What we learned, and what we still don’t know, as South Carolina spring practice ends
South Carolina football finished up its 2021 spring slate Sunday, playing the Garnet and Black Game in front of more than 13,000 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Gamecocks were limited in what they could do in the glorified scrimmage, as nearly two dozen players were out with injury. But after 15 practices and a lot of talking to players and coaches, here’s what we’ve learned and what we still don’t quite know.
3 LESSONS LEARNED
Jason Brown flashes, but Luke Doty still starts
As many people will tell you, spring games don’t necessarily mean all that much in the long run, but they are one of the few glimpses fans get of their teams each year. So when a player comes out and impresses in one, it tends to generate buzz.
That’s exactly what happened Sunday with redshirt senior quarterback Jason Brown, a transfer from FCS Saint Francis. Despite being fourth in USC’s QB rotation — behind sophomore Luke Doty, freshman Colten Gauthier and walk-on Connor Jordan — Brown had a strong performance, going 3 of 5 passing for 47 yards and a touchdown in the first half, then completing another touchdown in the second half of situational work.
“Jason had himself a day, and that was really awesome to see because he’s a guy that comes in every single day and just puts his head down and works,” Doty said of his teammate. “Being able to adjust on the fly is something he’s really good at, and just getting thrown in there and playing ball is kind of his thing.”
All that being said, there’s a reason coach Shane Beamer made it clear after the game that Doty remains in control of the QB competition. While Brown looked sharp Sunday, it happened on no more than a dozen or so throws in one single practice, not to mention being against reserves. Doty posted solid numbers of his own Sunday and has consistently drawn praise all spring long. Unless something changes dramatically over the next few months, it will be Doty who opens the season under center for USC.
Dakereon Joyner seems ready to emerge
If spring games aren’t necessarily all that meaningful, then spring season awards aren’t either. That being said, it was hard not to notice the armful of hardware senior wide receiver Dakereon Joyner took home Sunday. He was named co-offensive player of the spring and special teams player of the spring.
And on the field he wasn’t too shabby either — three catches on three targets for 28 yards in the first half, plus a nice grab over the middle during a third-down drill in the second half.
Joyner has had an odd journey at USC, starting at QB, switching over to receiver, then needing to switch back because of depth concerns. Last year marked his first full season at wide receiver, and it came amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So his development has been interrupted a lot.
But through it all, he’s displayed the same tantalizing athletic potential. Being able to go through a full spring slate, getting plenty of first-team reps for an offense in need of a new star receiver, earning recognition from his coaches — it all points to an experienced, talented, hard-working player, one who will not lack for opportunities this season.
The trenches should be a strength
Normally when one part of the offense or defense excels in a spring game, it means the corresponding group on the other side of the ball had a bad day. That wasn’t necessarily the case Sunday when looking at USC’s offensive and defensive lines.
On one hand, the defensive line remains loaded with talent, and All-SEC edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare continued to impress with a pair of sacks in the first half. Junior Zacch Pickens also recovered a fumble, and a number of other D-linemen got stops and looked solid.
On the other, the offensive line blocked quite well for the ground game, especially considering the number of running backs out with injury. With the amount of returning experience the Gamecocks have at the position, that’s not hugely surprising.
“I wouldn’t say I learned anything,” Beamer said, “because I knew we were pretty good on the offensive line and defensive line all along. And we got some nice runs, but then the defensive line also did a great job of being stout up front and eliminating some runs also.”
3 QUESTIONS STILL TO BE ANSWERED
Can there possibly be enough carries to go around?
The general consensus seemed to be that redshirt senior running back ZaQuandre White was the standout performer from Sunday’s spring game — he put up 95 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown in the first half alone. Yes, he and Doty flubbed a handoff that resulted in a fumble, but he was elusive and had good field vision.
Behind White, there was sophomore Jaheim Bell, who normally plays tight end but was called into RB duty when three-quarters of USC’s scholarship running backs couldn’t play. He did well, picking up 39 yards on five carries and scoring on a fullback dive on the goal line.
All of that begs the question: How can new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield find enough carries to feed all the talent he has? Kevin Harris is still the SEC’s top returning rusher and had more yards in 10 games last year than all but three players in program history. MarShawn Lloyd is still the program’s highest-rated running back recruit since Marcus Lattimore, and Lloyd was all set to start as a true freshman last year before an ACL injury.
Sophomore Rashad Amos is in the mix as well, and freshman Caleb McDowell has yet to arrive on campus — but even before factoring them in, you’re looking at three backs in Harris, Lloyd and White who seem like they could be productive, especially with how much praise the coaching staff has heaped on White this spring.
Can the defensive backs put together a capable unit?
When senior safety R.J. Roderick left Sunday with what Beamer termed a “little ankle injury,” South Carolina’s secondary depth went from desperately thin to practically nonexistent. The defensive backfield has been a source of concern all spring long, and Sunday didn’t do much to assuage those fears — the Gamecock offense took a few shots through the air, but they were missed as often as they were disrupted by the cornerbacks and safeties.
All told, only two Gamecock defensive backs recorded breakups, and both are walk-ons — Fabian Goodman and King-Demenian Ford. Goodman and walk-on Landon Grier were the only two at their position to have multiple tackles. Twice South Carolina was flagged for pass interference in the end zone on Sunday, one time wiping out an interception.
Simply put, that unit continues to be a worry.
Will depth continue to be a concern?
College football teams are allowed to have 85 players on scholarship, though South Carolina was a few shy of that this spring. And with a full 23 players out due to injury for Sunday, Beamer had no choice but to switch up the format to offense vs. defense. There simply weren’t enough bodies to have two teams.
If it were just Sunday, that would be one thing. But USC has seemed to have issues with depth all spring long, with it limiting some of what they could do in practice.
How much any of this will matter come September isn’t clear — players who are hurt now will recover, healthy guys now may get injured — but overall team depth matters and at the moment, the Gamecocks don’t seem to have a ton it, especially on defense. The defensive back spot, mentioned above, is one area of concern, but the linebacker position isn’t great from that perspective either. Should injuries hit a few key players in 2021, there’s not a ton of depth to fall back on.
