SEC Media Days has come and gone, and what we thought about the South Carolina football team appears to be pretty much accurate — we're not sure what we're going to get.
Much of the focus in Hoover Thursday was on the offense (no Gamecock defenders were in attendance), which is expected to be the team's bread and butter. That puts defensive guru Will Muschamp in unchartered waters. A staple of Muschamp's teams has been a stellar defense, generally paired with a mediocre offense.
We could see the exact opposite in 2017 from the Gamecocks.
The media voted for South Carolina to finish fourth in the SEC East this season, despite receiving two more first-place votes (five) than Tennessee (three), who was predicted to finish third. The Gamecocks were predicted to finish last in the division in 2016 but finished fifth, as these projections are often a bit off. Nonetheless, they create expectations, and South Carolina is expected to take another step forward this season.
That's almost entirely because of the offense, which quarterback Jake Bentley, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end Hayden Hurst said last week could win any shootout the Gamecocks get into. Ten returning starters and an abundance of weapons is plenty of reason for optimism, but let's wait before putting the Gamecocks' offense into the elite category.
Bentley's emergence was the spark the 2016 offense needed, as the team averaged over 26.5 points per game in his seven starts, compared to 14 per game in the season's first six games. The talent and potential in the sophomore is obvious, but fans must remember Bentley has made just seven collegiate starts — and that this should be his first season in a college football uniform.
The biggest concern on the offensive side, though, comes up front. The offensive line's projected starters now have a combined career 96 starts, which is far more experience than last year's group brought to the table. It's important to have returning starters, but when those starters return from a group that ranked dead last in the SEC in sacks allowed, there's reason for concern.
With new offensive line coach Eric Wolford in the fold, the unit is expected to improve in 2017, and having consistency at the quarterback position can't hurt either. On the defensive side, the question marks are larger.
Skai Moore returns, which will be a major boost in the middle, but South Carolina will miss T.J. Holloman and Jonathan Walton, as well as the pass rush from Darius English. The secondary got torched by Clemson and USF in the final two games of 2016, and the low sack totals have been cause for concern since the start of the 2014 season.
Still, the optimists can turn to the return of Moore and the coaching prowess of Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson as reason for an improved defense. Others can point to the fact that Moore is one of two scholarship linebackers with significant game experience, and that T.J. Brunson will have to step into a major role, which will create bigger issues if there's an injury at the position.
Depth issues aside, the narrative has evolved, portraying the 2016 South Carolina defense poorly, which isn't necessarily true. The Gamecocks allowed 26.5 points per game last season, ranking them 51st in the nation, well inside the top half.
Not great, but not bad either.
The Gamecocks were even better with their backs up against the wall. Thirteen times South Carolina forced an opponent to leave the red zone empty-handed, and their percentage of stops ranked 16th in the nation, and fifth in the SEC. There was a bit of turnover luck involved, but the Gamecocks still came up with stops when they needed them.
There are a lot of questions left unanswered, and even though South Carolina starts fall camp on July 31, it'll be difficult to truly know what to expect from this team until they take the field in Charlotte Sept. 2.