SEC Preview 2015: Can Connor Mitch solve Cocks Problems?

With Jadeveon Clowney moving off to the NFL, the South Carolina Gamecocks had a poor 2014, finishing 7-5 and 3-5 in the SEC, which including a blow-out losses to Texas A&M and Clemson, and getting outclassed by Kentucky. They beat Georgia in a rainstorm and squeaked by Florida, but overall, this wasn’t a great year for the Gamecocks.

WE NOW KNOW THE QB

Connor Mitch was named the quarterback of the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday, much to the relief of many fans who we guess were beginning to question whether Steve Spurrier had decided to go for golf instead of a big decision.

Anyway, HBC named redshirt sophomore Mitch, who is seen as a pro-style quarterback, was a four-star recruit that Spurrier raided from North Carolina, ahead of Perry Orth, Michael Scarnecchia (thank God he wasn’t named QB – it would have been an editing nightmare!), and Lorenzo Nunez.

Losing AJ Cann and Corey Robinson to the NFL isn’t going to make his life easier, but the return of Brandon Shell and Mike Matulis and Cody Waldrop will help.

HANGING OUT WITH MR COOPER

South Carolina has the best WR in the SEC – and maybe college football – and his name’s Pharoh Cooper. Cooper had 1,136 yards receiving and 9 TDs, and ran for 200 yards and 2 TDs. That’s pretty good. Considering the SEC’s not stacked with great secondaries (apart from Florida’s, thanks to Vernon Hargreaves Jr), we could see an even bigger year from him.

NOW, ABOUT THE RUNNING GAME…

The SEC’s going to be based on strong runners this year, and it’s a good job South Carolina’s got a pretty pair running for them, too in Brandon Wilds and David Williams. Both are good RBs and should be good battering rams, following on from the careers of Marcus Lattimore and – more recently – Mike Davis. Wilds ran for a tidy 570 in ’14.

DEFENSIVELY….CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

At times last year, the Gamecocks’ defense was shipping more water than the Titanic post-iceberg. It was embarrassing to watch – even for a neutral like us. Lorenzo Ward was so bad at running his own defense that Spurrier hired Jon Hoke as joint DC. Why Ward wasn’t fired outright after a year when South Carolina’s defense gave up 432.7 per game average – bad for 92nd in the country – we will never know.

Well, according to our friends at Saturday Edge, Kevin Sumlin and Steve Spurrier but a bet on who’s defensive unit will show bigger improvement (they were both sub-90th in yards given up). SE noted that they can see see Hoke’s unit showing “significant improvements” – helped by the unit returning eight starters. It had better. For both of their sakes.

SCHEDULE….

SOUTH CAROLINA 2015 SCHEDULE

This schedule is ****ing evil. Going to Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M and a rising Tennessee and facing heavyweights LSU Clemson sends shivers down the spine of the Good Ship Spurrier, me hearties.

Sep. 3 – North Carolina (in Charlotte)
Sep. 12 – Kentucky
Sep. 19 – at Georgia
Sep. 26 – UCF
Oct. 3 – at Missouri
Oct. 10 – Louisiana State
Oct. 17 – Vanderbilt
Oct. 31 – at Texas A&M
Nov. 7 – at Tennessee
Nov. 14 – Florida
Nov. 21 – The Citadel
Nov. 28 – Clemson 

A quick prediction: The Gamecocks will start the season 2-0 with wins over North Carolina and Kentucky, before losing at Georgia. They’ll bounce back to beat UCF, then lose at Missouri in a close one, before hosting LSU. The LSU game will be quite the party, but they’ll lose because Les Miles is, er, Les Miles. The Cocks will cruise to victory against Vandy, before losing at Texas A&M in a great one. Spurrier will then be humbled by seeing his team lose at Tennessee in a rocking Neyland Stadium, full of hatred for, before rebounding to beat Florida. They’ll smash The Citadel before losing to Clemson at home in a classic.

SIX-WIN STEVE!!! Spurrier leads his team to 6-6, which is hardly surprising with an inexperienced QB and an evil schedule.