Spurticus Fall Practice Reports 2007

[Spurticus]

Fall Practice began tonight in some pretty steamy conditions. Hot and humid but still a very good opening night for the team. Huge crowd there to watch the practice. No doubt the biggest of any of the practices I’ve seen so far including Steve Spurrier’s first open practice.

Instead of breaking down exactly what the team did tonight, I’m just going to run through the positions to let you know who did and didn’t look particularly well because I think everyone wants to know mainly about the new guys.

Note to start: Blake Mitchell, Carlos Thomas, Terrance Campbell, Bobby Wallace, & Kenrick Ellis were not allowed to participate in practice, but ran and did pushups and sit ups throughout the entire night. I heard it was because of failure to attend classes this summer. Jordin and Dustin Lindsey were not at practice tonight along with Cliff Matthews. Don’t know what was up with these guys. . . haven’t heard anything there.

Starting through the positions:
QUARTERBACKS
All the talk and hype around Stephen Garcia was not exaggerated! He’s a little off now and then, but the kid has a cannon arm and is on target most of the time. The wobble that was noticed in his videos is still there, but I’m sure that will be corrected in a short time working with coach Spurrier. Garcia needs to work a little more on touch when he’s throwing the deeper routes towards the sidelines and in tighter coverage, but dead on over the middle! A little work and this guy will make Gamecock nation proud.

Chris Smelley looked good throwing the ball seems to have a little more zip in his arm than last year and this spring. Chris was hitting a lot of open guys on the medium distance out routes. Chris also seems to have gotten rid of his “happy feet” and looks the field over more. He doesn’t seem quite as nervous as he was this spring during practice and is definitely a lot more accurate.

Tommy had a good night to open the fall practice also showing a little more strength in his arm. Tommy made a nice pass deep over the middle to David Pavlovic towards the end of the practice that made the crowd do a little Ooooo in unison. Overall Tommy has improved his mechanics and strength and was making some nice reads during the 11 on 11 at the end of practice.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Not a whole lot to judge either of the lines by when they’re not in pads and banging on each other, but looking at them going through the drills and according to how they handled the blocking schemes during the 11 on 11, I wouldn’t say that they’re a tight group right now, but they looked a lot better than this time last season and have made some improvements in their speed over the summer. Quintin Richardson was getting a lot of instruction from Coach Hunt so from far off it looks like QR is a guy they’d like to see on the field as soon as possible. Whether that takes place or not is still to be seen, but it looks like he’s getting some special attention on his drills.
Kyle Nunn looked very good for a freshman player working his first scrimmage in college. Again, hard to tell until he hits someone across from him in pads, but looks good in the blocking drills and also looks like one of the faster linemen on the team. Kyle is as big as some of the upperclassmen we have starting so with maybe some polish on techniques, Kyle could get some playing time this fall.
Of the experienced guys here, Gurminder Thind and Jamon Merideth looked impressive. I also noticed that Jamon was talking to Quintin a lot between drills. I’m hoping that’s an upperclassman helping a Freshman learn the ropes. We need to see a lot of that on the club with all the positions.

RUNNING BACKS:
Mike Davis and Cory Boyd were outstanding. Mike looks to be in as good a shape as anytime during his three years here. Both got a light amount of reps but made the most of them when they touched the ball, and caught the ball well out during the passing drills too.
I was very impressed with Brian Maddox. Bryan looks like a leaner Mike Davis and has some nice moves in the open. The thing I was most impressed with however was with how well he looked catching the ball coming out of the backfield. Very Good Hands and good footwork. Overall, Brian was one of the 4 or 5 most outstanding freshman players on the field tonight. I’m not sure with Cory, Mike and Bobby all in top shape if Brian will see any action this season, but when he does get in the lineup for the Gamecocks this young man is going to be something special !
Of the Fullbacks, Patrick DiMarco was the most athletic looking and he too showed a good pair of hands catching the football. Shields the defenders off with his body very well and makes the catches with defenders all over him. Very good first night for Patrick. I think Patrick being added to the list of Fullbacks was the reason that Ryan Brown was moved back to his old spot as a Linebacker.

WIDE RECEIVERS / TIGHT ENDS
I’m sure everyone wants to know how these guys looked and frankly this was the unit I was most pre-occupied with tonight. There’s still a couple of weeks before the season starts and anything can happen between now and then, but in my opinion Joseph Hills was the best looking of the incoming freshmen WR’s tonight. Mr. Hills is a very athletic player and owns some soft hands. JH looked good in the warm ups, one on one and during the 7 on 7 and 11 on 11. He dropped a couple late in practice that were high but catchable, but before those two, Joseph was raising some eyebrows. Run routes very well and has the speed to leave a guy if he gets a step on him. The soft hands helped him pull in two or three one hand catches tonight. Definitely one of the top five newbies.
Chris Culliver had a good (but not outstanding) night tonight. Dropped a couple that were on target, but also made a catch or two that the average WR would not have gotten to. Hard to tell right now on his first night but all in all he had a good start to his Gamecock Career.
Deon Lecorn was another of the top five Freshmen players on the field tonight. Not the fastest of the new WR’s, but already looks like he could make plays at this level. Good routes, and good body positioning. He and Garcia hooked up a couple of times over the middle and got some applause from the packed house. Could all turn around tomorrow, but if tonight was any indication of what to expect this season, look for Lecorn and Joseph Hills to play this year.
Jason Barnes looked good in the drills and one on one, but had trouble getting open during the game situation parts of practice. Probably needs to work on body positioning. Seems to have good speed and good footwork and has good hands in the drills.
Matt Clements to me looks like a smaller version of Kenny McKinley. Very quick feet and some fantastic moves, average hands (at least tonight) and may need a little time with coach Spurrier Jr. but has some strong skills to develop into a very good WR.
Of the upperclassmen:
Kenny may have had a slow spring, but Kenny McKinley wanted the young guys to know who was going to be leading this group this year. And judging by tonight’s workout, Kenny is wanting to send that same message to the rest of the SEC. Mr. McKinley was on his game and dropped nothing. During the one on one he just froze whoever was lined up over him and blew them away. I don’t recall seeing anything that was thrown to K Mac dropped tonight. Clearly the best Offensive player on the field tonight.
Jared Cook was on as well. Made some outstanding catches over the middle and he too dropped nothing that was in his hands. I hope this was an indication of Jared’s work this summer and that he has gotten over that concentration problem with the easy catches that he was dropping this spring.
Freddie Brown also showed some nice work over the middle, and flat out whipped some defenders trying to man up on him tonight. Even made Stoney Woodson look bad on one particular play on a nice deep slant route. So far the upperclassmen that has some issue to work on this summer looks like they’ve done just that.
Nick Prochak continued his fine work of this fall extending it into the opening night of practice. Most of his catches came in the one on one part of the night, but caught all but one low throw from Chris Smelley that was catchable, but would have been a tough grab. Wes Sanders didn’t look quite as good as I was hoping he’d look but the rumors of him being heavy were not real accurate. Sanders looks like a gifted TE and has a very athletic frame. Maybe opening day jitters, but just wasn’t real sharp bringing in the passes on a consistent basis.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Again, hard to tell about this unit right now, but from the drills, Eric Norwood and Travian Robertson (who were lined up with the fist unit tonight) looks like they’ll anchor the line very well. Travian is more of a Text Book type End doing all the footwork and tackling drills to perfection, while Eric is more of a speed and power type end. Not technically perfect, but make up for some fundamental flaws with sheer speed and strength. The two guys compliment each other well and If they play the way they practice the DL looks to be the most improved part of the team this season.
Of the new guys up front, was very impressed with Byron McKnight. Not a lot has been said about this young man when we discussed impact players this fall, but Byron is a good looking defensive end. Very big and athletic frame with room to grow. Needs some more upper body strength and that along with the depth of the end position may force the coaches to Redshirt McKnight this fall, but he’ll definitely be a guy to look for in the future. . .. . .Good looking football player.
Ladi Ajiboye was having a good practice going until he suffered what looked to be like a sever cramp later in the night. He was helped off the field by a trainer (walking mostly on his own power) but looked to have had trouble straightening his right leg. Hope it was nothing more than cramps anyway.

LINEBACKERS
Jasper Brinkley . . . . .That’s all you need to say there. Clearly the best Defensive Player out there tonight. He and Brother Casper and Rodney Paulk were the first unit linebackers and all had good nights. Jasper is becoming a short DB on the delays out of the backfield and reached over a couple of the fullbacks to knock the short passes away from them tonight. If anything Jap’s gotten a little more agile to go along with that bone crushing upper body of his . . .. . God help the RB’s and DB’s that get within range of him this fall.
Alonzo Winfield had a good night but nothing that would make you believe he’s a one or two deep LB this season. Needs to put on some muscle to go along with his speed, but he’s a kid that will play some in the future. Very good footwork and speed, and good technique on hitting a tackling.

DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
Our starting unit is sound. Looks line Emanuel Cook, Captain Munnerlyn, Brandon Isaac and (I would guess) Carlos Thomas will be our first unit players here. Stoney Woodson took Carlos place tonight while he was being disciplined.
In my opinion, Addison Williams by his play tonight would be one of the freshmen who will play this fall on Defense. Maybe not a starter, but he does look like a strong player at safety and has some good coverage skills. But, he would take a back seat to the play of Sam Pope who looks like he could go right now! Very good player and excellent cover skills. Closes quickly to the ball and makes plays.
One play during the night, there was a pass thrown to Freddie Brown by Stephen Garcia. Garcia pumped and the whole Defensive backfield bit EXCEPT POPE. Freddie turned upfield and Garcia launched a pass in the area where Freddie was supposed to be, but Sam Pope saw it coming and stayed in front of Brown and was able to keep Brown from getting behind him for the completion. Nice Defensive play. . . Play of the night on Defense in my opinion.
Mark Barnes had a good night, but wasn’t outstanding enough to keep Freddie Brown from burning him a couple of times, and Kenny McKinley made quick work of him in the one on ones as well.

Lots more I could add, but that was it in a nutshell. It wasn’t an overall, blow everybody away type of night, but there were a handful of very impressive freshman players and some major improvements made by individuals and full units that made the nights workout promising when trying to get some Idea of what to expect this fall.

[JAYBEZ]

you are the man!

