USC's Offensive Line Coach Blast's Effort, Focus Preceding Auburn Game

Shawn Elliott, South Carolina's Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator, made some surprisingly blunt comments about the offensive line's play in the Gamecocks 21-3 win last Saturday over Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt was projected by pre-season touts to finish last in the SEC East Division, but they came into the SEC conference game at Williams Brice undefeated. The Vandy defensive front held the Gamecocks offense to just 3.3 yards per rush in the game last Saturday. (Final Statistics)

Auburn (3-1), on the other hand, is a team that won the 2010 national championship. Rivals Recruiting has ranked Auburn recruiting classes as the 7th and 4th best nationally for 2011 and 2010. Auburn is certain to bring more defensive talent to the Gamecocks game this Saturday than did the lowly Vanderbilt Commodores.

In the interview, Elliott described Auburn's defensive line after watching film. He said it would be a group of, “solid big SEC lineman just like they always have. Good speed off the edge.”

Elliott was happy that the Gamecocks beat Vanderbilt, but he was unhappy and extremely disappointed in the play of the Gamecock offensive line against the Commodore D. He acknowledged that for the Gamecocks to have success against Auburn's line will, “take a great effort for our part.” Elliott then suggested the Auburn line would be licking its chops at the prospect of playing the Gamecocks. “You know, they are probably looking at our line from last week saying, 'I can't wait to line up there in Columbia. Thank the Lord we got the Gamecocks this week.'”

The interview was surprising in revelation of the level of Elliott's displeasure with the Gamecock offensive line's effort last Saturday. Across the board from tackle to tackle, he was disappointed and unhappy with, “the focus, the energy, the effort.” Elliot said, “To be a good football team you can't go out there and slouch around. We looked like a bunch of bums playing. If we go in there and don't give a crap about what we're doing like we did last Saturday, we're going to get our butts kicked."

When the reporter asked Elliott how he would get the team re-focused, he said, “We got a lot of goals and dreams here. And things that we can actually achieve. Sometimes you got to re-focus them, and put those things back out in front of them. Let them see you can't come to work and not show up on Saturdays.”

Coach Elliot Post Practice (Wednesday) Comments