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Muschamp: Secondary must improve before we play closer to the line

Will Muschamp
Will Muschamp
Gamecock Central

Will Muschamp played safety at Georgia in the early 1990s, rising from walk-on to team captain, and has mentored defensive backs throughout his 21-year coaching career.

Thirteen of those years have been spent coaching in the SEC at three different schools – LSU, Auburn and Florida. So, he knows a thing or two about the talent and ability required to play secondary in the toughest league in the country.

His current assessment of the Gamecocks’ secondary? Not too good.

Muschamp prefers to have his cornerbacks play an aggressive, in-your-face, bump-and-run style on the perimeter. But 15 spring practices convinced Muschamp the Gamecocks lack the talent necessary to play the way he wants.

Result? Probably more of the conservative approach that horrified many Gamecocks fans last season when USC cornerbacks often afforded opposing receivers plenty of cushion.

“There is an old saying among coaches that it’s not the X’s and O’, it’s the Jimmies and Joes,” Muschamp told the Florence County Gamecocks Club last week. “I have coached secondary my entire career. Based on how we covered in the spring, we are going to have to play some off coverages. That’s just being honest.

“That’s not our style if you have ever watched our defenses and seen where we’ve played and what we have done. We are on the line of scrimmage playing bump and run and challenging every throw that we can. That’s how you disrupt the passing game, challenge throws.”

Muschamp, though, isn’t about to lay the entire burden of defending the passing game upon the secondary. He wants to see an improved pass rush from the defensive front seven as well.

“The best pass defense in America is a pass rush,” Muschamp said. “We need to rush the passer and affect the quarterback better, not rushing five or six but with four guys rushing. That is going to be very important for us. If we continue to improve at the corner position, I’ll be comfortable having them playing up on the line of scrimmage a lot.”

Opposing quarterbacks completed 65.7 percent of their passes (228-347) against the Gamecocks, highest in the SEC. Just one other team (Arkansas) allowed an opposing completion percentage above 62 percent.

Throughout the Spurs Up tour, Muschamp hasn’t minced words about the lack of depth and talent he saw this spring in the Gamecock secondary.

In his view, just three defensive backs performed at the high level he demands – Rashad Fenton, Chris Lammons and Chaz Elder.

“(Those three guys) are probably the only three secondary guys coming out of the spring I feel we can win ballgames in our league with,” Muschamp said. “So, we have to make strides there. I feel like we have the guys in place to make the strides, but they have to do it. Talk is cheap. You have to be able to make strides on the field and make improvement before fall camp.”

Muschamp acknowledges without additional defensive backs stepping up, the Gamecock secondary will likely be forced to play more conservatively than he prefers.

“We need to improve tremendously on the back end,” Muschamp said. “We have enough talent and experience in our front seven to be fine on defense. We have to shore up the back end. But we’re paper thin at some positions, including the secondary.

“We want to be a bump and run team. That’s what we’ve been everywhere we’ve been. But it’s all about what your players can do. It’s not about your scheme and just throwing it on the players. That’s good coaching – what can your players do.”

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