USC Practice Report

[lacene]

USC practice report: Aug. 10 scrimmage

Posted on 08.09.08
By Joseph Person
Gogamecocks.com

The last time USC had played at Williams-Brice Stadium, it was a forgettable day for the quarterbacks: Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher combined for eight interceptions in the spring game in April.

But Beecher, Smelley and redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia had a strong showing in Saturday’s scrimmage, combining to complete 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns. There was only one interception: a Garcia pass that cornerback Captain Munnerlyn picked off.

Beecher and Smelley both threw two touchdowns - Beecher twice hit tight end Weslye Saunders for scores - while Garcia also added a touchdown pass.

Stock rising

Saunders has dropped weight and is in much better shape than he was as a freshman. With fellow tight end Jared Cook out with a toe injury, Saunders has stepped up his play and looks like he will be a headache for opposing safeties and linebackers.

Stock falling

Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson was not crazy about the pass rush, saying the defense appeared to play slow Saturday. With the front four generating little pressure, the quarterbacks had a big day.

Injury report

Freshman receiver C.C. Whitlock was sidelined with a pulled muscle in his side. Offensive tackle Jamon Meredith (sprained right ankle) was on crutches and is expected to miss a week or two. Meredith must sit the first two games because of an NCAA eligibility ruling. Linebacker Jasper Brinkley, who sprained his left ankle Friday, missed the scrimmage due to a funeral.

Quote of the day

"He's showing a lot of leadership. He’s not making any mental errors. He's making strong plays, going out there and leading the team. So I think he’s got a pretty good grip on (the starting job)," - Saunders on Beecher, who remains the No. 1 quarterback.

Up next

The Gamecocks will hold their Fan Appreciation Day from 1 to 2:30 p.m. today at the Colonial Life Arena. USC’s 7:30 p.m. practice is closed to the public.

[lacene]

Here's the scrimmage stat sheet from GamecockCentral.com:

Players in regular jerseys but no pads

Jay Spearman
Reggie Bowens
Jared Cook
Kevin Young

Players of note in full pads and participating

Matt Clements
Ladi Ajiboye
Gerrod Sinclair
Captain Munnerlyn

Not there because of injury

Jasper Brinkley
Jamon Meredith
Mike Davis
Jim Hutton

In street clothes

C.C. Whitlock (stiffness in back)

That will probably be the last update until the scrimmage is over.

UPDATE NO. 2 - I failed to mention that Damario Jeffery, Kwame Geathers and Chris Bonds were/are there.

UPDATE NO. 3 - The scrimmage is over. The media is talking with Spurrier and players. Jamon Meredith was on crutches. Had an ACE bandage on. No walking boot. He's putting pressure on it as he walks. Mike Davis' arm is not in a sling today (as best we can tell).

UPDATE NO. 4 - Some stats.....

Passing

Smelley: 9-18-114-2TD
Beecher: 9-13-123-2TD
Garcia: 6-8-67-1TD-1INT

Rushing

Maddox: 4-13
Rank: 3-5
Baker: 4-18
Miles: 3-7
Garcia: 3-21
Beecher 1-3
Smelley: 3-(-18)
LeCorn: 2-(-4)
Wallace: 2-(-3)

Receiving

McKinley: 2-38
Maddox: 3-31
Saunders: 3-36-2TD
LeCorn: 1-5
F Brown: 2-36
Rank: 2-12
Prochak: 2-19
J Barnes: 2-22-1TD
Hills: 1-13-1TD
Wallace: 1-25-1TD
Baker: 1-5
Clements: 1-17
Spurrier: 1-8

Scoring plays

Beecher 16-yard pass to Saunders
Beecher 12-yard pass to Saunders
Smelley 10-yard pass to Barnes
Succop 32-yard FG
Smelley 13-yard pass to Hills
Garcia 25-yards pass to Wallace
Scott will have complete stats in his report.

[Cockfan720]

It sounds like the offense is ahead of where they were at this point last year (VERY GOOD NEWS). I'm really starting to like Beecher. Spurrierhbc.com had an interview up with him and he seems like he's really grounded but also pretty confident. I'm liking it.

[lacene]

Some more reports:

August 9, 2008

David Cloninger
GamecockCentral.com Staff Writer

After nine days of practice, including South Carolina's first scrimmage, Ellis Johnson summed up his defense in one word.

"Slow."

But he didn't stop there after watching his unit surrender 304 passing yards and five touchdowns.

"Maybe it's just the first time being up there, but the whole thing looked like it was in slow motion today," Johnson said after the Gamecocks' first simulated game on Saturday. "We finally got into some game-type stuff, getting on and off the field, lot of confusion. Ten people lining up in formations and here comes the 11th guy. Just a lot of things like that we've got to get ironed out.

"Typical first scrimmage. Things we can fix."

USC's defensive coordinator wasn't slamming his players, rather, he said it might have just been a byproduct of watching the unit from the press box for the first time. And two starters (Ladi Ajiboye, who played but still has a tender right hand, and Jasper Brinkley, who has a non-serious left ankle injury but was absent Saturday due to a funeral) couldn't be counted on as 100 percent.

