South Carolina Gamecocks Football May Finally Have A Road They Can Handle

Some are beginning to consider the South Carolina Gamecocks a legitimate contender to challenge Florida for the SEC East in 2010.
Their schedule isn’t an easy one; it’s an SEC schedule. While there are a few games that should be nice changes of pace, with the exception of Furman on September 18, and Vanderbilt on October 23, the Gamecocks play bowl teams from 2009.
The Gamecocks will again open up on a Thursday night, against Southern Miss, which should be a pretty good way to gauge the Gamecocks in their first, and while it isn’t close to a cupcake game, they’d better use it to prepare. Following that Thursday game, rival Georgia comes calling on Saturday.
The Gamecocks should win both games. Georgia is hungry and stinging from last season’s “disappointment.” However the Gamecocks went into Athens last year and played with Georgia all night, losing on the final drive on an incomplete pass inside the Dawgs’ 10-yard line. This year the Gamecocks should be playing better.
The Furman game comes a week after the Georgia game, and barring some type of major letdown in that game, it should be an easy win for the Gamecocks. With that being said, South Carolina’s season opens with three straight home games, and three wins in those games would go a long way, though only one of them is an SEC game.
After their three-game home opener concludes, the Gamecocks hit the road—and the meat of the schedule. A game at Auburn, a team that some consider to be strong competition for Alabama in the West. Not to mention the fact that Auburn was the other team in the running for five-star running back Marcus Lattimore.
Immediately following that is an off-week. The rest of the schedule is when it gets really tough.
Alabama comes to Columbia this year, and while I can’t confirm it, there have been rumblings that the Crimson Tide will face off against the Gamecocks on a Thursday night prime time game. Many have said that there is a full moon over Columbia on Thursday nights. So, we all we see.

Georgia Bulldogs Quarterbacks Fire Three TD Passes In G-Day Game

ATHENS, Ga. --- Quarterback Zach Mettenberger threw two touchdown passes as the White Team defeated the Red Team 17-7 on Saturday in the annual G-Day Game to mark the end of Georgia's spring football practice.
Mettenberger went 6-of-10 for 150 yards and the two touchdowns. Fellow quarterbacks Logan Gray was 10-of-17 for 132 yards and a touchdown and Aaron Murray finished 10-of-22 for 96 yards.
"They all did well today," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "We're going to have to look at 15 spring practices to see where the position is. We're going to release a post-spring depth chart, but that will be after Coach (Mike) Bobo and I look at the entire spring. It won't be the final depth chart, but it will give us a snapshot of where we are. All the quarterbacks were hitting their targets, and it is a very close race."

Ex- Vols Kiffin in second round of Esquire's World's Sexiest Woman

Finally, after his stunning first-round upset over No. 1 seed Natalie Gulbis, Lane Kiffin's second-round match-up with 'Net-giant killer Danica Patrick has commenced in earnest and the voting booth is now open right here.
Kiffin, the unsung No. 16 seed at the start of Esquire's tournament to determine the World's Sexiest Woman Alive who is now a very real threat to claim the symbolic tiara, is matched up with yet another underdog juggernaut in the No. 9 seed Patrick, who knocked off ESPN über-babe college football sideline reporter Erin Andrews in a first-round thriller.
As we've stated since this whole thing began three weeks ago, vote early and often for a man who's most deserving of the title of World Sexiest Woman Alive. And, speaking of early and often...
Just remember, if you are using Google Chrome you can open up a new incognito window, vote, close the incognito window, then repeat the process as many times as you would like. Hint hint, nudge nudge.
Good luck, Coach Kiffin. You deserve it.

