2013 NFL Mock Draft – 3rd Edition

The 2013 NFL Scouting Combine has passed, and several pro prospects impressed scouts, while others have created an uphill climb as the NFL Draft approaches.

Granted there are still Pro Days and individual workouts that will occur, but the first impressions made by players on scouts and coaches will be remembered by everyone when decision day comes.

So here is the third edition of the 2013 NFL Mock Draft.  This draft includes the first three rounds.  There still could be an added compensatory selection at the end of the third round.  The next edition will come closer to the draft, once teams have filled some of their needs through free agency.

As stated before, there is no obvious first overall pick in this draft.  This overall class is way down.  A team has just as good of luck of landing a super-star player in the fourth round, as they do in the first round.

The one big change in this third edition of the mock draft is moving West Virginia QB Geno Smith into the first round.  Southern Cal QB Matt Barkley’s injury concerns, and no real indication on an individual workout, makes it a little risky to pick him right now.  Barkley does go very early in the second round.

Just as a reminder, any similarities to other mock drafts are purely coincidental.  This is on my own research and guesses based on team needs to determine this mock draft.

First Round:

#1 – Kansas City Chiefs – T Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

#2 – Jacksonville Jaguars – DE Bjoern Werner, Florida State

#3 – Oakland Raiders – DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida

#4 – Philadelphia Eagles – T Lane Johnson, Oklahoma

#5 – Detroit Lions – CB Dee Milliner, Alabama

#6 – Cleveland Browns – G Chance Warmack, Alabama

#7 – Arizona Cardinals – QB Geno Smith, West Virginia

#8 – Buffalo Bills – WR Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee

#9 – New York Jets – OLB Jarvis Jones, Georgia

#10 – Tennessee Titans – CB Xavier Rhodes, Florida State

#11 – San Diego Chargers – T Eric Fisher, Central Michigan

#12 – Miami Dolphins – DT Star Lotulelei, Utah

#13 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DE Dion Jordan, Oregon

#14 – Carolina Panthers – DT Sheldon Richardson, Missouri

#15 – New Orleans Saints – OLB Barkevious Mingo, LSU

#16 – St. Louis Rams – FS Kenny Vaccaro, Texas

#17 – Pittsburgh Steelers – DE Ezekiel Ansah, BYU

#18 – Dallas Cowboys – G Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina

#19 – New York Giants – T D.J. Fluker, Alabama

#20 – Chicago Bears – ILB Kevin Minter, LSU

#21 – Cincinnati Bengals – DE Datone Jones, UCLA

#22 – St. Louis Rams (from Washington) – WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia

#23 – Minnesota Vikings – WR Robert Woods, Southern California

#24 – Indianapolis Colts – CB Desmond Trufant, Washington

#25 – Seattle Seahawks – DT Kawann Short, Purdue

#26 – Green Bay Packers – RB Eddie Lacy, Alabama

#27 – Houston Texans – WR Keenan Allen, California

#28 – Denver Broncos – DT Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State

#29 – New England Patriots – CB Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

#30 – Atlanta Falcons – DE Damontre Moore, Texas A&M

#31 – San Francisco 49ers – DT Jesse Williams, Alabama

#32 – Baltimore Ravens – ILB Manti Te’o, Notre Dame

 

Second Round:

 

#33 (overall) – Jacksonville Jaguars – QB Matt Barkley, Southern Cal

 

#34 – San Francisco 49ers (from Chiefs) – SS Matt Elam, Florida

 

#35 – Philadelphia Eagles – OLB Alec Ogletree, Georgia

 

#36 – Detroit Lions – DE Sam Montgomery, LSU

 

#37 – Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders) – WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson

 

#38 – Arizona Cardinals – TE Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

 

Cleveland Browns – Forfeited pick due to making selection in 2012 Supplemental Draft

 

#39 – New York Jets – QB Mike Glennon, North Carolina State

 

#40 – Tennessee Titans – DE Alex Okafor, Texas

 

#41 – Buffalo Bills – QB Tyler Wilson, Arkansas

 

#42 – Miami Dolphins – T Kyle Long, Oregon

 

#43 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – TE Zach Ertz, Stanford

 

#44 – Carolina Panthers – FS Eric Reid, LSU

 

New Orleans Saints – Pick forfeited due to bounty scandal

 

#45 – San Diego Chargers – CB Jamar Taylor, Boise State

 

#46 – St. Louis Rams – OLB Arthur Brown, Kansas State

 

