2008 South Carolina Gamecocks
Written June 20, 2008 by Jason Lowry
If you are a football fan than you are like us and can’t wait for the upcoming NCAA season to get underway. To get ready for the season Jason Lowry is making his way through each team, and today he is going to make his 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football predictions. Last year the Gamecocks startered the season at 6-1 and were #6 in the country, but what happened next many fans don’t want to remember. The Gamecocks went on to lose their remaining 5 games, and were not awarded a bowl game. This year the Gamecocks return 17 starters from a team that could of easily went 9-4. So while many of the spots are filled lets take a look at what they will have on both sides of the ball this season.
Offense:
A lot will ride on whether redshirt freshman quarterbackStephen Garcia is allowed back on the team after being suspended in the spring for getting in trouble with the law yet again. Garcia is the mobile quarterback that head coach Steve Spurrier has been wanting. If Garcia can’t go it will likely fall into the hands of sophomore Chris Smelley or junior Tommy Beecher. It looks like senior Mike Davis will get the nod to take over for Cory Boyd at the running back spot, but don’t be surprised if you see a lot of sophomore Brian Maddox and true freshman Eric Baker. The team has one of the more talented receivers in the conference in Kenny McKinley who had a team high 968 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns a year ago. Also look for solid years from junior Moe Brown,sophomore Dion Lecorn, and junior tight end Jared Cook. The offensive line returns 4 starters from a year ago and it looks like junior Garrett Anderson will step in at center. There isn’t any real big names on the line, but this should be a very solid unit as a whole.
Defense:
The Tigers return 10 starters and it could be just what this team needs next season. They have plenty of talent all over the field and you would think they would improve off of last year. While no big names stand out on the defensive line there are still some quality players including senior Marque Hall, Sophomore Ladi Ajiboye, and sophomore Cliff Mathews. The Gamecocks return all three linebackers, and we expect big years out of senior MLB Jasper Brinkley and junior strong side linebacker Eric Norwood. The Gamecocks return all 4 starters in their secondary and we are expecting big years out of junior corner Captain Munnerlyn and fellow junior strong safety Emanuel Cook. This unit might not have the big time players you will find on other squads, but as a whole this should be one of the best defenses you find in the SEC.
Prediction: Tie 3rd SEC East
Spurrier is starting to get things going good in South Carolina, and we feel that once he gets them on top it will take a while to knock them off. The SEC is one of the toughest conferences you will find in the country, if not the toughest, and we think that the Gamecocks will improve this season and finish right behind Florida and Georgia in the East.
Professional handicapper Jason Lowry is going to continue to make his way through some of the top teams and conferences in the country. Even though we are still a couple months away from getting real serious about the upcoming season, now is a good time to get a jump on everyone else and http://affiliates.commissionaccount.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_6221b_20
