Believe it or not, there’s actually a game Saturday. To cap what has been a crazy week for South Carolina’s football team, the 2-3 Vanderbilt Commodores will come to Columbia for an SEC showdown.
Both teams are without wins in the SEC and are seeking to rebound from awful starts. The 2-4 Gamecocks are 0-4 in the SEC for the first time in 15 years and are without the great Steve Spurrier following the former Head Ball Coach’s resignation.
Interim head coach Shawn Elliott will step in to lead the Gamecocks for the remainder of the season, so this week’s keys to victory will look much different than in the past.
1. Focus, focus, focus
To say a lot has gone on in Columbia over the past two weeks would be an understatement. Between historic flooding that devastated parts of the city and the retirement of the greatest football coach in school history, South Carolina has been in the news quite a bit of late.
Several players were taken aback by Spurrier’s sudden resignation. Elliott will have the tough task of keeping his players focused, especially against a pesky Vanderbilt team that always seems to give the Gamecocks more trouble than it should.
If Elliott makes a number of adjustments this week, the players’ focus would shift as well. Look for Elliott to makes some changes, especially on the offensive side of the ball to keep the team’s focus on the field.
2. Establish the Run
Elliott was the offensive line coach. Offensive line coaches like to run the ball. The Gamecock quarterbacks have struggled. Struggling quarterbacks like good running games.
Redshirt senior Brandon Wilds is scheduled to return this week after missing three games with a rib injury suffered against Georgia, and the starter should bring some prowess back to a Gamecock rushing attack that was thought to be a strength prior to the season.
Backups redshirt senior Shon Carson and redshirt sophomore David Williams should get more carries as well in Elliott’s offense. Redshirt sophomore center Alan Knott returned against LSU, and running lanes seemed to open up in the middle of the line, but the Gamecocks quickly turned one-dimensional and abandoned the running game.
Look for Elliott to make establishing the run a priority Saturday.
3. Be Different
Athletic Director Ray Tanner stressed that the Gamecocks will not look for another Spurrier because he was one of a kind.
Elliott cannot try to copy Spurrier. This is his team now, and it needs to look different. This group of Gamecocks was obviously not succeeding under Spurrier this season. If Elliott hopes to coach in Columbia beyond this season, he’ll have to establish himself as more than just the guy who replaced the Head Ball Coach.
As I stated earlier, I believe Elliott will focus more on the run than Spurrier traditionally did. However, beyond the X’s and O’s, Elliott’s coaching style is up in the air. No one knows how aggressive the fiery Camden native will be on short fourth downs or if Elliott will change the way he motivates players as a head coach.
This weekend will be a good indicator of just how different Elliott’s coaching style will be and the trajectory this Gamecock team will take for the rest of the season.