Spurrier continues to publicly challenge Garcia

Steve Spurrier reiterated Monday that he is waiting for Stephen Garcia to make that next, giant step in his progression as a quarterback.
"We're hoping Stephen Garcia will improve," the USC football coach said at the Richland County chapter's Gamecock Club meeting at Seawell's. "Stephen is the type of young man that you keep waiting on him to really, really improve and start tearing it up, but it hasn't seemed to happen. We're hoping he's going to have a summer where he really commits himself to learn the game."
Spurrier was critical of Garcia for much of spring practice and had strong words for his signal-caller in an ESPN.com report last week and again after the spring game Saturday.
That leaves the door ajar for the backup quarterbacks.
Freshmen Connor Shaw and Andrew Clifford will try to work into the mix for playing time.
"They look like freshmen, but they do have hope," Spurrier said. "They will practice. They will go out on their own to try to improve. I'm not so sure we've always had that around here."

Ole Miss spring practice report...getting better rhythm

OXFORD, Miss. - Nathan Stanley tossed three touchdowns Saturday, as the Ole Miss offense started to display some rhythm in the Rebels' second full-scale scrimmage of spring football drills.
A crowd of approximately 300 enjoyed a hot Saturday morning practice in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and saw the Rebel defense jump out to a strong start with Ryan Campbell collecting an interception of Stanley followed by a Kentrell Lockett safety.
However, the offense got on track as Stanley fired a 19-yard touchdown to Lionel Breaux. After Charles Sawyer made a leaping interception in the endzone on the next drive, Stanley bounced back with a pair of 35-yard TD strikes to Markeith Summers and Melvin Harris.
"The offense started off slow, but if you watch the last three or four practices, we're getting a lot better rhythm and mechanics," said head coach Houston Nutt. "The footwork is better, and we're executing.
"Defensively, I still feel good, but I know we can do better than we showed today."
With Raymond Cotton slowed by a sore arm for much of the week, Stanley has gained an edge in the starting quarterback race, although Nutt saw room for improvement in his performance Saturday.
"I thought he made some good decisions today, but we weren't happy about the ones where he had the fade," Nutt said. "That ball has to be where the receiver gets it or no one gets it. He underthrew about two or three balls today on fades."
In the running game, Rodney Scott powered into the endzone late in the afternoon for a nine-yard touchdown, while Devin Thomas (50 yards), Korvic Neat (25 yards), Derrick Herman (5 yards) and H.R. Greer (10 yards) picked up scores against the backup defense.
"I thought our running game picked up a little bit today," said Nutt. "Our running backs ran hard. Brandon Bolden, Enrique Davis, Rodney Scott, Derrick Herman, Korvic Neat, all of those guys have had plays where they're getting better."
Nutt was frustrated with the inconsistency of his receiving corps after showing progress on Friday.
"We have to catch the ball better," he said. "We caught the ball excellent yesterday, and we came out today and had some tipped balls, some dropped balls. And then we threw too many interceptions. You can't do that."
With 27 lettermen and 16 starters lost from last year's squad, the Rebels are looking to some freshmen to help bolster the lineup and supply depth. Nutt has been pleased with the effort of some of these new faces, particularly in the secondary where a pair of redshirt freshmen supplied Saturday's defensive highlights.
"Charles Sawyer has had an excellent spring. We're going to count on him," Nutt said. "Ryan Campbell is really coming. He is hopefully going to provide us some depth.