Plus, it's only been a little over a week of official practice, the true test to whether or not the players can pick up Johnson's defense after learning for years under former coordinator Tyrone Nix. Reading the playbook, watching film and the spring game can only tell so much.

Still, Johnson's buzzword for Saturday was "slow."

Not exactly what many were hoping to hear after a month of reading how the Gamecocks' linebackers and secondary should be among the best in the SEC.

"Pass rush overall wasn't where I thought we should be," Johnson said. "Cover-wise, I thought we did some good things but we had some things break down out there. Stuff like that jumps out in my mind. But once we see the film, we'll know who did a good job and who didn't."

Veterans Captain Munnerlyn and Eric Norwood, half of the self-described "Fab Four," said Johnson's schemes, as compared to Nix's, aren't that tough to pick up. It's more a matter of terminology and when Johnson prefers to run certain packages.

"It's just philosophy, really," Munnerlyn said. "Coach Johnson believes in old-school, hard-nosed, everybody runs to the football. Coach Nix did too so it's not really that big of a difference."

"As a team, I can't really say there's anything," Norwood mused. "As for today, I think maybe some guys were just tired. Not used to being out here at 3 (p.m.)."

Johnson's been given free rein with the defense, coach Steve Spurrier pointing out that he'd been most successful when "coaching the heck" out of the quarterbacks and offense and letting other guys handle the defense and special teams. After getting at least four-fifths of an ace-high straight for his first hand, Johnson's trying to draw that elusive 10 from the deck.

Saturday showed him what he already knew. He's got plenty of talent, but everybody's got to get on the ball with learning the plays and when to line up in the special formations.

Quickly would be preferable. N.C. State invades Columbia in 19 days.

"Probably going to be some busted assignments, stuff like that, it's going to happen," Johnson said. "The thing that's the biggest concern is just the whole thing, (garnet), white, everything else, it just looked to me like it was so slow from up top.

"The ones did fine. I don't think we got the pressure on the quarterback we needed. We don't finish real well on pass-rushes because of that. But there'll be a lot of things we'll be really pleased, lot of things we'll say got to really get better."

[lacene]

Some more reports:

August 9, 2008

Scott Hood
GamecockCentral.com Staff Writer

With Jared Cook sidelined with a sprained big toe, Saturday's first full-team scrimmage of fall camp was an opportunity for tight end Weslye Saunders to shine.

How did he do? Well, when it was over Saunders was smiling from ear-to-ear.

The sophomore from Durham, N.C. caught three passes, two of which went for touchdowns, for a total of 36 yards to help the offense pile up 304 passing yards in a 90-minute scrimmage at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Saunders, working with the first-team offense in Cook's absence, hooked up with top quarterback Tommy Beecher for the first two touchdowns of the scrimmage.

"With Jared being out, I'm getting a few more reps", said Saunders, who had 12 receptions for 151 yards last season as a true freshman. "I've had to step up a little bit more with two freshman being behind more. They don't really know the plays yet, so I've had to step up and take on the responsibility. I'm very excited. I think I'm doing pretty well."

The USC offense scored five touchdowns in the scrimmage, all through the air. Beecher connected on 9-of-13 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while second-string QB Chris Smelley was 9-of-18 for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

"We had one of our typical scrimmages except we had a few touchdowns, which was different," USC head coach Steve Spurrier said following the 90-minute scrimmage. "It was productive mainly because we had no injuries. We got a lot of snaps in. We were hoping for about 90."

Beecher completed 3-of-4 passes for 46 yards to direct the offense to a touchdown on the first possession of the scrimmage, capping the drive with a 16-yard TD toss to Saunders.

"I do feel pretty good about my performance, but there's still a lot of things I need to work on to improve," Beecher said. "I thought it was a good scrimmage. We did some good things, but there are a lot of things we can improve on that we'll learn from the tape. Overall, I thought the offense looked pretty good."

Minutes later, Beecher threw his second scoring pass to Saunders, who earned Freshman All-SEC honors from The Sporting News and had a season-high four receptions in the loss at LSU.

The scrimmage concluded with what Spurrier described as an "overtime period." The second team offense outperformed the first team in that stretch.

"We had an overtime period thing where the offense ended up scoring two, but not the first offense," Spurrier said. "The first offense went backwards on their attempt against the first defense."

Redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia completed 6-of-8 passes for 67 yards and one touchdown. He also had one pass intercepted by Captain Munnerlyn.

"I was playing the second receiver and he ran an inside route across the field and I just used my speed and went and got it," Munnerlyn said. "I tried to bait (Garcia) and made it look like the receiver had me. Then I just went and got the ball. Defensively, we still have a lot of things to work on, but for the first scrimmage I thought it was pretty good."

Together, USC's three quarterbacks completed 24 of 39 passes, a respectable completion percentage of 61.5 percent.

"That's very unusual around here," Spurrier said. "They're getting a little better. The scrimmage wasn't quite as sloppy as most of ours have been lately, like the spring game. It was a little bit encouraging. If we do things a little bit better on both sides, maybe we can have a year that we're proud of. But we're a long ways off."