[MACXIMVS]

2nd that jayman

[MACXIMVS]

how bout j. hills that sounds great

[GoCocks2391]

thanks for the report man, I can't wait for this year

[ILiveInTheRoost]

Jordin and Dustin Lindsey were not at practice tonight along with Cliff Matthews. Don’t know what was up with these guys. . . haven’t heard anything there.




Matthews was there. There are pictures of him in the photos thread. He is number 83.

[jaytda4th]

ahh i wish i could have been there

[doccock]

Thanks for the info Spurt. Those of us out of state wouldn't get any info if it wasn't for you.
doc

[Lalli25]

Thank you for the fix

[CockRoche]

Thanks Spurticus. Get some sleep and enjoy your beach trip.

[12+4=6]

AWESOME REPORT!! But the best thing I saw was the part about the outstanding performances of Jared Cook and Kenny. Cook has been a big question this offseason and I'm glad to see he is stepping up. And the part about Kenny is great because it shows that our key guy on offense is living up to the hype. Although it is only 1 practice, I see so many positives. Again, great report!

[JAYBEZ]

Anyone know how long it will be before the first practice in pads?

[big cock fan]

awsome spurticus!!!

[Cntrybrd4]

Thanks for getting that practice report out tonight Spurticus. It's great to hear the news of improvement as well as fome possible answers to the questions surrounding the team. GO COCKS!

[Spurticus]

Matthews was there. There are pictures of him in the photos thread. He is number 83.

I must have kept overlooking him for some reason. Just couldn't seem to find him.
There was a big crowd there, and a lot of really rude people shoving there way in front of people who had gotten there early for a good spot. Lots of kids crawling around under your feet !!! Made it difficult to see what was going on all the time.

[big cock fan]

http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=42419

guess my friends were right on about hills. good to know im not feeding u guys a load of bs on my word on the streets.
Thanks spurticus that was a great write up, now go have a great vacation!!!

[CockynTN]

Omg...Brinkley...God help Thomas Brown...

[Spurticus]

Anyone know how long it will be before the first practice in pads?

This spring is was like the third day they were in full pads.
Shells the second day and then they went at it on the third practice.
I would guess something like that again this fall. . .Too bad it will be closed.

[big cock fan]

whats the practice schedule for this week?

[COCKDIESEL]

thanks Spurticus, I had almost forgotten how great your reports are.

[Spurticus]

whats the practice schedule for this week?

Not sure right off hand BCF. I have a schedule somewhere but not with me right now. . . . I don't think any are open this week (unless a last minute anouncement) but there's a scrimmage on Saturday that's open to the public (4:15 pm) as of now.

[Spurticus]

Thanx for the props guys. I was glad to go out there. I wanted to see what we had shaping up this fall.
Impressed by Garcia, Hills, Pope, Maddox and Lecorn !
Was very disappointed to hear about Blake Mitchell, and that group not making classes this summer !

:-x :-x :-x

I"m going to let that go right now and focus on the good things I saw tonight. Those who want to be a part of it are in for a treat. . . . those that don't can watch it from the bench.

If you guys have any questions post them here. I'll answer as many as I can in the morning before I leave out.

BTW

Happy Birthday Morgan !!!!!

[Gamecockfanatic4]

You da man as always Spurt great report

[DarthVisor]

Great report, thanks for the heads up for those of us out of Columbia.

According to USCSports.com the first practice in pads won't happen until Thursday, August 9th.

http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072507aaa.html


Friday, August 3: Players Report; Team Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 4: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Sunday, August 5: Media Day 3- 5 p.m.; Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Monday, August 6: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Tuesday, August 7: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Wednesday, August 8: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Thursday, August 9: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Friday, August 10: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Saturday, August 11: Practice 4:15 p.m. (Scrimmage)
Sunday, August 12: Fan Appreciation Day 1-2:30 p.m. Colonial Center; Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Monday, August 13: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Tuesday, August 14: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Wednesday, August 15: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Thursday, August 16: Practice 3 p.m. (Full pads)
Friday, August 17: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Saturday, August 18: Practice 4:15 p.m. (Scrimmage)
Sunday, August 19: Practice 7:30 p.m.
Monday: August 20: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Tuesday, August 21: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Wednesday, August 22: 9 a.m. (Full pads)
Thursday, August 23: Fall Semester Begins; Practice 4 p.m.
Friday, August 24: Practice 4 p.m.
Saturday, August 25: Practice TBA
Sunday, August 26: Day Off
Monday, August 27: Practice 4 p.m.
Tuesday, August 28: Practice 4 p.m.
Wednesday, August 29: Practice 4 p.m.
Thursday, August 30: Practice 4 p.m.
Friday, August 31: Walk-Thru
Saturday, September 1: Game vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

[ConwayGamecock]

Anyone know how long it will be before the first practice in pads?
Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.


Friday, August 3: Players Report; Team Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 4: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Sunday, August 5: Media Day 3- 5 p.m.; Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Monday, August 6: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Tuesday, August 7: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Wednesday, August 8: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Thursday, August 9: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Friday, August 10: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Saturday, August 11: Practice 4:15 p.m. (Scrimmage)
Sunday, August 12: Fan Appreciation Day 1-2:30 p.m. Colonial Center; Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Monday, August 13: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Tuesday, August 14: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Wednesday, August 15: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Thursday, August 16: Practice 3 p.m. (Full pads)
Friday, August 17: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Saturday, August 18: Practice 4:15 p.m. (Scrimmage)
Sunday, August 19: Practice 7:30 p.m.
Monday: August 20: Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Tuesday, August 21: Practice 9:30 a.m. (Helmets/Shoulder pads); Practice 7:30 p.m. (Full pads)
Wednesday, August 22: 9 a.m. (Full pads)
Thursday, August 23: Fall Semester Begins; Practice 4 p.m.
Friday, August 24: Practice 4 p.m.
Saturday, August 25: Practice TBA
Sunday, August 26: Day Off
Monday, August 27: Practice 4 p.m.
Tuesday, August 28: Practice 4 p.m.
Wednesday, August 29: Practice 4 p.m.
Thursday, August 30: Practice 4 p.m.
Friday, August 31: Walk-Thru

Saturday, September 1: Game vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

[morgan n' 7]

Spurticus! You are the best of the best. Thanks for the report. I would have questions, but I cheated and called you. :lol: :bow:

Happy Birthday Morgan !!!!! Thank you, my friend.

[jaytda4th]

-- Was there ever a chance to see culliver's true speed?

[ra742002]

Thanks Spurt!!

[purebredcock]

thanx! have a good time at the beach

[USCFAN05]

thanks spurticus, did you see jamire williams and how did larry freeman do?

[GarnetNunn]

thanks for the report spurt. ! great as always..

[Spurred]

Thanks

[atrain3067]

Great as always. Thanks Spurt.

[Stillwearingmyjoehat]

Is five two-a-days about right?

For some reason I always thought there were more of those during the month.

[YouCanNeverTell]

I only see four. Maybe I'm missing one somewhere.

[Rice Rice Baby]

Responding to some of yalls questions, Culliver didnt have too manyh chances to show off his speed, they tried him out at returning kicks and he dropped 3 consecutive kicks in a row, then finally got the hang of it. He had one very nice end around play at the end of the night when he turned it on. Freeman looked solid after a lackluster spring game. He caught some impressive balls, also they lined him up for a trick WR pass at the end of the night. Succop was amazing as always, he hit easily a 60 yarder, maybe even a bit further, the crowd went wild! I was impressed with jason barnes, Hills was solid as was lecorn. Maddox did not look like a true freshman thats for sure. I am amazed to see how big t robertson has gotten, he is a monster! Also Cliff Mathews was doing very well, I suspect he will see the field this year. I was sitting right next to all the d line/ DE drills and he really caught my eye. Her seemed very eager to learn, Norwood was helping him out alot! He is very very quick for his size, has excellent footwork and athleticism. However many people are right regarding his weight. He definately needs to add some lbs to be a true force in the SEC. I dont think that will be a problem with our strength coaches though! As Spurticus said, K MAC was amazing, Cory Boyd was solid, and of course Jap was a beast. Cory was very cool at the end of the night, thanking the crowd for coming! Overall had a great time, was a great practice considering it was the first night!

[garnet812]

Man, with all our depth now, it seems it's gonna make the coaches to have to make tought decisions on who's starting and who's 2nd team. Not that it's a bad problem to have though! I'm so pumped after reading that, 26 days!!

BTW, Thanks Spurticus

[Spurticus]

-- Was there ever a chance to see culliver's true speed?

only during sprints after practice

:lol:

The 40 times are not a real good indication for me as to what kind of player the kid will be. What we saw tonight is. We have LOTS of speed on the team now. Speed Might help returning kickoffs but even there speed is not the only thing that matters.
I think in the scrimmage this coming Saturday we'll have a much better idea of who is going to be the major contributors this season. Kids that looked good tonight might not look as good with a full week of practice under their belts and with pads on getting hit for real.
Culliver may still come out of this group as the best freshman of the whole group. Give it some time and see what develops

[Spurticus]

thanks spurticus, did you see jamire williams and how did larry freeman do?

Larry Freeman didn't get thrown to much after one-on-ones but the ones they threw to him, he caught. Both he and Jared Cook were lined up as Wide Outs instead of Tight End, and both did well. Jared got more balls thrown his way than did Freeman.

I did get to see J Williams. He did well for himself tonight. Good technique and Coach Cooper seemed to be pleased with the way he was running drills. It seemed he was always getting matchups in one on ones with guys like Nick Prochak and Kenny McKinley. All in all he did good for his first night.

[Forkcock]

Thanks Spurticus!

[spurmanski]

Holy cow...I ddont know how you saw all that. I gave up and made it a social occasion. I just gotta remember to do some sort of a scaffold affair for next year's Spring and opening practice.

Great Job Spurt.....there was good crowd murmur about Garcia.

Thanks Again:spurrier:

[snoopcockycock]

thanks for the reports spurt. how did the coaches look? also, of the three qb's there last night, which one of them looked the most polished?

[FoghornLeghornCock]

Great report as always Spurticus. I noticed from the article from the Charleston paper on this site that the Sunday evening practice is also open to the public. I hope some fill in for Spurticus if he goes to the beach as planned.
I am not surprised Lecorn is adapting quickly you don't have 1,000 yards in your junior and senior years in receiving by just showing up.

[Lant]

that was great. it's so good to see these reports again.

[yazoo]

Thanks. Great report.

[scfan2001]

Anyone know how long it will be before the first practice in pads?
Don't ask Shaw from Blythewood :lol:

Thanks for the report Spurticus!

