SEC Network host: If defense is fixed, USC could see nine-win season
50 Opinions, Day 47: Between now and the season-opener against North Carolina on Sept. 3, we will ask 50 people: “What do you think about the Gamecocks in 2015?” Our fourth panelist is Marcus Spears, SEC Network host and former LSU defensive lineman:
“Steve Spurrier is their coach. That’s No. 1. I think Connor Mitch is going to be the starter from everything we have heard. He’s supposed to be a guy who can step in and make plays, but for South Carolina we know the pressing matter – defense. If you can stop people, Spurrier can score on anybody. Dylan Thompson led the SEC in passing yards last year. Pharoh Cooper led in receiving yardage. They were in ball games, but they just couldn’t get those stops that were necessary, and I think with Jon Hoke and Lorenzo Ward running the defense … I’m really interested to see how the co-defensive coordinator thing is going to exist, but if they can get some things fixed and get players believing they could stop people again, we will see probably a nine-win season.”
“Me and Greg McElroy picked them third in the East. That’s probably where they should be right now. They surprised us last year because we picked them first and they finished second-to-last, but I don’t think that Spurrier is going to have down years consecutively. I think he knows enough about football to see what immediate transitions need to be made to make his team better. And, quite frankly, he plays on the side of the conference where if you improve, you improve drastically so he has that opportunity.”
Compiled by Josh Kendall
▪ 50 opinions, Day 48: Barrett Sallee, Bleacher Report SEC writer
▪ 50 opinions, Day 49: Kevin Scarbinsky, AL.com sports columnist in Birmingham
▪ 50 opinions, Day 50: Paul Finebaum, SEC Network host and longtime conference analyst
This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 7:56 PM.