USC QB Watch: They’re only as good as the people around them, Spurrier says

South Carolina’s quarterbacks and wide receivers added their own 15-minute session to the end of Thursday’s two-hour practice.

“They need it, they need it,” head coach Steve Spurrier said of his quarterbacks.

Not because they have played poorly this preseason but because they’ve played so little overall, Spurrier explained. The four players who are competing for the starting job have combined for eight collegiate passes. Six of those belong to sophomore Connor Mitch.

“They have the ability to play, but again quarterbacks, I have always said and always will say, they are about as good as the people around them,” Spurrier said. “If the line can’t block and the guys can’t get open, none of them are going to throw for many yards. It’s as simple as that.”

What happened during Thursday’s practice was not encouraging for Spurrier, who said poor pass protection made it hard for his quarterbacks to get anything done during team drills.

“We have to pass block a whole bunch better than we are attempting to pass block against the defense right now,” Spurrier said. “The defensive ends were romping right around us. Darius English looked like an All-American out here today.”

English is a junior with 1.5 career sacks.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 1:47 PM with the headline "USC QB Watch: They’re only as good as the people around them, Spurrier says."