5 things South Carolina needs to accomplish during its spring game

Name: Garnet and Black Spring Game
Time: Saturday, noon ET
TV: SEC Network
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, S.C.)
Format: Offense vs. defense

South Carolina wraps up its spring workouts Saturday with its annual spring game — with an alumni flag football game as an opening act an hour before kickoff.

Here are five things coach Will Muschamp and his coaches need to see out of this exhibition:

1. HOW WILL THE HEALTHY QUARTERBACKS RESPOND TO ‘LIVE BULLETS’?

It’s been a tough spring for quarterbacks in Columbia. Lorenzo Nunez sprained his knee and Perry Orth broke his collarbone, narrowing the field just a bit for the spring game.

True freshman Brandon McIlwain and Orth were the co-leaders for the starting job, according to Muschamp, before Orth’s injury. Now that Orth is on the shelf, McIlwain should get a long look Saturday.

The same is true for Connor Mitch, who won the job last year, suffered a early injury and then dealt with a case of pink eye this spring.

“We’re going to take the competition into fall and kind of continue to look at doing what’s best for South Carolina,” Muschamp told the Charleston Post and Courier. “Perry (Orth) will obviously be involved in that conversation as well, and I want to get Lorenzo (Nunez) back this week.”

Any quarterback healthy enough to impress coaches Saturday can give himself a leg up heading into the summer.

2. WHO’S EMERGING AT WIDE RECEIVER?

With Pharoh Cooper working out for NFL teams, the search for playmakers is on.

Rising sophomore Deebo Samuel and true freshman Bryan Edwards reportedly have looked the best this spring, but at this point, not much else is certain.

Terry Googer has a high-ankle sprain and will miss the spring game. Jamari Smith, recently moved from running back, has looked good at times, according to The State’s Josh Kendall.

There’s plenty of room for someone to step up and carve out some playing time with a strong performance Saturday.

3. HOW IS THE DEFENSIVE FRONT SEVEN SHAPING UP?

Muschamp has made it clear that he plans to rotate defensive linemen this fall.

So, that means that returnees like Marquavius Lewis and Darius English (out of the spring game with a pulled quad) find themselves battling early enrollees like Keir Thomas and Kobe Smith for playing time.

The competition for those spots in the rotation will only intensify when the rest of the freshman class arrives, so any strides these players can make now might prove useful.

4. WILL THERE BE IMPROVEMENT IN THE SECONDARY?

Muschamp described this group as being “light years away” from where it needed to be last week, and he’s hoping that distance is a tad shorter after Saturday’s game.

Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson also is hopeful that his defensive backs can turn things around.

“We’ve just got to focus on the details,” he told the Post and Courier this week. “… We need to be tackling better. We need to get off blocks. We need those different things to make us successful. But it’s just the details. If we take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.”

5. CAN THE PROGRAM SORT THROUGH THESE ISSUES AND STILL IMPRESS RECRUITS?

Anytime there are recruiting targets on campus, it’s imperative that a school put its best foot forward. According to Muschamp, “dozens” of them will be in the stadium Saturday, taking in the sights and sounds.

“Most of the spring breaks are done. A lot of young men nowadays are traveling and seeing multiple schools during a time period,” Muschamp told The State newspaper. “Until we start hitting the camp circuit in June, this will be one of the last shots we have to get them back on campus. It’s huge. It’s huge for them to see a passionate fan base and to see what we’re all about, the direction of the program and where we’re headed.”

Muschamp has made it clear that he wants a big crowd and an entertaining atmosphere for Saturday’s festivities. We’ll see what kind of response he gets from Gamecocks fans — and his players.

Randy Capps

Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.