South Carolina Gamecocks to Start Third QB in Four Games
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Since starting his coaching career in 1978 as the Florid Gators quarterbacks coach and then taking over as head coach for the Tampa Bay Bandits in 1983, one can assume South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier has always been a top of the world kind of guy. Even after a mediocre 7-6 season in 2014, Spurrier did not back away from jawing at other conference teams during the SEC Media Days over the summer touting his success against others.
Perhaps now, after posting 227 wins at the collegiate level over a span of 26 years with one national title (1996), the Ol’ Ball Coach is finally being humbled. The Gamecocks are off to a 1-2 record and are in an offensive and defensive mess after a 52-20 shelling by SEC East rival Georgia. The Bulldogs put up 576 yards of total offense but more importantly the offense only mustered up 258 yards.
The Gamecocks are without starting quarterback Connor Mitch (shoulder and hip injuries) for another 3-4 weeks forced to rely on junior Perry Orth and true freshman Lorenzo Nunez.
In his first start against Georgia, Orth looked lost completing 6-of-17 passes for 66 yards with one interception. Nunez was worked into the game going 4-for-5 for 18 yards relying more on his feet to help provide offense scrambling 10 times for 76 yards with one touchdown.
Spurrier told the media on Tuesday Orth is no longer the starter and Nunez is first up under center adding, “We’re going to let him (Nunez) go play. The other quarterback will probably play some over the course of the game. It just depends on how the game goes.”
Spurrier explained why Nunez was next up stating, “Lorenzo gives us a little spark in there that we don’t have offensively.”
South Carolina may have a short lived reprieve this week with Central Florida coming to town. The Knights are in a freefall of their own starting out 0-3 with losses to Florida International (15-14), Stanford (31-7), and Furman (16-15). The troubles for UCF continue with the dismissal of expected starting junior running back William Stanback from the team. Stanback was an All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2014. Stanback’s relationship with UCF has been tenuous thus far in 2015 not playing against Furman and only picking up 12 carries in two games for 11 yards.
Stanback’s dismissal was announced in a one sentence press release citing failure to comply with athletic policy and team rules.
In Week 5, South Carolina picks their SEC schedule back up going on a brutal six-game stretch that includes at Missouri, vs. LSU, vs. Vanderbilt, at Texas A&M, and at Tennessee.
Kickoff for UCF against South Carolina is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Photo credit: John Bazemore; Steve Spurrier instructs from the sidelines against Georgia in Week 3.