Muschamp: Brandon McIlwain had ‘lot of command’ in scrimmage

Will Muschamp put his quarterbacks through some fire during Saturday's scrimmage.

He described running the team through work in the red zone, on the goal line, escaping from the shadow of its own goal posts and a range of one-minutes drills, calling for quick decisions from both players and coaches.

How did the young signal callers, including true freshman Brandon McIlwain, fare?

"Brandon had a lot of command in how he directed our offense when he was on the field," Muschamp said Monday. "Very pleased with his decision making. Connor Mitch made some really nice throws, especially in our third-down period. And I though Michael Scarnecchia made some really good decisions."

That trio is all that's left after injuries struck the Gamecocks through the spring. Incumbent starter Perry Orth was downed with a broken shoulder a week after Lorenzo Nunez, a two-game starter in 2015, hurt his knee. Muschamp still hopes to get Nunez back before the spring is out, but said he'll know more Tuesday.

The coach said he was generally pleased with how much his passers have absorbed from the offensive installation. That said, the main improvement could come after the spring game, in the long span before camp begins in August.

"We've got to make tremendous strides during that time," Muschamp said. "I've seen certain teams take huge strides in that time of working together, working for each other, working with each other and really improving."

Injury update

Muschamp announced Buck defensive end Darius English will miss the rest of spring with a pulled quadriceps muscle. Wide receiver Terry Googer has a high ankle sprain and will probably miss the rest of spring ball.

Muschamp scrimmage breakdown

▪ Running backs: Returning No. 2 back David Williams and redshirt freshman A.J. Turner have distanced themselves from the group at the position.

▪ Wide receivers: Deebo Samuel has been explosive in the spring. Jamari Smith has performed well in the slot. Early enrollee Bryan Edwards has showed well for a freshman.

▪ Offensive line: The first unit performed well assignment-wise despite deploying everything that had been installed in terms of scheme. They do have to clean up things in pass protection.

▪ Tight ends: Hayden Hurst and K.C. Crosby continue to play well.

▪ Defensive line: The defense showed better effort, especially the starters. True freshman Keir Thomas is making strides, and Kobe Smith, Kelsey Griffin, Abu Lamin and Marquavius Lewis were also praised, especially for how they're playing blocks.

▪ Linebackers: Jonathan Walton and Larenz Bryant were productive and Bryson Allen-Williams played well.

▪ Secondary: Rashad Fenton has bounced between nickel and corner, and has been productive despite needing to clean a few things up. Chaz Elder produced and tackled well, but this part of the defense has a long way to go.

Quote to note:

"You put the first scrimmage on, which I did yesterday for the first 20-25 snaps, and you look at Saturday's, we've come a long way. That's the positive things as far as our pad level and hand placement, finishing blocks on offense, running the ball and leveraging the ball defensively."

-Will Muschamp

This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Muschamp: Brandon McIlwain had ‘lot of command’ in scrimmage."