Where USC stands to date
No. 10 South Carolina is now one-third of the way into its regular season after its 21-3 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday. Sports Editor James Kratch offers his grades for the Gamecocks to date.
OFFENSE: B
Recently, when Marcus Lattimore runs the ball, the Gamecock offense has a 4.0 GPA. When Stephen Garcia is throwing the ball of late, the unit is pushing academic probation.
So, the overall grade is somewhere in the middle. Not all of Garcia's struggles have been his fault, but the fifth-year senior has to play better. Head coach Steve Spurrier has made it readily clear that Connor Shaw is not ready to be the starting quarterback. It's Garcia's team; there's no reason for him to be looking over his shoulder.
Now he has to go play like it and avoid the handful of poor decisions he seems to make every week. Once Garcia can be relied on in the passing game, USC can start to think about lessening Lattimore's workload. Without Lattimore's brilliant performance to date, USC would not be 4-0. Yes, maybe he has gotten a few too many carries, but they were necessary carries.
The receivers can't really be graded based on how poor the quarterback play has been. USC has to get Alshon Jeffery going. The offensive line regressed a bit against Vandy, but has been solid so far.
DEFENSE: C+
The defense is definitely trending upward after a clutch fourth quarter to push back against Navy's upset bid, followed by a stifling showing Saturday in holding Vandy to 77 yards of total offense and three points.
The performance against the Commodores was brilliant — so much so, you'd almost forget how horrid the defense looked against East Carolina, Georgia and, for most of the night, Navy. But this is a cumulative grade, so the woes of the first 2.75 games can't be overlooked. USC looked very bad against the Pirates and Bulldogs, especially defending the pass.
The defense has improved of late, but it will face its biggest test to date this weekend against Auburn. The Tigers, who ran roughshod over the Gamecocks twice last season en route to a national championship, aren't the same without Cam Newton. But Barrett Trotter is no slouch at quarterback, and Michael Dyer is the SEC's best young tailback not named Marcus Lattimore or Isaiah Crowell.
USC will have to play well to keep Auburn out of the end zone. It knows its defensive line and linebackers will be ready. The secondary is a wild card though.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-
USC has gotten everything it could've hoped for from first-year special teams coordinator John Butler and his units. The Curse of Chavez Donnings was exorcised on Ace Sanders' punt return for a touchdown against East Carolina. Kickoff return has showed more spark.
The brilliant fake punt call against Georgia changed the momentum of the game and made Melvin Ingram a household name in the Southeast. Ingram's inclusion on the onside recovery hands team later sealed the win in Athens. The kickoff and punt coverage units have been improved. Jay Wooten has emerged as a reliable kicker and Joey Scribner-Howard has been solid punting the ball.
There are still some concerns — the UGA game was proof the coverage units still struggle when facing dynamic return men like Brandon Boykin or Brandon Smith — but on the whole, the special teams have been strengths this fall. That's something USC has never been able to say in the past under Spurrier.
COACHING: B
The defensive staff spent three weeks under fire. Now it's the offensive staff's turn. Both sides have had their share of curious decisions and strategic blunders through the first four games. But at the same time, the coaching staff has also done a lot of good. Spurrier and the offensive coaches deserve kudos for recognizing Lattimore as the best chance to win and riding him late against Georgia and Navy.
Johnson and the defensive coaches did a tremendous job getting their unit to play much better against Vandy after a weird week of preparation for Navy's unorthodox triple-option offense. And, as stated above, Butler has had a substantial impact on special teams.
If USC was 3-1 or 2-2 or 1-3 (and it could very easily be all three), this grade would probably be a "C" or "D+." But undefeated is undefeated, no matter how tempestuously it is achieved.
OVERALL: B
It hasn't been pretty, but it has been effective.
After all, USC is 4-0 and the 10th-ranked team in America. However, the defense still has something to prove. The offense has a lot to prove. The special teams have to show consistency over the long haul.
The coaching staff has plenty of challenges ahead of it. But again, the Gamecocks are 4-0 and No. 10 in the nation. It's the best start under Spurrier and the best since 2001.
USC has to improve a great deal if it is to have the type of season so many expected of it in the preseason. But the important part is the Gamecocks are still in position to have that sort of year despite all the issues they have faced.