#47 – Dallas Cowboys – SS Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International

 

#48 – Pittsburgh Steelers – WR Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech

 

#49 – New York Giants – CB David Amerson, North Carolina State

 

#50 – Chicago Bears – T Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

 

#51 – Washington Redskins – WR Terrance Williams, Baylor

 

#52 – Minnesota Vikings – DT John Jenkins, Georgia

 

#53 – Cincinnati Bengals – OLB Khaseem Green, Rutgers

 

#54 – Miami Dolphins (from Colts) – WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee

 

#55 – Green Bay Packers – C Barrett Jones, Alabama

 

#56 – Seattle Seahawks – WR Markus Wheaton, Oregon State

 

#57 – Houston Texans – T Menelik Watson, Florida State

 

#58 – Denver Broncos – CB Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

 

#59 – New England Patriots – DE Margus Hunt, Southern Methodist

 

#60 – Atlanta Falcons – RB Giovani Bernard, North Carolina

 

#61 – San Francisco 49ers – OLB Sio Moore, Connecticut

 

#62 – Baltimore Ravens – T Dallas Thomas, Tennessee

 

Third Round:

 

#63 (overall) – Kansas City Chiefs – QB Ryan Nassib, Syracuse

 

#64 – Jacksonville Jaguars – CB Darius Slay, Mississippi State

 

#65 – Detroit Lions – FS Phillip Thomas, Fresno State

 

#66 – Oakland Raiders – DE Cornellius Carradine, Florida State

 

#67 – Philadelphia Eagles – C Travis Frederick, Wisconsin

 

#68 – Cleveland Browns – OLB Jamie Collins, Southern Mississippi

 

#69 – Arizona Cardinals – OLB Trevardo Williams, Connecticut

 

#70 – Tennessee Titans – G Larry Warford, Kentucky

 

#71 – Buffalo Bills – SS Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse

 

#72 – New York Jets – WR Da’Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech

 

#73 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – QB EJ Manuel, Florida State

 

#74 – San Francisco 49ers (from Panthers) – CB Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana

 

#75 – New Orleans Saints – CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

 

#76 – San Diego Chargers – TE Vance McDonald, Rice

 

#77 – Miami Dolphins – CB Logan Ryan, Rutgers

 

#78 – St. Louis Rams – T David Bakhtiari, Colorado

 

#79 – Pittsburgh Steelers – RB Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State

 

#80 – Dallas Cowboys – DT Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State

 

#81 – New York Giants – OLB Sean Porter, Texas A&M

 

#82 – Miami Dolphins (from Bears) – TE Gavin Escobar, San Diego State

 

#83 – Minnesota Vikings – FS Bacarri Rambo, Georgia

 

#84 – Cincinnati Bengals – RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin

 

#85 – Washington Redskins – CB Dwayne Gratz, Connecticut

 

#86 – Indianapolis Colts – WR Aaron Dobson, Marshall

 

#87 – Seattle Seahawks – DE John Simon, Ohio State

 

#88 – Green Bay Packers – WR Ryan Swope, Texas A&M

 

#89 – Houston Texans – OLB DeVonte Holloman, South Carolina

 

#90 – Denver Broncos – RB Johnathan Franklin, UCLA

 

#91 – New England Patriots – DT Sylvester Williams, North Carolina

 

#92 – Atlanta Falcons – C Brian Schwenke, California

 

#93 – San Francisco 49ers – WR Marquise Goodwin, Texas

 

#94 – Baltimore Ravens – FS Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

 

Top 5 Coaches in College Football Today

As Alabama head coach Nick Saban just took home his third BCS National Championship in four years, and fourth overall, it is a good time to look at who might be the top five coaches who are in college football today.

With Saban climbing up the ranks of the best coaches of all time, where does he rank among current college coaches.

#5 – Chip Kelly, Oregon

Kelly runs his offense and he runs it well.  His up-tempo, stretch the field offense just physically and mentally wears out the Ducks’ opponents.  Kelly continues to turn out phenomenal athletes in the college ranks; they don’t always work out in the NFL.

Kelly has been the most rumored to make the jump to the NFL, he recently announced he would remain at Oregon, at least for this year.  It would have to be an ideal situation, with the right athletes already in place, for Kelly’s system to work at the next level.

#4 – Les Miles, LSU

There is probably not a coach with more guts in college football right now than Miles.  He thrives on making calls that other coaches would never make.  His sustained success in the SEC at LSU is only overshadowed by one coach.

