'Good bowl' the goal

Gamecocks hoping to overcome offensive issues to reach bowl eligibility

COLUMBIA — Philosophically, South Carolina has reverted to 2005. It's win-more-than-you-lose time all over again for the Gamecocks, just as it was when Steve Spurrier first arrived.

The talk of titles, competing for them anyway, has subsided. Sweeping offensive inconsistency has again made humility a way of life.

"We're trying to win seven games and get to a good bowl game," Spurrier said Tuesday, in something that was literally said two and three years back. "That's what we can do. We can win more than we lose and hopefully get a good bowl game right now."

But that's far from a lock. It didn't happen last year, for myriad reasons that have been documented and documented again. One of those reasons was a surprising loss to Vanderbilt.

Losing early this year to the Commodores has put the Gamecocks (3-2, 0-2 SEC) in similar straits.

The so-called "guaranteed" W's in the schedule? Good luck finding any in October and November.

So, USC has to locate three — and, as folks learned last year, probably four — victories to lock itself into a bowl.

The next two weeks, road tests at Ole Miss and Kentucky, could easily make or break the season for the Gamecocks.

Two victories, and the team can breathe ever so slightly moving forward. One win, and it'll have to grind fiercely against some of the league's best to become bowl-eligible. Two losses, and, well, there's always next year?

"We've got two good teams to play," said safety Emanuel Cook. "Ole Miss and Kentucky, they're good. If we can pull off two victories, it would help us a lot going into LSU."

Per usual around here, questions about success go back to the offense. Will this week hold answers, revelations?

One thing's for sure: Spurrier's still not sure about a QB.

He said Tuesday that it was "his bad" that an "exclusive" video on his Web site named Stephen Garcia the starter when he told the media Monday night that a decision between Garcia and Chris Smelley would come Thursday.

"I take that back. I was wrong," Spurrier said. "Maybe, at (the time of the video), we felt like he was going to start. After further review, we felt like we'd better not make that decision. After watching the tape maybe a second and third time, you have a little different opinion. If I did say that, I apologize."

Some other nuggets from Spurrier's Tuesday news conference:

--All-SEC corner Captain Munnerlyn is listed as an "or" to start this week along with sophomore Addison Williams, and Spurrier said Munnerlyn might sit to teach him a lesson about punctuality for classes and meetings.

Spurrier insisted that Munnerlyn isn't a problem child of any kind and that he'll play abundantly against the Rebels. Meanwhile, Williams has gained on Munnerlyn in terms of cover skills and the two aren't considered that far apart.

--Spurrier didn't rule Kenny McKinley out for Saturday's game. He jogged at practice Monday night and participated in full pads Tuesday. Spurrier had suggested Sunday the team might seek a medical redshirt if McKinley didn't return soon.

--Spurrier said Mike Davis, back from his academic-related suspension, would likely start against Ole Miss. He said USC likely would not employ four backs, but said Bobby Wallace had earned more playing time after his 51-yard performance against UAB.

In theory, that leaves freshman Eric Baker and sophomore Brian Maddox to duke it out for the third spot. On Tuesday, Spurrier was more complimentary of Baker than Maddox.

Wallace didn't travel to Vanderbilt, USC's most recent road game.

--Spurrier again said converted safety Chris Hail might appear Saturday at receiver.

"He's had a little screwball attitude ever since he's been here," Spurrier said of Hail, suspended last week for missing too many classes. "Can he grow up, straighten out and want to be a player?

"I don't know. So we're trying him. He can run fast and he's tough. Will he run in the right directions? We've got to find out."

--ESPN mistakenly had the Ole Miss game as a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. That's incorrect. It will start, as scheduled, at 2 p.m.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the South Carolina blog at www.charleston.net/blogs/gamecocks.

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