University of South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore put on a show against the University of Georgia on the football field, in route to aiding his team to a 17-6 win. The stats speak for themselves with 37 carries, 182 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns and 1 reception for 16 yards. This was against a Georgia defense that has a new 3-4 scheme and prides itself on being tough. That kind of effort even left UGa Coach Mark Richt impressed.
Marcus proved to be the workhorse for Coach Spurrier that he could ride to victory….
Right from the start, Georgia had no answer for Lattimore, the freshman who was considered the country’s top high school running back last winter. Lattimore carried 10 times on the first drive, had 50 combined yards and got the first touchdown. From there, Marcus began to run downhill it seemed as the tone was set.
The Lattimore show was worthy of watching as it has been a long time Gamecock football has seen this kind of effort. His 37 carries are the third-most single-game attempts in school history (Ron Bass had 39 against North Carolina in 1974 and George Rogers had two games of 38 carries). His 182 rushing yards were the most since Cory Boyd rushed for 160 yards at Tennessee in 2007 and represented the 15th best rushing game by a USC ball carrier in school history.
On a day when his quarterback, Stephen Garcia, was not crisp there was no need to worry as Mr. Lattimore took care of business. He proved he has all the tools of a great tailback. He has the speed to get a 10+ gain, the elusiveness to turn a short yard situation into a big gain and the power to make something out of nothing. His knack for falling forward after a hit ensures positive yards. Spurrier in his recruitment of Lattimore indicated he wanted a feature back and that is what the Ol’ Ball Coach got. A young man, that has forced a change in the offensive philosophy at USC.
No more does the arm of Garcia have to save the day. Now, finally, the offense is multi-dimensional. That is what a Coach Spurrier scheme is suppose to be. Where the run game opens the passing game and it can go the other way depending on what the defense is doing.
Let’s not forget the big boys up front that work their butts off to create the seams for Lattimore. The USC offensive line is much improved but it certainly helps to have a runner like Marcus Lattimore handling the ball carrying as he makes you look good and makes the Coaches look good to.
The Lattimore Era at the University of South Carolina has been established. Against very good completion the first two weeks of the year, Lattimore has over 200 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns to boot No wonder Carolina is 2-0 and in good position out of the gate in the SEC East race.
Remember the name Marcus Lattimore as early on he is proving to be a great tailback. He is just a true freshman but is turning a lot of heads in the SEC with his ability to make opposing defenses miss.
Lattimore and USC will take a 2-0/1-0 SEC record into next Saturday’s game against Div. I-AA foe Furman. Keep an eye on number 21 as he is a star that is shining brightly for Coach Spurrier and the scary part is he can only get better as he gets more games and reps under his belt.
{{The article was written for Bleacher Report.}}
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