SATURDAY’S SCRIMMAGE

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Jacksonville. Here are some thoughts from the 100+ play scrimmage:

The following players looked particularly good:

Eric Johns - Eric had multiple catches and knows what to do with the ball after he catches it. Johns is a potential all OVC tight end.

Jamaal Young - The Gamecocks have a home run hitter. Young juked one guy on a punt return and proceeded to take it to the house. He also had a couple of nice runs, including a 30 yarder that was nullified by a penalty.

Patrick Tatum - the Auburn transfer boomed some punts and also had some deep kickoffs, a marked improvement over last year. He also shanked one, but it’s early.

Andre Bailey - Ed. Note- we are assuming that #6 on the Red Team was Andre Bailey. This reserve corner was laying the wood all day long and also had an interception.. I had not heard of him before Saturday, but he was all over the place.

Ryan Perrilloux - it’s a tribute to how good this guy is that you think he’s having an off day and then learn that he was 14-19. Perrilloux’s competitive intensity was on display many times during the scrimmage.

Rodney Garrot - if you don’t know his name yet, you will. Garrot could not be stopped and seems to be the answer to the Gamecocks’ pass rushing needs. Santez Mays was also very active.

Jared Stewart - was all over the place on defense. Stewart is starting to show why he was offered by Georgia Tech, Memphis and Kentucky.

**As has been previously reported, the defense definitively got the better of the offense in Saturday’s scrimmage. However, the offense was missing two fullbacks and two tight ends which can certainly lead to a lack of continuity.

**The Gamecocks really struggled to run the ball early in the scrimmage. As the day progressed, however, Brandon George started to make some nice runs. George seems to be the type of back that gets stronger during the game. He is not afraid of contact.

**Jonathan Nwilgoh, Travis Grandy and Nolan Grange are all relative newcomers who received considerable playing time with the first and second team defense.

**Keginald Harris, a backup safety, looks to have superb speed. Gamecock insider Greg Spence and others are really keen on Harris’ future. Harris drew serious interest from Ole Miss before signing with the Gamecocks in 2008.

**All-American Candidate Carnell Clark had one hit that probably caused a false start at the track meet;

**Al Chamazhad booted a field goal that appeared to be about 40 yards;

** Brooks Robinson might be pushing Ivory a bit for the #2 quarterback spot. Although they were inconsistent, they are both good runners and passers.

**The pass rush was dominant.

**Tight End Justin Howard was actually playing fullback. This is likely a temporary move, but the coaches are really excited about Howard’s size and athleticism.

**To sum it up, it was a hard hitting scrimmage. Even when execution lagged, the intensity seemed present. It will be fun to watch how this team progresses.

JSU 88