Miss. State's Mullen Pleased With Results Of Spring's Biggest Test

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen walked away from Saturday morning's scrimmage at Davis Wade Stadium pleased with how his team performed it second scrimmage of the spring. The Bulldogs structured the scrimmage with focus on full-field drives for the first half followed by work on third-downs, redzone situations and two-minute drill. The 118-play scrimmage finished with the offense compiling 251 rushing yards on 69 attempts and 330 yards passing on 49 throws. "We competed well. I think we got better in the last week, and that's what you're looking for in the spring," Mullen said. "The only thing I wasn't pleased with was the turnovers. The offense lost today basically because we fumbled two punts." The defense sealed the victory for the day, along with the spoils of not having to participate in post-practice running, by ending a pair of two-minute drives by the offense. Maurice Langston hauled in an interception in the endzone to end the first-team offense's bid to drive 65-yards in a minute and a half. The Bulldog offense was able to sustain a few drives early in the scrimmage with a mixture of runs and intermediate passes, but it wasn't able to find the endzone until Chris Relf hit Leon Berry for a 68-yard score. The first-offense put together a long drive that ended with a failed fourth-down attempt from inside the five yardline. After a few series, Coach Mullen told both the offense and the defense that the red-jersey-wearing quarterbacks were live for full-contact. On the next possession, Tyler Russell fumbled and Chris White rumbled 27 yards for a score. During the redzone period, the offense scored on its first two possessions but the second-defense defense came up with a huge stop on 4th-and-goal at the 2 yardline to close out the period. Also during the short-field work, Russell connected with tight end Brandon Henderson on short pass and Brandon Heavens on a 17-yard catch-and-run for a pair of touchdowns. "We got a lot of work done today, now we'll go back and look at the film to see the techniques and fundamentals and see how well we carried those over from this week," Mullen said. The Bulldogs will return to work next week with Tuesday and Thursday practices. Friday's workout will be a walk-through in preparation for the April 17 Maroon-White Spring Game.

LSU's Larry Kahlden, '58 Football Champ, Dies at 73

BATON ROUGE - Lawrence Arthur Kahlden, Sr., an offensive guard and defensive tackle on the LSU 1958 National Championship football team, passed away in Shreveport this past Friday after a lengthy illness. He was 73.
Kahlden was one of three captains for the LSU football team that year and earned SEC honors while also being named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America selection.
Kahlden was born in Weimer, Texas in 1936 and after graduation from Weimer High signed a scholarship with LSU. He lettered in 1956, 1957 and 1958, graduated LSU with a degree in education in 1959.
Following college he moved to Shreveport where he won the city championship at Saint Johns Grade School. He was the head football coach at Jesuit High (now Loyola Prep) School. He was an assistant football coach at Byrd High where he also coached track and field, bringing his team several times to Baton Rouge for the state championship meeting, coaching several individuals to state titles.
After coaching, Kahlden became a coach of a different type, raising horses and eventually becoming a trainer for those horses that ran at the local racetrack, Louisiana Downs.
Kahlden is survived by his wife of 52 years, Vita Pernici Kahlden.

Arkansas gets ready for the Red-White spring game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday, April 24.

The University of Arkansas Razorback football team continued spring practices with a two-hour scrimmage Friday afternoon. The squad practiced inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in full pads.
"I was happy with the scrimmage," head coach Bobby Petrino said. "I thought it was very competitive. Both sides of the ball had times during the scrimmage where they made plays. I thought the defense played physical, they run to the ball and they tackled well. I liked what I saw from some of the running backs. We need to get more consistent at quarterback with handling pressure and doing things right on the line of scrimmage. We ran a lot of plays, did a lot of hard work and we had a lot of physical play. I think when we go back and credit, we'll see that it was very competitive."
Arkansas' group of tight ends saw lots of good work and numerous reps during Friday's practice. Petrino explained getting good work in with the group was planned in advance.
"It was a focus today," Petrino said. "We had a little list of things we wanted to get done with D.J. Williams and we feel like Chris Gragg needs a lot of work. He's very talented but he's a little bit behind in his technique and how he runs routes. Gragg can certainly catch the ball when you get it around him and they both run well with the ball after the catch. I think Austin Tate is doing a really nice job of blocking and he's able to play as a tight end and a fullback. He really did an excellent job during his redshirt year of gaining weight and strength."
Arkansas' receivers also saw a lot of action during Friday's practice. Soon-to-be junior Greg Childs led the team in receiving yards. He hauled in six passes for 109 yards.
"We weren't necessarily calling plays to throw to our receivers," Petrino said. "I think the defense made us throw to them. The defense dropped back a little more and played a little more zone coverage. It gave us the opportunity to dump the ball in the back and those guys can make plays when they catch it."