#3 – Chris Petersen, Boise State

Every year, college football fans wait for the year Boise State seriously stumbles.  Yet every year, Boise State is competing on the national stage, and often in the running to make a BCS game as an at-large bid (a.k.a. the same exact way Northern Illinois got in).

Boise State obviously is not going to draw in the big name recruits, but Petersen continues to coach the teams to top finishes every year.

#2 – Urban Meyer, Ohio State

It shows what type of coach Meyer is when he can lead and motivate the Buckeyes, a team banned from postseason play in 2012, to the only FBS team with an undefeated record.  His offenses at Florida, especially with Tim Tebow at quarterback, were magical, and Ohio State fans hope that success is duplicated with Braxton Miller.

While Meyer has had to deal with a number of off-the-field issues, there is no denying that he is one of the brilliant coaches in college football today.

This space indicates how far ahead the #1 coach on this list is ahead of the previous four and all of the other coaches in college football.

#1 – Nick Saban, Alabama

What Saban has been able to do at Alabama is just unbelievable.  The Crimson Tide were just better in all aspects of the game against Notre Dame.

There is not another coach in college football right now, that if there was one game to win, that I would want roaming the sidelines and preparing my team.

Outback Bowl Pick: Gamecocks Just a Little Better

The 2013 Outback Bowl should be a great match-up between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Michigan Wolverines.  Both teams have a lot of similarities, but one is just a little better.

Michigan had a tough season at times.  The Wolverines did have to face both teams who are playing in the National Championship, plus an undefeated Ohio State team.

For the Wolverines, it was supposed to be a dual threat attack with the running ability of QB Denard Robinson and RB Fitzgerald Toussaint.

Toussaint suffered a gruesome ankle injury late in the year, while Robinson developed a nerve injury in his throwing arm, that has relegated him to an all-purpose player, lining up at both quarterback and running back at times.  Devin Gardner is the quarterback for Michigan.

Michigan also has a top-20 defense in terms of points against, ranking 16th in the country.

Meanwhile, for the Gamecocks, this was supposed to be the season that everything was put together, making a run for an SEC Championship.

After being on top of the world with a statement win against then 5th-ranked Georgia, South Carolina lost a tough one on the road against LSU, before having their fate sealed with an embarrassing loss against Florida.

However, for a team that does not have a long history of winning football, a 10-win season still is not too shabby.

The Gamecocks’ offense has had moments of greatness, followed by moments of inconsistent play.  A late season injury to RB Marcus Lattimore also hurt the offense.

This was supposed to be the year that the quarterback position would be stable for South Carolina.  Injuries to starter Connor Shaw opened the door for Dylan Thompson to see some action.  Thompson helped to lead the Gamecocks to two wins, including rival Clemson the last week of the season.

Shaw is the runner with passing ability.  Thompson is the passer, with running ability.

The key to the Gamecocks’ offense is going to be the running game.  South Carolina has to be able to run the ball against Michigan, to take the pressure off the quarterbacks, to give them an opportunity to win.  Senior RB Kenny Miles has a knack for coming up big in significant games.

Defensively, the Gamecocks must force the Wolverines to pass.  Michigan offers a lot of options running the ball, with the versatility of Robinson.  It will be important for the Gamecocks’ front-7, which includes All-American DE Jadeveon Clowney, not to over-pursue the run, and get pressure on the quarterback with the pass.

Despite some good plays, the Gamecocks’ defensive backs are not good enough one-on-one in coverage, without getting pressure on the quarterback to force bad throws.  South Carolina’s defense thrives on that pressure.

At the end of the day, while these two teams match-up well, the Gamecocks are just a little more battle tested, especially this year.

In 2012, the Big Ten Conference’s competition just did not seem up-to-par, as seen when a 7-5 Wisconsin team, only in the championship game because of penalties to Ohio State and Penn State, demolished the conference’s best team, Nebraska.

The SEC was as strong as ever in 2012, with two teams ranked in the top-3 to end the season.  While the strength of this conference is still in the Western Division, there are about 10-12 teams in this conference that could compete with anyone in the country.

Like last year’s Capital One Bowl, it is close for three quarters, but the power of the SEC pulls away late.

Gamecocks 34, Wolverines 24

Week 12 College Football Picks

It’s November for college football, meaning losses now hurt much worse than they did back in September.

However, with the recent BCS rankings, it shows if you’re in a good enough conference, it might not hurt as bad.

With that said, it was a solid week picking, still with single digit losses for the week, continuing the streak of not incorrectly picking more than nine games this season.  You can never complain with that.

