mazza's scouting report of Gcocks

[smazza]

No tension between Holtzes

Demotion was hurtful, but Skip says it won?t distract the team

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

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•  Gamecocks search for defensive line depth  

•  Muhammad back where he started  

•  Pinkins tries to get a grip  

•  USC's Junior Day attracts about 50 players  

Former USC offensive coordinator Skip Holtz said he was hurt after learning his father had demoted him this offseason, but vowed to be the best quarterbacks coach he could be.

Speaking publicly for the first time since Gamecocks coach Lou Holtz stripped his son of his title, Skip Holtz told reporters Tuesday that there is no rift between father and son, and that he has no regrets about leaving a head-coaching job five years ago to come to USC.

"I don't think there's any doubt that there's a little hurt when you take the public, the media feeding frenzy, whatever it was, nobody wants to go through that," Skip Holtz said. "But in this business, too, I know in the bottom of my heart the situation I was put in and am put in right now. I understand Coach wants to be more involved in the offense."

The younger Holtz was in Texas recruiting on Dec. 17 when his father held an impromptu news conference before a Gamecocks men's basketball game and announced he was taking over the offense. Skip Holtz, who had the coordinator's title the past five seasons, did not learn of the demotion until media members began calling him on his cell phone after Lou's news conference.

Skip Holtz declined comment that night and kept his silence until Tuesday, when he spoke after USC's third spring practice.

"I'm not involved in those decisions. Those decisions have been made," he said. "I'm the quarterbacks coach and the assistant head coach. I guess my job right now is to be the best quarterbacks coach I can be and to help this team be as good as it can be ... I've got more than I can say grace over just trying to be a quarterback coach right now."

Skip Holtz, who turned 40 this month, said he talked briefly with his father after the demotion, but did not "press" him for the reasons behind the decision. Asked about his relationship with his father, he joked: "One time he punched me, but outside of that it's been pretty good.

"There has been no tension," he said. "My situation, my status, my saga, whatever you want to call it ... will not be a distraction to this football team and what we're trying to do to put this thing back on top."

Lou Holtz has refused to elaborate on his decision to strip Skip of his title. But in a prepared statement he released to The State in February, Lou Holtz said if he had known the sacrifices his son would have to make, he never would have asked him to leave Connecticut.

Skip Holtz had a 34-23 record in five seasons at UConn, guiding the Huskies to a 10 wins and a berth in the Division I-AA playoffs in 1998 during his last season. Skip and his wife, Jennifer, decided to move to Columbia in part to be closer to his mother, Beth, who was battling cancer at the time.

"I've never regretted it once. I've never looked back and said, ?I probably shouldn't have come here,'- " Skip said. "I want to be a head coach again. And if I coach here four, five, six, seven, eight years, however long that is, and my kids remember what it's like to grow up in Columbia around Nanny and Papa, and I get the opportunity to be a head coach again, then this is the best move I ever could have made."

Quarterback Dondrial Pinkins said he did not agree with all of the offseason changes, which included the firing of four assistant coaches.

Asked about Skip Holtz's demotion, Pinkins said: "I just thought it was something that should have never happened. But it was something that they felt needed to be done and they just took action.

"I don't think a lot of people deserved to get what they got," Pinkins said. "I think we had a lot of chances last year to win some big games and we didn't pull them off. Part of that falls on the players and part of it falls on the coaches."

Skip Holtz said he is not certain whether he will maintain a role in the offensive play-calling next fall, but the early signs point that way.

"To this point, Coach has had a very open ear," Skip said. "He's been very receptive. He'll turn and walk away and say, ?You run it. I'll be back in 10 minutes.' I feel comfortable doing it. If he wants me to do it, I'll do it. But if he wants to be more involved, he's the head coach."

[FLIPSTYLE]

i think we can take these guys. sc has not been a power in a long time. not taking anything away, but they simply run out of gas everytime they play a big game.

i'm certainly hoping ours is a big game. by big i mean close

[Velcro]

Smazza's knowledge of message boards is growing... he now knows how to post stories and images... WTG Smazz.  I look forward to some great scouting reports over the next few months.

[E.T.]

Now nobody can hammer on 1 line smazza posts ... who wants to challenge smazza to Scout of the OffSeason.

Great Job Steve!

Go BULLS !!!

[smazza]

amazing how much info is out there

[E.T.]

amazing how much info is out there

... and porn  

:

[smazza]

March 28, 2004

Spring scrimmages have featured plenty of contact

MORE STORIES  

•  Gamecocks search for defensive line depth  

•  No tension between Holtzes  

•  Muhammad back where he started  

•  Pinkins tries to get a grip  

USC will not have its first scrimmage until April 3 ? officially, anyway. Gamecocks coach Lou Holtz said Saturday that his team's first few days in full pads have resembled a scrimmage, with lots of full-contact work in various drills.

