Beamer feeling 'confident' in defensive backs battling for starting spot after final scrimmage
Going into South Carolina’s final scrimmage this past Saturday, head coach Shane Beamer already had a good idea of what the run game was going to look like. So this time around, he wanted the offense’s focus to be more on passing.
“We really wanted to come in and be able to throw and catch a little bit,” Beamer said. “We kind of know who our top couple running backs are. Let’s get these other guys some carries and see what they can do. Then we said, let’s kind of figure out what our receivers can do, so let’s throw and catch the ball a little bit more than maybe we did last week.”
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In the 100-plus play practice, it seemed there was more of an emphasis on the quarterbacks throwing the ball. On the flip side, this meant the defense’s secondary was put to the test. Specifically at defensive back, those players got a lot of work in, which is important in an ongoing position battle.
When the season begins, O’Donnell Fortune will be in his second straight season as a starter at one of those corner spots. The other is much more up for grabs with Judge Collier, Emory Floyd and Vicari Swain being the main three Beamer noted are fighting in that competition.
Of the three, Collier played the most at corner last season, with two starts in 12 games played. Floyd and Swain each saw time in three games without any starts and made two tackles apiece.
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“All those guys, we feel confident with. I feel confident saying all three of those guys are going to play against Old Dominion at corner,” Beamer said. “Judge has the most experience. Judge came in and started games last year for us as a true freshman at corner. You guys know how long and athletic he is. He can run. He’s been good. Emory has done some really good things, Vicari has done some good things back there.”
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While the offense had some good pass plays, Beamer said the defensive backs were good as well. He specifically pointed out DQ Smith, who will be going into his third year as a starter in the secondary, continues to be “Mr. Steady and Mr. Consistent.” GamecockCentral’s Mike Uva learned Smith had a “long pick-six” in the scrimmage, per sources.
The main thing Beamer has been looking for in this battle has been consistency. Opposite of Fortune, the Gamecocks had Marcellas Dial Jr., a regular starter at corner who’s now with the New England Patriots. So finding someone who can be consistent but also play good defense will be the deciding factor in who ultimately plays there the most.
“One mistake and that’s an 80-yard touchdown pass over your head. So we’ve got to be consistent back there,” Beamer said. “Thought those guys at corner competed and showed and made some plays. Really for us, it’s just trying to develop depth. So yes, wanting to throw and catch some, we did that. We completed some passes and then we also had some passes that were certainly defended against us by a pretty good secondary that’s led by a pretty good front seven in front of them, in my opinion.”
