*Written by student assistant Kelly McAlindin
After practice Wednesday, offensive line coach Shawn Elliott commented on the direction in which the offense is headed and the offensive strategy for Saturday's game against UAB. When asked about his offensive line this season, Coach Elliott said they improved from week one to week two but they have to perform better than they have in the past two games to maintain their pace this season. However, he thinks "they are on track and the guys are out there working."
Sophomore offensive tackle Mike Matulis was also questioned about the line's performance thus far and he feels confident about their direction, "There are a lot of things we can improve on but overall I think we've been doing pretty good."
Coach also discussed sophomore offensive tackle Corey Robinson's performance and claimed Corey has "always been a guy that has great potential" and he proved it in the game last Saturday against East Carolina.
He was very pleased with Robinson at practice throughout the week and said "if you prove to me during the course of the week, I'll prove to you and I'll play you on Saturday."
When asked about the variety of strategies they have used against both Vanderbilt and East Carolina, Coach Elliott believes the team has a lot of versatility and is getting the job done, "You don't have to be a one-dimensional football team and certainly no one wants to be that."
In regards to the strategy for Saturday's game against UAB, Coach believes the team needs to prove that versatility because UAB is a much smaller and faster team in comparison to East Carolina. Due to the more aggressive play the Gamecocks are expected to face, he said they "have to be able to move and move well."
Although the offensive line has a lot to improve on, he feels good about their progress, "They have a great focus and a great attitude and if they want to be a great offensive line they can do it."
Watch full video of the players' and coaches' comments here and check back to GamecocksOnline.com tonight for comments from defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward after Thursday's practice.
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