When Steve Spurrier and Dan Mullen looked at tomorrow’s matchup before the season started, neither could have had any idea his team would be in the shape it’s in.
Both the Bulldogs (3-3, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) and the No. 15 Gamecocks (5-1, 3-1) are in, well, a state of flux.
Particularly at quarterback.
Mullen pulled starting quarterback Chris Relf after a stagnant first half last week, and replaced him with backup Tyler Russell, who threw three touchdown passes and rallied the team to a 21-3 victory. Picking a starter for tomorrow, either way, runs the risk of dividing the fan base, or worse, the team.
That certainly wasn’t in the plan.
“You coach your guys up and the guys that are ready to perform and play the best, you put them out on the field and try to win the game,” Mullen said.
But regardless of the Bulldogs’ starter on Saturday, Mullen’s quarterback situation has been quite tame compared to the turmoil Spurrier’s team has endured at that position this season.
Earlier this week, Spurrier dismissed starting quarterback Stephen Garcia from the team after apparently failing to follow team conduct guidelines … again.
Garcia started 34 games for the Gamecocks, including the team’s first five games this season, but has been plagued by off-the-field issues his whole career. Before Tuesday’s dismissal, he’d been suspended five previous times.
“We are all saddened that this has occurred,” Spurrier said in a press release. “We all feel like we’ve given Stephen numerous opportunities to be a student-athlete here at South Carolina. Obviously, he has chosen not to follow the guidelines of his reinstatement contract. We wish him the best.”
Even before the dismissal, Spurrier benched his troubled starter in favor of sophomore Connor Shaw.
Shaw delivered, leading the Gamecocks to a 54-3 blowout against Kentucky.
So Russell versus Shaw?
Just because that matchup wasn’t expected in the preseason doesn’t mean it won’t be entertaining.
Shaw threw four touchdown passes in his first start last week and the Gamecock offense ranks in the top three in the conference.
For the Bulldogs, despite a few recent lackluster performances, the offense still ranks in the top half of the SEC at 389.7 yards per game and looked to find new legs for itself under Russell last weekend.
For both programs, it appears the future might just start on Saturday.