E.T.G.
One of trus baby mommas
I will be updating this weekly, my apt complex is within walking distance of the practice field so I can go up there and watch whenever. My main goal here is to be able to know this team inside out. I was a student here for four yrs, graduating in May but I am more comfortable with this team than any other in the Nation. I did not bet them every game this yr because I let my heart get in the way a few times but since I will be back in Jersey there is no emotional attachment. Like how Hawaii-guy has helped us, I hope I can contribute the same so that we can all cash in on the gamecocks, win or lose.. Just cover the spread
Spring Game: April 14th
First let me start by saying that I think this team will have value this yr because they will not be favored against most of the SEC however they are going to surprise a lot of people this yr, unbiased opinion. Arkansas crept up on the SEC last yr, I think SC will do it this yr. This team is deep and returns about 19+ starters and key players from last yr along w/ a few players back from injuries and suspensions that missed 2006..
Question Marks Going into Spring:
O-Line: The team is deeper here than last yr and there will be a lot of competition to fill the open spots (3). The biggest loss is @ center, a player who started more than 30games for the Gamecocks. Carolina returns its top 4 offensive tackles from last yr. The real question is @ guard where this will be a lot of mixing and matching to find the right combo. The last 5 games of the yr the same 0-line started and did fairly well. Justin Sorenson, a right tackle who is in a heated battle for his position, held Gaines Adams to 0 sacks in the game played in Novem. I think last yr SC had 7 O-Linemen to choose from, this yr they have 13, a few who have redshirted and have put on the neccessary size. A problem hindering SC in the opening weeks of past seasons has been the lack of consistency of the O-Line.
WR: Five of the teams top 6 receivers return to the team however Sidney Rice is gone. Who will replace his 1000yds? A combo of guys. Jared Cook is a player to watch for this spring. He could emerge as a very lethal #1 threat @ 6'5 - 240lbs. During winter testing its said that he ran the fastest 40 time at 4.37 and had a vertical leap of 40inches. Sidney Rice was quoted as saying that Cook was the most talented WR on the team. I think he was being modest but it says a lot. Those are just freakish numbers and while I don't think he ran a 4.37, anything under 4.5 is going to be a favorable matchup for the Gamecocks. The problem w/ Cook is the Auburn game which simply destroyed his confidence. Cook dropped a wide open TD to tie the game late in the 4th quater, the same play that he previously scored a touchdown on in that game and never recovered. Coaches say that his confidence was shot and he never performed the same in practice. Cook switched between TE and WR last yr but now the focus will be just on WR. This yr he will be counted on to stepup as a RS-Soph. The other interesting WR is Juco Larry Freeman who led his team to the JC championship. He is a very strong receiver @ 6'2 210 who can go over the middle. He caught everything in practice today. Kenny McKinnely, the returning leading receiver will be counted on as a solid #2. The nations #1 recruiting class @ WR will arrive in August and there will be a lot of competition. Overall I am not concerned w/ this position.
DB's: This was an area that cost the Gamecocks a few games this past yr. SC returns 2 of its top 3 DB's. Captain Munnerlyn started all yr a true frosh and did a pretty decent job, he is the fastest gameock w/ a 4.35... Carlos Thomas will be pretty key this spring. Thomas is one of the fastest Gamecocks and is a 2yr starter. Last yr Thomas was moved to DB where he struggled and than began to get a feel for things towards the end of the yr. Thomas's frosh yr he was knocked unconscious and couldn't feel anything for a few moments, an injury that damaged his pych last yr. He was in position to make great stops and you can tell he knew but what he was doing but that fear of being hit like that again pulled him away from contact a few times. Thomas is reported to be 15lbs heavier now but I will take 10 or so. Both played all yr because Fred Bennet had to battle injuries. One of them will lose their spot in August when JUCO transfer Sam Pope arrives. Brandon Issac returns to the Gamecocks after missing all of 2006 w/ a shoulder injury. It is also said that during Pro Day last yr he impressed scouts more than departed CB Fred Bennet did but injuries have kept him off the field. Issac returns for his senior season w/ a healthy shoulder, atleast they say. Emanuel Cook is manning the other saftey spot right now, he started 10 games last yr, was hurt for 3 and was recognized for his strong play.This is another position which will see intense competition come August.