[Snake]

:football: Football Season is Finally Here!!:happycoc:

Thanks For your efforts and staying up late to get out another Great Report Spurticus!!:bow:
Have a Safe Trip to the Beach!!:thumbsup:

[zappa]

Thanks,Spurticus.

[Snake]

Personnel shifts. In a sign of new offensive depth, two veterans have been shifted to defense.

Senior Mike West is back at outside linebacker, where he was a full-time starter in 2005. He played receiver last season, catching six passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

But with five true freshmen receivers on the team, West is back to his old position.

“We thought with all those freshmen receivers, he’d have a better chance of playing on defense,” Spurrier said.

Senior Ryan Brown has also moved back to the other side, switching from fullback to defensive end. Brown started eight games at defensive end last season, but was shifted to fullback in the spring.

In addition, three freshmen walk-ons have been added to the roster: quarterback Zac Brindise (Fort Myers, Fla.), cornerback Cedric Snead (Garner, N.C.) and deep snapper Chris Vaughn.

Ingram absent. Linebacker Melvin Ingram missed his first college practice. The highly-regarded freshman from Hamlet, N.C., was attending a family funeral, according to team spokesman Steve Fink.

Practice open again. Spurrier said tonight’s practice will be open to the public. He had originally announced that Saturday’s opener would be the only open practice until the first scrimmage.

“I appreciate them coming out (Saturday night),” Spurrier said. “Come out again (tonight), and then Monday we’ll close up for a while until we have our first scrimmage.”

About those receivers. It was just the first practice, but the new receivers had a good enough showing for Spurrier. The coach split them into three groups: The tall guys (Jason Barnes and Joe Hills), the 6-foot-1 and 6-2 guys (Dion Lecorn and Matt Clements), and the speedster (Chris Culliver).

“These freshmen receivers, they all can run, and they look pretty good,” Spurrier said.

http://www.thestate.com/gamecocks/story/137831.html

[Snake]

QB Mitchell one of eight players suspended for the fall’s first practice

By JOSEPH PERSON - jperson@thestate.com (jperson@thestate.com)

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2007/08/04/21/264-USC1st21.embedded.prod_affiliate.74.jpg (http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2007/08/04/21/716-USC1st21.standalone.prod_affiliate.74.jpg)
JEFF BLAKE/JBLAKE@THESTATE.COM
From left, quarterbacks Stephen Garcia, Zac Brindise, Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher drop back.

Blake Mitchell began the 2007 season in a position he became all too familiar with last season — on the sideline.

South Carolina’s starting quarterback was one of eight players suspended for Saturday’s first preseason practice for violating team and university policy, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said after the 2 ½-hour session at the Bluff Road practice facility.

Sources told The State the players were disciplined following excessive absences during summer school.

Other players held out included twin brothers Jordin and Dustin Lindsey, starting cornerback Carlos Thomas, backup tailback Bobby Wallace, backup cornerback Chris Hail and reserve defensive linemen Terrence Campbell and Kenrick Ellis. Jordin Lindsey is a returning starter at defensive end.

The players also must sit out tonight’s practice, with the exception of the Lindsey brothers, who did not attend Saturday’s session and will not be back until the end of next week at the earliest.

Mitchell, a fifth-year senior from LaGrange, Ga., is beginning his third season in Spurrier’s Cock ‘n’ Fire offense. Spurrier did not hide his dismay in his quarterback.

“It was disappointing, but he’s done some disappointing things before,” Spurrier said. “So it doesn’t shock me, let’s put it that way. Anyway, we’ll get it behind us here in a couple days.”

While Mitchell and the other suspended players ran wind sprints and did sit-ups, USC’s three backup quarterbacks got plenty of work in front of the crowd of 3,100, which included a wedding party that dropped by briefly with the bride still in her gown.

Freshman Stephen Garcia, suspended for spring practice following two arrests in a two-week span, made his Gamecocks’ debut. Garcia made a couple of nice throws in passing drills, highlighted by a touch pass to fellow freshman Jason Barnes on a corner route.

“Stephen threw the ball around decently, nothing spectacular yet,” Spurrier said. “These freshman receivers — they all can run and they all look pretty good. So (we’re) excited about those guys.”

Barnes, a 6-foot-3, 203-pounder from Charlotte’s Independence High, showed off good route-running skills. Freshman Chris Culliver, a speedy receiver from Raleigh, had a few grabs, but dropped three punts during special teams work.

Joseph Hills, another freshman receiver, scraped his knee going into the hedges after hauling in a deep throw. In addition to the young guns, tight end Jared Cook and returning receiver Freddie Brown both caught multiple passes during the 7-on-7 drill.

Garcia split reps with redshirt freshman Chris Smelley and redshirt sophomore Tommy Beecher, all three of whom are thought to be competing for the No. 2 spot. Of course, Mitchell appeared to have a handle on the top spot before a tumultuous 2006 campaign.

After starting the first two games, Mitchell was benched for seven weeks in favor of the more mobile Syvelle Newton as the Gamecocks struggled to find consistency along their offensive line.

Mitchell’s demotion coincided with his arrest for punching a bouncer at a Five Points bar — a charge that was later dropped.

The enigmatic Mitchell played some of his best football after returning to the starting lineup. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound right-hander completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,467 yards and 10 touchdowns over the final 18 quarters of the season.

Mitchell, who was not made available to the media Saturday, stopped and signed autographs for several fans as he left the field. Senior tailback Cory Boyd said he looked forward to getting Mitchell back.

“He’s got things he needs to handle on his own. We know he’s out here. His spirit is still out here,” Boyd said. “He still knows the plays. It’s just giving an opportunity for the younger guys to get out there and showcase what they can do.”

http://www.thestate.com/gamecocks/story/137846.html

[Spurific]

Spurticus,

You and your wife have been working very hard! I think I saw everyone carrying a CockyTalk Roster last night!!

Much gratitude...have a great day @ Myrtle and please tell Mrs. Spurticus we appreciate her support.

[willy]

you are the man!



Thanks for the very concise practice report Spurticus.

[OVPcock]

Thanks Spurt! Really appreciate all the time and effort you put into these. I know... it's fun for you, but still...
:bow: :thumbsup:

[Beebop]

Excellent job as always!!

[uscfwbfan]

Thanks Spurticus for the great report! I didn't think you mentioned Rank...what's his status?

For us out-of-towners, thanks for making us a part of the playing field!

[Freehawk]

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2007/08/04/21/264-USC1st21.embedded.prod_affiliate.74.jpg (http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2007/08/04/21/716-USC1st21.standalone.prod_affiliate.74.jpg)
JEFF BLAKE/JBLAKE@THESTATE.COM
From left, quarterbacks Stephen Garcia, Zac Brindise, Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher drop back.
http://www.thestate.com/gamecocks/story/137846.html

Note Garcia and Brindise, they need to learn to hold that ball higher the way Spurrier likes, and get their feet uncrossed. Easy to pick out the rookies here.

No reason to get too worried too soon about Mitchell, this worked out fine, let the others get some snaps, Mitchell will get most of them when he comes back.

[Rip]

Thanks for the great report Spurticus.

[orlandogamecock]

Great reporting as always, Spur! Several intriguing storylines going on here. It'll be fun to see how everything plays out!

[MEGA]

Thanks SPURTICUS for the report, and for making us that could not attend feel like we were right there with ya !! :wink:

[feistyminx]

Thanks so much for the report! Way better than the articles online. You're the best!!!!:bow:

[cockinorlando]

Matthews was there. There are pictures of him in the photos thread. He is number 83.

Could someone kindly point me in the direction of this photo thread?

[MEGA]

Could someone kindly point me in the direction of this photo thread?

In this forum PICTURES FROM PRACTICE , I will bump it to the front for you !!

[orlandogamecock]

What is Quintin Richardson's current status? Is he still suspended?

Edit: Never mind. I just read where he was at the Proving Grounds last night working with the team. Just didn't see him mentioned in the reports.

[FL_native]

Spurrier had a QB in the mid ninetys named Noah Brandise. Smart kid who was the one that called in the plays but not a gifted QB. He wanted to be a coach, wonder if Zac Brandise is related? Spurrier is very loyal to players who work hard and accomplish the most they can with their skills.
Thanks for the report, it contained lots of insight into what happened. Looking good!

[The Dude]

Spurrier had a QB in the mid ninetys named Noah Brandise. Smart kid who was the one that called in the plays but not a gifted QB. He wanted to be a coach, wonder if Zac Brandise is related? Spurrier is very loyal to players who work hard and accomplish the most they can with their skills.
Thanks for the report, it contained lots of insight into what happened. Looking good!

yes, Zac is his younger brother I believe...

or is it cousin? i think its brother...

[atrain3067]

yes, Zac is his younger brother I believe...

or is it cousin? i think its brother...

Younger brother

[FL_native]

Younger brother

Thanks guys, I should mention the loyalty runs both ways, a lot of brothers and cousins will want to come here to play for Spurrier.

The way it sounds, this could be the year! Can't tell until the Ga game.

[crowcutta]

good to hear fab five freddie brown playing well. a lot of us are forgetting about him. thorough job spurticus

[SCARdirtybirds]

there was an article in thestate.com about brindise. He's noah's younger brother and wants to walk on just like his brother did. Apparently he accomplished that. It will probably take a couple years for him to get some playing time. I'd expect him to possibly redshirt for sure.

[SangareeCrew]

there was an article in thestate.com about brindise. He's noah's younger brother and wants to walk on just like his brother did. Apparently he accomplished that. It will probably take a couple years for him to get some playing time. I'd expect him to possibly redshirt for sure.

Brindise is a sharp kid and I would not be suprised at all to see him get significant playing time before his career at Carolina is over. I actually met him by total chance earlier this summer. I was down in Captiva Island, FL for my honeymoon earlier this year. Me and my wife had to go into Fort Myers (the nearest town) to do a little shopping, and we went into the Nike outlet store there to pick up some swimming trunks for me. A guy named Zac was the cashier, and he commented on my Gamecock shirt and said he was going up there to play this fall. (The store was not busy at all, so we talked for about 10-15 min) I asked him his name and position, and when he told me he was a QB I said "You do know how stacked we are at QB, right?" He said that he was aware of that, and that he knew Garcia well. He also told us about his older brother Noah walking on at UF, and eventually got a good bit of playing time in a rotation system. He was confident that he could get playing time at USC and earn a scholarship. He really loves Coach Spurrier, he passed up schollys at Charleston Southern and a couple other 1-AA teams to compete at USC. I will definately be following him thoughout his career at Carolina. :bow: :clap: :claphat:

I got to practice late last night, and I didn't know that he was #17, although I thought that was probably him because I heard Smelley had changed to #7. Our QB stable looked good to me even without Mitchell out there! I am exicited about the future at that position.

