Scouting the opponent: South Carolina

This looks like a rebuilding year for a South Carolina program that’s starting over under Will Muschamp after bidding farewell to legendary head coach Steve Spurrier last season. The Gamecocks aren’t just getting used to a new coaching staff, they’re also looking to fill some big holes all over the roster in 2016.

South Carolina stumbled to a 3-9 mark last fall, finishing an abysmal 1-7 in the SEC and suffering an embarrassing home lose to The Citadel. Spurrier famously decided to step down in the middle of the season, leading to the offseason hiring of Tennessee fan favorite Muschamp.

The Gamecocks enjoyed some high-flying moments under Spurrier, but it appears Muschamp has his work cut out for him if he’s going to get the program back to those same heights.

From the outside looking in there just doesn’t seem to be a lot to get excited about when you start looking at South Carolina’s offense, that’s even before you start factoring in Muschamp’s buttoned down approach to offensive football.

The best player on last year’s unit, Pharoh Cooper, is gone, as are the top two tailbacks from last season. The quarterback situation can kindly be described as unsettled or less charitably as an absolute mess. And finally, three starters from last year’s offensive line must be replaced.

Scoring points was a massive problem for South Carolina last year (21.9 ppg, 12th in the SEC) and it’s hard to see how it gets much better this fall under Muschamp and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.

The first order of business is going to be figuring out a quarterback depth chart that currently is a mystery. Five players were listed as co-starters in the spring including former four-star recruit Brandon McIlwaine. That group didn’t include freshman Jake Bentley, who reclassified into the Class of 2016 to enroll this year.

Senior Perry Orth (1,929 yards, 12 TDs in 2015) is the most experienced option but didn’t exactly set the world on fire last fall. Dual-threat Lorenzo Nunez (376 yards, 3 TDs passing; 375 yards, 2 TDs rushing) got some chances under center in 2015 but is definitely still a work in progress.

Many thought that McIlwaine established himself as the guy to beat leaving spring practice, but it could be a while before that issue is firmly resolved under center.

The situation isn’t quite as dire at tailback where David Williams (299 yards on 86 carries in 2015) at least has some experience. Redshirt freshman A.J. Turner had a nice spring and is the likely back-up.

The receiving corps is a reflections of the rest of the offense. There’s some talent there, but very little in the way of proven experience. That point is pounded home by the fact that Deebo Samuels is the leading returning target after hauling in 12 catches for 161 yards and one TD last fall. True freshman Bryan Edwards enrolled early and had a strong spring practice.

The offensive line also looms as a big question mark. South Carolina averaged just 154 yards per game on the ground last fall. Given what we’ve seen of Muschamp and his regard for smash-mouth football, that number will need to go up if the Gamecocks are going to be competitive in the SEC.

South Carolina spent much of the spring shuffling its offensive line group and will likely open fall camp still searching for it’s best starting five.

As bad as things look on offense, the picture may even bleaker on the defensive side for the Gamecocks. South Carolina was atrocious on defense last fall, finishing dead last in the SEC in total defense, surrendering 429 yards per game and last in scoring defense, giving up 27.5 points per contest.

Muschamp has a solid reputation as a defensive coach but given what’s on the roster, it would appear he’ll have to work some miracles in order to engineer a quick fix.

The Gamecocks are looking to replace three of their top four tacklers from last year’s porous unit and one of those is linebacker Skal Moore. A second-team All-SEC selection in 2015 and South Carolina’s leading tackler last year, he’ll miss all of this season with a neck injury.

Seniors T.J. Holloman (63 tackles last fall) and Jonathan Walton (42 tackles) give the position some much needed experience but Moore’s absence will leave a void that will be tough to fill.

Up front the Gamecocks have some nice pieces but depth is probably going to be an ongoing issue. Senior defensive end Marquevious Lewis is arguably the team’s best player. He started every game last fall and finished sixth on the squad with 45 tackles Senior Kelsey Griffin (2.5 sacks in ’15) is a solid, if unspectacular player at tackle. Redshirt freshman Dexter Wideman has some talent at tackle but is an enigma after spending last year in junior college.

The secondary returns some talent, but as with other spots on the defense, reliable depth has got to be a concern. Junior Chris Lammons started four games a year ago at corner and will be relied on heavily this fall. Senior Rico McWilliams is the most experienced player on the defense with 18 career starts.

South Carolina has to get better in nearly every facet of defensive football this year if they’re going to be avoid another ugly year. One of the most glaring weaknesses on last year’s unit was the pass rush, which recorded just 20 sacks on the season.

The Gamecocks had hard time generating negative plays of any sort and getting opposing offenses off-schedule in terms of down and distance. Simply going by the roster, it’s hard to see them making major strides in this area in 2016.

Muschamp’s rep as a defensive guru will be tested this fall by a South Carolina roster that looks like it’s in serious need of a talent upgrade.

Spurrier sure seemed to see the writing on the wall, deciding it was easier to make an ungraceful exit than to restock the Gamecocks roster with the kind of talent he acquired to put together three straight 11 win seasons earlier this decade.

The Gamecock’s appear to have so many issues to address it’s hard to pick out their most glaring weakness entering the preseason. It could be quarterback, a hodgepodge offensive front or a defense that was the worst in the SEC last year and doesn’t appear notably better at first glance.

Butch Jones has enjoyed some stunning success against South Carolina even when the Vols were not the better team. Don’t look for his trend of owning the Gamecocks to change this fall.