Strengths Going into Spring:
RB: The Gamecocks will be strong here with one of the top 1-2 punches in the SEC. Cory Boyd (1200total yds) will look to finish his career at Carolina in a big way. He is a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball and is a powerful runner between the tackles. Mike Davis has seen his share of time each of the last 2 yrs and will also be counted on to shoulder some of the load. Davis has come on in the 2nd half of the season both yrs of his career but will be needed to come out in the 1st half of the season this yr.
DL: This is the deepest D-Line Carolina has had since joining the SEC. Carolina returns everyone @ this position including Marquee Hall, SC's best D-linemen who was injured in the UGA game last yr and never came back. There will be a ton of depth here and this might be the deepest and strongest position Carolina has. Juco transfers, redshirts, and returning starters are all going to battle here.
LB: SC will be very strong at this position as well and it will go a long way to stopping the run. SC returns prob the best LB in the SEC, Jasper Brinkley @ MLB. Jasper will be joined by his twin brother who led the team in sacks last yr @ DE. Outside LB is said to be Casper Brinkley's natural position and he is rumored to be more athletic than Jasper. Both stand around 6'3 260. SC will welcome its 3rd leading tackler back from 2005 back this yr, Dustin Lindsey was suspended for all of 2006. He is also a monster at 6'3 250. SC has depth at this position as several players who started during the course of last yr will be backups this yr.
Very long post but I hope to be able to go 9-2 or better on SC against the spread this yr. I think they will have a game or so that won't be available like SC State..
This is Spurrier's best team since arriving in Carolina, the work ethic of the team has changed and the players are believing that they can win. SC was a team who suffered some unfortunate losses at key positions, suffered from inexperience, had no real Senior Leadership, and had the ball bounce against them a few times.
Look, I am not predicting National Championship by any means but this will not be your typical SCarolina team in 2007. They will def win 9 games and 10-2 is not out of this realm. They will sneak up on a few teams this yr.
Spring Game: April 14th
First let me start by saying that I think this team will have value this yr because they will not be favored against most of the SEC however they are going to surprise a lot of people this yr, unbiased opinion. Arkansas crept up on the SEC last yr, I think SC will do it this yr. This team is deep and returns about 19+ starters and key players from last yr along w/ a few players back from injuries and suspensions that missed 2006..
Question Marks Going into Spring:
O-Line: The team is deeper here than last yr and there will be a lot of competition to fill the open spots (3). The biggest loss is @ center, a player who started more than 30games for the Gamecocks. Carolina returns its top 4 offensive tackles from last yr. The real question is @ guard where this will be a lot of mixing and matching to find the right combo. The last 5 games of the yr the same 0-line started and did fairly well. Justin Sorenson, a right tackle who is in a heated battle for his position, held Gaines Adams to 0 sacks in the game played in Novem. I think last yr SC had 7 O-Linemen to choose from, this yr they have 13, a few who have redshirted and have put on the neccessary size. A problem hindering SC in the opening weeks of past seasons has been the lack of consistency of the O-Line.
