SPURRIER NAMES REDSHIRT JUNIOR SUMMER STARTER DESPITE TERRIBLE SPRING GAME PERFORMANCE

There aren’t many places in the Southeastern Conference where a quarterback can throw three interceptions in the spring game scrimmage and still get named the team’s starter. But at the University of South Carolina, where Tommy Beecher’s closest competition threw five interceptions in the same game, the decision wasn’t too difficult.

So late Tuesday, coach Steve Spurrier named Beecher the starter going into the summer over Chris Smelley.

It was tough to get much of a read on Beecher because he played so sparingly the past two seasons – attempting just 25 passes in six games at quarterback. But the redshirt junior received plenty of work this spring, particularly after Stephen Garcia was suspended again.

What struck me first about Beecher was his arm strength. At one of the night practices the first week or two, Beecher aired out a tight spiral in a drill that must have traveled a good 60 yards.

The pass fell incomplete, but I remember making a note of it because I had never seen Beecher crank out a throw like that. The rest of that night and throughout spring practice, Beecher proved he could make all the passes. [JOE PERSON - The State]

This is all well and good, but it is doubtful this will end the competition at quarterback. If the last few years are an indicator, Spurrier will probably change his mind a few dozen times between now and the start of the season. And although the Beecher v. Smelley showdown is interesting, if Stephen Garcia gets his act together and stays out of trouble for the next few months, he’ll be in the mix.

To say the Gamecocks have a quarterback problem, though, is a gross understatement.