[gamecock ray]

What a hot night! Always is in Cola. Talked to Bobby Wallace on the way in to practice field. He was dressed in street clothes. Yes Matthews was there. He is sort of lean but quick and agile. Wesley Saunders is huge and as advertised he is very agile. He dropped a few at the beginning , started to haul a few in before practice was over. Spurticus is right about Kenny Mac. He showed just how fine a receiver he was all night. His hands must be made of glue. To be honest with you I just do not remember him dropping and passes since he has been a gamecock. Overall I thought the practice was not bad for a first night. Our strength and conditioning coach has done a very good job. The guys look very conditioned.

[cack]

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FinchMcCrunkNasty]

lets play some football fellas

[willy]

lets play some football fellas



I"M with you Irmo.

[USCharleston]

Great report Spurt.

Snake, are you going to pinch hit for him today?

What happened to walk-on QB Michael McQueeney? Was he there last night?

[NastyNash]

Thanks for the report

[Spurticus]

Got in a little while ago and was checking out the thread to see if there are any specific questions . . . . Saw where Spurrier opened practice again tonight !!!!!!
:mad: :mad: I hate when they do stuff like this on short notice.

Thanx again for all the good comments.

thanks for the reports spurt. how did the coaches look? also, of the three qb's there last night, which one of them looked the most polished?

All the coaches looked good (as usual). I was watching Coach Hunt work with the O line more than the rest because this is where we need the most improvment. I'm still convenced we struck gold when we signed Coach Hunt and Coach Nix.
Also was very impressed with coach Beamer. During the field goal warmups, and the punt blocking drills he actually yelled at some players for not being ready to go, or for not hustling !! . . . . I never heard coach Chatham or Cooper doing that during ST drills. This guy takes the ST's play seriously.

As for the QB's, it was first day of practice and they all had some good plays, and all had some poor ones. Hard to tell who the most polished was right now. All I can say is that Garcia was the most impressive throwing the football. If he learns the offense quick enough who knows what will happen in the next few weeks. I'm sticking to my opinion that he needs to redshirt. It would bennifiet us more in the next couple of years if he does, but I honestly thought he'd pretty much have to RS because he would have some mechanical problems to correct or some footwork issues that Spurrier didn't like etc. . . and that combined with having to learn the plays well enough to run the offense properly would force him out. . . Well, the only flaw in his mechanics is that wobble on his passes. That's correctable. He may have a shot at playing if he's gets a good knowledge of the offensive scheme in a few weeks. . . . Still want to see him RS, but he's in a position that if he plays, Spurrier thinks he's ready and that's fine with me.


Thanks Spurticus for the great report! I didn't think you mentioned Rank...what's his status?

For us out-of-towners, thanks for making us a part of the playing field!


Rank was there and got some handoffs with the other RB's. Looked good, but that was running with a line that was only shielding and the Defensive guys just wrapping up (not tackling). With only t-shirts and helmets, you can't tell about the Running game, or anything about the Offensive and Defensive line except from drills. Taylor didn't catch a pass out of the backfield that I can recall. Should have more detail about these guys after the scrimmage Saturday in full pads.

[GoCCUChants]

Was there any D-line pressure during Succop's 60 yarder? This guy is awesome. "Ryan Succop, 2007 Lou Groza Award Winner"

[CockRoche]

One thing I noticed about Succop while watching some of our game replays from last season. While he is on the sideline, he is really in the game and being a cheerleader. The 2006 Clemson game is coming on again at 2:30a.m. so I guess I'll watch it one more time, it doesn't get old.

[Spurticus]

Was there any D-line pressure during Succop's 60 yarder? This guy is awesome. "Ryan Succop, 2007 Lou Groza Award Winner"

No
On the 60 yarder he hit, it was when the offense was working on the far field and the Defensive guys were on the lower end of the near field.. . . The kickers usually don't have "supervised" workouts throughout most of practice and they either watch the rest of the team, or they wait until they have an open area and punt / Kick to each other.
This time they had the whole North end of the near field to themselves, and Succop, Hooper and Lanning stating kicking some field goals at the 30 yard line (40 yard FG's) using the tripod holding stick.
They all hit a couple from the 30 then moved back to the 40 (50 yarders) Ryan hit one and then Lanning hit 1 out of 3 from there. They moved back to the 50 (the 60 yarder) and Ryan hit his first kick !! Got a big round of applause. . .The other two dropped out and Ryan moved back to the 55 (65 yard range) and hit the cross bar on his first attempt and then kicked one that was just off to the left a yard or so, but would have been good from about 70 yards out. . . . he was going to go again but the coaches blew the whistle to bring the offense over to the near field.

[Gamecocks4ever]

Awesome practice report Spurt. Pts sent!!!

[SNEEZ]

Jared cook and wesleye saunders both had some wide open drops

Mini-Spurrier #83 was a little motor out there, some awesome grabs and happy feet!!!

[jaydogg843]

Spurt, I think you're a pro now.

[scrub146]

should be coming in, anyone have any info?

[mattlongman]

scrimmage was good, offense looked like they were clicking, but first offense and some second team did not play. (we already know what they can do and no injuries from them is important) Defense was the same situation, most of first string did not play. defense got to the quarterbacks a few times (mostly beacher, and garcia). Also in practice the defense blocked a kick.

Garcia's first play was a run play and the second was a run play. He looked ok in warm ups but during the game there was nothing spectacular out of him imo.

Culliver scored on a tip pass in the endzone and no interceptions from the qb's

I am sure there will be a more detailed report that someone will post but until then that is how the scrimmage went in a nutshell

[scrub146]

Thanks for the info! any info on Smelley and Jason Barnes?

[Snake]

I apologize that this is a little short.

I didn't take any notes today, but, just got back from the scrimmage with a few observations.

(As you know) Mostly young guys got the reps in the scrimmage that was run at about 80-90 percent full speed.

Everyone held up on the Hard Hitting and the heat was not as bad as I anticipated.

Pretty Good Crowd out there today.

There was a brief shower around 4PM that cooled things down so we had a nice breeze coming from the South End Zone over to the west stands where we were seated.

Wesley Saunders was the obvious star of the day.....He's caught a few tight end drags and waggles from Beecher, Smelley, and Garcia.

Garcia struggled for the most part today other than one nice pass he had to Jared Cook for a 15 yard touchdown. (you can tell he has a LONG WAY TO GO, but, will be special with a year or so under his belt)

There was one play where Garcia Flipped the ball under hand when he was in the Grasp of a Defensive Linemen and it got intercepted. He was simply trying to make something out of nothing, but, its so early you don't want to criticize the decision making of a true Fresman in Fall Practice.

Brian Maddux looked good running the ball too today, but, I understand he will probably be red shirted.

There were no significant injuries today.:clap:

Garrett Anderson came out and got a few reps in a soft cast on his right hand.

Chris Culliver is going to be Special Period.

James Thompson continues to dissappoint me.....I Hope that he will live up to the Hype when he came out of Sumter High School. (He ran off of the field before it ended, but, don't know why)

Captain Returned Punts today......I hope he can put a spark into our anemic return game over the past few years.

Jared Cook caught the ball well today too.

Anyway......I thought I would pass what I observed along to you guys.....I JUST got back.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will try and answer.

[jwgamecock]

Here's the State write up:
Saturday, August 11 Scrimmage Report

By Chris Dearing
gogamecocks.com
Published: August 11, 2007

An estimated crowd of 6,000 turned out for the first South Carolina scrimmage of the preseason camp Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium.

They were treated to three scoring drives by the offense and a turnover free performance. Most of the starters didn’t play, including starting quarterback Blake Mitchell, but the three players competing for the backup QB position each accounted for a touchdown.

“Stephen Garcia did some good things,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher had some good plays here and there so it was encouraging.”

Spurrier was hoping for a little more inspired play since it was the first scrimmage of the year.

“We’re a little sluggish,” Spurrier said. “We don’t get up and go fast enough. We don’t get out there and get set quick enough. So we have to pick up our speed. But it was mostly first or second year players so there were some encouraging things done.”

Smelley opened the scoring by connecting with Moe Brown on a 13-yard pass on the opening drive.

Jared Cook followed with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Garcia. He lined up in the slot and easily beat his defender to the back corner of the end zone.

The scoring wrapped up when freshman speedster Chris Culliver hauled in a 42-yard pass from Beecher. The ball was under thrown but Culliver made an adjustment and the ball bounced off of walk-on Mike Newton into Culliver’s hands.

The Gamecocks practiced for about an hour before the scrimmage, and Cook added two touchdown catches on passing drills. Weslye Saunders also looked good in the scrimmage so USC might use the tight end more often this season.

“We threw it some to Jared Cook and Weslye Saunders. (Nick) Prochak wasn’t in there much. He should have gotten more action. Tights ends are a part of our offense.”

USC also worked on the punt coverage and return game with an interesting look. Jasper and Casper Brinkley were lined up at the guard positions on the coverage team.

Jordin Lindsey was at practice in shorts and a helmet. Spurrier hasn’t gotten official word on his academic issue but thinks he will be eligible to play.

Rushing – Bobby Wallace 3-28, Brian Maddox 6-21, Stephen Garcia 3-3, Chris Smelley 1-(-7).

Passing – Tommy Beecher 8-11-0, 100 yards, 1 TD; Chris Smelley 6-10-0, 71 yards, 1 TD; Stephen Garcia 5-8-0, 50 yards, 1 TD.

Receiving – Jared Cook 3-35, Weslye Saunders 3-33, Larry Freeman 2-20, Dion Lecorn 2-17, Bobby Wallace 2-15, Freddie Brown 1-8, Moe Brown 1-13, Jason Barnes 1-15, Chris Culliver 1-42, Scott Spurrier 1-7, Brian Maddox 1-9, Clark Gaston 1-7.

Scoring Summary

Moe Brown 13 pass from Chris Smelley
Jared Cook 5 pass from Stephen Garcia
Chris Culliver 42 pass from Tommy Beecher

[charlotterooster2001]

Thought Dakota Walker played for Georgia Southern...

But good report!

