In 2011, Lattimore would have gone well over 1,000 had he not gotten injured. The team still put up 192 rushing yards a game. In 2012, Lattimore was coming back form a knee injury and had his season and career cut short by injury. The team still averaged 140 rushing yards a game. In 2013, not only did Mike Davis run for 1,183 yards, but Shaw ran for an additional 558-- many on designed runs. The team averaged 199 rushing yards per game at a 4.8 yards per carry clip. In 2014, without the benefit of a running QB, Mike Davis went for 982 and Brandon Wilds went for 570. They averaged 160 yards a game, at a solid 4.4 yards a carry clip.

Muschamp's team rushing totals have been 134 on a 3.7 average, 123 on a 4.0 average and 153 on a 4.5 average. Worth noting, that never in his head coaching career has Muschamp had a team average over 190 yards rushing a game.

 

[SCexpat38]

Also I read where there's a trend that elite backs want to go to a school where they are not the total workhorse. The days of 30 carries of game are over, because of the wear and tear on their bodies, plus the very short shelf life in the NFL. So thats why places like UGA, Clemson, Bama get multiple great RB. It's just an opinion I read but sounds logical.

Makes sense to me. It also makes me wonder how guys like Herschel and George carried the ball all game and still went on to have good pro careers. Would they have been better had they not been used so much in college? But without those carries, would they have been as great?

Out of the last 10 Heisman winners, only two were RBs, and both came out of Bama.

 

[gr8spur]

I thought it was self explanatory in the comment I made.

USCALUMNI

And I thought my sarcasm was pretty self evident. Oh, well.

 

[lowcountry_cock13]

Makes sense to me. It also makes me wonder how guys like Herschel and George carried the ball all game and still went on to have good pro careers. Would they have been better had they not been used so much in college? But without those carries, would they have been as great?

Out of the last 10 Heisman winners, only two were RBs, and both came out of Bama.

Hershel is probably still in better shape than most!

 

[Freddie.B.Cocky]

Very good running backs are not unattainable. It takes a Lattimore or Rogers to elevate a program.

I realize that but a good back still can help a team like USC.

 

[Freddie.B.Cocky]

Mike Davis is the last 'elite' RB that we've had. We absolutely need someone close to him that's a breakaway threat.

That's where I'm coming from, I know that a Lattimore or Rogers is not in our immediate future but just a good solid RB that can pick up a first down when the team really needs one.

 

[stevestrat2]

I think we have forgotten what a really good RB is supposed to look like. I remember when lattinore first got here, it was like “ah yes, this guy is the real deal” and reminded me of how Big George and Hershel seemed to just GLIDE across the line for yards - I remember how refreshing it was to see a really good back for the first time in a long time

 

[uscnoklahoma2]

Would you come here if you were a RB after seeing how we treat our backs? Hell no. Tyson runs all over Mizzou and then gets benched against KY the following week. I would never come here if I were a 4 star RB. Muschamp hasn't got a damn clue about a running back or attack. Send AJ in..but coach its 3rd and 2. I know lets call the dive.

 

[lowcountry_cock13]

Would you come here if you were a RB after seeing how we treat our backs? Hell no. Tyson runs all over Mizzou and then gets benched against KY the following week. I would never come here if I were a 4 star RB. Muschamp hasn't got a damn clue about a running back or attack. Send AJ in..but coach its 3rd and 2. I know lets call the dive.

Well, but...but...dang

 

[midline]

Hold on just a sec...Gallman didn’t even rush for 200 yards last season, and has 1 career TD...let’s not pretend like he is blowing anyone’s hair back. He is still on a roster, that’s about as much as you can say there.

Etienne looked like a stud last year, agreed, but look at the line he ran behind. He was a high 3 to low 4 star recruit depending on which service you trust. Were those recruiting services all wrong, is he elite, or is he just pretty good? We get at least 2 more seasons to find out. Great freshman year though.

Etienne and Feaster would definitely start here, no doubt. Clemson has better talent all over the field than we do. I would just argue that of our mediocre bunch of players, the backfield wasn’t a particularly glaring weakness. Someone said “serviceable,” I can go along with that.

