Saturday, the Gamecocks will march into Williams-Brice Stadium without Steve Spurrier for the first time in 11 seasons, after the former head coach announced his resignation this week.
South Carolina (2-4) suffered a blowout 45-24 loss at the hands of Louisiana State University last weekend and will look to regain steam as it takes on the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-3).
1. The Team Responds Well to Spurrier’s Resignation
Athletic Director Ray Tannerwill conduct a search for a new head football coach for the first time in over 10 years,but in the meantime, former co-offensive coordinator Shawn Elliottwill serve as the team’s interim head coach.
A South Carolina native, Elliottjoined the Gamecocks staff in 2010 as the offensive line coach. Elliott was promoted two years later in 2012 to co-offensive coordinator, working in direct relation to Spurrier. A former coach and player at Appalachian State University, Elliott has an impressive resume — winning three straight national titles in Division I-AA football during the mid-2000s.
Elliottis already a trusted, highly touted figure in South Carolina’s locker room, so the temporary promotion was certainly justifiable. Will he earn a full-time head-coaching job? It’s possible, but far too early to tell. In all likelihood, the Gamecocks will respond well to the change and prove — to fans and themselves — that they can find success without the Head Ball Coach.
2. Gamecocks Record Highest Rushing Total of the Season
Elliott’sbread and butter is on the ground, where the Gamecocks have struggled mightily all season long. Part of his former co-offensive coordinator role included overseeing the offensive line and running game, which has perhaps been South Carolina’s weakest area this season.
No South Carolina running back has exceeded the 200-yard mark yet this season, as redshirt senior Brandon Wilds, redshirt senior Shon Carson and redshirt sophomore David Williamsare each hovering around 180 rushing yards.Carson, who has accumulated 184 rushing yards, currently ranks 243rd among Division I running backs.
Clearly, the rushing game needs rejuvenation, and the key to success is establishing a reliable one. Despite flashes from quarterbacks freshman Lorenzo Nunezand redshirt junior Perry Orth,inexperience at the position has historically spelled doom, making the rushing game absolutely vital.
Although the interim head coach cannot magically transform his running backs into Leonard Fournette,he can instill new ideas and schemes to scrape an unproductive rushing game from the cement.
3. South Carolina Defeats Vanderbilt in an Emotional Contest
The campus of South Carolina, city of Columbia and state of South Carolina as a whole have endured a brutal few weeks. Record rainfall flooded residences and businesses, causing death, destruction and emotional damages that cannot be quantified.
To add salt to the wound, a football program that is such an integral part of the South Carolina community has plummeted to mediocrity. Mass devastation is obviously much larger than wins and losses, but Gamecocks football serves as an outlet for emotional distress all the same.
With South Carolina’s first true home game after the flood and Spurrier’sdeparture, expect the team to find a way to win this one.