Thompson, Shaw will both play this weekend
Many South Carolina fans remember last year’s win over Clemson for the performance turned in by a backup quarterback named Dylan Thompson as he filled in for an injured Connor Shaw.
And while coach Steve Spurrier said Shaw will be the starter and take the vast majority of the snaps on his senior night Saturday, the Head Ball Coach also said Thompson could get a chance to rekindle some of the magic he made against the Tigers a year ago.
“I’d probably say Dylan’s going to play somewhere in there,” Spurrier said.
Both quarterbacks passed for more than 100 yards, threw at least one touchdown and ran for another in last weekend’s 70-10 dismantling of Coastal Carolina. And while Thompson has seen limited game action in 2013 as Shaw has put together a record-setting year, Spurrier maintains that two is better than one for the Gamecocks.
The coach has a theory that Shaw plays better when he knows Thompson is slated to see the field as well, an assessment that the senior says speaks for itself.
“I guess it’s hard to argue with that,” Shaw said. “I guess the times he did play, I played pretty good, so I guess it’s hard to argue.”
Thompson has played in nine games this season, amassing 783 yards and four touchdowns through the air in the snaps he has been able to take this season. In last year’s clash with Clemson, the then-sophomore collected 310 passing yards and threw for three scores against the Tigers.
As the Gamecock quarterbacks look for another big performance against the Tigers this time around, Shaw believes last Saturday’s 70-point outing could give the offense the confidence it needs, regardless of the competition it came against.
“It’s always good for both sides to play so well, and I think our offense was needing this big-time, explosive game like this,” Shaw said. “And I think yeah, we may have a little bit of momentum, so we just need to prepare well this week.”
One obstacle standing in the way of a big game for Thompson or Shaw will be the Tiger defensive end Vic Beasley, whose 10 sacks on the year are good for second in the ACC despite the fact that he’s only recorded one sack in Clemson’s last five contests.
While the quarterbacks will be a major factor against a Clemson defense that is sixteenth-best nationally in passing yards allowed, Spurrier noticed a flaw in his other offensive skill players that must be remedied before Saturday.
“I told (running backs coach) Everette Sands ‘You need to tell all those running backs — and some of the receivers too — to learn to jump out of those guys diving at your ankles,’” Spurrier said. “We’ve had a lot of guys that, that last guy gets us by the swipe of the legs and so forth.”
A player that the coach commended for having the ability to slip shoe-string tackles was wide receiver Pharoh Cooper. A true freshman that started fall camp as a defensive back, Cooper has played a more prominent role in the South Carolina offense as of late, lining up at quarterback in the “wildcat” formation from time to time.
Another skill position player that could be featured more extensively in the offense against Clemson is running back Brandon Wilds. The sophomore scored two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina in his first game back from injury and Spurrier went as far as to say Wilds could be “instrumental” in South Carolina’s remaining games.
While the Gamecock offense continues to scheme and prepare for the Clemson Tigers as if it were just another week, the fact remains that each and every player in the South Carolina locker room knows the significance of a win in the “state championship.”
And for South Carolina natives like Thompson, there’s no more meaningful game than when the Tigers come to town.
“Obviously we know how big the game is. Being from in-state, I’ve been around it my whole life,” Thompson said. “So it’ll be a big game.”