Garcia to start bowl game; changes afoot for coaching staff
No surprise about Garcia, of course. I only wish Spurrier could have come to this revelation at halftime against Clemson. Hopefully the extra practices will be beneficial to Garcia.
Reports are also out that Spurrier has fired embattled OL coach John Hunt and that QB coach and recruiting coordinator David Reaves will join Lane Kiffin's staff at Tennessee. The Hunt move is a good one, as we have lacked a solid line during Spurrier's time here. Hard to say how much losing Reaves will hurt us. It will be interesting to see how Spurrier addresses the two holes.
There are also reports that Ellis Johnson is on Mississippi State's coaching search list, although I'd be a little surprised to see him go. First of all, he's stated before that he'd like to retire here. Second of all, you'd think the Bulldogs would go for someone with more head coaching experience. Other than a short and unsuccessful tenure as the head honcho at The Citadel, Johnson is a career assistant.
7 months ago
Gamecock Man
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sunday changes...
so garcia gets the keys to the offense. OL Coach Hunt gets a pink slip and QB/Recruiting Dave Reaves leaves for UT….
Thoughts to ponder….what else as far as changes? Is Spurrier flexing some muscle that we all have been missing or is desperation settling in?
by Flounder on
Nov 30, 2008 4:40 PM EST
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I'm going to be an optimist and say I'm happy with how Spurrier is reacting...
His choice to stick with John Hunt after last season was distressing and didn’t exactly make me feel good about his dedication to the program. Maybe his choice to look elsewhere is a sign that he still wants to do what it takes to get a winner. It’ll be interesting to see if he can make a splashy hire at the OL and QB/Recruiting positions.
As far as Garcia goes, the decision is at least two quarters two late, maybe more. We can only hope that Spurrier is seriously committing to getting Garcia ready for next year. With a lot of returning talent at defense, receiver, and running back, I think we have a chance to be a great team in 2009, but the OL and QB play have to improve exponentially.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans. http://www.garnetandblackattack.com
by Gamecock Man on
Nov 30, 2008 4:56 PM EST
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Next year
As in I’m really worried about it. Our one reliable offensive weapon (McKinley) is leaving, and possibly our other option (in my book, a semi-reliable Jared Cook) may leave too. We’ve established really no other receivers as viable options, our QB play was as bad at the end as it was at the start….O-Line….well let’s just not talk about it…Have the Gamecocks ever finished above 100th in the nation(!!!!) in rushing while Spurrier has been here?
Simply put, our offense is inconsistent and terrible. Again. OTOH, how much can Spurrier really be expected to fix?
--Robert
by a gamecock fan on
Dec 1, 2008 1:33 AM EST
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I think we have the receivers...
They didn’t play as well down the stretch, but Jason Barnes and Moe Brown looked like quality receivers earlier in the season. I think one of them can step up and replace McKinley. At TE, we have Saunders, who could be every bit as good Cook. At RB, we have Eric Baker and Brian Maddox, who were better running the ball than Mike Davis, although probably not as good catching the ball or blocking. We also have some good incoming and redshirt freshmen to run the ball. I’m really not too worried about these positions.
You’re right about QB and OL, though. Still major causes for concern.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans. http://www.garnetandblackattack.com
by Gamecock Man on
Dec 1, 2008 10:00 AM EST
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Your point about talent is well-taken . . .
I feel as good about our depth as I’ve ever felt. But the question (and where I share Robert’s anxiety) is: Can that talent match its ability?
As far as Ellis Johnson: I honestly hope he’s smarter than that. That’s still at least a two- to three-year rebuilding job over there (after Croom did more work than he gets credit for), and it could take four or five years to get them competitive. By then he’d be, what, late 60s? Does he really want to go out as the guy who got Mississippi State to the Music City Bowl?
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
by cocknfire on
Dec 1, 2008 4:28 PM EST
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Well...
I honestly think the running and receiving issues will take care of themselves if the line and QB play improves.
Johnson will stay. I just can’t see why MSU would offer him the job or why he would take it if they did.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans. http://www.garnetandblackattack.com
by Gamecock Man on
Dec 1, 2008 5:33 PM EST
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Offensive talent vs production
I agree that they’ve (Brown, Barnes) shown flashes of brilliance…but I’ll put it this way. After the Clemson game in 2006 it was clear that Kenny McKinley was going to be a very very good reciever. I haven’t really seen any consistency that would lead me to believe that we have good, let alone great, WRs. Of course, this can change and obviously with Kenny leaving (and possibly Cook) opportunities will present themselves. And GM’s point about resolving issues with QB/OL play and their effects on the offense as a whole is well taken. At this point, I think half of my anxiety over 09 is based on the 08 offense’s inconsistency and then also a good bit of disappointment over the 08 season as a whole.
Did a Gamecock fan just say “disappointment” when referencing a 7-5 season? Yes, I did.
--Robert
by a gamecock fan on
Dec 2, 2008 2:35 PM EST
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Yeah...
You’re def. right that Brown, Barnes, and the others haven’t shown as much as Kenny had in 2006. On the other hand, in late 2006 the whole offense was clicking. We had a solid o-line, solid runningbacks, and a QB that, at least at that point in time, was playing really well. If we can get all of those things going, we I think Barnes and Brown can do well too. Saunders has already proven he can be a prime-time player.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans. http://www.garnetandblackattack.com
by Gamecock Man on
Dec 2, 2008 5:14 PM EST
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