Analysis: These Gamecocks will give South Carolina’s new coach a good foundation
The new coach who takes over the South Carolina football program has a reclamation project, this we know.
If we didn’t know that, the hyper-thin defense that tried to slow down Georgia in a 45-16 loss Saturday night is proof. Still, assuming they don’t transfer, there are some pieces on the Gamecocks’ roster that will help the new coaching staff. That starts in many ways with the offense’s backfield.
It’s hard to make any bold predictions about anything in the sport, but quarterback Luke Doty and running back Kevin Harris are a highly solid base for whatever comes next at USC.
“The way (Doty) competes and the way he fights is something that can be built around,” interim Gamecocks coach Mike Bobo said. “Just finished talking in there and Luke is the one that grabbed them together and broke it down, which is good to see. ,,, That’s what this team needs is leadership.
“Kevin Harris, it was a tough 53 yards that he gained.”
Facing a talented and fast Bulldogs defense, Doty ended up completing 18-of-22 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Some of those yards came late and his mobility was stifled to a degree. (There were several big sacks as the O-line was somewhat leaky.)
But there was an energy around Doty. He got drilled often. But he bounced up, handing out high-fives, rallying the offense together. The team had a bit smaller of an offensive package, but Doty found spots to make things work, sometimes improvising, tossing a few very nice passes.
The future of that position isn’t certain for the team. Collin Hill is a fifth-year senior who didn’t walk on senior day but also lost a starting spot to Doty. Sophomore Ryan Hilinski hasn’t played much this season and has not seemed to be able to break through with the current offensive staff.
But Doty is an in-state guy and should provide something a new staff can start with. Bobo shared a few words with the former Mr. Football winner after the game.
“I said, ‘I’m proud of the way you fought,’” Bobo said. “’You don’t lack confidence, and that’s part of being a great player is you believe in yourself and you believe in other guys around you. You made some mistakes, which you’re going to learn from those things, and you’re going to be a damn-good player because you’re not scared.’”
Harris had a modest game by his standards, 53 grinding yards on 17 carries. That gets him to 72 short of 1,000 on the season, which no USC player has hit since 2013. And he caught four passes for 30 yards.
What stood out was the quality of those plays, coming against a stacked UGA defense that had been allowing fewer than 72 rushing yards a game. Harris broke a few, shedding tackles or getting to the edge. He’s not a vocal guy, but his play can say something.
On one fourth-and-short, Harris was stopped in the backfield, only he wasn’t. After seemingly getting stopped, he surged ahead, getting the yards the team needed.
“Coaches on the headphones are like, ‘Awww,’” Bobo said of the moment Harris was stuffed. “But Kevin, he didn’t give up. He continued to fight and got a first down.
“I was proud of those guys all night, offensively, the way they fought.”
The team could return that pair for 2021, plus another talented blue-chip piece in the backfield.
Elsewhere on the roster, there are other intriguing pieces worth considering, assuming the transfer portal and the NCAA’s new immediate eligibility rule doesn’t draw off too much talent.
▪ Tailback MarShawn Lloyd is probably the most talented offensive player on the roster. The back tore his ACL in the preseason, when he was projected to start over Harris, and was extremely high on the Muschamp staff. The new coach has a recruiting job there.
▪ Defensive end Jordan Burch showed flashes as a freshman. He was a five-star and played much of the season with a busted hand.
▪ The line has other nice pieces, Zacch Pickens, Tonka Hemingway and J.J. Enagbare — assuming Enagbare doesn’t go pro.
▪ The young receivers and tight ends didn’t have much impact, but they seem to have some talent.
“We got a lot of talent and we’ve just got to put all the pieces together,” said tight end Nick Muse, who might return. “The one thing I do like about this team is a lot of young bucks played today and no one gave up.”
Getting all those players back is going to be a task, as is balancing the new recruiting landscape with the transfer portal and with USC’s 2021 class already down six members since Muschamp’s departure.
If the coach can hold onto those pieces, especially Doty, Harris and Lloyd, it’ll be a strong base for the program’s coming rebuild.