The good completion percentage was a product of the three quarterbacks enjoying sufficient time to throw the ball, Spurrier said. However, as is usually the case with first scrimmages, the offense was inconsistent.

"Our protection was pretty decent most of the day," Spurrier said. "But we missed a bunch of open guys and we dropped a bunch of passes, too. I think both Chris and Tommy did pretty decent. They could have done better, obviously, but it was what it was."

JUCO transfer Jarriel King and redshirt freshman Quintin Richardson shared snap at the left tackle spot with senior Jamon Meredith sidelined for about a week with a severely sprained ankle.

"I think Jarriel is going to come around and be ready to go this year," Spurrier said.

While the Gamecocks enjoyed some success throwing the ball – 14 different receivers caught at least one pass – the ground game stalled with USC gaining only 46 yards on 25 carries, a paltry 1.84 yards per carry.

"We tried a few runs but we didn't go very far," Spurrier said. "Defensively, we've got some big strong, fast guys that can make some plays. We have a chance."

Garcia, showcasing the mobility that made him a highly-rated prep prospect two years ago, was USC's leading rusher with 21 yards on three rushes.

With Mike Davis sidelined with a left shoulder injury, running backs Eric Baker (18 yards) and Brian Maddox (13 yards) were the only other ball carriers to break into double figures.

"I thought the defense looked pretty good most of the day," Spurrier said. "We let the quarterback run out a few times though. Garcia and Beecher can run out of there and make
some scramble plays, which we haven't seen in this stadium by a South Carolina quarterback since Syvelle Newton did it. But the defense had some good plays here and there."

Maddox matched Saunders with three receptions circling out of the backfield. He totaled 31 receiving yards. Five receivers (Kenny McKinley, Freddie Brown, Taylor Rank, Nick Prochak and Jason Barnes) collected two catches each.

"Jason Barnes had a couple of nice catches," Spurrier said. "Joe Hills finally got one. Those two guys have some ability. We know Kenny and Dion can catch it."

After Beecher found Saunders for the first two scores, Smelley sandwiched a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jason Barnes and a 13-yard scoring strike to Joe Hills around Ryan Succop's 32-yard field goal.

Succop was a perfect 8-for-8 inside 40 yards last season, and is 16-of-17 in his career from short distance. But he did miss on a 50-yard attempt Saturday.

Spencer Lanning and Ryan Doerr didn't settle anything in terms of the punting game. Lanning punted twice for an average of 36.0 yards, while Doerr, a true freshman from Katy, Tex., saw his only punt of the afternoon ravel 37 yards.

The final scoring play of the afternoon was a 25-yard pass from Garcia to Bobby Wallace, who has 10 career receptions for 71 yards, during the overtime session. Eight of those came in 2005.

SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS:

SCORING PLAYS:
16-yard pass from Tommy Beecher to Weslye Saunders (Succop kick)
12-yard pass from Tommy Beecher to Weslye Saunders (Lanning kick)
10-yard pass from Chris Smelley to Jason Barnes (Lanning kick)
13-yard pass from Chris Smelley to Joe Hills (Lanning kick)
25-yard pass from Stephen Garcia to Bobby Wallace (no attempt)

PASSING: Tommy Beecher 9-13-0-123-2 TD; Chris Smelley 9-18-0-114-2 TD; Stephen Garcia 6-8-1-67, 1 TD. TEAM: 24-39-1-304, 5 TD.

RUSHING: Stephen Garcia 3-21; Eric Baker 4-18; Brian Maddox 4-13; Kenny Miles 3-7; Tommy Beecher 1-7; Taylor Rank 3-5; Bobby Wallace 2-(-3); Dion LeCorn 2-(-4); Chris Smelley 3-(-18). TEAM: 25-46.

RECEIVING: Weslye Saunders 3-36; Brian Maddox 3-35; Kenny McKinley 2-38; Freddie Brown 2-36; Jason Barnes 2-22; Nick Prochak 2-19; Taylor Rank 2-12; Foxy Foxworth 1-28; Bobby Wallace 1-25; Matt Clements 1-17; Joe Hills 1-13; Scott Spurrier 1-8; Eric Baker 1-5; Dion LeCorn 1-5; Bryan Kingrey 1-5. TEAM: 24-304.

[MBGamecock]

I'm ready to tape up my ankles and smear on some eye paint.

[uscrules]

First game can't get here too soon. I am ready for some football.

[lacene]

Gamecocks Return to Practice Fields Sunday Night
South Carolina Football Practice Report



Aug. 10, 2008

The South Carolina Gamecock football team returned to the Bluff Road "Proving Grounds" Sunday night for a two-hour practice one day after its first full scrimmage of the fall. The team was dressed in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. The squad will have its first "two-a-day" on Monday, working out in both the morning and again in the evening. Both practices will be closed.

