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Play Caller 1: New OC Mike Bobo likes potential at SC
New OC Mike Bobo loves passion, potential at Carolina ‘ON THE VERGE’
Mike Bobo remembers the 2012 South CarolinaGeorgia game at Williams-Brice Stadium and, as the Bulldogs offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, having to create a gameplan to stop Gamecock defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney.
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He also remembers the heat that night in Columbia.
“Just how loud and how energetic the fans [were],” Bobo said. “… We were in the SEC championship game that year and we got throttled here 35-7. … I remember upstairs, there’s thick glass in these press boxes, and I remember saying, ‘Is it loud down there? It looks loud.’ And I remember our offensive line coach [who was on the field] saying, ‘You just keep drinking those Diet Cokes up there. We’re down here in this damn jungle.’”
Bobo, who was named South Carolina’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dec. 10 after a five-season stint as Colorado State’s head coach, will now be on the other side of the predicament.
“I’m excited about coming to a place that I really believe is on the verge,” Bobo said. “I know last year wasn’t what coach and his
By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photo by Allen Sharpe
staff expects out of this program, and what we’re striving for. But the pieces are here, from a great staff to a great foundation of players.
“… And this is a place that is hungry. I’ve always been impressed when you come here and play, the passion this fanbase has and the energy in this stadium. And that carries over to your players.”
Said Gamecock head coach Will Muschamp, “[I have] a lot of respect for Mike. Number one, as a person. Number two, as a play caller. In his 14 years of calling plays he has averaged over 30 points and right at 425 yards a game.”
“He’s a great coach and really knows his players,” current Colorado State receiver Dante Wright told Spurs & Feathers. “He knows how to recruit. He’s a great example to look up to. He knows how to get the ball in different people’s hands and give them the best opportunity for success.”
Said the mom of a Colorado State player, South Carolina “got a good man.”
“We love Coach Bobo. He loves and takes care of his players. An example of great integrity for young men,” she told Spurs & Feathers.
“I’m definitely excited to be here at South Carolina and excited to be back in the south,” Bobo said in December. “Excited about this opportunity to be with coach Muschamp and this staff. … I have been blown away with the things they’ve done here with the facilities. It’s just a first-class facility.”
Bobo is also excited about what he will have to work with offensively at South Carolina.
“There’s a lot of work to do, like there’s a lot of work to do at every place every year this time of year. I’m excited about the challenge we have and look forward to this coming offseason,” he said.
Bobo said he wants a “physical” team and preached having a balanced offense that begins with a productive run game. South Carolina averaged just 148 yards rushing and 4.2 yards per carry last year and was 11th in the SEC in rushing.
“I believe you have to run the football in this league to be successful and contend for the championship,” he said. “But at the same time, we want to have balance. We want to be able to spread people out.”
Bobo will work with at least two young quarterbacks in Ryan Hilinski, who started 11 games as a freshman last year, and incoming freshman Luke Doty. He will also have redshirt sophomore Dakereon Joyner, who split time at quarterback and wide receiver, and any possible graduate transfers.
Bobo said he’s excited about working with Hilinski, who took over last year when starter Jake Bentley went down in the season opener.
“I see a guy that’s got some talent,” he said. “I see a guy that went through some growing pains, being a freshman. And we’ve got to do things to help him, and some of
that is the run game and some of that is protection.”
Bobo was also impressed with Joyner, who announced in January that he will return for his sophomore season.
“I’m really impressed with him,” Bobo said. “He’s a guy that wants to do whatever he can to help this football team. That was the first words out of his mouth. It wasn’t I need to play quarterback, I need to do this. It was, ‘Coach, I want to help this football team. I want to do whatever it takes to help this team be successful,’ and I just love the look in that kid’s eye. I’m excited about seeing him this offseason.”
Bobo posted a 28-35 record at CSU, including a 20-20 mark in Mountain West Conference games. He led the Rams to bowl games in each of his first three seasons.
Before that the former Georgia quarterback coached at his alma mater, where he spent 16 seasons, including the last eight (2007-14) as offensive coordinator. While there he played and coached with current Gamecock receivers coach Bryan McClendon and running backs coach Thomas Brown.
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Bobo’s 14-year stint at Georgia, where he starred at quarterback in the late 1990s, began in 2001 when Mark Richt hired him as quarterbacks coach, his second stint with the school. He was promoted by Richt to offensive coordinator in 2007.
During his time at UGA, Bobo helped lead the Bulldogs to 135 victories, including two SEC championships and five SEC Eastern Division titles. The 2012 Broyles Award finalist held the offensive coordinator spot for 92 games with the Bulldogs, scoring 30-plus points 57 times, 40-plus
points 29 times and more than 50 points 13 times.
MUSCHAMP ADDS TWO COACHES
On Dec. 17 Muschamp named Paul Jackson Director of Football Strength and Conditioning. Jackson comes to SC following an eight-year stint as the head football strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss. During Jackson’s tenure in Oxford the Rebels reached four bowl games, including back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls in 2014 and 2015.
“Paul has worked for and with several people that I have a lot of respect for and he comes highly recommended,” Muschamp said. “He did an outstanding job on his interview and I’m excited to have Paul become part of our staff.”
Jackson has also had stops at Southern Miss (2011), MiamiOhio (2010) and LSU (2007-10), where he served as an assistant strength coach.
About a month later, Muschamp announced a few other staff changes. Joe Cox, who spent time with Bobo at Colorado State, was named tight ends coach. Bobby Bentely, who coached tight ends last year, was reassigned to an assistant quarterbacks role.
On Jan. 14, special teams coach Coleman Hutzler left the program to become co-defensive coordinator/linebacker coach at Texas. He will be replaced by Kyle Krantz, who was promoted to special teams coordinator and assistant defensive backs coach. Krantz, 32, helped with special teams and linebackers the past two seasons.
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