It's been an interesting season so far for South Carolina. It's an up and down year full of disappointing losses and a big win over Auburn.

Long term, in-depth evaluation comes at the end of the season, but it's never too early to take in and see where things stand now.

Without a game to cover today, here's a look at a the good and bad over the first five games.

Most valuable player

Offense: Kevin Harris

Duh. Harris is the no-brainer here, hitting the midway point second in the SEC in attempts (93), yards (535) and yards per carry. He's a big reason why the Gamecocks have been in the games they've been in this year, scoring eight times in five games, and is keeping the Gamecock offense balanced despite some struggles in the pass game.

Also see: Insider notes from Saturday's baseball scrimmage

Defense: Jaycee Horn

It took three years, but Jaycee Horn finally got his first interception and now he's getting the respect nationally that he's been getting at a local level as one of the best corners in the country.

He's allowed receptions on just 23.8 percent of targets and quarterbacks have just a 39.3 rating when throwing at him. This one was also a no-brainer.

Most valuable newcomer:

Offense: Jazston Turnetine

South Carolina doesn't have many young players making a consistent impact right now offensively, but Turnetine has started the last two games at left tackle and gives the Gamecocks their best five up front, Will Muschamp said.

Defense: Jordan Burch

Yep, a five-star player living up to some early expectations for him. He's the eighth-highest PFF grade on the defensive side of things and has some eye-popping plays in his first five games of the year. He's also helping to boost the Gamecocks' pass rush.

Biggest positive surprise

Offense: The run game

When MarShawn Lloyd tore his ACL, it looked like the run game would be severely hampered this year with the lack of proven talent in the room. Five games into the year and the Gamecocks have one of the best rushing attacks in the league. That has to continue if they want to win as many games as possible down the stretch.

Also see: In-depth thoughts before South Carolina's second half

Defense: Ernest Jones

Fifty-five tackles in five games. Yeah, he's one of the best linebackers in the SEC. It was known just how vital Jones would be to the defense, and he's taken that to the next level. Now it's just getting the rest of the defense to play like him.

Biggest concern

Offense: Downfield passing game

The passing game hasn't been great all year, but Collin Hill is middle of the road in the majority of offensive statistics, but the Gamecocks haven't stretched the ball well through five games.

They need to take more shots—just 15 of Hill's 179 attempts have been over 20 yards down the field—but the Gamecocks need to have better protection and more receivers step up offensively.

If they can't become more explosive, then the offense could sputter at times on the back half.

Defense: Pretty much everything outside of the pass rush

Pass rush? Good. Everything else? Less so. The Gamecocks have struggled the entire season a giving up big plays in the secondary (opponents are averaging 7.9 yards per attempt) and in the run game the last three weeks (almost 600 combined yards on the ground given up against Vanderbilt, Auburn and LSU).

There's a lot of fixing that needs to happen defensively for the Gamecocks to win games down the stretch.

Also see: Basketball musings before the season starts

Biggest question for final five

Offense: Can a receiver outside of Shi Smith step up?

Shi Smith: 36 receptions for 415 yards and three scores. Every other receiver: 16 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown. That's a problem. The Gamecocks need more receivers to step up to take the pressure off Smith, who's been one of the workhorses in the league this season.

If not, the passing attack could get bogged down after the bye week.

Defense: Can the Gamecocks fix its rush defense?

Before the season, defensive coaches raved about its depth up front and the talent on the line. While the talent is there, it needs to continue living up to expectations and defend the run better. They're getting bounced out of gaps and struggling to get push up front.

That's the start of where improvements need to happen before Texas A&M, which leads the SEC in yards per rush, comes to Columbia.