On the injury front, sophomore quarterback Chris Smelley did not practice on Sunday after sustaining a right thumb sprain during Saturday's scrimmage. Third-team quarterback Stephen Garcia was limited on Sunday with a right ankle injury, which also occurred during the scrimmage. Senior defensive tackle Marque Hall did not practice a day after the scrimmage to give his surgically-repaired knee a day off. Junior offensive lineman Garrett Anderson tweaked his right shoulder and sat out the second half of Sunday's practice. On the positive side, junior tight end Jared Cook participated in the non-contact drills, while sophomore defensive tackle Melvin Ingram was full go. Senior tailback Mike Davis participated in more of the running drills tonight and could practice some on Monday.

"Chris Smelley jammed his thumb on a throw - hit a rusher, and Garcia sprained his ankle a little bit, so they were both out tonight," said Head Coach Steve Spurrier following the practice session. "So Aramis (Hillary) and Reid (McCollum) got some work behind Tommy (Beecher)."

After looking at the tape of Saturday's scrimmage Coach Spurrier said, "It was about like all of them - a lot of mistakes. There was some good plays, some good plays by the defense, too. But it wasn't real pretty. Hopefully we can get better. Tommy (Beecher) was pretty decent, but we didn't hit any big pass plays. It's early in practice. We didn't want to be perfect yesterday. Hopefully we can be as good as we can be at the first game. We still have open competition around here," added Coach Spurrier. "We don't know who the players are yet. So we'll keep juggling around and see who we think are our best players."

[Cockfan720]

Damn all the injuries!!!

At least it ain't Kenny or Tommy but still...this sucks!

[lacene]

Damn all the injuries!!!

At least it ain't Kenny or Tommy but still...this sucks!

Most of them if not all of them have been minor tweaks and sprains.....won't hold most of the players out for more than a week of practice......both Jared and Mike appear to be near ready to resume practice, and Melvin is as healthy as he's been since spring practice. It's just one of the things that's part of practice these days, it seems.....hopefully we won't have any player that gets a serious injury that impacts their season, knock on wood......

[lacene]

Today's reports (first two-a-days day):

Gamecocks Practice Twice On Monday

Monday's Practice Report

Aug. 11, 2008

The South Carolina Gamecock football team went through its first two-a-days of the fall campaign today, working out in both the morning and evening hours at the Bluff Road practice fields. The injury list looked a little shorter for the Gamecocks on Monday, as both quarterback Chris Smelley and tight end Jared Cook returned to full duty, while tailback Mike Davis participated in non-contact drills for the first time in several days.

The Gamecocks will practice just once on Tuesday, working out in a closed practice during the evening hours, then will open up Wednesday's practice to the public.

"We're going to open up Wednesday night - we'll have a little scrimmage with the young guys again," said Head Coach Steve Spurrier following Monday's second practice. "We'd like for the Carolina fans to be able to come, just don't bring any video cameras - Wednesday night about 8 o'clock or so. If we can get some people in the stands, I like that better than an empty stadium to tell you the truth. I like to see some people in the stands and see how the players play with a crowd around."

"This morning's was a little crisper, it was a little sloppy this afternoon," assessed Coach Spurrier of the day's two practice sessions. "Our guys were a little tired maybe. The defense did some good things. The offense guys weren't real sharp."

Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Quintin Richardson earned some accolades from the Gamecocks' fourth-year head coach. "A local Spring Valley High School product has really done well. He easily could be the starter right now at left tackle. But Jarriel King is doing some good things in there. I don't who's going to start. Garrett (Anderson) and Seaver (Brown) are battling it out for the center spot. Heath Batchelor has probably nailed down one guard spot. (Justin) Sorenson has probably nailed down one spot."

http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081108aaa.html

[lacene]

Gamecocks Scrimmage Wednesday Night

South Carolina Football Practice Report

Aug. 13, 2008

The rainy weather came to an end as the South Carolina Gamecocks made their way to Williams-Brice Stadium to scrimmage for the last half of Wednesday night's practice. A crowd estimated at nearly 5,000 strong took advantage of a rare cool night in Columbia to watch many of the younger Gamecocks take the field just two weeks and one day away from the 2008 season opener against NC State.

"Brian Maddox had some good runs and none of our guys got seriously hurt tonight, although we did have some of our running backs get dinged a little bit," said Head Coach Steve Spurrier following the scrimmage. "Our quarterback play wasn't nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. Hopefully it will get better. There were some good plays here and there but overall it was a pretty sloppy offensive performance. Our quarterbacks and receivers didn't play very well. Hopefully we can get better."

The Gamecock offense looked good early, scoring on each of its first two possessions. Junior quarterback Tommy Beecher completed 4-of-5 passes for 22 yards and sophomore Brian Maddox rushed seven times for 48 yards, including burst of 13 and 18 yards before finding paydirt from two-yards out, in the 70-yard opening drive. Sophomore signal-caller Chris Smelley led his unit to another 70-yard touchdown drive on the next possession, completing 3-of-5 passes for 55 yards, culminating with a 3-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Nick Prochak. Highlighting that drive was a 28-yard pass to freshman wide receiver C.C. Whitlock and a 24-yard completion to redshirt freshman Jason Barnes. Whitlock finished as the game's top receiver, catching four passes for 54 yards.

