Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Steve Spurrier has now spent three seasons at the helm of the South Carolina program, and he has compiled a 21-16 record at the school. Last season was his worst thus far in regard to wins and losses, as the club finished 6-6, including 3-5 in league play.

Expectations were high after winning the first three games of the campaign, including a memorable 16-12 decision over Georgia in week two. Then, after a loss to LSU on the road, the Gamecocks posted three more wins to move to 6-1 overall. Already eligible for a bowl game, South Carolina considered itself a major contender for the SEC title and hoped to reach a BCS bowl. What ensued, however, was a complete collapse, as the team went on to lose its final five games of the campaign. One of the losses was a three-point overtime setback to Tennessee, and a two-point loss to rival Clemson in the finale stung as well.

When the bowl bids were announced, South Carolina was left out of the picture. Spurrier is not used to coaching mediocre teams, as he was a champion at the University of Florida. After the 2007 campaign, some fans may be questioning whether or not the coach is really as good as his reputation dictates.

2008 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Last season, South Carolina ranked 70th nationally in scoring offense and 77th in total offense, including 101st in rushing. Considering that Spurrier has the reputation of being an offensive guru, it is hard to justify those figures. Spurrier has decided that he will not be calling the plays this season, delegating the responsibility to Steve Spurrier Jr. Clearly, father will still be in charge of the offense, but son will be calling the plays on game day.

The first question that has to be answered is who will be the team's starting quarterback. Chris Smelley won four games as a freshman last season but has limited physical skills. Junior Tommy Beecher has more arm strength and is much more capable of making plays with his legs. Going by the happenings in recent seasons, both signal-callers will see significant action. Also, both will benefit from the return of standout receiver Kenny McKinley, who made 77 catches for 968 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. The 77 catches led the SEC and set a new school record.

On a down note, the ground attack does not have a proven leader heading into this campaign, so while an improvement on last season's poor rushing numbers seems logical, one or two capable tailbacks must emerge to make that happen.

DEFENSE: South Carolina ranked fourth nationally in pass defense a year ago, and the fact that all four starters in the defensive backfield return is tremendously encouraging. Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has the freedom to blitz without worrying about exposing the d-backs, who are more than capable of holding down the fort. In fact, the entire defense is extremely experienced, as a whopping 10 returning starters are in place. Emmanuel Cook made 92 tackles, including 77 solo stops, from his strong safety position a year ago. He also intercepted three passes.

Eric Norwood showed flashes of brilliance at the linebacker position last season, and he is more than capable of improving on his sack total of six from 2007. The hope is that middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley proves to be healthy. Brinkley missed most of last season following knee surgery, but he was an All- SEC performer in 2006 who is a true difference-maker.

The Gamecocks played poorly against the run in 2007, and the line is clearly the weak spot of the defensive unit. There are some tremendous running teams in the SEC, and it remains to be seen if coach Johnson has figured out how to sure up the front.

"We haven't had a defensive lineman or a linebacker drafted since I've been there," says Spurrier. "So I'm not blaming the coaches. I'm just saying, as a head coach, I got to do something differently to try to give us a spark."

SPECIAL TEAMS: Ryan Succop enters his senior season as the team's most experienced placekicker and punter. While he is certainly going to continue kicking the field goals, there is a good chance that the punting duties will be delegated to Spencer Lanning, a sophomore. The special teams units are not among the best in the league, but there is no reason to consider them a problem area either.

OUTLOOK: First the good news: South Carolina should be outstanding at the linebacker and defensive back positions. Also, McKinley is one of the top pass catchers in the nation.

"We've got better players than we've had here," says Spurrier. "We've hopefully got better coaches too."

Unfortunately, the Gamecocks are not sound at the quarterback position and can't run the ball. Also, the defensive line is questionable. Spurrier and company could be headed for another mediocre season.