South Carolina Football: 2017 season preview and prediction
Offense
This is the most stable the offense has been in a while. In fact, this is the first year since the Connor Shaw era that the Gamecocks will have a quarterback return after starting a majority of the games from the previous year.
Jake Bentley showed promise in the games last year and looked to be even better in the spring game. Bentley will be captaining a stable of offensive weapons for the Kurt Roper-Bryan McClendon offense.
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The starting quarterback has lighting in a bottle in junior wide receiver Deebo Samuel. On the outside, he has big jump-ball sophomore receiver Bryan Edwards. If Edwards, plays to his potential he can free up Samuel to move around the field without facing a double team. Also, Bentley has Hayden Hurst and K.C. Crosby at the tight end positions.
In the backfield, Bentley has growing star Rico Dowdle and the other talented running backs behind him. Dowdle had 764 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman in 2016.
Importance of the offensive line
This is the most important key to the success of the Gamecocks’ offensive attack. They return four out of five starting linemen from 2016. The line was not great last year but look for the line to protect their skilled players and improve.
Do not be surprised if right guard Cory Helms or right tackle Zack Bailey make an All-SEC team at the end of the year. The right side of the line seems to be locked down quite well.