By now you know that the South Carolina Gamecocks won the game against the visiting UAB Blazers. The score looks good, 49-6, but at times it was tough for USC for some reason. One thing is certain, the Gamecocks can not come out slow to start a game in any of the remaining contests. USC now begins a seven game SEC stretch that will require them to play complete football and will determine their goals for 2012.
We will talk about those games in future blog posts, for the UAB win we highlight below the five things we learned about the South Carolina Gamecocks football team in their most recent win against the Blazers:
1. USC’s Defense is stout – Going into the season, there were some question marks but go ahead and erase those from your mind. This defense is nasty especially upfront. Yes, the secondary could get a little bitter but I never said they are perfect. They are stout and USC can be in any game because of them. When you have the defense forcing turnovers, forcing three-and-outs and scoring points…well, it is a boost for the offense.
2. Clowney and Taylor are the Best DE combo in college football – USC fans need to count their blessings as Devin Taylor and Jadeveon Clowney are special talent. Having both of them strikes fear in the hearts of opposing offenses. They both have had a excellent start to the 2012 season as both are very disruptive.
3. USC special teams must improve – The Gamecocks really need the special teams unit to improve going forward. There is good talent in place, they just need to execute in their roles. The punter should be consistent, the coverage units need to tackle and the team must make field goals no matter the situation. Yes, the kickoffs in the endzone are a big plus and great to do given rule changes in 2012. Also the punt return game is improving but still needs to make a difference in a positive manner in the future as a overall special teams unit.
4. Lattimore is 100% – Don’t let anyone tell you different. He had some great runs that had both power and great cuts. He is back and also seems a little quicker in 2012.
5. QB Depth is not a issue – For the second game, Dylan Thompson acted like Batman and came to the rescue. Depth is not a issue but we maybe the question is who deserves the start…..
The Gamecocks will return to SEC play next Saturday as they host Missouri. Kickoff is set for 3:30 ET and the game will be televised on CBS.
