News about South Carolina from Orlando:
Not too much news coming out of USC. Offensive line coach Shawn Elliott said Terrence Campbell may or may not play, though coach Steve Spurrier said that he was doubtful after Friday’s practice. Elliott also told reporters that Kyle Nunn should be good at left tackle, but the back-up plan would be Rokevious Watkins moving from right guard back to his usual spot at right tackle and Ronald Patrick, who played well against Clemson, would go in at right guard.
Either way, Elliott feels good about the offensive line situation.
"It's all part of the process," Elliott said. "Injuries happen and things occur, so you've got to prepare these players each and every week to go out and play positions that they may not always be comfortable in playing in."
Both Elliott and defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said that the team shouldn’t miss a beat with both the offense and the defense being short a coach (running backs coach and linebackers coach). Ward said that the biggest loss would come on game day because he will be in the booth as oppose to on the field, where he likes to fire up players.
There were also some tidbits about tailback Kenny Miles, but that will be coming your way tomorrow morning in the form of a feature story.
What the Huskers are saying about the Gamecocks:
Defensively for Nebraska, the game will come down to if the Huskers can turn around their fortunes against mobile quarterbacks. Nebraska has had trouble stopping mobile quarterbacks at Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northwestern.
“I think the biggest key in the game is going to be our ability defensively to slow him down,” said defensive coordinator John Papuchis on USC quarterback Connor Shaw. “He makes plays with his feet, but throws the ball, too. A lot of his throws come out of some scrambles and ad-libs. That’s going to be a big piece of the puzzle—our ability to contain him to the pocket and when it is a designed quarterback run, you need to limit his gains. That’s been a huge point of emphasis this whole bowl prep.”
Papuchis was recently named the defensive coordinator after the departure of Carl Pelini to fill FAU’s head coaching vacancy. Papuchis said that Nebraska coach Bo Pelini would likely call most of the plays on the defense, though it would be a collaborative effort.
On the offensive end for Nebraska, they find consistency behind running back Rex Burkhead, largely because of the inconsistency of quarterback Taylor Martinez as a passer. USC used wide receiver Ace Sanders to imitate Martinez in practices.
“It’s going to come down to who’s the more physical team,” Burkhead said. “They’re very athletic, up front especially—their defensive line is one of the best in the country, so up front we’re going to have to win the battle.”
Of the defenses he’s faced, Burkhead said USC reminds him most of Michigan State because of the front line. Offensive coordinator Tim Beck had a different description of the unit.
“It’s pretty scary,” Beck said of the Gamecock defense. “Those guys look like dragsters coming at you sometimes—they’re fast. I think even the secondary, they’re underrated and don’t get as much credit.”
What to look forward to:
Spurrier and Pelini will have their pressers tomorrow, so I’ll write anything interesting from that. Also, look for a Miles feature in the morning.