Georgia's Richt on QBs: 'I couldn't name a starter right now if I wanted to'

All three of the quarterbacks fighting for the starting job, Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger and Logan Gray, flashed varying degrees of impressiveness during UGA's annual spring game. Although nothing is concrete, as to who has the edge, as of now. “I know everybody wants to know what’s going on, they want to know who the starter is,” Richt said. “I couldn’t name a starter right now if I wanted to.”
Richt said a depth chart will be coming by the end of next week to give fans — and the quarterbacks — at least a small glimpse into who might eventually win the battle, but even that is still a long way from finding a long-term solution.
Gray, Mettenberger and Murray will all meet with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo in the coming week and learn a bit more about where they stand in the pecking order, but that’s far from the same as naming a starter.
“It matters some, but ultimately everybody’s going to have to compete again during fall camp, go out and take reps and make plays and run the offense again,” said Gray, who played the entire first half of Saturday’s G-Day game with the No. 1 unit offense, completing 10-of-17 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Gray’s performance was solid, if unspectacular, but at the least he proved he belonged in the competition. When the 2009 season ended, Gray seriously considered a position change, seeing his future at quarterback as rather bleak. Instead, his spring has been strong enough to keep him in the mix for the starting job.
It was Mettenberger, however, who stole the show Saturday. The redshirt freshman hit walk-on receiver Rhett McGowan on a 20-yard touchdown pass and tight end Arthur Lynch on a 39-yard score in the second quarter to secure the 17-7 win for the black team.
Mettenberger finished the game 6-of-10 passing for 150 yards and two touchdowns and showed off a cannon arm that receiver A.J. Green compared favorably to former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Gamecocks' Garcia still stinging from Spurrier jabs

Steve Spurrier has spent the better part of spring practice publicly calling out and questioning his presumptive starter at quarterback, Stephen Garcia.
From putting his job up for grabs toquestioning his work ethic, Spurrier has not been shy in criticizing the second-leading passer in the SEC, yardage-wise, in 2009.
Garcia has heard and read the words, and admits that they've left a mark.
"I not going to lie, I was pretty upset by it" Garcia said according to The State. "I'm just going to have to use that as motivation and try to prove him wrong."
The redshirt junior had a chance to silence his chief critic during the Gamecocks' spring game, but failed to even remotely do so. The inconsistency that's plagued him throughout the spring -- and brought the ire of his coach -- was evident again Saturday as Garcia went 8-of-15 passing for 79 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
While he softened his tone just a little bit, Spurrier once again challenged Garcia publicly to get better between now and the start of summer camp.
"We keep thinking Stephen is going to really get better. And something happens to him and he performs pretty similarly, it seems like, all the time," Spurrier said. "But he's got all summer to see if he can really try to iron out some things. ... We're trying to work on his form. But maybe we can't change his form, I don't know."

