SOUTH CAROLINACamp start: TuesdayOpener: Sept. 2 against Southern Miss at Williams-Brice Stadium (7:30 p.m., ESPN)Fun fact: Since joining the SEC in 1992, the Gamecocks have defeated every team in the league at least once, with the exception of Auburn. The Gamecocks visit Auburn on Sept. 25.
When defensive end Cliff Matthews made plays last season for South Carolina, he did so on linebacker Eric Norwood's defense.
This season it's his.
"Eric pretty much handed me the crown," Matthews said. "I've got to put the team on my back. I've got to carry us. I've got to lead the way, and everybody will follow."
Expectations are higher than usual at South Carolina behind an offense that returns quarterback Stephen Garcia as well as 93 percent of its rushing yards and 83 percent of its receiving yards from 2009. The Gamecocks also return 16 of their top 20 tacklers and have standouts at every level with Matthews, linebacker Shaq Wilson and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
South Carolina closed its SEC schedule last season with double-digit losses to Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida, but the Gamecocks held their own against the Gators and then unloaded on Clemson, whipping their in-state rivals 34-17. They seemed likely to attain an eighth victory as favorites against Connecticut in the Papajohns.com Bowl, but South Carolina never showed up in the 20-7 loss.
"To be honest with you, I don't even remember the bowl game," Matthews said. "Since then we've made a lot of improvement. We've been up early every morning and running and doing all kinds of things to get better. It's in the past. It's not relevant, but we've learned from it."
Said coach Steve Spurrier: "Our last game out, we were pretty lousy. UConn beat us soundly, and we haven't forgotten that. Until we can prove that we can play on a consistent basis, we've just got hope."
Spurrier expects his defense to play well and hopes it can provide a few more turnovers. The Gamecocks gained only 17 turnovers in their 13 games, which ranked 11th in the SEC (ahead of Georgia) and tied for 99th nationally.
Matthews, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior from Cheraw, S.C., was responsible for nearly half of those desired changes of possession. He led the league with four fumble recoveries and tied for second with three forced fumbles.
"The opportunity is there for us," Matthews said. "We're tired of being average. We want to win some championships."
Spurrier was hoping his 2007 signing class would be the nucleus of the program's first SEC title. It's certainly the nucleus of this year's team with Matthews, Garcia, tight end Weslye Saunders, fullback Patrick DiMarco, defensive tackle Olufemi Ajiboye, cornerback Akeem Auguste and free safety Chris Culliver.
The Gamecocks have gone 3-5 in SEC play three of the past four seasons and have never finished better than 5-3 since joining the league in 1992. To knock Florida off the East perch, the Gamecocks know they must break new ground.
"We want to win them all," Matthews said. "Before, we just wanted to win a few games and get to a bowl game, but that's out of the equation now. We want to win big. We have everything we need."