However, after those first two drives, the yards came much more difficult for the offense. Beecher struggled for much of the rest of the night, completing 15-of-30 passes overall for 123 yards. His only touchdown pass came on the game's final play when he hooked up with Jason Barnes on a 15-yard scoring strike. Beecher was also intercepted once by Chris Hail, who stepped in front of the intended receiver and rambled 45 yards to the endzone.

"I thought we would move the ball better, but we didn't, so we have a lot of coaching to do," said Coach Spurrier. "Tommy hasn't played much at all and I guess it was evident tonight. He got hung up and scrambled around and you can't do that in our conference. You have to get rid of it. He knows where (his receivers) all are, but his decision-making - he hasn't done a lot, he hasn't played a lot. That's why we left him out there and let him struggle. We'll see if he can learn from it and go from there. It was probably good for Tommy. He needs to understand that he hasn't done much yet. "

Smelley finished the evening with five completions in 10 attempts for 85 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to his TD pass to Prochak, he hooked up with Joe Hills on a 25-yard pitch-and-catch that put six points on the board.

"Chris Smelley did a few good things here and there tonight. He probably out-graded Tommy tonight. But Tommy's the starter and we'll go from there," added Coach Spurrier.

The Gamecocks will return to the Bluff Road "Proving Grounds" on Thursday afternoon with the closed practice schedule from 3 - 4:30 p.m. Coach Spurrier will host his first radio show on Thursday night from 7-8 p.m. at Wild Wings Café in the Vista.

SCORING PLAYS:

Brian Maddox 2-yard run (Ryan Succop kick)

Nick Prochak 3-yard pass from Chris Smelley (Succop kick)

Chris Hail 45-yard interception return

Joe Hills 25-yard pass from Smelley (Succop kick)


Jason Barnes 15-yard pass from Tommy Beecher

PASSING:

Tommy Beecher 15-30-1-123; Chris Smelley 5-10-0-85; Zac Brindise 0-1-0-0. TEAM: 20-41-1-208.

RUSHING:

Brian Maddox 7-48; Kenny Miles 4-23; Eric Baker 6-12; Matt Clements 1-7; Chris Smelley 1-4; Patrick DiMarco 2-(-2); Tommy Beecher 6-(-4). TEAM: 27-88.

RECEIVING:

C.C. Whitlock 4-54; Patrick DiMarco 3-11; Jason Barnes 2-39; Stephen Flint 2-20; Moe Brown 2-13; Joe Hills 1-25; Jared Cook 1-12; Eric Baker 1-12; Yvan Banag 1-9; Kenny Miles 1-5; Paul Haile 1-5; Nick Prochak 1-3. TEAM: 20-208.

[lacene]

USC practice report: Whitlock shows improvement

Posted on 08.14.08


Freshman receiver C.C. Whitlock showed why he’s high on the depth chart, despite missing several practices for personal reasons. The Chester native hauled in four passes for 54 yards, getting a lot of his yards after the catch.

Whitlock has spent a few days this month driving back and forth from Chester, dealing with family problems. He described it as “bad situations and stuff like that I’d rather not talk about.” He said everything has been cleared up.

Stock rising

Brian Maddox continued to capitalize on the absence of starting tailback Mike Davis. Maddox rushed for 48 yards on seven carries, showing good agility on several long runs. The sophomore seems to have a good chance of grabbing some carries from Davis in the opener.

Stock falling

The young receivers, other than Whitlock, didn’t have a strong night. They stopped short on several routes, and Jason Barnes was called for pass interference, negating a long completion from Tommy Beecher.

Quote of the day

“This was really my first bad day. It’s unfortunate. I think I’ve been making strides to get better, and things just weren’t connecting for us out there today.” — Beecher on his rocky performance (15-for-30 for 123 yards, one touchdown and one interception).

Injury report

Starting cornerback Carlos Thomas, who had his right shoulder wrapped with ice, sat out the scrimmage. Freshman running back Eric Baker had a slight concussion and came out of the scrimmage. Junior running back Taylor Rank sat out with a slight concussion. Bobby Wallace was limited with a thigh injury from the previous night.

Up Next

The Gamecocks hold a closed practice at 3 p.m. today at the Bluff Road practice facility.

—Seth Emerson

http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/489582.html

[baldcock]

No practice time for Garcia? His ankle that banged up?

[Cockfan720]

I'm not too worried about Beecher's numbers tonight. Kenny was out and many of the starters didn't play. We'll be able to get a feel for how good Beecher really is August 28th. We'll know for sure by September 13th.

[WayzUp]

No practice time for Garcia? His ankle that banged up?

I heard yesterday that it was just a plain ol sprained ankle and that he was going to be sitting out for a week. No biggie, really, since he's 3rd on the depth chart.

[Zee]

i was there, and can say that Beecher was struggling a bit. He started out strong but then started to throw behind his targets and he overthrew a few also. But he also made some good throws so I don't know. Whitlock definitely impressed. Beecher showed ability to scramble a bit, but nothing too incredible.