Gators' Blue Team Wins Orange and Blue Debut, 27-24, Saturday

A total of 51,500 Gator fans came out to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday as the Gators wrapped up the spring practice schedule and previewed the 2010 football squad at the annual Orange & Blue Debut. The Blue team defeated the Orange team, 27-24, to claim its third win in the last five years, after last winning in 2008.
Gator quarterbacks, redshirt junior John Brantley (Ocala, Fla.) and freshman Trey Burton (Venice, Fla.), showcased their talents as Brantley led the Blue squad, the designated first team, and Burton led the Orange squad, the designated second team. Redshirt freshman Jordan Reed (New London, Conn.) chipped in on the passing efforts of both the Orange and Blue teams, while also checking in at tight end in the contest.
Brantley finished the day with a new Orange and Blue Debut record, completing 78 percent of his passes (.789), after hitting 15-of-19 Saturday for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Burton rallied for 12-of-18, 120 yards and one touchdown through the air, while leading all Florida rushers with 123 yards on 10 carries for two touchdowns. Reed finished the afternoon 3-of-5 through the air for 80 yards and one passing score. Both Burton and Reed threw an interception each.
Junior kicker Caleb Sturgis (St. Augustine, Fla.) connected on 5-of-5 extra points, while hitting three field-goals from 42, 52 and 37 yards, respectively, but also missed his first 52-yard attempt in the first field-goal sequence at the 5:37 mark in the first quarter. Junior kicker Zachary Brust (Jacksonville, Fla.) connected on his first PAT as a Gator, splitting the uprights at 5:49 in the fourth and final quarter.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Carl Moore (Roseville, Calif.) led all wide receivers with five receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown, representing the Blue team in the spring game debut.
The Blue team jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after Brantley previewed his passing abilities, connecting first with redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson (Belle Glade, Fla.) for a 47-yard advance on the first play of the game, eventually allowing sophomore running back Mike Gillislee (DeLand, Fla.) to punch a one-yarder into the endzone.
After freshman cornerback Joshua Shaw (Palmdale, Calif.) picked off a Burton pass on the Orange team’s first possession and returned the rock 31 yards, the Blue team went up 14-0 at the 5:37 mark in the first quarter when Brantley hooked up with Moore on a 14-yard touchdown pass, and Sturgis tacked on the extra point.
Burton put the first points on the board for the Orange squad on a five-yard touchdown run on the team’s second possession. After halting the Blue’s ensuing possession, Burton kicked off the next drive for the Orange team with a new Orange and Blue Debut record 76-yard run to set up a 20-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Omarius Hines (Corsicana, Texas) to knot the score at 14 all with 4:30 remaining in the half.
Gator fans got to witness senior punter Chas Henry’s (Dallas, Ga.) leg as the Blue team punted with 2:40 to go in the half. With junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Pahokee, Fla.) back to receive, Henry booted a 42-yarder downfield, turning possession back to the Orange Gators.
Sturgis split the uprights on a 37-yard field-goal success with 50 seconds in the half to give the Orange team a 17-14 advantage heading into the locker room.
Opening the second half with possession of the ball, the Blue team drove down field to regain the lead after Brantley hit redshirt sophomore wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. (Hollywood, Fla.) with four-yard toss to go up, 21-17, with 3:35 in the third quarter after the extra point.
Henry closed out the third quarter for the Orange team with another 42-yard punt, this time to redshirt junior athlete Chris Rainey (Lakeland, Fla.).
The Blue team took over to kick off the final quarter of the Orange and Blue Debut, but redshirt sophomore linebacker Scott Peek (Tampa, Fla.) halted the Blue efforts, picking off Reed for a 25-yard interception return.
Burton capitalized on the change in possession, punching in a nine-yard touchdown run to give the Orange team a 24-21 advantage with 5:49 left in the game. Brust kicked his first extra point as a Gator to complete the drive for the Orange squad.
As the clock wound down, the Blue team was quick to rally for the win, immediately striking with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Reed to redshirt sophomore wide receiver T.J. Lawrence (Lakeland, Fla.) to go ahead by three, 27-23, for the win as redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Glen Watson (Pensacola, Fla.) blocked a Henry extra point attempt following the score.
Florida will open the 2010 regular season Sat., Sept. 4, when it hosts Miami (Ohio) at home.

