Horrid Auburn pass defense may be just what unit needs
Stephen Garcia watched from the sideline as backup quarterback Connor Shaw played the final minutes of South Carolina's 35-27 loss at Auburn last fall.
It was the first time Garcia's security as USC's starter came into question after he fumbled the ball twice, leading to two Auburn scoring drives. USC had been leading 20-7 in the second quarter.
One year later, Garcia again watched Shaw on the field in the fourth quarter against Vandy after throwing four interceptions in the 21-3 win.
This time, the game wasn't on the line, and Garcia didn't read too much into it despite the lackluster performance of the passing game through the first four games of the season.
"They wanted to get Connor some playing time and some experience, and that's normal," Garcia said after the game. "We had the game pretty much sealed at the end, so I'm not really frustrated about it at all."
As the Gamecocks prepare to play Auburn in a rematch of not only the regular season game where Garcia had one of his worst games in 2010 but also the SEC title game, the focus has shifted exclusively to the air attack. The pass game has yet to have a strong performance, leading the team to rely heavily on the legs of running back Marcus Lattimore to win the game.
"Offensively we know who our best running back is," coach Steve Spurrier said. "That's one thing we know. We have to figure out throwing the ball better. Other than that we're learning what we do best and [we'll] go from there."
After his four interceptions against the Commodores, Garcia will have to rebound quickly. And as the passing offense hasn't taken off since the start of the season, he's been under intense scrutiny. However, he does still have the unwavering support of his teammates.
"We're definitely a team where we like to pick the guys up," offensive lineman Terrence Campbell said. "Anytime we see a guy struggling or going through hard times, we're a big family so we try to lend a hand to them. We just say positive things and keep them upbeat."
Campbell doesn't view the passing game as a lost cause but rather a work in progress.
"I think it's just something to do with the beginning of the season — different coverages and things like that," Campbell said. "I really believe that he has a lot of confidence, and his confidence isn't low. I think he's just struggling right now. He's going to get through it. There's no doubt in my mind that Stephen will be a leader for us and lead us to victories."
Part of the passing woes has stemmed from miscommunications between the receivers and Garcia. Garcia's fourth interception came as a result of wide receiver Alshon Jeffery thinking that Garcia was going to run the ball, and not expecting it to be thrown to him. In another circumstance, wide receiver Rory Anderson looked to the wrong signal caller for the play. But USC expects to iron out all of the wrinkles in communication this week.
"It was three guys standing right next to each other doing the signals, and I got them mixed up," Anderson said. "That's just a mistake by me. I'm ready to go and get it right."
Another factor that offense has focused in on is increasing the tempo of the game. Against Vandy, Garcia appeared to hold on to the ball for too long.
"We're working on getting the tip off faster," Anderson said. "If we can get the tip off faster, we can get the running game and the passing game going at the same time."
Though the offense has been sluggish, the desire to pick up the pace hasn't waned. Whether Garcia was on the sideline a year ago or last week, his teammates haven't seen a change in his demeanor.
"You still see the fire in his eyes," Campbell said. "You still see the passion to try and complete the passes and try to make the big play. Maybe right now, he's just trying too hard to make the big play, and that's just with being a quarterback. You want to make the plays out there and lead your team to victory and right now, he's just trying to do a little too much."