Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Willie Smith, South Carolina beat writer
By Drew Laing
Published:
This is it for the Florida Gators. Saturday marks the final game of their SEC schedule and the Gators need a win to stay in the SEC East race.
Looking to thwart any chance of an SEC East title, the South Carolina Gamecocks come into town in the midst of losing four of their last five games. Although, times are tough in Columbia, S.C., right now, Steve Spurrier’s team still thrives on offense and should be a real threat to putting up a bunch of points this weekend.
We spoke with Willie Smith of the Greenville News this week to give fans a better perspective from that other sideline and get his thoughts on the upcoming matchup.
You can follow him on Twitter: @willie_t_smith
Drew Laing: This has been a disappointing season for the Gamecocks at just a 4-5 overall record. What position group in your opinion has underperformed the most?
Willie Smith: The defensive line has been the most disappointing. Of course, it also lost the most — Jadeveon Clowney, Kelcy Quarles and Chaz Sutton. The defensive ends have provided no pass rush at all and I have never seen more teams score touchdowns in the red zone standing up.
Laing: Despite the team struggles, Dylan Thompson is quietly putting together a very good season and could break some single-season school records. In what areas has he impressed you the most during his first full season as a starter?
Smith: Dylan has waited a long time for this opportunity. He has suffered a few key interceptions, but overall, has had a strong season. He does an excellent job going through his progressions and utilizes the tight ends more than Connor Shaw. Most of that has to do with the fact, I believe, he’s taller and can see them better. He has also turned out to be a great leader, one the team still wants to play hard for and help go out a winner.
Laing: Talk about the impact of losing guys like Clowney and Quarles on the defensive line from last year. The sack numbers are way down. Has the defensive line’s inability to get pressure on the QB led to the demise of the defense?
Smith: Read question one. The players and the coaching staff tried to make us believe the unit would impress despite the losses of those three guys. There was no way South Carolina or any team could survive that, however. The lack of a pass rush has struck a crippling blow to the defense.
Laing: We wrote an article on Pharoh Cooper’s emergence a few weeks ago. He’s been outstanding this season. Where would you rank him among SEC wide receivers?
Smith: I’m a bit biased since he is the only one I see consistently but I believe you could make an argument Pharoh Cooper is the second best wide receiver in the Southeastern Conference behind his namesake at Alabama. He does so much for this team in addition to his receiver duties. He runs the Wildcat formation, returns punts, and even recovered a Tennessee attempted onside kick. If something were to happen to Dylan Thompson, who knows, he may get a large share of the quarterback reps.
Laing: In your opinion, do you think Steve Spurrier retires after this season?
Smith: No. Although this has been a tough year for The Head Ball Coach, I don’t think there is any way he walks away following a season this disappointing. Since taking over the USC football program he has never said definitively how long he would stay. He just returns year after year. One of these years he will retire. It just won’t be this year. He will coach the Gamecocks in 2015 in my opinion.
Laing: How do you see the Florida-South Carolina game playing out Saturday afternoon?
Smith: South Carolina, with the exception of 2010 when Marcus Lattimore had the best game of his collegiate career as the Gamecocks posted a 36-14 victory to claim their only SEC East Division title, the team has not had much success in Gainesville. I see the Gators coming out on top, thank to its improved rushing attack led by freshman quarterback Treon Harris, which will be tough for USC to counter. If it is to have a chance this is a game that has to be turned over to Mike Davis, Brandon Wilds, and the running backs in an attempt to control play. That’s the Gamecocks’ best shot.
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A huge thank you to Willie Smith for participating in this week’s Behind Enemy Lines series!
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
