#8 South Carolina Gamecocks Season Preview

Marcus Lattimore had an outstanding Freshman Campaign.  Will he continue his success this season?

Offensive Outlook: Stephen Garcia should be the starting quarterback if he stays out of trouble this season.  Sophomore quarterback Connor Shaw will play if Garcia does not start.  I really don’t think it will matter much because whoever does end up starting likely Garcia will have an easy job thanks to blue chip flanker wide receiver Alshon Jeffery who is the nations best wide receiver.

This South Carolina offensive line focuses on run blocking.  Left Tackle Kyle Nunn and right tackle Rokevious Watkins do an excellent job run blocking as offensive tackles.  Center TJ Johnson contributes to the run blocking for the interior offensive line.

Sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore really benefits from having such an effective run blocking offensive line.  Lattimore obtained nearly 1,200 rushing yards while recording 17 rushing touchdowns on 249 carries.

South Carolina’s offensive success will continue as long as Jeffery and Lattimore are both healthy.

Defensive Outlook: South Carolinas defensive line is anchored by its pass rushing defensive ends.  Senior right end Melvin Ingram has the size of a true 4-3 defensive end.  Left End Devin Taylor is another effective pass rusher.

Melvin Ingram and Devin Taylor recorded a combined 16.5 sacks for South Carolina.  Jadeveon Clowney a defensive end was the top recruit in the country.  He signed with South Carolina and will be an understudy to Ingram.  Clowney may see limited play time as a 4-3 right end so its crucial for Clowney to take full advantage of any potential playing time that Clowney may receive as a freshman.

The South Carolina secondary will cause even more problems if you thought the pass rush was bad.  Stephon Gilmore is the one of the top coverage corners in the country while Akeem Auguste can record interceptions as a ball hawk zone coverage cover 2 corner.

Prediction 12-1 (SEC East Champions): South Carolina will go 12-0 in the regular season and lose a 3 point contest to Alabama in an SEC Championship game.  The game will be so close that some pundits will argue that both teams should get a rematch in the National Title.  In the end, South Carolina ends up with a Sugar Bowl bid.