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Cockiness: Not Too Bad, U.S.C.

By Paul Myerberg   //   Sep 2, 2010

This wasn’t South Carolina State, even if it wasn’t quite Alabama. Southern Mississippi is a solid non-B.C.S. conference team, one again headed towards yet another seven-win season culminating in yet another lower-tier bowl trip. So am I getting ahead of myself in dishing praise onto South Carolina? A little bit, yes, without question. On the other hand, you have to like what we saw from the Gamecocks in their 41-13 victory over Southern Miss last night: more solid defense, though not a perfect outing, to go with a great performance from the U.S.C. offensive line and backfield. Steve Spurrier has consistently preached a reliance on an effective running attack; perhaps last night showed that the Gamecocks have started to embrace this philosophy.

I love September football: when else could I draw such a huge picture off of four quarters? Still, let’s remember how South Carolina has struggled on the ground in its recent past. In 2009, for instance, U.S.C. — as a team — cracked the 100-yard mark on the ground in only seven of its 13 games; only three times in SEC play.

Southern Mississippi is not an SEC-caliber team, to be sure. Yet near the end of the first half of last night’s game, the Gamecocks had rushed for 130 yards on only 15 carries, an 8.7 yards per carry average. If we look at last year’s season opener — a sloppy, 7-3 win over N.C. State — we note that U.S.C. rushed for 108 yards on 42 carries. Was N.C. State better than Southern Mississippi? Perhaps on defense; not altogether, in my opinion, not a year ago.

We saw big plays from the South Carolina ground game, a 52-yard jaunt on an end around by Ace Sanders, a 22-yard touchdown run from quarterback Stephen Garcia, a 24-yard run by backup quarterback Connor Shaw. We saw cornerback Stephon Gilmore run for 14 yards out of the Wildcat formation, giving the Southern Miss defense a different look.

Most importantly, it seems as if U.S.C. has found a lead back — and a good one, in my opinion. True freshman Marcus Lattimore earned the start, proving that despite his lack of experience as a pass protector he is too talented a runner to keep off the field. While his first half numbers weren’t terrific — 35 yards on 9 carries — Lattimore loosened up a Southern Miss defense hoping to stuff the Gamecock offense early, allowing it to put pressure on Garcia during passing downs. The freshman also found the end zone twice in the first half, illustrating a nose for holes and a toughness between the tackles.

The ESPN broadcast team raised this point, one worth repeating, a few times when discussing Lattimore: he runs hard; he runs “behind his pads.” What does that mean, exactly? It means he has good balance, running low and strong through holes and into the second level. It’s early, I know, but Lattimore showed an ability to fight through tackles, earning the extra yards so key to moving the chains.

It’s early, yes. Very early: U.S.C. has 11 games to go, including a date with Georgia next Saturday. If last night was any indication, however, it looks as if Spurrier and the Gamecocks have found a running back. In doing so, the Gamecocks might have finally located that elusive running game, one that has escaped Spurrier’s grasp since returning to the SEC in 2005.

Throw in an improved Garcia — by all accounts — and a big-bodied receiver corps, and U.S.C. might have the pieces to excel on offense. Not a bad start, South Carolina.

On the other hand, future poor performances from the Southern Miss defense could reveal South Carolina’s success as more due to a sieve-like opponent, not any great improvement.

Tags: Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina, Stephen Garcia, Steve Spurrier

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