"These have been the longest, hardest spring practices I've ever had," said Holtz, set to begin his 33rd season as a head coach.

Holtz said the long practices are the result of adding new schemes and wrinkles on both sides of the ball.

"We want to be rather multiple in our offensive approach and our defensive approach," Holtz said. "Consequently, there's just an awful lot of things to get done in a short period of time."

The hard-hitting nature of the practices also has been by design.

"In the past we've always practiced stay on your feet," Holtz said.

Not this year. Not after back-to-back 5-7 seasons.

A third of the way through spring practice, Holtz praised the play of young quarterbacks Blake Mitchell and Syvelle Newton and said a linebacking corps that was hobbled much of 2003 is healthy and looking good.

"The freshman quarterbacks took a big step in the last two days," Holtz said. "I think Blake Mitchell and Syvelle Newton do some awfully good things. They're starting to get the grasp of what they're doing."

Newton, a rising sophomore who played receiver this past season, and Mitchell, a redshirt freshman, are competing with returning starter Dondrial Pinkins and Mike Rathe for the starting role.

As for the linebackers, Holtz said Ricardo Hurley (ankle), Lance Laury (knee) and Marcus Lawrence (back) "don't even resemble last fall."

"Hurley is just having an outstanding spring, as (are) Lawrence and Laury," Holtz said. "It's obvious that they've recovered from those (injuries), and you can see it in their quickness and the way they act and react."

- Sharing the wealth. USC would appear to have a numbers problem in the backfield, where it returns 600-yard rushers in Daccus Turman and Demetris Summers, as well as the hard-running Cory Boyd and redshirt senior Gonzie Gray.

But Boyd said the addition of more two-back sets would help get all of the backs playing time.

"We don't have to fight that much with each other to see who's going to get the starting spot because everyone's going to roll," Boyd said. "It's fun right now."

Sharing carries in the fall might not be as much fun.

Injury report. Matthew Thomas and Noah Whiteside joined an increasingly crowded injured list among receivers. Thomas and Whiteside left Saturday's practice early with ankle sprains. Their status for today's practice in shorts and helmets is uncertain. Redshirt freshman receiver Derrick Harper (left wrist) sat out Saturday

[smazza]

Gamecocks search for defensive line depth

MORE STORIES  

•  Spring scrimmages have featured plenty of contact  

•  No tension between Holtzes  

•  Muhammad back where he started  

•  Pinkins tries to get a grip  

Former USC defensive coordinator Charlie Strong has been gone for more than a year, but the Gamecocks still deal with his legacy. Rick Minter, hired in January as USC's third defensive coordinator in as many seasons, said the Gamecocks are lacking depth along their defensive front, in large part because Strong's 3-3-5 scheme called for only three starting defensive linemen.

Minter said Friday that he feels comfortable with USC's front four ? ends Moe Thompson and George Gause and tackles Darrell Shropshire and Freddy Saint-Preux. But he's looking for quality backups, a search made more difficult with Eric Stroman (foot) and Preston Thorne (knee) out for the spring with injuries.

Minter said USC has been recruiting more defensive linemen since switching to a four-man front last season under ex-coordinator Chris Cosh. But some of those players will not arrive on campus until August.

"It's hard to catch up in one year in your depletion of numbers. We don't have enough down players, and two of them are hurt," Minter said. "So we're very thin right now in the defensive front."

Minter said Charles Silas, Stanley Doughty and Chris Tucker are competing for time at tackle. Jason Capers and James Scott are working behind Thompson and Gause at end.

"Our concern right now is quality depth up front," Minter said. "Our starters up front are quality guys."

- Big change. Rod Wilson began his career under center. The former quarterback does not want to end it being trampled by centers ? or guards and tackles, for that matter.

Wilson, a senior from Cross, is playing outside linebacker this spring, the fifth position he has tried at USC. He said the biggest difference at linebacker from his turns at spur and safety is playing closer to the line of scrimmage and taking on offensive linemen.

Wilson, 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, received his initiation when 6-5, 305-pound guard Jonathan Alston drilled him under the chin while blocking in a recent drill.

"I was like, ?OK, that's how it is in the box,'" Wilson recalled. "But that's OK. I'm not going to let any linemen intimidate me. I'm not going to let anyone intimidate me."

Wilson and Corey Peoples, another ex-safety moved to linebacker, are playing on the wide side of the field to take advantage of their athleticism.

Said Minter: "With all the spread offenses of today you better be athletic in space, and Rod Wilson offers us that (and) Corey offers us that a little bit better than some of the other guys."

- Strickland on Rimington list. Returning starter John Strickland is one of 36 players on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, given annually to the nation's top center. Strickland, a 6-4, 300-pounder from Bainbridge, Ga., will anchor an offensive line that returns four of five starters.

