SEC Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks
July 10th, 2008 by Chris Pendley
Things went down hill quickly last year in Columbia, as a promising 6-1 start (including a solid win over then #8 Kentucky) completely fell apart at the seams. It all began with a loss at home to Vandy and ending with a loss at home to Clemson. The thing is, not a whole lot has changed between last year and this year. Cory Boyd is gone, but most of the defense is back. Kenny McKinley returns and good luck figuring out who’s quarterbacking this mess.
Some guy you’ve heard of before runs this team with all the subtlety of the Chinese army. Steve Spurrier is back as the head coach, but shockingly he’s not calling the plays. That duty falls to Steve Spurrier, Jr. Ellis Johnson slots in as the new DC, coming over from Mississippi State. It’s a good hire for the Gamecocks, as Johnson led an ugly D in Starkville…which is right up the other USC’s alley.
This reads like the Mission:Impossible in trying to pick the guy who ends up with the starts at quarterback. The candidates are Chris Smelley, Stephen Garcia, and Tommy Beecher (plus some guy in the 6th row of Williams-Brice Stadium who’ll get a chance to walk on after Week 4). Smelley has the lead on the position, in a manner of speaking. Garcia is still dealing with a suspension, otherwise he’d be a good choice to assume duties. Meanwhile, Beecher is the most experienced of the three.
Bottom line: avoid these guys unless there are league formats that reward degree of difficulty. Heck, there’s no guarantee that the guy who wins the position will even put up decent numbers.
Again, RB Boyd is gone…but Mike Davis steps up to fill the void. Like Boyd last year, Davis is an unsexy pick, but he should produce passably. He should put up something near 900 yards with around 9-10 TDs. Davis should pick up some receiving yards also, making him worth owning in deeper formats and a decent spot starter (especially in September, with home games against Wofford and UAB). Aside from Davis, the name to know in keeper leagues is Brian Maddox. He’s a little short for the position (5’10″) but has plenty of heft and will inherit the position next year.
It’s really Kenny McKinley and then everyone else. Last year McKinley more than doubled the #2 receiver in both receptions (77 to 36 – Cory Boyd) and yards (968 to 421 – Jered Cook), making McKinley a solid fantasy option no matter who’s passing. The astute reader noticed that TE Cook was the #2 receiver on the team last year, meaning Cook is also viable as a fantasy option. Cook’s faster than you’d expect from a tight end. Is there another WR here? It’s debatable…Dion Lecorn is probably the best guy out of the returning starters, but needs to step up his production significantly to be worth drafting in anything but 14-team SEC-only leagues.
Here’s the real value with the other USC. South Carolina returns 10(!) starters on D, losing only Casper Brinkley. Granted, that is a pretty big loss, but the good news is his brother Jasper returns from injury. Eric Norwood’s back as a LB, and 6 starters return at DB. The return game is unimpressive, but leagues that give bonuses for points against should see a benefit from these guys.
K Ryan Succop returns for his senior season. He’s one of the best options out there, not only from an accuracy standpoint but also because South Carolina will likely struggle to get into the end zone.
Summary
It’s second verse, same as the first here at South Carolina. They have a great kicking game, a solid WR option, worthy D, decent RB and a nuclear QB. Sounds a lot like last year, huh?
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