 "Photo: Juan Blas / THE DAILY GAMECOCK")
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The South Carolina offense is struggling, and it's painfully obvious why. There once was a man, a great man, who called Williams-Brice Stadium his home. He made boatloads of highlight-reel catches and put up video game-like statistics.
He wore No. 4, and his name was Sidney Rice. I miss him.
In 2007, without Sidney Rice and his 6-foot-4 inch frame and 40-inch vertical leap, the Gamecocks are struggling to move the ball and put up points.
Two years ago, the South Carolina offense wasn't spectacular either, but the Gamecocks had Sidney Rice to bail them out. When they needed to put away a pesky Vanderbilt squad at home, whom did they lean on? Sidney Rice. He bailed them out with eight catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns.
When Carolina went to Knoxville to try to knock off a struggling Tennessee team and stay in SEC East contention, whom did the Gamecocks lean on? Sidney Rice. He took over the game that night, catching eight passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Even last year, after the emergence of players like Kenny McKinley (880 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns) and Cory Boyd (1,229 total yards and 10 touchdowns), Sidney Rice was still the backbone of Carolina's offensive production. He was double-teamed on nearly every play, and was the type of matchup that made defensive coordinators lose sleep at night. Because of all the attention that Rice received, it opened things up for other offensive players to shine (see Kenny McKinley and Cory Boyd).
Even with the aforementioned attention, Rice still managed a spectacular season in 2006, to the tune of 72 grabs for 1,090 yards and 10 touchdowns. What made him so valuable was his ability to go and get the ball. This year, the Gamecocks don't have that.
Don't get me wrong, Kenny McKinley is a very good, maybe even a great receiver. He leads the Gamecocks with 41 catches for 525 and 6 touchdowns. Despite being a better route-runner than Rice, McKinley doesn't strike fear into opposing defenses. I know it sounds weird, but it is because McKinley has to get open to catch the ball.
In Rice's case, he could be covered perfectly, only to leap over a defender and make a sensational catch. That's what made him so valuable. He didn't even have to be open.
It is painfully obvious that the offense is struggling to replace Rice's production this season. To date, the Gamecocks are 93rd in the nation in total offense and 74th in scoring offense. By comparison, South Carolina was 20th and 44th in those two categories last year.
Other than Rice, the offense is generally comprised of the same players as the 2006 season, thus making his early departure the likely culprit of the offense's struggles in 2007.
Now I am not a man to question the judgment of a coach who has won 6 SEC championships and one national championship, but the fate of this team should lie with the defense and two experienced running backs, Cory Boyd and Mike Davis.
The Gamecocks can't keep leaning on the passing game. There's no Sidney Rice to bail them out anymore.
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