South Carolina offense praised by Ole Miss LB Pooh Paul
On Saturday, South Carolina and Ole Miss will meet on the gridiron inside the confines of Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks didn’t play last week, while the Rebels are coming off of a loss to Kentucky. According to Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin and several of his players, the loss has created an additional sense of focus heading into their first trip to Columbia since 2009.
One of Kiffin’s players who has spoken to the media this week is linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Paul gave his thoughts on the USC offense. The veteran transfer portal addition from the Arkansas Razorbacks was very complimentary of the Gamecocks.
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He first assessed the team’s stars who were listed as “questionable” on Wednesday’s injury report. “[South Carolina has] a real good quarterback in Sellers. Rocket Sanders—I played with Rocket for three years [at Arkansas]…good dude—runs hard, runs behind his pads, very elusive.”
Despite the unclear designations (and perhaps, a bit of coaching gamesmanship) on the injury report, the Rebels clearly believe LaNorris Sellers and Rocket Sanders will play. South Carolina fans hope Kiffin’s team is correct in that assessment.
Even if Sellers and Sanders can’t go or are limited, Paul knows offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains can utilize other weapons. With the two starters out for all or most of the Gamecocks’ previous game against Akron, backup Robby Ashford was the highest-graded quarterback in the country according to PFF, and the non-Sanders running backs found the end zone on four occasions.
In addition to his comments on Sanders, Paul threw a compliment the way of another USC running back: “Juju McDowell, I know him from high school…pretty fast, pretty elusive.” The All-SEC linebacker also called South Carolina’s tight end group “pretty nice.”
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Paul did not talk about Mike Furrey’s wide receiver room, but Jared Brown (the team’s second-leading receiver) could return after missing the Akron game with an injury. Fellow receiver Gage Larvadain is healthy again and showcased his downfield ability last weekend alongside freshman breakout star Mazeo Bennett.
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Though it hasn’t always shown up in the box score, Paul says that Ole Miss knows the Carolina offense is capable of a big performance. Referencing long rushes from Sellers and Sanders against LSU, Paul said, “They’re very explosive. They capitalize on big plays.”
Big plays could be a major factor on Saturday. Against Kentucky last week, the Rebels allowed 14 separate gains of at least 10 yards (8 passing, 6 rushing). Quarterbacks Brock Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt caused problems for the Rebels on the ground, something South Carolina will look to replicate with Sellers, Ashford, or both.
The Gamecocks and 12th-ranked Rebels will take the field for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. Williams-Brice Stadium is sold out, but fans at home can watch the game on ESPN or the ESPN app. Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor will be on the call.