Top Vandy defender to undergo surgery

The Tennessean is reporting that Van­der­bilt middle line­bac­ker Chris Marve missed Saturday's Black & Gold scrim­mage game and is sche­du­led for an arth­ros­co­pic pro­ce­dure on Mon­day to correct an ailing shoul­der injury that has pla­gued him for years.
Marve, the Com­mo­do­res' lea­ding tac­kler (121) and a second team All-SEC selec­tion last sea­son as a sopho­more, has been held out of the last week of prac­tice since re-injuring the shoulder.
That lea­ves Vandy without three of its top defen­sive pla­yers on Satur­day - Marve and tac­kles Adam Smother­man (torn ACL) and T.J. Greens­tone (shoul­der) - due to inju­ries sus­tai­ned this spring.
The deci­sion to end Marve's spring early and get the sur­gery out of the way is a no-brainer for the Com­mo­do­res. The Memphis pro­duct is arguably the team's top pla­yer on either side of the ball and is far too valua­ble to take risks with. He's not mis­sing anything he hasn't seen before.

'Bama DB ruled ineligible by NCAA

The Mobile Press- Register is reporting that, the University of Alabama has released official word today that junior safety Robby Green has been deemed ineligible by the NCAA for the 2010 football season.
Click here and click here for more about Green's situation.
His eligibility was in doubt because of an NCAA infraction of a personal nature that would not be considered an institutional violation, sources have said.
Alabama has not released details of Green's transgression. But per NCAA guidelines, student-athletes found to be in violation of the NCAA's substance-abuse policy are subject to a loss of eligiblity for "one calendar year."
UA appealed the initial ruling on Green's behalf. Athletes are not allowed to redshirt while ineligible in the eyes of the NCAA, meaning Green will be a senior in 2011.
"Even though we are very disappointed, we will continue to support Robby in every way possible," Tide coach Nick Saban said in a statement. "He'll practice and do all the other things with our team in terms of classes and workouts, but just won't be eligible to play in any games this fall. His attitude has been outstanding through this and his effort in practice has been very good as well. Even if he isn't playing, he can still have a significant impact on our team by helping out the younger players in the secondary and competing against the offense to make them better. We look forward to having Robby back on the field next fall for his senior season."

QB Nick Stephens is no longer part of UT program

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, quarterback Nick Stephens has left Tennessee's Derek Dooley said after practice on Thursday.
“In light of the way the first eight practices have gone and some of the competition we’ve created, he doesn’t want to be here and risk not playing his senior year,” Dooley said. “Nick is in his fifth year and has been trying to get on the field his whole career. He just felt it was too risky to go through another season, because he just wants to play.
“We hate to lose Nick but I certainly understand it. It’s a fifth-year quarterback who hasn’t played. You go play football to play, and I understand the emotion of it.”
Stephens was demoted in practice earlier this week from the first team in favor of junior college transfer Matt Simms and freshman Tyler Bray.
“We’ll give Matt and Tyler more reps,” Dooley said. “From that standpoint, they are going to get more opportunity and a better chance to show what they can do.”
Stephens started six games in 2008 but didn't play any meaningful snaps last season.
It is unknown if the fifth-year senior will transfer or if he'll play football again.

Lacerated kidney latest setback for GameCocks' LeCorn

Dion LeCorn was going to be held out of Saturday's USC football spring game because his coach wanted to avoid a repeat of last year. As it turns out, the senior receiver was injured anyway in the week leading up to the contest.
LeCorn was in the hospital Wednesday after sustaining a lacerated kidney at the end of Tuesday's practice. He was due to be released Wednesday afternoon, according to coach Steve Spurrier.
"They wanted to make sure it was OK. But I went by and saw him today," Spurrier said. "He seemed fine."
This is the third injury in a year for LeCorn. He broke his leg on the last play of the spring game last year, returning for the second game of the 2009 season. Then he injured his ankle the week of the Alabama game and didn't return until the regular-season finale against Clemson.
"I told him you weren't gonna play in the spring game anyway,'" Spurrier said. "I refuse to have two guys hurt in spring games, but Dion's gonna be fine, he's ready to have a good summer and ready to really play a lot next year.