Gallman IS in the pros. More than. Will any of the collective backs here even sniff the league? No. Etienne is an excellent back even though you seem to want to find what fault you can. He will be in the league also. To be satisfied with our running backs in comparison with Clemson's is nothing more than looking at this while deal through garnet glasses. Bottom line is if you think any of our backs are even in the league of their two top backs I'm not really sure what you are watching.

 

[rogue cock]

Would you come here if you were a RB after seeing how we treat our backs? Hell no. Tyson runs all over Mizzou and then gets benched against KY the following week. I would never come here if I were a 4 star RB. Muschamp hasn't got a damn clue about a running back or attack. Send AJ in..but coach its 3rd and 2. I know lets call the dive.

Why do you think we have a new RB coach? One with experience and one who has already noted that our backs run with their pad levels too high.

 

[Garnetskies]

I trust that Coach Brown will pull at least one great back in Tank, and just the fact he has built a really good relationship with 5 star Marshawn Lloyd quickly, enough to get him back here for the spring game elevates my opinion of him already.I bet we see more improved production this year, than with the qb coach coaching rbs we had the last 3.

 

[USC2USC]

South Carolina has not had a serious rushing game since Marcus Lattimore. Full stop.

Shame he got hurt.

 

[Legendary Cock]

South Carolina has not had a serious rushing game since Marcus Lattimore. Full stop.

Shame he got hurt.

Mike Davis. He wasn't as ferocious as Lattimore was, but he was NFL quality and had an extra gear Lattimore didn't have.

 

[Johnnie Cockran]

Gallman IS in the pros. More than. Will any of the collective backs here even sniff the league? No. Etienne is an excellent back even though you seem to want to find what fault you can. He will be in the league also. To be satisfied with our running backs in comparison with Clemson's is nothing more than looking at this while deal through garnet glasses. Bottom line is if you think any of our backs are even in the league of their two top backs I'm not really sure what you are watching.

Did you even read what I posted? Good grief.

 

[uscnoklahoma2]

Why do you think we have a new RB coach? One with experience and one who has already noted that our backs run with their pad levels too high.

So you dont think the HEAD COACH should've looked around and said, "Hey, where's Tyson?" during the KY game? Muschamp knew about it. Didn't matter who the RB coach was. It starts at the top.

 

[rogue cock]

So you dont think the HEAD COACH should've looked around and said, "Hey, where's Tyson?" during the KY game? Muschamp knew about it. Didn't matter who the RB coach was. It starts at the top.

Do we want Muschamp to have his hand in the offense? Or not?

I remember several years ago when Clemson's RB coach was letting the player's decide who was playing when and let them decide the substitution. Dabo didn't say a word.

 

[Carolina4]

Hope Williams does well at BYU. He seemed to be our best ball carrier here...but must have lacked in other areas.

I know Dowdle can’t catch the ball. But we throw to him often. But he still plays and plays a lot.

People love Mon Denson...and I like how hard he runs. But, in my opinion, he’s far too limited to be a great RB.

We need better. Some of it has to be scheme too. We ran well out of the i-formation when Lattimore was here. Decent out of the shotgun, but amazing out of the I. Our backs NEVER have a lead blocker now...and I despise our running scheme for it. It’s awful.

In fact that’s pretty much the story of our offense. Seems spread out...but then feels jumbled once the ball snaps. No space. Short passes seem difficult. Feel RPO’s are bad for our run game too. We don’t seem to make great decisions on those...yet I’m not sure we ever have a ton of room to run. Just line up and run the ball sometimes. I think Jake would be so much better off too.

 

[BobbyB1975]

I'll respectfully disagree...in a strong, pointed, disrespectful manner. Seriously, our RBs could at best be described as "serviceable." I agree that Clemson hasn't really signed the "elite" running back, but they have seemed to have backs who are good and at least get a short stay in the NFL.

Etienne is an Elite RB . Hate to say it but he may be one of the best in college football .