[lacene]

Beecher was bound to have an off day eventually, or I would have started to get suspicious......there really were very few starters that played last night, and many that did play were from the 3-deep and walk-ons. Beecher has played so well thus far, I don't have concerns at this point.

One thing Beecher needs to do is improve on his decision making in the heat of the play. If he had just thrown that one pass away instead of trying to force it in off-balance, then IMO there wouldn't have been too much fuss made in his performance. Beecher seems to have been successful in speeding up his timing in getting the passes off, he needs to speed up his recognition of options, and learn to kill the play if there's no open receiver, and live to play another play. Especially last night: they had just gotten a first down when he threw that INT.....

I did like that Smelley played well last night, and he seems to have steadily improved his efforts from the first 2 or 3 practices, when it looked like he had totally lost it. Beecher needs to hear footsteps behind him in the competition for the starting spot, to keep him pushing the envelope, and we need all the prepared QB's we can get for the season....

[Zee]

agreed. Yea that pick was just a dumb decision, but I'm kind of glad it happened honestly. I think he's smart enough to learn from mistakes like that in practice, so by game time he should make better decisions. I also liked how Brian Maddox ran the ball.

[lacene]

Practice report: Full house at QB
Garcia among seven passers to see scrimmage action
Posted on 08.15.08


Steve Spurrier has never been afraid to play multiple quarterbacks.

But even by Spurrier’s standards, today could be a record-setting day at the position.

The USC coach plans to use all seven of his quarterbacks during today’s scrimmage at Williams-Brice Stadium. Obviously, some will play more than others.

“I told (assistant quarterbacks coach) David Reaves we’ve got seven quarterbacks. I said everybody’s going to play, so remind me,” Spurrier said Friday. “They may only get one play, but we want to let them go in there and hand off or throw it. Do something. So I’m going to try my best to get everybody on the field.”

That includes redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia, who missed several days this week with a sprained right ankle.

“Garcia will play a little bit,” Spurrier said. “He says he’s OK now.”

Starter Tommy Beecher and No. 2 quarterback Chris Smelley are expected to get the bulk of the work.

Stock rising: Freshman receiver C.C. Whitlock, who was the leading receiver during Wednesday’s scrimmage with four catches for 54 yards, continues his ascent up the depth chart. But the Chester native is questionable for today with a bruised knee that kept him out Friday.

Stock falling: With each passing day, it becomes increasingly less likely that signee Tori Childers, a receiver/safety from Rock Hill, will be a factor this season. Spurrier had hoped to hear something this week about Childers, who had to re-take a standardized test after a testing agency flagged a previous score.

Injury report: Middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley (ankle) returned to practice after missing a week. Offensive tackle Jarriel King, out since Tuesday with a pulled hamstring, was “moving around a little bit” Friday and could play today, Spurrier said.

Quote of the day: “The beach volleyball is fun to watch, not necessarily because all the girls wear their bathing suits. I like watching the guys play, too, because it’s the only sport I know where you can dive and not get hurt on the sand. There’s something about people diving to get loose balls all the time makes it interesting,” - Spurrier on his new favorite Olympic sport.

Up next: The Gamecocks will scrimmage at 4:15 p.m. today. It is closed to the public.

http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/491889.html

[lacene]

Gamecocks Scrimmage on Saturday Afternoon

South Carolina Football Report

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/scar/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/2189270.jpeg
Ryan Succop kicked four field goals on Saturday.

Aug. 16, 2008

The South Carolina Gamecocks went through a 90-minute scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium. The offense struggled to put points on the board, scoring just one touchdown during the regular portion of the scrimmage, then added two more touchdowns while the team was working on overtime situations. Senior field goal kicker Ryan Succop was the offensive star of the day, connecting on all four field goal attempts - from 42, 41, 47 and 27 yards out.

"The offense struggled most of the day," admitted Head Coach Steve Spurrier following the scrimmage. "In the overtime period the offense managed couple of touchdowns. We probably have been doing a little too much. We'll condense the offense down. You usually add this time of the year, but we're condensing. All the motions, all the shifts - we're trying to do too much. That clock runs down real fast as we learned today. Hopefully it was good for us. We'll watch the tape, try to make some corrections and try to find out who we can count on."

Projected starting quarterback Tommy Beecher completed 9-of-14 passes for 89 yards. The redshirt junior did not throw a touchdown pass or an interception. Sophomore Chris Smelley guided the second unit and completed 7-of-15 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. He was also intercepted once. Redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia worked with the third team most of the day and completed 5-of-9 passes for 74 yards with an interception. The other four quarterback on the roster all got some work in as well. Aramis Hillary was 1-for-1 for 11 yards, Reid McCollum was 3-for-5 for 40 yards with an interception, Zac Brindise was 3-for-4 for 26 yards and a touchdown, while Michael McQueeney's only pass attempt was intercepted.

"The quarterbacks weren't too bad," noted Coach Spurrier. "Chris Smelley made a couple good throws, Tommy (Beecher) made a couple good ones here and there. We didn't sustain many drives at all. (Stephen) Garcia struggled. Zac Brindise came in there and hit a couple of passes for the third group. He might be number three now. If you based it on performance, he'd be ahead of Garcia right now."

