Shrine Bowl Notebook: Offense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SPARTANBURG | Shrine Bowl week in the Carolinas is often one of the most interesting and unpredictable weeks of the year. This year, the first two days of practice showcased bitter cold, unseasonable warmth, and a whole lot of talent at every position. Here's a look at how the South Carolina team has looked during the week's early practices.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's game might look a little bit different up front. Where North Carolina usually has a decided size advantage in the trenches, this is the first time in a while that South Carolina has countered with some outright massive dudes up front. Clinton's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken']</strong> (pictured) is one of the biggest, listed at 6-foot-5 and 350 pounds, and the N.C. State commit played Monday and Tuesday with a group that included <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402516' first='Zyon' last='Guiles']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165103' first='Anthony' last='Baxter']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473011' first='Desmond' last='Green']</strong>, all Division I recruits.<strong> </strong>That's not something Aiken said he and his fellow linemen have even thought about, he said. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's been amazing, especially getting to know these guys better," he said. "We haven't even thought about where we're playing next. It's just five equals one, and we're going to go get them. We're going to to represent South Carolina one more time."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aiken is playing at tackle, but said everyone on the line - which also includes <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212409' first='Scottland' last='Dover']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267220' first='Zion' last='Britt']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820899' first='Josiah' last='Mason']</strong> - seems comfortable just about everywhere.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We have a bunch of Swiss Army knives," he said. "Any of us can play anywhere. We have five dudes who can play center. We're all just versatile."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TIGHT ENDS SHINE</strong> - Even with all that talent up front, all-star games are notorious for the defenses being a little bit ahead and the QBs needing to get rid of the ball fairly quickly. That's where an incredible group of tight ends will help South Carolina. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1579733' first='Walker' last='Kelley']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395078' first='Kam' last='Taylor']</strong> are both tight ends by position, and both looked really good both on quick routes and deep routes in both afternoon sessions. The X-factor for the Sandlappers might be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816735' first='Jamel' last='Howse']</strong>. He's lined up a little differently, and he certainly does things that make him LOOK like a TE, whatever the roster says by his name. If Kelley and Taylor are matchup problems, which they are, then Howse is an absolute nightmare.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LOADED BACKFIELD</strong> - While Greenwood's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639712' first='Triston' last='Lewis']</strong> will be playing defense due to a hand injury, South Carolina looks good at QB with Stratford's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis']</strong> and Gaffney's<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1403906' first='Banks' last='Bouton']</strong>. Davis threw a couple of unbelievable balls, particularly during Monday afternoon's bitterly cold practice, and Bouton looked sharp as well. Both can also take off and go, and are dangerous with their legs. South Carolina's trio of backs look good as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan']</strong> looks right at home beside Davis, his high school teammate. Liberty's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1303770' first='Jamijae' last='Karim']</strong> has speed and plenty of pop, excelling on inside runs. And <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1667450' first='Amari' last='Verner']</strong> is using his slight stature and blazing speed to his advantage - behind the massive offensive line, there were several plays that found him already at the second level before the defense could pick him up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TALENT OUT WIDE</strong> - Against a REALLY good defensive secondary, South Carolina's receivers were all making impressive plays early in the week. Crescent's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395080' first='Amiri' last='Acker']</strong> caught a couple of long balls against tight coverage, while Dillon's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson']</strong> was impressive on completions over the middle. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816751' first='Jude' last='Hall']</strong> used his huge size to his advantage on multiple plays, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='591391' first='Blake' last='Betette']</strong> made a handful of guys miss in space and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance']</strong> just generally went and got everything thrown his way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SPECIAL TEAMS STAR POWER</strong> - There's plenty of star power on the field when the Sandlappers are returning kickoffs, too. First, in order to get something returnable, Spartanburg's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816752' first='Will' last='Love']</strong> looked like he was taking a little bit off of his usual booming kicks. Back to return for South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon were <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819627' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819992' first='Sequel' last='Patterson']</strong>, two electric guys who are capable of turning a game absolutely upside-down if you make one misstep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->