South Carolina football: Gamecocks to hold first scrimmage Saturday

The South Carolina football team will take the field for its first scrimmage Saturday.

The Gamecocks began fall practice last week and tomorrow, they’ll take the field for their first official scrimmage. Here’s what the University of South Carolina public relations department released earlier today regarding the upcoming competition.

"The South Carolina football team was back on the practice fields Friday morning dressed in helmets and shorts one day before their first scrimmage of fall camp. It marked the eighth official practice of fall camp.“We were pretty well-balanced as a team,” said head coach Will Muschamp after Friday’s two-hour workout. “I thought defensively we did some nice things at times and we had some explosive plays offensively. That’s what we’ve got to continue to progress to do.”The Gamecocks will hold a closed scrimmage on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow – a huge evaluation day for everybody on this football team – young players, old players, and at multiple positions,” continued Coach Muschamp. “We’ve got to continue to build depth.”Coach Muschamp has several things he would like to see on Saturday. “We’re going to operate in game-like situations,” noted the Gamecocks’ head coach. “We’ll have coaches in the box and coaches on the sidelines, so that communication. Being clean offensively, clean defensively with no procedural issues and self-inflicted penalties and mental mistakes. We’ve got to continue to push through those going into practice 9.”Special teams play will be a focal point during Saturday’s scrimmage with some “live” looks. “We will have some live work and we’ll have some thud work where we’ll stay up, so it will be a mixture of both,” noted Coach Muschamp. “But we’re going to have a lot of kicking involved. I think Kai (Kroeger) has punted pretty well. He can do some different things for us as far as punt is concerned. He’s a really good athlete. I’ve been pleased with that. Mitch Jeter has really kicked the ball well for us when Parker (White) has had some class. He’s done some nice things. But we need some special teams work. We’ve got to find a punt returner, we’ve got to find a kickoff returner, and we’ve got to find more guys who can help us on (special) teams.”The Gamecocks are scheduled to meet at 10:45 am on Saturday before making their way from the football complex to the stadium."

What should South Carolina football fans be looking for in the scrimmage?

Quarterback play

Incumbent Ryan Hilinski and newcomer Collin Hill have been taking the first-team reps as they battle to become the starting signal caller. Hill has the advantage with the playbook, having played under new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s system for four seasons. Hilinski has the advantage with health, as he’s been able to do a little more on the field while Hill recovered from a knee injury.

Who will win the job? This could be a good indicator as it’s the first simulated game action for either this offseason.

Also keep an eye out for youngster Luke Doty. He’s received a ton of praise from the coaching staff this fall and may be too good to keep off the field. Look for special packages to be installed for the athletic freshman.

Position battles

Outside of quarterback, there are tons of other position battles. Wide receiver seems the most wide open, with a number of players in the mix for the second, third, and fourth spots. Running back is also undecided. Will it be transfer ZaQuandre White or returning tailbacks Kevin Harris and Deshaun Fenwick?

On defense, watch the secondary. The safety battle should be the one to keep an eye on. Jaylin Dickerson, Jammie Robinson, RJ Roderick, Israel Mukuamu, and Shilo Sanders will all get a look.

New offensive look

Mike Bobo comes to Columbia looking to revitalize a group that finished 96th in total offense a year ago. He’s had a track record of producing great offenses while both at Georgia and Colorado State. Can he help the Gamecocks turn things around in 2020?

Defensive line depth

The Gamecocks lost Javon Kinlaw, Kobe Smith, and DJ Wonnum from last year’s line group. Who will step up to fill the voids? JJ Enagbare, Brad Johnson, and Jordan Burch will battle for playing time at BUCK. The defensive tackle roles will be split between Jabari Ellis, Zacch Pickens, Kier Thomas, and Rick Sandidge. This group will need to be disruptive to help out what should be a talented South Carolina secondary.

New faces

We’ve mentioned Luke Doty, Collin Hill, and ZaQuandre White, but there are number of newcomers that could impact the team. Jalen Brooks, a transfer from Wingate, may crack the lineup at receiver. So, too, could freshman Rico Powers.

Dom Hill has received some praise from defensive coaches in the secondary. Jordan Burch and Mo Kaba could break the two-deep at BUCK and linebacker, respectively.

Where is Mukuamu?

Will the rangy defensive back line up at safety or corner? Depending on how a few position battles turn out in the secondary, we should know the answer soon. Mukuamu picked off four passes as a corner last year, but some believe his skillset is better suited at safety, where he can play centerfield with that 6-foot-5 frame.

Special teams

Parker White will be the opening day placekicker, but that’s just about all that’s known at the moment. The punter position is open, and freshman Kai Kroeger may have the inside track to that role. Both kick and punt return positions are also open. Who grabs those spots?

This scrimmage will be the first live look at the Gamecocks this fall. It should be interesting to follow each of these storylines Saturday afternoon.