- This and that. Receiver Derrick Harper, a redshirt freshman from Montclair, N.J., sprained ligaments in his left hand during Friday's practice. ... The Gamecocks' three-day coaches clinic

[smazza]

Muhammad back where he started

MORE STORIES  

•  Spring scrimmages have featured plenty of contact  

•  Gamecocks search for defensive line depth  

•  No tension between Holtzes  

•  Pinkins tries to get a grip  

After three position switches in two-plus seasons, USC senior Taqiy Muhammad is back where he started ? at cornerback.

Muhammad, a native of Wilmington, N.C., arrived from Butler (Kan.) Community College two years ago as a corner and started five games there during the 2002 season.

Muhammad moved to wide receiver last spring, played 10 games at wideout this past season before finishing the year at safety. Now Muhammad is relearning the intricacies of what he believes is his best position.

"It's easier to learn on the field than in the meeting room," he said. "I'm just taking it one step at a time."

USC needed depth at the position after its top three corners ?Dunta Robinson, Teddy Crawford and Deandre' Eiland ? departed. Muhammad is working with the second team behind sophomore Fred Bennett and junior-college transfer Jonathan Joseph.

But Muhammad could move up the depth chart if he continues his fast start this spring: The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder had an interception in each of the Gamecocks' first two practices.

- School of hard knocks. Sophomore tailback Demetris Summers, who missed the Florida game in 2003 because of postconcussion effects, briefly tried wearing a special helmet that is supposed to offer more protection against head injuries.

Summers tried the custom helmet, worn by former Gamecocks back/receiver Ryan Brewer, for two practices before switching back to his regular helmet on Tuesday.

"I didn't feel comfortable with it," Summers said, "so I went back to the other one."

Summers, who rushed for 638 yards as a freshman, blacked out after getting hit by two players on the first play of the second half in a 28-6 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 6. It was the first concussion of Summers' career.

The Parade All-American from Lexington said he was glad to hear that the Gamecocks would be using more I-formation next season because he was familiar with it from high school.

- This and that. Like Muhammad, Fran Person has returned to his original position of tight end. Person was a backup defensive lineman last year. ... Former linebacker Jeremiah Garrison, a visitor at Tuesday's practice, said he had a good showing last week's at USC's pro timing day for NFL scouts. Garrison, who tore his posterior cruciate ligament against Clemson last November, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds and did 22 reps on the 225-pound bench press. ... The Gamecocks, who worked in full pads for the first time Tuesday, will practice again on Friday.

[smazza]

tries to get a grip

Gamecocks coaches encourage QB to throw with laces

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

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MULTIMEDIA  

PHOTOS

What a comeback!

Chad Blackwell struck out the side in the bottom of the tenth to give the Gamecocks the win over Clemson. Photos from the game.  

PHOTOS

Solid pitching, hitting nets win

Kevin Melillo celebrates his home run in the second that put USC up 4-0. Photos from the game.  

Dondrial Pinkins' spring project: Get a grip on the football and, in turn, a grip on USC's quarterback job.

Pinkins revealed Sunday that he is trying a more conventional grip this spring, holding the ball with his fingers on the laces. Pinkins, a redshirt senior from Camilla, Ga., has used his unconventional grip ? with his hand holding all leather ? since he began playing youth football.

But after Pinkins struggled with accuracy during his first full season as a starter, the Gamecocks' coaching staff approached him about trying to change his grip.

"When you look at his inaccuracy throughout the course of the year, I just told him this was something we needed to look at," quarterbacks coach Skip Holtz said. "Since this is the way everyone else does it, there might be something to it."

Holtz has tried to get Pinkins to throw with the laces before. But Pinkins felt more comfortable ? and threw better, according to Holtz ? using his own style. During USC's first two spring practices, Pinkins has thrown with the laces during individual drills but gone back to his old grip during team periods.

"I just can't jump in and throw every ball with the laces," Pinkins said. "I have to work my way up and that's what I'm trying to do."

A Jefferson-Pilot broadcast team noticed Pinkins' unorthodox grip last September while televising the Gamecocks' 31-7 victory against Virginia.

Several other media outlets followed with stories. One USC receiver said that Pinkins' grip made his passes difficult to catch, leading to speculation that it was causing a spate of dropped passes.

"Maybe if I start throwing with the laces it will take a lot of the media off of it and I won't have to hear about it anymore," Pinkins said.

Pinkins ranked last among SEC starting quarterbacks in 2003 with a 50.3 completion percentage and was next to last in passing efficiency. He is uncertain whether a new grip will allow him to throw with more precision, but is willing to try it if it helps him remain the starter.

"I want to go out and keep this job. I'm working hard every day to try to keep it," Pinkins said. "I just want to go out this spring and prove to people that I'm still the No. 1 quarterback."