Muschamp: Turner has "distanced himself" in RB battle
Anything can change in a blink of an eye in college football, but redshirt freshman A.J. Turner should feel a little more secure in his newfound role as South Carolina’s No. 1 running back.
Turner has bypassed redshirt junior David Williams and the rest of the USC running backs during the first 11 practices of preseason camp and now has a healthy lead over the other contenders, Will Muschamp said Thursday during a media luncheon at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Even though 18 practices remain and the Gamecocks won’t release another depth chart until a few days before the season opener at Vanderbilt, Williams’ tumble from the No. 1 running back exiting spring practice to just another running back battling to get practice reps is well underway.
“A.J. Turner has distanced himself and he’s our best (running) back right now,” Muschamp said. “That’s pretty evident to me. All I do is watch what I see. I can’t hope for things. I watch what I see on tape and what I see on the field. A.J. Turner has distanced himself. After that, we’ll see what happens.”
According to Turner and Rod Talley, who spoke with the media earlier this week, three running backs are working with the No. 1 group in practice – Turner, Talley and Darius Paulk. Williams is the lone RB on the roster with meaningful game experience, so his fall means USC could enter the season with the least experienced running back corps in the SEC.
NOTES
-- Muschamp said freshman DL Stephon Taylor, who underwent labrum surgery in March, is “way ahead of schedule” in his rehab, but still lacks the strength he need to compete in the SEC. Normally, labrum surgery requires a 6-month rehab period to return to full strength. “He is about 4-1/2 months out from the surgery, so he just has to build his strength back,” Muschamp said. “He is not practicing much. We have tried to do some things with him, but we have to be careful because his strength level is not where we want him to be.”
-- Muschamp offered injury updates on several players, and seemed pleased with the current injury situation heading into the middle portion of preseason practice. “Knock on wood, we have had a lot of contact, a lot of physicality and we have held up,” Muschamp said.
-- Muschamp on Marquavius Lewis playing both defensive end and defensive tackle depending on the situation: “He has the girth and athleticism to play both spots,” Muschamp said. “You have to build depth for the season. If we had an injury inside, it’s not just about putting the next guy in. It’s about putting in the next best player. He is a guy that can do both. I have been pleased with him.” Lewis will move inside on third down and defend from the perimeter on other downs.
-- Dante Sawyer will stay at defensive end for the time being, Muschamp said. “We are not a fast twitch team up front,” Muschamp said. “So we have to get our best rushers into the game. Certainly, (Sawyer) would be one of the four. But whether that is inside or outside, I couldn’t answer that (right now). He has shown some twitch on the edge and being able to rush the passer.”
-- The Gamecocks are on schedule in terms of installation of the schemes, Muschamp said. “The first four days going split squad helped us,” Muschamp said. “We didn’t have to pull things back because of the younger guys. We were able to teach them at a slower pace, so they had better retention day-t-day. I feel good about where we are.”
-- Muschamp said the Gamecocks scrimmaged about 80 plays at Wednesday’s practice. “We needed that,” Muschamp said. “We got the coaches off the field and let the players play,” Muschamp said. “We were basic in our operation and what we did.” The Gamecocks will work more on tempo in Thursday night’s practice, he said. They will have a walk-though on Friday in advance of Saturday’s full contact closed scrimmage at Williams-Brice Stadium.
-- AD Ray Tanner said the planned Football Ops building still requires Phase 2 approval from the Board of Trustees and appropriate government agencies, but the project is progressing steadily. The school hopes to open the new facility in 2018. It will be situated adjacent to the new indoor facility in the southwest corner of Gamecock Park.