[scrub146]

Sounds pretty good for the first scrimmage, especially with the first team not playing much!

[Snake]

Kendrick Ellis Maybe (#97) with Dread Locks??

I didn't have a roster with me tonight...sorry

[scrub146]

Kenrick is #97

[COCKDIESEL]

Kendrick Ellis Maybe (#97) with Dread Locks??

I didn't have a roster with me tonight...sorry
That definately would explain why dakota looked so much bigger.:lol:

[Spurticus]

There was a Thunderstorm that popped up at 4:15 today, and the Lighting delayed the start of scrimmage until around 5:30. Heat was near the 100 degree mark again, but the storm cooled things down "some". Still there was a very good crowd there to see the first open scrimmage of this fall.
The Scrimmage wasn't real long (6 Drives all together), and it was mostly 2nd and 3rd unit players and the Freshmen. No Blake Mitchell, No Cory Boyd, No Kenny McKinley. . .but still some pretty good football.

I'll just give you the highlights of each drive instead of a play by play:
1st Drive:
On a 2nd and 8 play from the 32 yard line, Tommy Beecher found Jared Cook on a nice drag route on the Left side out of a bootleg action. The pass was complete for 16 yards
On that same drive, Chris Smelly found Larry Freeman on a deep curl route in the middle of the field for a gain of 18 yards.
Nice Defensive play by Addison Williams on a 1st and 10 play when Tommy Beecher launched a deep curl route near the goal line intended for Moe Brown. Moe had beaten Williams by a couple of steps and Tommy threw the ball well, but Addison closed very nicely on the ball and tipped it away was Moe was reaching for it over his shoulder.
Tommy found Jared Cook on that same Bootleg / Drag route that gained 12 yards.
With the ball at the 17 yard line, Chris Smelley and Moe Brown hooked up on a deep corner route and a blown coverage by the defense. Moe was open in the End Zone, and Chris hit him there for the Touchdown.

2nd Drive:
On a 2nd and 12, Chris Smelley hooked up with Bobby Wallace on a delayed Middle Screen for a nice pickup of 9 yards.
On the next play, Peirre Andrews was beaten badly on the O/Line by Kenrick Ellis who sacked Smelley for a 9 yard loss.
that Drive stalled.

3rd Drive:
Stephen Garcia came in and on the first play faked a sweep to Brian Maddox to the right, and Garcia rolled out to the left and turned the ball upfield for a gain of 3.
Next play, Garcia on a delayed Drag route, found Wes Sanders on the left side for a nice gain of 13 yards.
The Drive had no more big plays and stalled out near midfield.

4th Drive:
On a 1st and 10 play, Bobby Wallace took a delayed draw from Garcia and picked his way through the line then upfield for a beautifull run of 11 yards.
On a 3rd and 5 play, Garcia fumbled the shotgun snapp, but was able to pick it up and scramble upfield before being downed by Marvin Sapp. The Play gained 8 yards.
Bobby Wallace took a Handoff from Chris Smelley on a first and 10 play and went off tackle for a gain of 12.
On a 3rd and short play, Smelley found Jason Barnes on a deep hook on the left side of the field that gained 17 yards.
On the next play, Garcia and Sanders connected with the Bootleg action Drag route to the right side this time for another nice gain of 13 yards.
That moved the ball down to the 6 yard line and the Defense stiffened, but on a 4th and goal from the 6, the defense stacked the middle and was man to man on the WR's and Jared Cook Circled to the back left corner of the end zone on a nice looking Crossing route with Freddie Brown underneath. . . . Stephen Garcia hooked up with Jared Cook in the corner for the TD!

5th Drive:
Not a real productive Drive. One nice play on a 3rd and 7 play, when Tommy Beecher hit threw a wobbly pass to the middle of the field into double coverage. The ball was tipped into the air, but Moe didn't take his eyes off of the ball and was able to pull it in for a gain of 15 yards. . . However there was Holding on that play which brought it back and the drive stalled out after that.

6th Drive:
On a 2nd and 10 play, Brian Maddox took a Delayed Draw up the middle and broke a couple of arm tackles and turned upfield for a gain of 21 yards, but Chris Culliver grabbed a DB while attempting to block on the outside, and the ball was brought back for a penalty of 10 yards from the spot of the hold.
On a 2nd and 8 play, Beecher hit Wallace on a middle screen for a gain of 11 and a first down.
On a 3rd and 3, Garcia pitched to Wallace on a reverse option but Clifton Geathers wasn't fooled and wrapped up Wallace in the backfield for a loss of 5
On the next play, Garcia hit Deon Lecorn on a nice slant pattern and Lecorn picked up 14 yards, and a first down.
On a first and 10 play, Beecher went long over the middle to Chris Culliver, but the ball was thrown short. Mike Newton tried to intercept the ball, but it deflected up in the air and Chris Culliver took the deflected ball at the 3 and ran it in for the Touchdown to end the scrimmage.

Jared Cook looked FANTASTIC today. Caught everyting and ran some very nice routes. Looks like he is going to be a big factor in our offense this year.
LOVE THAT DRAG ROUTE off the bootleg. . . That's a play we ran in practice well last fall, but we didn't use it any in the regular season. . This is something we need to use this year. That is one nice looking play, and with Jared Cook, Nick Prochak and Wes Sanders at TE. . .That could be a big play for us this year.
Beecher was the best QB today, but Chris Smelley looked good as well.
Brian Maddox did well when he got to touch the ball, but WE HAVE GOT TO GET BOBBY WALLACE THE BALL SOME THIS SEASON. . . . .That young man has some good moves, and has put on some muscle this summer. He's too good of a back to see standing on the sideline this fall.

[atrain3067]

Great Reporting as usual. Thanks Spurticus.

:clap::football:

[Snake]

Thanks Spurticus!!:bow:

[USCKEN]

DANG GOOD REPORT. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS A NICE EVEN BATTLE ON THE LINE. THAT IS GOT ME HYPED UP!!!! SPURT IS DA MAN!!! THANKS

[atrain3067]

O-Line sounded better, nice to hear good things about our offensive line, the receivers, and especially from the ones that needed to step up.

[scgreatest]

Are the quarterbacks getting hit too?

[ConwayGamecock]

Great report! Sounds like Wallace is ready to play, and I agree he needs to see the field more this season.

Didn't like reading about the tipped almost-intercept into the air by Newton. We definitely need to get that out of our system....we've had enough defensive tips into the air to last us about 10 years, all from last season!

Were the defense going a little easy on the O in this scrimmage?? I thought it was odd that the O was as efficient as it was....figured if only the younger players were scrimmaging, the defense would be tougher, since we have so many likely starters as fr and so.....

[conwaycock]

Good Stuff

Glad to hear Bobby Wallace played well. Sounds like we might use the TE a little more this year.

[longcock]

great to hear cook running some great routes. let's hope he blocks as well as he catches.

sounds like our young defensive secondary has some work to do.

[mr. cock]

thanks for the report.

[TheMule]

:bow: Thank you, Spurt! I'd love to see Wallace get a lot of touches this year too.

[Cheeze]

Thanks for the report. Great job as always.

[happygilmore527]

I agree with Spurt, Cook caught everything in warmups and during the scrimmage. It was good to see the hands. The drag route with the TE looked real nice. I mentioned it to my friends I was with and it worked several times. Wesyle Saunders is an absolute beast. The kid is huge. That is no understatement. Seeing a big TE like that can only give a man goosebumps.
Garcia looked shaky as expected. He threw some nice balls but had some bad throws and some got tipped. Smelley and Beecher looked pretty good.

Maddox looks like he is ready to play physical wise but I'm sure is destined for a redshirt. Wallace had a few nice cuts. I didn't see much out of Culliver or Barnes. Barnes is definitely ahead of him I believe. I think Culliver is too fast for his own good at the moment. Once he learns the position, he could be a good one. Hopefully he'll pick it up sooner than later.

I didn't get a good gauge on the lineman. I did notice the size of those boys though and that made me happy. If anything, they look like SEC lineman who can pound you and move mountains. Clifton is big, Ladi is big, TR and Cliff look huge as well. It's a good problem to have for us.

I think it was a good scrimmage for the young players. Seemed to be some good competition out there, liked seeing Saunders rumble over a few guys and was a good crowd too. Just thought I would chime in with Spurticus on this.

[OVPcock]

Great stuff, thanks Spurt!

[longcock]

I too thought that our young Dline would dominate today's scrimmage. Sounds like they were held in check for the most part.

[kda]

That drag route was big for us in practice and scrimmages last year, but to reiterate was Spurticus said, I don't remember seing during the season.

[SClawman]

Little correction: On the 4th drive, it was Stephen Garcia (not Beecher) who threw that nice td pass to the corner of the endzone to Jared Cook.

Good report, Spurt

[snoopcockycock]

am i to understand that travian, ladi, marque, cliff and eric played, and didn't really do anything? if that is the case, i am wondering what is going on here. please let me know.

[Spurticus]

That drag route was big for us in practice and scrimmages last year, but to reiterate was Spurticus said, I don't remember seing during the season.

Exactly kda.
We used it in the first game of 05 against UCF when Andy Boyd scored and got hurt. That was a straight drag route, but looked good. We started running it with the bootleg last year in the fall and I thought we looked very good running it. . . Don't know why we didn't try it on the field during the season.
If there's anyone who don't know how effective the short drag route can be. . . Go back and look at the replay of the Independence Bowl against Missouri in 05. They destroyed our defense in the second half using that play with those two big TE's they had. . . If you run it well, it's one of the most beautiful looking plays you can run.

[Spurley]

I also went to the scrimmage and it's obvious that Spurticus is a lot more knowledgeable than I am about our players and football in general. One thing I noticed was that several passes were completed after d linemen ran right by the qb. I don't know if each one of those plays were credited with sacs but I would say it occurred on about 5 or 6 plays. On the second drive it looked like our o line was very good but the rest of the time there was pretty good penetration by the defense. I'm not sure I like watching us scrimmage. When there's a big offensive play I worry about our defense. On the other hand, when the offense sputters I worry about them. I also thought it was Garcia who threw the second touchdown pass to the left corner of the end zone, but I must have been wrong. Overall, my impression of the team is that we've definitely got some good receivers, I thought all 3 of the qb's could handle the job if needed, it ain't a fantasy how nasty our d linemen are, and I saw a lot of players who can fly. But I didn't know what was going on during most of the scrimmage or who many of the players were. I guess I ought to mention that #8 (Moe Brown?) is definitely someone to watch and like Spurticus said, Jared Cook, whom I think has more upside than anyone on our whole team, was FANTASTIC.

