ECU secondary decimated by injuries, suspension
In football, it pays to be tall.
As a wide receiver, it's almost necessary to have height, which is why three of the top four wide receivers at South Carolina measure up at 6-4. With the tallest player in East Carolina's secondary being 6-1, it's fair to say that the vertical opportunities will be great for the Gamecock receiving corps in Saturday's season opener.
The task got taller for the ECU defense when cornerback Emanuel Davis, two time All-Conference-USA selection, was suspended for the opening game by coach Ruffin McNeill after an arrest in June.
Though the matchup favors the Gamecock receivers, especially with Davis out, wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. hasn't bought into the hype.
"This group hasn't done a lot," Spurrier Jr. said. "I've got one guy who's a darn good player, but other than that, I've got a bunch of talented guys. We're an unproven group, so until we start doing a lot, I'm not going to talk a lot about them. We've got a decent group, but they haven't copped us much yet."
The "darn good player" Spurrier Jr. is referring to is Alshon Jeffery, who was an All-American and First Team All-SEC selection in 2010. He set the school records for single-season receptions and receiving yards while also leading the SEC in receiving yards per game. Were Davis playing, it was anticipated that he would cover Jeffery, but the suspension hasn't changed the game plan.
"Out there or not out there, we try to get our own guys ready to play," Spurrier Jr. said. "We don't know exactly what we're going to get from them defensively. We're just trying to polish up the best we can on what we're good at and go play."
Depending on which direction the game goes, Spurrier Jr. said it would be "ideal" to have Damiere Byrd, Bruce Ellington, DeAngelo Smith and Nick Jones all see playing time as well, though nothing is certain as far as who will play and when outside of the top four. There is flexibility to move up and down the depth chart depending on in-game performance.
"You find out a lot on Saturdays," Spurrier Jr. said. "There's a difference between practice and scrimmage, though that's where you've got to obviously set your order. Saturdays, when you put the jerseys on and play in front of the crowds and it counts, that's really how you measure people."
Standing out among USC's top four receivers is Ace Sanders, who is 9 inches shorter Jeffery, Jason Barnes and D.L. Moore. For Sanders, the focus has been on playing tall as he looks to be a factor in the slot receiver role. Though he'll likely be splitting time with Barnes, primarily, Ellington and Byrd should also see playing time in that role.
Though ECU had one of the worst defenses in the NCAA last season, Sanders knows the matchup will ultimately be settled on the field.
"Some people are coming in and looking at us as a big target," Sanders said. "Everybody wants to play and everybody wants to win. We've kind of got a bull's-eye on our back because everybody's been talking so big. What we're trying to do is not get a big head, but to just go out there and perform."
There's no denying that the opportunity to lift South Carolina to new heights is within reach for the Gamecock receivers. Under the bright lights of Bank of America Stadium, however, the question is whether or not they will reach their own potential.
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