Five things we’ve learned as South Carolina shifts focus to game prep
South Carolina is now in the heart of preseason preparations.
With 14 practices completed, USC is just two weeks out from its Sept. 4 season opener against Eastern Illinois.
Here are a some observations, news and notes from the second full week of practices:
Quarterback remains cloudy
By now we’ve all heard the story. South Carolina starting quarterback Luke Doty had his left foot stepped on in practice and remains sidelined with a sprain in said foot.
So who is going to replace him should he not heal up enough to play the season opener? That’s still TBD.
Jason Brown feels like the front-runner, as he’s taken the bulk of first-team reps in the portions of practice open to reporters. Brown has been lauded for the work he did over the offseason, including dropping 20 pounds.
Walk-on Connor Jordan ran with the second team as recently as Tuesday, while freshman Colten Gauthier has received wide acclaim from the coaching staff throughout camp for his grasp of the playbook.
South Carolina also added former graduate assistant Zeb Noland into the mix last week. Noland, who played at North Dakota State last season after a three-year spell at Iowa State, still has a year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gamecock linebackers flying under the radar
Heading into the season, much of the defensive talk has centered on South Carolina’s defensive line.
Some of that is well-deserved given the pedigree the Gamecocks bring back in the box, but the linebackers seem to be flying under the radar.
With Brad Johnson and Sherrod Greene back in the fold, South Carolina’s linebackers are as experienced as any group on the defense. Throw in Rosendo Louis Jr., Delaware transfer Debo Williams and Mo Kaba, and the Gamecocks have a nice core of playmakers in the center of their defense.
Running back MarShawn Lloyd looks the part
Speaking with The State over the summer, Dematha head coach Bill McGregor said South Carolina running back and former Stag standout MarShawn Lloyd looked like another one-time Dematha ball carrier — Brian Westbrook.
The comparison made sense in that both players are smaller — Lloyd at 5-foot-9 and Westbrook at 5-foot-10 — are shifty and can make a man miss between the tackles or in the open field.
Now only a few weeks removed from the season opener, Lloyd continues to impress coaches with his speed and ability out of the backfield. With Kevin Harris still rehabbing from back surgery, Lloyd has shouldered the load in practice.
During last week’s scrimmage, Lloyd also returned to full contact for the first time since tearing his ACL in fall camp last year.
If Harris continues to be sidelined, Lloyd should be a bell cow for the South Carolina offense. Assuming Harris can get back to full health, the pair would make up one of the more formidable backfields in the Southeastern Conference.
Secondary continues to take shape
With Kansas transfer Karon Prunty now gone after roughly a month at South Carolina, the Gamecocks were in a desperate need at cornerback. That’s started to resolve itself.
Cam Smith continues to work back from a broken bone in his foot. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready to go for the season opener.
If Smith can’t play, junior college transfer Marcellas Dial should be one of the first guys in the lineup. Dial has been mentioned often in media room banter and has drawn as much praise as any defensive player this offseason.
Darius Rush, R.J. Roderick, Jahmar Brown, Division II import Carlins Platel and Washington State transfer Tyrese Ross should all also see plenty of time on the back end.
If the season were to start today, the secondary would likely project as the following:
- CB: Marcellas Dial, Darius Rush
- S: R.J. Roderick, Jaylin Foster
- Nickel: Carlins Platel
Shane Beamer still surprising as Year 1 looms
Head coach Shane Beamer has been as positive as one can be after inheriting a program that has won just six games over the past two years.
But in a sport where some programs operate as though they’re hiding state secrets, Beamer has brought a refreshing transparency to his position.
After reporters spotted Noland out on the practice field on Tuesday, Beamer surprised media members for an impromptu press conference to explain the situation that afternoon.
It was a brief moment of clarity, and on-field results tend to change the general tone around football operations buildings as the season goes along, but the transparency Beamer has offered through a few months on the job has been a breath of fresh air.