[SClawman]

The defense stopped the offense quite a few times. There was a lot of pressure on the qb's. There were so many different guys rotating on defense that I don't think the first team defense really was ever on the field as a unit so it's hard to guage how good they are.

I thought Hall and Norwood looked awesome in the warmups.

Geathers looked good and Matthews was around the ball a lot.

[SClawman]

Spurley, it was Garcia that threw the td pass. I saw it myself and it's already been mentioned in an AP report on the scrimmage.

FWIW

Still a great report by Spurticus.

[McLovin]

WE HAVE GOT TO GET BOBBY WALLACE THE BALL SOME THIS SEASON. . . . .That young man has some good moves, and has put on some muscle this summer. He's too good of a back to see standing on the sideline this fall.

Agree Spurticus, I've been saying that since the beginning of last year.

[akn4bkn]

Are the quarterbacks getting hit too?

Nope. Two hands touch.

[GamecockCletis18]

The scrimmage was fun today. I was glad to see that Wes Saunders played very well I think he might have a chance to play this year! Other than that he was the only one that really impressed me

[snoopcockycock]

spurt, when you get time, can you tell us specifically who didn't play, and who on defense, did what?

[COCKYTALKIN]

Nice to hear about Cook - re: Wallace, I thought he showed his stuff at the Garnet and Black, good to hear that wasn't a fluke. Look out Mike D - we might be hearing about the legend of Cory Bobby - could be a duo for the record books (what a tandum)!!!!

Thanks for the update guys!!

[cock13]

glad to see beecher and wallace playing well. i didn't hear anything about taylor rank, was he out there, he is still on the team isnt he?

[Stillwearingmyjoehat]

Was Jordin Lindsey dressed tonight and on the sideline? Did anyone see him?

[ConwayGamecock]

glad to see beecher and wallace playing well. i didn't hear anything about taylor rank, was he out there, he is still on the team isnt he?

I understand that he's being moved to FB position....

Was Jordin Lindsey dressed tonight and on the sideline? Did anyone see him?

It was reported that he was there, but only in shorts and helmet. His academic status is still unknown....he must've participated in the 1-hour workout prior to scrimmage (maybe??).....

[akn4bkn]

I must say, it was so weird to see a #4 at the game, but have to remind myself it isn't Sidney. Even a little kid infront of me kept saying "It's Rice!", and his dad had to explain that the number is on a different player. It broke my heart. I miss the Rice.

[Spurticus]

spurt, when you get time, can you tell us specifically who didn't play, and who on defense, did what?

Not very many of the starters played on either side of the ball snoop.
Spurrier said earlier that it was going to be mostly for the Freshmen, and some of the guys that don't get to play that much.

I think it was mostly last year's second and third unit players and pretty much all of the freshmen and Walk on players.

So Neither of the Brinkley's Rodney Paulk, Munnerlyn, E.Cook, Woodson T.Robertson, Norwood, Peppers and Hall . . . Those guys sat out
Mitchell, M.Davis, C.Boyd, A.Boyd, Pavlovic, Merrideth, Thind, W.Brown, McKinley, . . Those sat out on offense. I think most of the others got in at some point.

[Spurticus]

Spurley, it was Garcia that threw the td pass. I saw it myself and it's already been mentioned in an AP report on the scrimmage.

FWIW

Still a great report by Spurticus.

My bad on the call by Beecher.
I was watching the pass play develop and watched the nice crossing route (very well executed) and when I looked back to see who was throwing the ball, Steve Spurrier was patting Tommy on the shoulder. . .I thought he was the one who threw it.

[Spurticus]

glad to see beecher and wallace playing well. i didn't hear anything about taylor rank, was he out there, he is still on the team isnt he?

He was there and got into the game late for a couple of plays but didn't touch the ball.
I don't know what was up there. . . . I looked for him specifically during the warmups, but didn't see his number. I kept waiting for him to get in and couldn't find him on the sidelines. . . Right before the scrimmage ended, I saw him on the field lined up in the backfield, but didn't get a tough !?!?!

[CockyInSeattle]

Thanks Spurt and others for your reports. Sounds like we are going to be stacked at TE and WR for a few years. I also can't believe the depth we have at RB. Oh yeah, and when was the last time we had three capable QB's waiting to take over for the QB with the SEC's best completion percentage?

I won't even get started on our defense.

Twenty days? I need to be sedated.

[Spurticus]

Was Jordin Lindsey dressed tonight and on the sideline? Did anyone see him?

I didn't see him anywhere SWMJH
There were a few players there in streetclothes though. He may have been one of those. I'm guessing Joseph Hills was in that group as well, as he was not wearing a jersey either.

[Spurticus]

Thanks Spurt and others for your reports. Sounds like we are going to be stacked at TE and WR for a few years. I also can't believe the depth we have at RB. Oh yeah, and when was the last time we had three capable QB's waiting to take over for the QB with the SEC's best completion percentage?

I won't even get started on our defense.

Twenty days? I need to be sedated.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Me too !
I want to see practice soooo bad it hurts.
I've even had thoughts of dressing up in a powder blue Lesure Suit, and going into Coach Spurrier's office and saying "Miste. . Mister Coach Spurrier, it is imperitive that you allow me to be your Waterboy" !!

[cocknblue]

Thanks Spurticus!

What's your two cents on the offensive line? Sounds like they had an OK evening.....

[gamecockfandrew]

The drag route you are talking about sounds almost exactly like the one that Auburn burnt us a bunch with last year. The only difference is the TE was in motion away from the play fake and did more of a quick out, no jab step.

[Lant]

Good God I can't wait much longer for the season to start before I go crazy

[snoopcockycock]

hey, thank you spurt. i appreciate your response, and i feel a lot better about the situation.
can you tell me anything about chris mathews and ladi?

[Nassau Gamecock]

Many thanks for your report..

[SClawman]

I thought the offense looked good. I wouldn't say Beecher or Smelley really solidified the backup job because both played equally well. Garcia had a few nice plays including the pass to Cook in the corner of the endzone.

I agree that Wallace looked very good and Maddox looked to be very agressive with the ball. No receivers really stood out. Every one had about one catch. Barnes had a long gainer, Culliver had the tipped td pass, Lecorn had a few nice catches towards the end, Brown had a few nice grabs including a td and Freeman had a nice catch early over the middle. Clements was running around and was open on several occasions but was not really thrown the ball. Freddie Brown and McKinley were on the sidelines.

The tight ends looked very good in Cook and Saunders. Both made great catches and looked very athletic.

The offensive line looked okay though I didn't pay close attention to them. Like I mentioned earlier, the defense was getting a lot of pressure but the qb's were getting the passes off as well.

The defense looked good. It was mainly the young guys but they stopped the offense on quite a few series. Melvin Ingram is definitely a big boy and physically ready to play. Matthews was around the ball a lot and made a few tackles. Geathers was getting in the backfield too. Addison Williams made some good and bad plays. He swatted away a probable td throw to Moe Brown early on but then Moe went on to beat him a few plays later for a td. Mark Barnes played a lot early and was in on a few tackles too.

Overall, the young guys look good and quite a few of them should play this year.

Also, Captain and Lecorn fielded punts at the end of the scrimmage.

[Sawyer]

Great report. I'm so glad that we are using a tight end now. It seems like in the past our TE's have been hurt, solely blockers, or untalented. That is one more weapon to add to the toolbox. I hope that the 1st team O-Line gels well and busts some DE butts. I'm glad that our 2nd and 3rd teamers are contributing to the entire team effort.

[Renegade68]

Were the defense going a little easy on the O in this scrimmage?? I thought it was odd that the O was as efficient as it was....figured if only the younger players were scrimmaging, the defense would be tougher, since we have so many likely starters as fr and so.....

The OL players aren't as weak as some fans think.

[spurmanski]

Between Spurt and Lawman that is what I saw.

For his time in practice I thought Steve did great (he did a couple of dumb things but come to think of it I did today as well). K Young and Munnerlyn DID play a lot unless there is a duplication in numbers. I tried to key in on the Oline and some of the current seconds we are working with are Hutch, Pierre, Gur, Batch, JeanPierre..Garrett did a stint at center and I think Kevin played some since he has had no SEC snaps. All the 2-3 OL played some but those above played most.

We have a good, functional 2nd OLine. I hope our firsts are a clear better than the twos....if so, we will play for the East.

I cant recall which was in and which which went to the Locker Room Early but both Lindseys were on the field..one in shells

:football: :spurrier:

[Ga_Gamecock]

but WE HAVE GOT TO GET BOBBY WALLACE THE BALL SOME THIS SEASON. . . . .That young man has some good moves, and has put on some muscle this summer. He's too good of a back to see standing on the sideline this fall.

One thing I have seen over the last few years is that i think a lot of our fans expect too much too soon ... i saw on epost that wanted to move BW over to Pope's vacated spot last week.

Most big programs have solid depth at the skill positions so some of the young guys dont see the field until they are a Jr ...

But I do agree that wallace needs more touches. i have wondered why he hasnt been used in the slot wr spot in the past.

regardless, he has obviously put on a lean 15-20 and is ready to contribute ...

[uscgamecocks09]

but WE HAVE GOT TO GET BOBBY WALLACE THE BALL SOME THIS SEASON. . . . .That young man has some good moves, and has put on some muscle this summer. He's too good of a back to see standing on the sideline this fall.

Thats what me and my friend have been saying for the past year. (As you can see below) We saw what he can do it he can get a block or two when he took it too the house (for like 83 yards) against MTSU!!! I hope he does something this year.

Agree Spurticus, I've been saying that since the beginning of last year.

[GoCCUChants]

Great reports guys...thank you. Glad to hear Cook is catching the balls, hopefully I won't have anymore Auburn game nightmares. I'm so ready for gamecock football that it hurts my head.

[palmettogirlusc]

all i'm gonna say is i drove by the stadium to get to work around 5:30ish.

i musta looked pretty goofy in a dress shirt, aviators, and with the biggest grin on my face. I was pretty excited to say the least. all the cars makes it not so depressing around the area. i love it! football is all i could talk about at work with my manager, and she could care less.

[Gearhead]

Great report guys.

[Majorspur12]

Nice job!!!!

