It was Dylan Thompson’s party last week; Who will throw down against UAB?
September 8, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Damiere Byrd (3) makes a long reception in front of East Carolina Pirates defensive back Adonis Armstrong (3) in the first half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-US PRESSWIRE
Since 2009, South Carolina Gamecock fans have had the pleasure of watching their players throw coming out parties against a number of opponents. Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney threw theirs against UGA in consecutive years. Alshon Jeffery held it at home against Kentucky a few seasons ago, and Dylan Thompson just had his against East Carolina.
This week, against one of the worst teams in the country, someone will probably let loose and do some serious work.
The top candidates are:
Damier Byrd
Byrd had his best game at South Carolina last weekend when he led all Gamecock wide receivers in pass catching with 81 yards on three receptions. He didn’t catch a touchdown, but he did display the speed-plus-hands combination that Steve Spurrier raved about last year.
UAB gave up less than 200 yards through the air in their only game of the season in week one, but they did allow one Troy receiver to amass 125 yards and a TD on six receptions.
Mike Davis
The freshman running back hasn’t had a chance to showcase his skills, but he probably will this weekend. UAB is terrible against the run, and Lattimore should have enough yards by halftime to warrant removing him from the game. The coaching staff will probably give Davis the bulk of the carries in the second half, because there won’t be a better chance to give the freshman extended game experience until they head to Lexington Kentucky later in the year.
Don’t expect a 100 yard game out of Davis for his coming out party, but he could rack up a few touch downs and string together a couple 10 yard runs near the end of the game.
D.L. Moore
I really, really, really want this guy to explode on Saturday. Since he’s been at Carolina all we’ve heard is the talent and potential dwelling within Moore.
This past weekend he caught half as many touchdowns as he had his entire career up to that point. Those two touchdowns were his only receptions, but they were for 45 yards.
If this game isn’t Byrd’s to break wide open it will be D.L. Moore who steals the show. If Moore could turn two good performances against sub-par C-USA opponents into extended success against the SEC, this Gamecocks team will be hard to beat.
Other less-than-star players who could have big games include Shaq Roland, Rory Anderson, Kelcy Quarles and Jimmy Legree.