Gamecock Football Is Upon Us!

Ladies and Gentleman! Friends and Neighbors and most importantly Rabid College Football Fans. Football is in the air and while the atmosphere in Columbia, South Carolina (Home of America’s Team) is at a fever pitch.

The excitment is obvious and while its unmistakable, a hint of the unknown, also clouds our Carolina skies for the first time since 2005.

Steve Spurrier’s first season the Gamecocks found themselves with a unproven qb. For many schools this is a five alarm issue but when you have a Spurrier, this issue resolves itself rather quickly.

What Spurrier was able to do with Blake Mitchell in 05 was nothing short of awesome considering Mitchell had only thrown 4 passes in his college career. Needless to say SC managed to win 7 games in a year that no one expected much of anything from the Gamecocks considering the shape things were in when Lou Holtz resigned. Sidney Rice and Mitchell lit up scoreboards while the Gamecocks managed to finish second in the SEC East that season.

However, lets move along to the present day shall we. The lack of depth at qb is a hot button topic at SC this 2015 season along with the state of the defensive line. The absence of Lawing was felt immediately even though it did not reflect on South Carolina’s 2013 epic season. It would rear its head in the 2014 season and the production free falled faster than Brad Scott making his way for round 2 at a buffet bar.

The Gamecocks finished a putrid 92nd in total defense in the 2014 season. Looking back, I must say im thankful for 7-6 because it couldve been worse.

Fortunately that is all behind us and help found its way to Gamecock Country in the form of John Hoke. There is so much to be excited about if you’re a Gamecock fan this season.

Guys like Brandon Shell, Pharoh Cooper, Brandon Wilds and Skai Moore are back along with a lot of new fresh faces. However, much of this talent has yet to be proven on the field.

Now before some of you think hope is lost because you’ve been exposed to the Pickens Taterdamus’s decline prediction, keep one very important thing in mind. They say these types of things or as I like to call them “Works of Fiction” every year.

Now do not get me wrong.

There are a lot of unknowns on this team and the agony of last seasons opener still lingers its only natural to have concerns about this upcoming season due to long list of new faces. I would have to say the biggest question in Columbia right now is at qb.

Our leading returning passer also happens to be our leading returning reciever and naturally that is a concern. Right now it’s a four horse race with the freshman phenom Nunez being the wildcard.

I believe as of now, Connor Mitch is our guy. He has had 2 years to digest the playbook and if there is one thing I do know, a question mark at the qb posistion is a sigh of relief when you have the Ole Ball Coach making the decisions.

While many will tell you out of blind faith or false hope that the game has passed him by. And if I was such a critic I would tell myself the same thing. Whatever it took to help me sleep at night. Those people are better served keeping that in their heads. It certainly beats facing the harsh reality that even at 70, The OBC has far more fire than many far younger.

Now im going to tell you that everything is going right back to the 2011-2013 days because like many of you. I have questions. But what I will tell you is this 2015 team is the master of its own destiny.

While the questions may seem to outweigh the answers at the moment. I can tell you right now this team will play with a massive chip on their shoulder and at no point will you see these guys fold tent or give up.

I have no doubt that watching the unknown take shape will be far more fun than fearful. The sky is the limit with these guys and as long as they keep that fire burning, they have the right man guiding the ship.

My advice to my fellow Gamecock Nation. Enjoy the ride! This season at the very worst will be fun and many new faces will emerge.

And as far as the so called experts saying its over. Look at it like this. Can you blame them? I cannot really fault anyone searching for peace of mind and if that gets them through the day. Then by all means proceed. After all, what they fear the most is a Spurrier resurrection and to be honest. Who can blame them?

-Article by Jason Taylor, new Garnet and Cocky Staff Writer.