Gators'.... "No stealing No drugs No weapons'

Florida coach Urban Meyer is a realist, young adults sometimes do dumb things. They get arrested. They smoke marijuana. They sometimes make poor decisions, and when you're a football player poor decisions become headlines. According to the Miami Herald, on Wednesday, he addressed such things with his team.
Members of Meyer's team through the years have had more than a few minor disagreements with the law. At one point, arrests were beginning to change the perception of the program and even affect the standard of football Meyer has worked so hard to achieve. Meyer set out to make sure of that on Wednesday with what was probably his most important speech of the spring. He gathered his team after practice, everyone took a knee and then Meyer laid down the law.
Let it be noted that the current Gators have, for the most part, stayed out of trouble and represented UF with class. Meyer aims to see the high standards continue this summer. Last summer, arrests were a problem.
"No stealing! No drugs! No weapons!" Meyer emphasized to his Gators. He went on to remind his team that the program has a drug policy. If a player tests positive for marijuana, then that player will be punished by missing games.
Meyer should be applauded for giving this speech in public. It was delivered within earshot of fans and reporters. After practice, players said that Meyer consistently reminds them of UF's high standards. Wednesday was the Gators' final full practice of the spring. The team will have a light practice on Friday before Saturday's spring game. After that, Meyer and his coaching staff will have limited contact with the team due to the NCAA's restriction on practicing over the summer.

Vols shakeup QB depth chart

Nick Stephens went 3-for-9 passing for six yards in Tennessee's scrimmage this past Thursday.
Nick Stephens now finds himself a bit further down the depth chart than before the scrimmage. Certainly, that's all just a coincidence.
Stephens, who had been working solely with the No. 1 offense, will now see some of those first-team reps go to Matt Simms and Tyler Bray, his main competition for the starting quarterback job.
"You have kind of a general plan of not overreacting every practice, and we haven't," head coach Derek Dooley said according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "But I think when you go halfway through the spring, that's a great time to do an early evaluation of where we are, and that's what we did. Then we'll probably re-evaluate it again at the end."
"We're going to keep evaluating every couple of weeks. Right now we're going to increase the reps of Matt and Tyler and back down Nick a little bit. Nick has been exclusively with the 1s, and now we're going to give Matt some more with the 1s, and give Tyler a little bit more with the 2s and maybe some with the 1s. We're going to keep varying the reps so they all get equal opportunity."
The Vols were hoping to find their starter at some point this spring, but the competition, based on the fact that neither of the three has reached out and grabbed the job by the throat, will likely continue on into summer camp.

Spurrier back in control of his offense

Speaking to Chris Low of ESPN.com's SEC blog, Spurrier said the offense will once again be his baby this year, with his staff helping formulate the game plan in the week leading up to a game. On Saturdays, though, it's all Ball Coach."I called most all of them last year, but I'm going to call them all this year," Spurrier told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "Sometimes, you think, 'Well, it's probably best to delegate a little bit more, this, that and the other.'
"But, no, I told the guys the other day that I'm going to go back to doing it the way I did it at Florida. I'm going to call the plays, or else they're going to all come through me."
Who was actually calling the plays the last two seasons has been a polarizing topic for South Carolina fans, ever since Spurrier said he was going to delegate a lot of the play-calling duties to his son, Steve Spurrier, Jr., and others on his offensive staff.
The elder Spurrier is considered one of the best playcallers in SEC history, and South Carolina fans weren't thrilled with the idea that he wouldn't be doing one of the things that's made him a surefire Hall of Famer.
Known for his unpredictability, Spurrier said his entire offensive staff would still be very involved in drawing up the offensive plan each week. In particular, he said first-year offensive line coach and running game coordinator Shawn Elliott would be heavily involved in choosing running plays.
The Gamecocks are running more zone read plays under Elliott, who was at Appalachian State previously. Elliott is the Gamecocks' third different offensive line coach in as many years.
"It's pretty good stuff, and we're trying to expand it this spring," Spurrier said. "The offensive line doesn't have to be as great as Alabama's or Florida's, maybe, to get some running lanes in there."