Also, after checking out the picks, be sure to find where your favorite team might be playing after the regular season on our 2012-13 College Bowl Projections.

Last Week:  20-7 (.741)

Overall:  245-60 (.803)

#1 Kansas State vs. Baylor

#13 Stanford vs. #2 Oregon (If Oregon makes it to the National Championship game, you can not say that November was easy for them.)

Wake Forest vs. #3 Notre Dame

Western Carolina vs. #4 Alabama

Georgia Southern vs. #5 Georgia

Jacksonville State vs. #6 Florida (The Gators should be able to win this without Jeff Driskel, but then you do have to remember about last week.)

Ole Miss vs. #7 LSU

Sam Houston State vs. #8 Texas A&M (Normally you would say that the Aggies are set for a let-down, but that shouldn’t happen with Sam Houston State.)

Wofford vs. #9 South Carolina

#10 Florida State vs. Maryland

North Carolina State vs. #11 Clemson (If N.C. State were to win, they could at least claim they beat the two best teams in the ACC this year.)

#12 Oklahoma vs. West Virginia

Minnesota vs. #14 Nebraska

California vs. #16 Oregon State

#18 USC vs. #17 UCLA (Winner will likely go to Pac-12 Championship game.)

Utah State vs. #20 Louisiana Tech (Louisiana Tech has to win out to have a shot at going to a BCS bowl.)

Iowa vs. #21 Michigan

#22 Rutgers vs. Cincinnati

#23 Texas Tech vs. #24 Oklahoma State

#25 Washington vs. Colorado

North Carolina vs. Virginia

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College

South Florida vs. Miami (FL)

Duke vs. Georgia Tech (Closest to 100 wins, unless they go over.)

Arkansas vs. Mississippi State (The Bulldogs have to rebound; they were going strong but have really stunk it up the last few weeks.)

Alabama A&M vs. Auburn (The SEC should win this, right?)

Syracuse vs. Missouri (The SEC should win this, right?)

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt

Samford vs. Kentucky (The SEC should win this, right?)

Week 8 College Football Picks

Not a bad week last week, much better than picking NFL games.  Just three losses, one was a shocker, one was a shocker in how poorly one team played, and another was a toss-up game.

Don’t forget after checking out the picks, to check out the 2012-13 College Football Bowl Projections.

Last Week:  20-3 (.870)

Overall:  167-34 (.831)

#3 Oregon vs. Arizona State (This one will be closer than people think)

#1 Alabama vs. Tennessee

#7 South Carolina vs. #2 Florida (I don’t think Florida is the 2nd-ranked team in the country)

#4 Kansas State vs. #13 West Virginia (Sorry, Kansas State, West Virginia has rebound on the mind after last week’s dismal performance.  A win by Kansas State puts them in the National Championship picture.)

BYU vs. #5 Notre Dame

#6 LSU vs. #18 Texas A&M (After benefiting from the home crowd against South Carolina, LSU finds out what it is like to play as a visitor at Tiger Stadium)

Utah vs. #8 Oregon State

Kansas vs. #9 Oklahoma

Colorado vs. #10 USC

#11 Georgia vs. Kentucky

Middle Tennessee vs. #12 Mississippi State (Though Georgia Tech isn’t as good as Mississippi State, remember that Middle Tennessee beat them earlier this year)

#14 Florida State vs. Miami (FL) (Could be an ACC Championship Game preview)

#15 Rutgers vs. Temple

South Florida vs. #16 Louisville

#17 Texas Tech vs. #23 TCU (Closer than people think)

Virginia Tech vs. #19 Clemson

#20 Stanford vs. California

#21 Cincinnati vs. Toledo

UNLV vs. #22 Boise State

#24 Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State

Baylor vs. #25 Texas

Wake Forest vs. Virginia

Boston College vs. Georgia Tech

North Carolina State vs. Maryland

North Carolina vs. Duke

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt

Week 7 College Football Picks

Not the best week in picking college football games, as it was a rough go for a couple teams.

Congrats to North Carolina State on that upset of Florida State.  I’m not sure anyone saw that coming.  I think it’s time for me to get off the Auburn and Virginia Tech bandwagons, as those teams keep disappointing me.

Also, be sure to check out the 2012-13 Bowl Predictions.  Click here or on the tab at the top of the page.

