A couple weeks ago we wondered how much criticism Stephen Garcia's pysche could withstand. Now Scott Hood of GamecockCentral sees the added pressure from the Head Cock as a way for the QB to get on the right path.
Granted, Hood acknowledges that there is much reason to wonder if this will be a turning point season for Garcia. The main reason may be the lack of competition he's seen in recent years.
Really, when was the last time Garcia truly had to battle for his job as a starting quarterback? Not at USC. He redshirted in 2007 and entered 2008 not expecting to play that much. He ended up starting three games because Tommy Beecher fizzled out and Chris Smelley struggled in key spots.
In the wake of the transfers by Beecher and Smelley, even Spurrier acknowledged Garcia didn't face serious competition from his cohorts in 2009 and was the only QB prepared to play - the principal reason he took almost every snap - a first for Spurrier in his head coaching career.
And as Hood points out, the competition is only going to get more rigorous as Shaw ages in the system and with the athletic Martay Mattox set to come onboard in Garcia's senior year.
Any SEC fan knows this is all an old play from Spurrier's manual. And while the Grossmans, Wuerrfels and even the Palmers eventually chose the road more traveled and has their day in the sun, do we know how well read Garcia is? More precisely, will he diverge from the Visor's Express Lane?
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