Freshman Eric Baker did most of the work in the ground game, carrying a dozen times for 32 yards. Taylor Rank added 31 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Freshman Kenny Miles had six totes for 27 yards.

Senior Kenny McKinley was the top receiver, hauling in four passes for 35 yards. Junior tight end Jared Cook added three catches for 54 yards.

In the battle of the punters, Spencer Lanning averaged 44.3 yards on three punts, while freshman Ryan Doerr averaged 39.0 yards on two punts.

The only injury reported from Saturday's scrimmage was to junior safety Darian Stewart, who suffered a left foot injury. Earlier in the scrimmage Stewart intercepted a pass thrown by Smelley.

The Gamecocks will work out again on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in helmets and shorts. That practice is closed.

SCORING PLAYS:

Ryan Succop 42-yard field goal

Ryan Succop 41-yard field goal

Taylor Rank 1-yard run (Succop kick)

Ryan Succop 47-yard field goal

Ryan Succop 27-yard field goal

Freddie Brown 15-yard pass from Chris Smelley

Bryan Kingrey 2-yard pass from Zac Brindise

PASSING:
Tommy Beecher 9-14-0-89; Chris Smelley 7-15-1-109, 1 TD; Stephen Garcia 5-9-1-74; Reid McCollum 3-5-1-40; Zac Brindise 3-4-0-26 1 TD; Aramis Hillary 1-1-0-11; Michael McQueeney 0-1-1-0. TEAM: 28-49-4-349 2 TD.

RUSHING:
Eric Baker 12-32; Taylor Rank 9-31 1 TD; Kenny Miles 6-27; Brian Maddox 5-18; Aramis Hillary 2-1; Bobby Wallace 4-0; C.C. Whitlock 1-0; Zac Brindise 1-(-2); Stephen Garcia 3-(-4); Dion Lecorn 1-(-4); Tommy Beecher 3-(-17); Chris Smelley 2-(-18). TEAM: 49-64 1 TD.

RECEIVING:
Kenny McKinley 4-35; Jared Cook 3-54; Taylor Rank 3-8; Andrew Power 2-47; Freddie Brown 2-38 1 TD; C.C. Whitlock 2-38; Mike Triglia 2-25; Jason Barnes 2-15; Weslye Saunders 1-24; Stephen Flint 1-22; Moe Brown 1-20; Eric Baker 1-14; Bobby Wallace 1-9; Bryan Kingrey 1-2 1 TD; Brian Maddox 1-(-1); Scott Spurrier 1-(-1). TEAM: 28-349 2 TD.

http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081608aab.html

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August 16, 2008

Gamecocks Get Defensive In Scrimmage
Scott Hood
GamecockCentral.com Staff Writer


Steve Spurrier fulfilled his vow to play all seven of South Carolina's quarterbacks in Saturday's late afternoon scrimmage at Williams-Brice Stadium.

But it was the defense that dominated the day.

The USC offense was limited to four field goals and three touchdowns – two from short distance – by an aggressive defense that by accounts looked ready at times for the regular season to begin tomorrow.

The offense scored just one touchdown during the regular portion of the scrimmage, then added two more touchdowns while the team worked on overtime situations.

"The defense looked pretty good today," Spurrier said following the 107-play scrimmage, which was closed to the public and media. "They controlled the offensive guys pretty well. The offense struggled most of the day. I hope it was good for us. We'll watch the tape and try to make some corrections and try to find out who we can count on."

The USC offense totaled 413 yards on 98 plays from scrimmage, an average of 4.2 yards per play. The seven quarterbacks combined to complete 28 of 49 passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.

"I thought we moved the ball pretty well," presumptive starting QB Tommy Beecher said. "We just didn't score. You have to give a lot of credit to the defense. They stiffened up and stopped the run. The defense definitely had a good scrimmage today. The O-Line played pretty well, but the defense brought a lot of blitzes we haven't seen and made it real tough."

Beecher was 9-for-14 for 89 yards and displayed considerable improvement over Wednesday night's scrimmage when he was indecisive and frequently held onto the ball too long. Beecher did not throw for a touchdown or an interception, but Spurrier was pleased with his performance.

"Beecher was better today," Spurrier said. "He threw some good balls. He didn't run around too much today. He'll get more snaps Tuesday night when we scrimmage again with the young guys."

Top backup Chris Smelley connected on 7-of-15 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown and one interception.

"The quarterbacks weren't too bad," Spurrier said. "Chris Smelley made a couple of good throws, Tommy (Beecher) made a couple of good ones here and there. We didn't sustain many drives at all."

Redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia, who missed several practices this week with a sprained ankle, was 5-of-9 for 74 yards and one interception.

After the scrimmage, Spurrier said walk-on Zac Brindise (3-for-4, 26 yards, 1 TD) had possibly risen to third on the depth chart ahead of Garcia, who has struggled to regain his mojo following four months away from the program while serving a university-imposed suspension.