Last Week:  16-9 (.640)

Overall:  147-31 (.826)

#1 Alabama vs. Missouri

#3 South Carolina vs. #9 LSU (If the Gamecocks win, they’re as good as anyone in the country.  But it will take a better performance than they put out against Georgia, to beat LSU, at night in Death Valley, against a team coming off a loss)

#4 Florida vs. Vanderbilt (No let down, but will be closer than people think, because Florida is highly over-rated.)

#5 West Virginia vs. Texas Tech (The correct second-best team in country might actually be No. 2 by end of the weekend)

#6 Kansas State vs. Iowa State

#17 Stanford vs. #7 Notre Dame (This could be the game that actually demonstrates that Notre Dame is legitimate)

#8 Ohio State vs. Indiana

#10 Oregon State vs. BYU

#11 USC vs. Washington (Washington always plays USC tough.)

Boston College vs. #12 Florida State

#15 Texas vs. #13 Oklahoma (Very close, but Texas is just a little better, and I’m not a believer of Oklahoma yet)

#18 Louisville vs. Pittsburgh

Tennessee vs. #19 Mississippi State

Syracuse vs. #20 Rutgers

Fordham vs. #21 Cincinnati

#22 Texas A&M vs. #23 Louisiana Tech (This may end up being the closest game of the week)

Fresno State vs. #24 Boise State

Illinois vs. #25 Michigan

Duke vs. Virginia Tech (I clearly still haven’t learned from my mistakes [See above])

North Carolina vs. Miami (FL)

Maryland vs. Virginia

Auburn vs. Ole Miss (As crazy as it sounds, Ole Miss is not a bad team)

Kentucky vs. Arkansas

Week 6 College Football Picks

Only a couple of hiccups and under-estimating a couple teams cost me a couple of games, but overall, a good week 5.

This could be a rough week for picking college football games, because this weekend has the best match-ups of this season.

Last Week:  18-6 (.750)

Overall:  131-22 (.856)

Week 6 Picks:

#13 USC vs. Utah

#23 Washington vs. #2 Oregon

#3 Florida State vs. North Carolina State

#4 LSU vs. #10 Florida (LSU hasn’t really proven that they are a good team, and Florida could state that they are back in the SEC)

#5 Georgia vs. #6 South Carolina (So evenly matched, and when in doubt, go with the home team)

Kansas vs. #7 Kansas State

#8 West Virginia vs. #11 Texas (First to 100, wins?  Probably not.  Texas will keep up for a while, but just too much offense from West Virginia)

Miami (FL) vs. #9 Notre Dame

#21 Nebraska vs. #12 Ohio State

Washington State vs. #14 Oregon State

Iowa State vs. #15 TCU

Georgia Tech vs. #15 Clemson

#17 Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech

Arizona vs. #18 Stanford

#20 Mississippi State vs. Kentucky

Connecticut vs. #22 Rutgers

#24 Northwestern vs. Penn State

#25 UCLA vs. California

Boston College vs. Army

Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina

Virginia vs. Duke (As painful as it is to say, Duke is good, so far)

Wake Forest vs. Maryland

Arkansas vs. Auburn (Both these teams thought this would be the top-10, top-5 matchup, instead it is about getting win #2)

Vanderbilt vs. Missouri

Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss

Rapid Fire Picks for November 5th

College Football:

Last Week: 16-8
Overall: 180-51

Top 25, based on BCS Standings:
#2 Alabama over #1 LSU
#3 Oklahoma State over #14 Kansas State
#4 Stanford over Oregon State
#5 Boise State over UNLV
#6 Oklahoma over Texas A&M
#9 South Carolina over #7 Arkansas…I’m sticking with the pick from the beginning of the year, SC 49-17
#8 Oregon over Washington…could be a trap game for the Ducks
#10 Nebraska over Northwestern
#13 Houston over UAB
#15 Michigan over Iowa
#17 Michigan State over Minnesota
#18 Georgia over New Mexico State
#19 Arizona State over UCLA
#20 Wisconsin over Purdue
#21 Texas over Texas Tech
#24 West Virginia over Louisville
#25 Southern Miss over East Carolina

SEC:
Florida over Vanderbilt…close
Ole Miss over Kentucky…first to score might win this game
Tennessee over Middle Tennessee State
Mississippi State over Tennessee-Martin

ACC:
Virginia over Maryland
North Carolina over North Carolina State
Miami (FL) over Duke
Notre Dame over Wake Forest

Other Games:
SMU over Tulane
Troy over Navy
Air Force over Army

NFL

Last Week: 8-5
Overall: 77-38

Bills over Jets
Cowboys over Seahawks
Falcons over Colts
Chiefs over Dolphins
Saints over Buccaneers
49ers over Redskins
Texans over Browns
Raiders over Broncos
Patriots over Giants
Rams over Cardinals
Packers over Chargers
Steelers over Ravens
Bears over Eagles

Rapid Fire Picks for October 29th

There was an issue with the site that these are normally posted on, so they will be here today.