[riceatusc]

great work...too hot to be there so this will have to keep me going till Sept. 1

[crowcutta]

its hard to get bobby the ball when youve got mike davis and cory boyd already in your backfield, maybe some spot touches or give him a 3rd down back role but cory is already a great receiver from the rb spot.
wallace looked excellent out of the backfield during the spring game and he's big enough now to step in for cory or mike without a problem.

i'm curious as to how mike west looked in the scrimmage since he is the one guy who changed positions and we havent gotten a good look at him

[morgan n' 7]

Great stuff Spurticus. Nother great report! :bow:

[colt19114me]

Thanks Spurt..I had stuff to do today and couldn't make the scrimmage.. good update..

[mvb1]

great report, always look forward to them

[Spurticus]

Thanks Spurticus!

What's your two cents on the offensive line? Sounds like they had an OK evening.....

The Offensive and Defensive Lines were about a toss up during this scrimmage, but I don't think that's a good indicator of what you'll see this season. Keep in mind these were Backup, Freshmen and Walkons on both sides of the ball. I would expect that the defense, playing guys like Jonathan Williams, Kenrick Ellis, Clifton Geathers, Cliff Williams, Marvin Sapp etc. . .. Would have had a big advantage in this game, but they didn't dominate the scrimmage. . BUT
I also think the Coaches played this scrimmage pretty vanilla. No Blitzing or Stunting on the D/ Line, and probably not going at full game speed on pass rushing at all. I wouldn't try to over analyze our season based on a scrimmage.

[yazoo]

Thanks for the great report.

[snoopy]

Thanks for the report. Keep them coming.

[Flameout12]

Thanks for all of the reports guys. For sure this gives the coaches a good look at what they've got in the midst of all the new guys plus some positional changes. I'm sure someone is looking at the films of this and sorting through everything trying to gage how everyone fits into their gameplans.

I find it interesting that here we are barely into the 2nd week of practice and we have a mix of true FR plus lots of 2nd year players mixing it up and generally looking Ok. Should say a lot about the impact of the spring drills and summer workouts. I'm impressed....to be where you can hold your starters out of the 1st scrimmage after the 1st week of practice says a lot IMO.

This is the first year I've tracked the recruiting process online and it is thrilling to see these guys now banging heads in practice. It has to be thrilling for the true FR as well.

[garnet4ever]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Me too !
I want to see practice soooo bad it hurts.
I've even had thoughts of dressing up in a powder blue Lesure Suit, and going into Coach Spurrier's office and saying "Miste. . Mister Coach Spurrier, it is imperitive that you allow me to be your Waterboy" !!

:rotfl: :rotfl: Good one Spurt ...

[Mozer]

Great report! I feel like I know what's going on even if I do live 10 hours away!! Thanks Spurt!

[Cockadile]

Me too !
I want to see practice soooo bad it hurts.
I've even had thoughts of dressing up in a powder blue Lesure Suit, and going into Coach Spurrier's office and saying "Miste. . Mister Coach Spurrier, it is imperitive that you allow me to be your Waterboy" !!

Make sure to drive your lawnmower!

[donbgamecock]

How about Kyle Nunn? Did he get to play any?

Go Cocks!

[rescueoneb23]

That just goes to prove that even God is a Gamecock he provided rain to cool it down a little
------------------GO GAMECOCKS-------------------------

[jaydogg843]

cool, thanks Spurt for all us who can't be there. It really helps to see it like that b/c you can't find that coverage anywhere. I'm glad to hear about the QB's. To me that's the highlight of the scrimmage is hearing the QB's.

[ra742002]

Spurt, I am wondering, Is the bootleg play to the TE similar to the one that Auburn ran against us for big yardage last season? Seems like the ran it over and over again and it was always succesful. It's good to hear that the QB's didn't turn the ball over. Sounds like a lil reverse option and some bootlegs are opening up the O a lil bit as well. And the fact that our receivers are catching tipped passes shows that they are focused and prepared. I'm happy to hear Culliver caught the deep tipped pass for a TD, that tells me somethin!!!

[Renegade68]

How about Kyle Nunn? Did he get to play any?


don.. Nunn got to play 15 minutes and was in for the last td. At film today he had a good rating overall for only having two misques..

[FinchMcCrunkNasty]

i saw bobby and mike at a friends house last nite after the scrimmage and they both looked bigger than last year (i don't know if that's possible for mike = beast) you can tell they have both been hitting the weightroom had, especially bobby

[Spurticus]

Spurt, I am wondering, Is the bootleg play to the TE similar to the one that Auburn ran against us for big yardage last season? Seems like the ran it over and over again and it was always succesful. It's good to hear that the QB's didn't turn the ball over. Sounds like a lil reverse option and some bootlegs are opening up the O a lil bit as well. And the fact that our receivers are catching tipped passes shows that they are focused and prepared. I'm happy to hear Culliver caught the deep tipped pass for a TD, that tells me somethin!!!

Very similar to that ra.
I've always loved seeing teams run that drag route to the TE. It can be run in a couple of different ways. One is to use it similar to a Screen Pass. You run it off of play action and the QB drops back as if to go deeper downfield, the TE will hit a man as if to block and then let the guy slip by him. As the linebackers drop back into coverage, the TE slides down the offenisve line Parallel to the line of scrimmage and the QB will roll in the same direction the the TE is moving. Basically running from one end of the line to the other. As he clears the end the QB flips it downfield to him and if the LB's have dropped back and the D/Line is advancing to the QB, there's about 10 -15 yards of real estate to move in after the catch. That's the Version Missouri kept running over and over against us in the Second half of the Ind. Bowl.

You can also run it where (off Play action again) the TE will actually enguage the Defensive End and block him for a couple of seconds before releasing. Again, letting the LB's drop back and the D/Line push towards the QB. . .Then the TE will let the block go and take about 3 steps downfield and then break towards the near sideline. The QB will roll that way and if the pass is completed, the TE should have a few yards of open field to run before being hit. . ..This is the version Andy Boyd scored on against UCF in the season opener in 2005. unfortunately, I think it's the play he was hurt on and it ended his season.

We're doing that version now, but instead of just straight play action, the QB is faking it on an off tackle or sweep to one side and the line is showing motion in that same direction. Then the QB rolls to the side the TE has released on, and heads toward the sideline. This is very effective as the LB's are going with the motion of the line and the TE has a lot of room on the outside after he makes the catch.

[ra742002]

good to hear. I just remember Auburn was KILLING us on play action to the TE. He was dragging from one side to the other, and he was also coming from the same side, just out into the flat. I think once, they ran basically the same play almost with a Hback type out of the backfield and hit him in the flat for about 8. It was so frustrating. They NEVER took a shot downfield, and just ate the clock up. Anyway, that was the visual image I got, wanted to confirm. I think after we hit that route a couple of times, a post or crossing route w/ a backside receiver would work well, b/c the LB's will be coming up to cover the TE/FB. it's a nice play. Thanks Spurt

[donbgamecock]

don.. Nunn got to play 15 minutes and was in for the last td. At film today he had a good rating overall for only having two misques..

Thanks Renegade. It is nice to see Kyle out there.

Go Cocks!

[Spurticus]

Now that the scrimmage has been played and reports are in and some questions answered, I'd like to add this to the reports and comments here.

I see a lot of guys getting really pumped over some of the comments (as well you should) there was a lot of good things happening on the field Saturday that will eventually add to the growing arsenal Steve Spurrier is putting together. Some sooner than others. But to balance things out and to put it all into perspective, overall it was a So So scrimmage and there were as many things done poorly as there was that were executed properly. . . . . but with the 2nd and 3rd deep units getting the majority of the reps, I didn't expect it to be a barn burner going in.

Looking at what was accomplished and after touching on the highlights to point out the good things during the scrimmage, I'd like to mention that out of the three touchdowns that the offense had, only one of them could have been called a legitamate score off of a well executed play. That was the pass play from Garcia to Cook and even that came on a forth and goal from the 6 after the offense had a 1st and goal from there and misfired 3 times.
The first Touchdown (Beecher to Moe Brown) resulted from a blown coverage on Defense and Moe Brown was wide open in the endzone. The second TD was off a badly underthrown pass and by all rights should have been intercepted or AT LEAST knocked down, but instead was tipped up, and into the hands of Culliver. . . . .That happened way too much to us last season and that exact tip ending in the hands of the wide receivers cost us three games and the SEC Eastern Conf. Title.
There were two plays that were well executed and gained over 15 yards that were called back because of penalties, and there were a couple of mis read pass plays were our QB's threw the ball into coverage with guys open.
Again, this is going to happen when you have the Freshmen and backups going the full scrimmage, but you also have to expect these guys to step up and play at a better level because many of them will see PT this year and they must execute at the same level as the first unit guys. WE HAVE TO STOP TIPPING BALLS INTO THE RECEIVERS HANDS !! . . .. We have to start making plays on defense or we are going to give away any shot at winning Close Games this season. . .Let alone a title.

I think the guys will be ready to do this by the time the season starts this year. I think we'll put this all together at some point within the next couple of weeks, but I saw some things that brought back some bad memories of the past couple of years. . . I can say however that I saw a lot more things good happening that I haven't seen the past couple of years. . That's what we need to focus on. We are getting better.

[ertman420]

Now that the scrimmage has been played and reports are in and some questions answered, I'd like to add this to the reports and comments here.

I see a lot of guys getting really pumped over some of the comments (as well you should) there was a lot of good things happening on the field Saturday that will eventually add to the growing arsenal Steve Spurrier is putting together. Some sooner than others. But to balance things out and to put it all into perspective, overall it was a So So scrimmage and there were as many things done poorly as there was that were executed properly. . . . . but with the 2nd and 3rd deep units getting the majority of the reps, I didn't expect it to be a barn burner going in.

Looking at what was accomplished and after touching on the highlights to point out the good things during the scrimmage, I'd like to mention that out of the three touchdowns that the offense had, only one of them could have been called a legitamate score off of a well executed play. That was the pass play from Garcia to Cook and even that came on a forth and goal from the 6 after the offense had a 1st and goal from there and misfired 3 times.
The first Touchdown (Beecher to Moe Brown) resulted from a blown coverage on Defense and Moe Brown was wide open in the endzone. The second TD was off a badly underthrown pass and by all rights should have been intercepted or AT LEAST knocked down, but instead was tipped up, and into the hands of Culliver. . . . .That happened way too much to us last season and that exact tip ending in the hands of the wide receivers cost us three games and the SEC Eastern Conf. Title.
There were two plays that were well executed and gained over 15 yards that were called back because of penalties, and there were a couple of mis read pass plays were our QB's threw the ball into coverage with guys open.
Again, this is going to happen when you have the Freshmen and backups going the full scrimmage, but you also have to expect these guys to step up and play at a better level because many of them will see PT this year and they must execute at the same level as the first unit guys. WE HAVE TO STOP TIPPING BALLS INTO THE RECEIVERS HANDS !! . . .. We have to start making plays on defense or we are going to give away any shot at winning Close Games this season. . .Let alone a title.