WR: Five of the teams top 6 receivers return to the team however Sidney Rice is gone. Who will replace his 1000yds? A combo of guys. Jared Cook is a player to watch for this spring. He could emerge as a very lethal #1 threat @ 6'5 - 240lbs. During winter testing its said that he ran the fastest 40 time at 4.37 and had a vertical leap of 40inches. Sidney Rice was quoted as saying that Cook was the most talented WR on the team. I think he was being modest but it says a lot. Those are just freakish numbers and while I don't think he ran a 4.37, anything under 4.5 is going to be a favorable matchup for the Gamecocks. The problem w/ Cook is the Auburn game which simply destroyed his confidence. Cook dropped a wide open TD to tie the game late in the 4th quater, the same play that he previously scored a touchdown on in that game and never recovered. Coaches say that his confidence was shot and he never performed the same in practice. Cook switched between TE and WR last yr but now the focus will be just on WR. This yr he will be counted on to stepup as a RS-Soph. The other interesting WR is Juco Larry Freeman who led his team to the JC championship. He is a very strong receiver @ 6'2 210 who can go over the middle. He caught everything in practice today. Kenny McKinnely, the returning leading receiver will be counted on as a solid #2. The nations #1 recruiting class @ WR will arrive in August and there will be a lot of competition. Overall I am not concerned w/ this position.
DB's: This was an area that cost the Gamecocks a few games this past yr. SC returns 2 of its top 3 DB's. Captain Munnerlyn started all yr a true frosh and did a pretty decent job, he is the fastest gameock w/ a 4.35... Carlos Thomas will be pretty key this spring. Thomas is one of the fastest Gamecocks and is a 2yr starter. Last yr Thomas was moved to DB where he struggled and than began to get a feel for things towards the end of the yr. Thomas's frosh yr he was knocked unconscious and couldn't feel anything for a few moments, an injury that damaged his pych last yr. He was in position to make great stops and you can tell he knew but what he was doing but that fear of being hit like that again pulled him away from contact a few times. Thomas is reported to be 15lbs heavier now but I will take 10 or so. Both played all yr because Fred Bennet had to battle injuries. One of them will lose their spot in August when JUCO transfer Sam Pope arrives. Brandon Issac returns to the Gamecocks after missing all of 2006 w/ a shoulder injury. It is also said that during Pro Day last yr he impressed scouts more than departed CB Fred Bennet did but injuries have kept him off the field. Issac returns for his senior season w/ a healthy shoulder, atleast they say. Emanuel Cook is manning the other saftey spot right now, he started 10 games last yr, was hurt for 3 and was recognized for his strong play.This is another position which will see intense competition come August.
Strengths Going into Spring:
RB: The Gamecocks will be strong here with one of the top 1-2 punches in the SEC. Cory Boyd (1200total yds) will look to finish his career at Carolina in a big way. He is a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball and is a powerful runner between the tackles. Mike Davis has seen his share of time each of the last 2 yrs and will also be counted on to shoulder some of the load. Davis has come on in the 2nd half of the season both yrs of his career but will be needed to come out in the 1st half of the season this yr.
DL: This is the deepest D-Line Carolina has had since joining the SEC. Carolina returns everyone @ this position including Marquee Hall, SC's best D-linemen who was injured in the UGA game last yr and never came back. There will be a ton of depth here and this might be the deepest and strongest position Carolina has. Juco transfers, redshirts, and returning starters are all going to battle here.
LB: SC will be very strong at this position as well and it will go a long way to stopping the run. SC returns prob the best LB in the SEC, Jasper Brinkley @ MLB. Jasper will be joined by his twin brother who led the team in sacks last yr @ DE. Outside LB is said to be Casper Brinkley's natural position and he is rumored to be more athletic than Jasper. Both stand around 6'3 260. SC will welcome its 3rd leading tackler back from 2005 back this yr, Dustin Lindsey was suspended for all of 2006. He is also a monster at 6'3 250. SC has depth at this position as several players who started during the course of last yr will be backups this yr.
Very long post but I hope to be able to go 9-2 or better on SC against the spread this yr. I think they will have a game or so that won't be available like SC State..
This is Spurrier's best team since arriving in Carolina, the work ethic of the team has changed and the players are believing that they can win. SC was a team who suffered some unfortunate losses at key positions, suffered from inexperience, had no real Senior Leadership, and had the ball bounce against them a few times.
Look, I am not predicting National Championship by any means but this will not be your typical SCarolina team in 2007. They will def win 9 games and 10-2 is not out of this realm. They will sneak up on a few teams this yr.
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