"(Stephen) Garcia struggled," Spurrier acknowledged. "Zac Brindise came in there and hit a couple of passes for the third group. He might be number three now. If you based it on performance, he'd be ahead of Garcia right now."

The Gamecock defense utilized second and third team players for most of the scrimmage. Linebacker Jasper Brinkley, one of the best in the SEC, was on the field for one play before he was yanked.

"I think we did pretty well," USC defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said. "We had two pretty poor practices the last two days, so I hoped we would come out a little more focused and I think we did. We were more intense today, at least that's how it looked from up top. The first scrimmage looked in slow motion, and this one looked a little better as far as the speed and execution were concerned. Obviously, we have a long ways to go to get ready for that first game."

Safety Darian Stewart suffered a sprained left foot and was seen wearing a boot while walking with crutches into the team locker room facility underneath the West stands.

Earlier, Stewart intercepted a Smelley pass, one of four interceptions on the afternoon by the ball-hawking Gamecock defense. Safeties Chris Culliver and Mark Barnes also picked off passes, while freshman defensive lineman Kenny Davis grabbed a batted ball for an interception.

Placekicker Ryan Succop was the offense's biggest weapon throughout the scrimmage. The senior from Hickory, N.C. was successful on all four of his field goal attempts from 41, 43, 47 and 27 yards out.

Succop was 5-for-8 last season on field goal attempts between 40 and 49 yards.

The three touchdowns were all scored by non-starters: Taylor Rank had a one-yard TD run, Freddie Brown caught a 15-yard pass from Smelley and fullback Bryan Kingrey caught a 2-yard TD pass from Brindise.

Following the scrimmage, Smelley tipped his cap to the Gamecock defense.

"I thought I threw the ball decently, but the defense was all over the field making plays," Smelley said. "I thought they did a great job. We have a lot of guys back on defense and we should have a really good defense."

The ground game struggled again for consistency. Freshman Eric Baker was the leading rusher with 32 yards on 12 carries, while Taylor Rank rushed nine times for 31 yards. Kenny Miles, a record setting freshman from Lawrenceville, Ga., had 27 yards on six carries.

Top running back Mike Davis, who wore a yellow jersey in pre-scrimmage warm-ups, did not have a carry. Brian Maddox carried just five times for 18 yards.

The USC offense gained just 64 yards on 49 rushing attempts in a perfectly balanced offensive attack. Those numbers could be a vibrant sign for an overwhelmed defensive unit that finished last in the SEC in rushing defense last season.

"We'll be ready," Smelley said. "It's tough playing the same defense week after week. They pretty much know what to expect, but I think we've got a great game plan and we've got skill players that will step up."

Rank, who had two carries for five yards last season, was one of the busiest players on the field. In addition to his nine carries, he also caught three passes for eight yards.

Kenny McKinley, only weeks away from becoming USC's all-time leading receiver, had a team-high four receptions for 35 yards, while tight end Jared Cook, possibly USC's second biggest threat in the passing game, had three catches for 54 yards.

Five receivers, including exciting freshman C.C. Whitlock, had two receptions each. Spurrier said this week that Whitlock would be "next year's Kenny McKinley."

Spencer Lanning, a junior from York, S.C., punted three times for a 44.3 yards average. Freshman Ryan Doerr averaged 39.0 yards on two punts.

SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS:
SCORING PLAYS:
Ryan Succop 42-yard field goal
Ryan Succop 41-yard field goal
Taylor Rank 1-yard run (Succop kick)
Ryan Succop 47-yard field goal
Ryan Succop 27-yard field goal
Freddie Brown 15-yard pass from Chris Smelley
Bryan Kingrey 2-yard pass from Zac Brindise

PASSING: Tommy Beecher 9-14-0-89; Chris Smelley 7-15-1-109, 1 TD; Stephen Garcia 5-9-1-74; Reid McCollum 3-5-1-40; Zac Brindise 3-4-0-26 1 TD; Aramis Hillary 1-1-0-11; Michael McQueeney 0-1-1-0. TEAM: 28-49-4-349 2 TD.

RUSHING: RUSHING: Eric Baker 12-32; Taylor Rank 9-31 1 TD; Kenny Miles 6-27; Brian Maddox 5-18; Aramis Hillary 2-1; Bobby Wallace 4-0; C.C. Whitlock 1-0; Zac Brindise 1-(-2); Stephen Garcia 3-(-4); Dion LeCorn 1-(-4); Tommy Beecher 3-(-17); Chris Smelley 2-(-18). TEAM: 49-64 1 TD.

RECEIVING: Kenny McKinley 4-35; Jared Cook 3-54; Taylor Rank 3-8; Andrew Power 2-47; Freddie Brown 2-38 1 TD; C.C.
Whitlock 2-38; Mike Triglia 2-25; Jason Barnes 2-15; Weslye Saunders 1-24; Stephen Flint 1-22; Moe Brown 1-20; Eric Baker 1-14; Bobby Wallace 1-9; Bryan Kingrey 1-2 1 TD; Brian Maddox 1-(-1); Scott Spurrier 1-(-1). TEAM: 28-349 2 TD.