Believe it or not, the college football season is slated to kickoff in less than three months. Coming off a disappointing 7-6 season, South Carolina faces a crucial year in 2015. A second consecutive disappointment could hurt future recruiting, while a year of exceeded expectations could put the Gamecocks in the national spotlight.
Every Tuesday until the season starts, I will attempt to examine and preview the football season from every angle possible. During the month of June, I’ll look at the potential strengths and weaknesses of this year’s Gamecock squad.
Offensive Strength: The Backfield
The Gamecocks are loaded at the tailback position in 2015. The veteran Brandon Wilds will team up with rising star David Williams this season in what will most likely be a run-heavy Steve Spurrier offense.
A fifth-year senior, Wilds isn’t the flashiest runner and prefers a downhill approach and takes what the defense gives him. Last season, he averaged five yards per carry and posted 570 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Wilds has been a consistent option in the backfield since backing up Marcus Lattimore in 2011.
Wilds will get his first chance to headline a backfield in 2015 after playing in a spell role the past few years.
Williams, on the other hand, possesses breakaway speed and homerun potential. At six-foot-one and 215 pounds, the redshirt sophomore is actually the smaller of the two feature backs. Williams had a breakout game against Furman last season with a 110-yard rushing performance.
The one-two combination of Wilds and Williams will be a treat for Gamecock fans and should have the normally pass happy Spurrier pounding the ball between the tackles more often. In addition to the Wilds-Williams combo, redshirt senior Shon Carson will factor into the mix.
The fifth-year senior will see time as a kick returner and possibly at the receiver position, but his experience is an asset for the Gamecock offense. The best blocking tailback on the roster knows the system and possesses the talent to provide the other backs breaks late in games. Last season, he averaged 7.8 yards per carry and 20.4 yards per kick return.
A reshuffled offensive line could slow the Gamecock rushing attack, but they should have the talent in the backfield to compensate.
Wilds will continue to do what he does best. He won’t give fans flashy runs with fancy moves, but when the Gamecocks need three yards, he will get three yards. Wilds has the physicality needed to succeed in the SEC and the football I.Q. to take on a leadership role on offense.
Look for Williams to become a household name as the big-play-back the Gamecocks have been missing for years. The two in combination will put up big numbers if given the opportunity in 2015.
Offensive Weakness: Inexperienced Play-callers
No quarterback currently on the Gamecock roster has ever started a game at the college level. Former four-star prospect Connor Mitch looks to have secured the starting job, barring a poor summer, but his inexperience looms large.
The redshirt sophomore is a career 2-6 with 19 yards passing. He showed flashes of brilliance in spring practices and played well in the Garnet and Black Spring Game, but when put in a real game situation, it is unclear how the Raleigh, North Carolina native will handle the pressure.
It’s been several years since Spurrier used a quarterback rotation, save the 2013 Outback Bowl when he limited an injured Connor Shaw’s snaps. However, with the lack of an inexperienced signal caller, Spurrier may be quicker to bench his starter if things do not seem to be heading in the right direction.
While Mitch seems to be the leader, former walk-on Perry Orth was extremely efficient this spring, developing solid timing with new receivers such as redshirt freshman Deebo Samuel. Spurrier may be willing to rotate Orth and Mitch and go with the hotter hand on a weekly basis.
Orth has five career passing yards to his credit in two games of mop-up action. While Orth may hold a slight edge in pure passing ability, it seems that Spurrier likes the way Mitch runs the offense a bit better.
Finally, true freshman Lorenzo Nunez arrived on campus a little over a week ago. The four-star dual threat quarterback may get limited reps behind center this season, however, as a superb athlete, Nunez may see action in a type of wildcat position as the season progresses if the offense struggles to find a rhythm.
Without spring reps, however, Nunez is behind the eight ball, and will struggle to crack the starting lineup.
Overall, the Gamecocks have a talented quarterback trio. A lack of experience makes the position a weakness from a preseason standpoint. With two former four-star prospects and a talented walk-on that has worked hard to move up the depth chart, South Carolina has options. The Gamecocks could have a dangerous passing attack if one of the three gets hot.
That’s a big ‘if’ though.