I think the guys will be ready to do this by the time the season starts this year. I think we'll put this all together at some point within the next couple of weeks, but I saw some things that brought back some bad memories of the past couple of years. . . I can say however that I saw a lot more things good happening that I haven't seen the past couple of years. . That's what we need to focus on. We are getting better.

Agreed... I know that first TD was blown coverage by Addison... um, Williams? Can't remember his name... I think #7, shorter guy... I actually noticed him blow two coverages for big yardage and/or a TD... but then he recovered nicely when the drive was going the other way.

Overall, Spurt, you're totally right. Though there were flashes of brilliance, overall it was not that great. We have to remember that these guys are going to be the future, not the now.

Nuff said.

[Spurticus]

Another Hot Humid Day for a scrimmage, but it didn't stop a large group of fans from coming out to see the Gamecocks work under game conditions for the second time this year. This scrimmge started at 5:PM and lasted right at an hour and half. This time the QB's did not rotate in on every play as in the previous scrimmage, and you could tell it was a little more "up scaled" than the one last week, placing a little more urgency on details in preparation of the season opener that is exactly two weeks away.
The Scrimmage was a little boring for the most part, but the fireworks at the end made up for it, and had the fans standing as if it were a live game. Here are the Highlights of each drive:

Drive #1 (from the South 30 yard line)
First play Blake Mitchell threw out in the right flat to Brian Maddox who made a nice grab and run for 12 yards and a first down
On the next play, Mitchell found Patrick DiMarco on a Check Down in the middle of the field, and Patrick found a little running room after the catch and gained 11 on the play.
Blake handed off to Maddox on a draw up the middle on a 2nd and 10 play, and Brian gained 7 tough yards.
On the next play, Blake used the Bootleg action on the Drag Route and found Jared Cook open on the right side and the play gained 7 yards.
After a couple of misfires and a 3rd and 10 play, Mitchell hooked up with Freddie Brown on a hook patter on the right sideline for 13 yards and a first down. (Excellent timing on this play, as Mitchell hit Brown between the 8 & 2 just as he made his cut back to the QB !)
On a 2nd and 10 play from the 19 yard line, Blake threw out to the left on a WR screen to Larry Freeman, who gained 8 yards to the 11
On the Next Play, the first play that got the fans on their feet for a round of applause: Blake dropped back to pass and when he couldn't find anyone open, and then getting some heat by the Defense, Mitchell faked a pass that made Eric Norwood leave his feet to knock down the pass, and Blake ran down the field to the 3 yard line before being downed by Darian Stewart.
At that point, with 4th and goal from the 3, Spencer Lanning came in to attempt a 20 yard Field Goal, but pushed it off to the right No Good.

Drive #2 (North 30) . . . . Chris Smelley in at QB
On his first play, Chris Smelley could find no one open and was sacked for a loss of 5 yards by Clifton Geathers
On his next two attempts, Chris over threw Wes Saunders twice on the same play, deep up the right sidelines and the drive stalled out at that point.

Drive #3 (North 30) . . . . .Smelley Still in
On a 2nd down and 8 play, was under pressure again, but was able to scramble out to his right away from the rush, and found DiMarco open in the middle of the field for a completion of 14 yards.
On a 3rd down and 1 play, Smelley tried to hit Deon Lecorn on a Check Down in the middle on a play that looked open, but Alonzo Winfield made a nice defensive move to reach over Lecorn's shoulder without interfering and smack the ball away.
Clask Gaston carried the ball up the middle for a gain of 2 on 4th and 1 to gain a first down.
On the next play, Chris found Nick Prochak open on the left sideline for a gain of 7, but there was holding on the play that brought it back for a loss of 10 yards.
On a 3rd down and 16, Smelley handed to Maddox who was stuffed at the line of scrimmge, but was able to break away and hit the outside (right) to gain 8 yards on the play.
The Drive Stalled at that point.

Drive #4 (North 30) Tommy Beecher in at QB
Tommy's first play started out very well, as he dropped back and found Nick Prochak open down the middle on a play that looked like it was going to gain about 25 yards, but Prochak dropped the pass that hit him in the hands !!
Tommy was sacked on the next play by Terrence Campbell, for a loss of 7 yards and on a 3rd and 17 play, Beecher fumbled the snap from center and it was recoverd by Bryon McKnight at the 16 yard line. . . Drive Stalled

Drive #5 (North 30) Stephen Garcia in at QB
Garcia's first play from scrimmge, was a nice pass over the middle to Deon Lecorn for a gain of 7 yards.
On a 3rd and 5 play, Garcia faked a handoff to Maddox, and bootlegged back to the left and gained 8 yards
On a 1st and 10 play, Garcia is sacked on a nice rush on off the left end by Cliff Matthews for a loss of 5 yards.
On 3rd and 15, Garcia found Wes Saunders over the middle for a 21 yard pickup. Chris Culliver had run the wrong route on this play, and was standing very near Sanders when he made the grab, but Saunders was able to move back under the coverage and make the catch and gained a few yards before being downed.
On the next play, 1st and 10, Garcia had Freddie Brown open in the middle of the field, but Clifton Geathers swatted the pass attempt back into Garcia's facemask !! . . .This play got the fans out of their seats for a round of applause as well.
The next play, Garcia hit Lecorn on a WR screen on the right side, and Chris Hampton read the play well and hit Lecorn about 4 yards behind the line, Lecorn kept the legs pumping and broke the tackle and went downfield for a gain of about 8 yards, Lecorn was hit about 3 more times on that run, but refused to go down, until he was forced out of bounds ! . .Nice effort on Deon's part there!
On a 3rd and 4, Garcia was sacked by Byron McKnight for a loss of 4 on the play.
With the ball spoted and the 43 yard line, Spencer Lanning's 53 yard Field Goal Attempt was GOOD !! . . ..Another nice ovation by the fans on that one.

Drive #6 (South 30) Smelley in at QB
on a 2nd and 10 play, Smelley connected with Moe Brown on the right sideline for a gain of 12 yards.
Smelley later hit Larry Freeman over the middle on a 3rd and 10 play for a nice pickup of 26 yards. . . .Nice round of applause here.
The defense stiffend here however and after a sack for a loss of 5 yards by Kenrick Ellis coming up the middle, the drive stalled out.

Drive #7 (South 30) Garcia the QB
2nd and 10 play, Gaston takes a draw up the gut for a gain of 5 tough yards.
on the next play, Garcia hits Gaston out in the left flat for a gain of 4 but the Drive Stalls out after that.

Drive #8 (South 30) Garcia still in
Garcia attempts a pass, but finds no one open and scrambles out to his left, but is downed by Clifton Geathers for a loss on the play of 2 yards.
On the next play, Garcia throws to Andy Boyd who is well covered (a pass that should not have been thrown), Andy was able to get his hand on it, and deflect it up in the air and it was caught by Marc Barnes for a gain on the play of 18 yards.
Garcia ended his night by attempting a deep pass to M.Barnes but the pass was badly overthrown and intercepted by Douglas Peterson to end the drive.

Drive #9 (South 30) Chris Smelley back in
On the first play of the drive, Smelley finds Maddox on a nice Slant in from the right side for a gain of 5 yards.
On the next play, Smelley runs the same play from the Left and hits Freddie Brown in stride for a pickup of 4
After Gaston picks up the first down with a short run off tackle, Smelley hits Jim Hutton in the middle of the field on a Check Down, and then Melvin Ingram HITS ! Hutton square in the chops on a hit that brings the fans to their feet for a loud round of applause !
On a 2nd and 2 play, Smelley finds Freddie Brown deep up the left sideline and hits him in stride for a nice gain of 19 yards.
On the next play, Chris matches that by finding Wes Saunders deep in the middle of the field for a pickup of 15 yards.
On a 1st and 10 with the ball at the 19 yard line, Chris makes the pass of the night so far, but finding Freddie Brown on the fade route in the left back corner of the ends zone for the TOUCHDOWN !!

Dirve #10 (North 30) The ball is turned over to Beecher for the final drive
On 2nd and 10, Tommy finds Scott Spurrier open in the middle of the field for a 7 yard pickup. Beecher showed some poise on that play under a strong rush from the outside.
On a 3rd and 4 play, Beecher finds Marc Barnes deep down the middle who is covered tighly by Darian Stewart. Tommy put the ball out toward the sideline where it could not be picked off, and Marc Barnes made a nice stretch and grab of the ball for the completion !!!
Tommy is sacked on the next play by Cliff Mathews for a loss of 4 yards.
Again under heavy pressure, Beecher finds Maddox on a check down in the middle of the field, and Maddox finds some running room to pick up 9 yards.
After a motion penalty moves the ball back to the 36 yard line, Beecher not wanting to be outdone by Smelley, hits Marc Barnes on a deep Go route right up the Right sideline, Marc gets a step behind the DB and Beecher lays it up nicely at the goaline, and Barnes makes the over the shoulder grab for the TOUCHDOWN !!

End Of Scrimmage.

What began kind of ho-hum ended up being a pretty good showing by our back up QB's and the second and third unit WR's. Marc Barnes looks like he is determined to get his name in the running for some PT at wide out. Nice move by the coaches to get him a few reps there this week.
The Offensive line performed pretty well, even when the coaches threw a surprise blitz in there once in a while to see how they would handle it.
The Straight rush seems to give them a little bit of trouble off the ends, but they're trying to block Clifton Geathers, Cliff Matthews and Travian Roberston so that's to be expected. All in all it was very encouraging to see the offens recover from a slow start to pick up the pace and score on the last two drives. Looks like the duel for the two spot at QB is heating up.
Tommy Beecher may have played his best ever as a Gamecock, especially in that last drive. He was under a strong rush but stood in the pocket and found the open Receivers. . . . . Good Scrimmage today !

[Who but me]

Great report Spurticus keep it up Go Cocks!!!
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[Lant]

great to hear we're getting the #2 guys alot of practice.

Great report Spurt