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Honestly, I’ve been blessed to watch South Carolina have decent to great QB play for almost everything I remember. My favorite player to ever play at USC is Stephen Garcia, mainly because of the way he ran over DB’s and was never afraid of anyone. An example of this would be going up against Alabama in 2010, and whipping their ass in Columbia.
However, I'm not here to talk about how great Stephen Garcia is. Or, how great anyone is for that matter. I am here to talk about how poorly these three guys actually played. Now, I never watched any of these dudes actually play, and I got some help from my Dad and others on this topic. So, here it goes:
How my ranking works, kinda
For one to be a good QB at USC, one has to do 3 things: beat Clemson, WIN, and have a good TD to interception Ratio. You will easily see that all three of these men didn't do those things. And my opinion of their play goes a long way. Even though I never had the chance to watch some of these guys play, I did try my absolute best to watch what I could through YouTube.
#3: Wright Mitchell/Blake Williamson
I never got the chance to see Wright Mitchell or Blake Williamson play, but they obviously didn't do much. After being named the starter for the 1992 season, SC’s first year in the SEC, these two QB’s would do an absolutely fantastic job of starting out the season and lead the Gamecocks to an 0-4 record. If you don't understand sarcasm, then you probably just whiffed on the joke I just made. Anyway, Mitchell and Williamson had a terrible season to say the least. A combined completion percentage of barely above 43% of their passes, throwing for five touchdowns and eight interceptions, and a loss to East Carolina at home. After losing their starting job to Steve Taneyhill (the mullet god), Wright Mitchell quit the team and left the university. For all of those reasons, both of these guys are number three on my list.
#2: Chris Smelley
With a total 23-22 TD-Int ratio, a 56.4 completion percentage, and a career win-loss record of 11-9, Smelley’s stats are mediocre at best. However, the way Chris played always left something to be desired. I actually remember going to the game in 2007 when Smelley and crew lost to Vanderbilt, and I’ve honestly never seen my father that mad except for Clemson games. Well, Smelley also dropped against Clemson in 2008, where he threw for four interceptions. With all of these qualifications and his last name, Smelley comes in at number two on my list of most disappointing QBs at USC.
#1: Dickie DeMasi
Dickie DeMasi has got to be the one of funniest names I’ve ever heard, right up there with Hugh Mungus. Just like his name, Dickie’s football play was just about as crappy as can be. DeMasi was 25-60 the year he took over the last four games of the season for Todd Ellis, which included a 45-0 loss to Clemson. Good one, Dick. Anyway, a career 1-5 TD-int ratio, 43.5 completion percentage, and a career record of 1-3 as a starter, he easily tops this list as USC’s worst QB for me. Not much else to say about the guy, he just straight up sucked.
Overview
Good quarterback play will make or break any football team, no matter the level of football. All of the dudes I listed were below average and should probably never have touched the field. Anyway, let me know in the comments which guys should've been on this list, or why the guys I had on the list shouldn't be on it!