NFL:

Last Week: 7-6
Overall: 69-33

Titans over Colts
Saints over Rams
Dolphins over Giants
Panthers over Vikings
Ravens over Cardinals
Texans over Jaguars
Bills over Redskins
Lions over Broncos
Patriots over Steelers
49ers over Browns
Seahawks over Bengals
Cowboys over Eagles
Chiefs over Chargers

College Football (Rankings based on BCS Standings):

Last Week: 18-7
Overall: 164-43

#3 Oklahoma State over Baylor
#5 Clemson over Georgia Tech
#6 Stanford over USC
#7 Oregon over Washington State
#9 Oklahoma over #8 Kansas State
#10 Arkansas over Vanderbilt
#14 Nebraska over #11 Michigan State
#12 Virginia Tech over Duke
#13 South Carolina over Tennessee…SC 23-16
#15 Wisconsin over Ohio State
#16 Texas A&M over Missouri
#18 Michigan over Purdue
#19 Penn State over Illinois
#20 Texas Tech over Iowa State
#21 Arizona State over Colorado
Florida over #22 Georgia
#23 Auburn over Ole Miss
#24 Texas over Kansas
#25 West Virginia over Rutgers

ACC:

Florida State over North Carolina State
Maryland over Boston College
Wake Forest over North Carolina

SEC:

Kentucky over Mississippi State

Other Games:

Notre Dame over Navy

Fundraiser:
Remember that WUSC’s fall fundraiser runs through November 3rd. To donate, click on “Support” at the top of the page or call the station at (803) 576-WUSC or online at wusc.sc.edu

Show Correction:
During the show, I kept saying that Texas hasn’t lost back-to-back games since August. That was the Texas Rangers, not the Texas Longhorns football team.

Have a Happy Halloween!!

Vintage Spurrier Shines in Gamecocks Beat-down of Kentucky

Connor Shaw threw for over 300 yards, and South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier displayed some of his old ‘Fun ‘n Gun’ offense from Florida, as the Gamecocks (5-1 overall, 3-1 in the SEC) defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (2-4, 0-3) 54-3 Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Gamecocks’ running back Marcus Lattimore added 102 yards rushing, and the defense held Kentucky to just 96 yards and six first downs.

“It was a good win for us.  The defense was outstanding.” said Spurrier.  “We had a balanced attack.  We got over 600 yards.  We haven’t done it much.”

The Gamecocks totaled 639 total yards of offense against the Wildcats in Shaw’s first start at quarterback, replacing the ineffective Stephen Garcia.

Shaw also believed his preparation for this game, as opposed to his start against East Carolina, made the difference.

“In Charlotte I don’t think I was as prepared as I was (today).  They let me know early in the week (this time), so I just had a good mindset coming into it,” said Shaw.  “My teammates were really helpful and the o-line came to me and said we have your back.”

While confidence may be on the back of South Carolina, the Wildcats lost any they might have had entering this game.

Kentucky only managed 96 yards of total offense, and turned the ball over six times.

“Ugly is how you can describe it.  Especially offensively, (we) had a chance to make a play early in the first half, wide open guy but threw it inside and [they] made an interception,” said Kentucky Head Coach Joker Phillips.  “[We have] an offense that can’t make plays, can’t stay on the field, an offense that turns the ball over six times, numerous times on first down.”

Wildcats’ quarterbacks Morgan Newton and Maxwell Smith combines to complete only 4 of 26 passes attempted, throwing four interceptions, for only 17 yards.

Phillips said that his team will use the off-week to figure what will work on offense.  They face Jacksonville State on October 22nd.

Meanwhile, the Gamecocks will take its new starting quarterback and much needed confidence to face Mississippi State in Starkville.

However, South Carolina’s Assistant Head Coach Ellis Johnson summarizes what this game, and last week’s loss against Auburn means for this Gamecocks team.

“One game doesn’t make a season, and one season doesn’t make a program,” said Johnson.  “We are going to continue to work and improve.”

Work and improve is definitely something this team will need, as three consecutive road games will define its 2011 season.