Opposing WR duo provide highlights
One has played receiver his whole career at South Carolina; the other has been at the position for two days.
One is a quiet and humble upperclassman who shies away from the spotlight. The other is a brash and confident freshman who lights up when the cameras surround him.
Despite their differences, Freddie Brown and Mark Barnes each made loud statements Saturday with the only touchdowns in a scrimmage that featured few offensive highlights.
Brown, a redshirt sophomore from Duncan, caught four passes for 52 yards, including an 18-yard scoring strike from Chris Smelley.
A day after moving from free safety to receiver because he said USC was looking for a playmaker, Barnes delivered with four receptions for 80 yards. Tommy Beecher’s 36-yard touchdown hook-up with Barnes prompted USC coach Steve Spurrier to end the scrimmage on a positive note for the offense.
“Good to see Mark Barnes come in there and catch everything he touched,” Spurrier said.
With many starters watching from the bench, the Gamecocks’ third preseason scrimmage was a chance for players to make an impression before coaches begin paring down the depth chart.
Barnes did not flinch when asked where he expects to be in two weeks when Louisiana-Lafayette comes to town.
“Hopefully, I’ll be starting,” he said. “If not starting, seeing the field real soon.”
Barnes, who has not played receiver full-time since his junior year at Richland Northeast, needs polish on route running and other subtleties of the position. But the 6-foot-2, 198-pounder showed an ability to make plays.
He pulled in a slant from Stephen Garcia for his first reception, and later caught a carom off tight end Weslye Saunders for an 11-yard gain. On the final series, receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. adjusted Barnes’ alignment, moving him a couple yards closer to the ball to give him more room to run a corner route.
It worked. Beecher dropped in a nice throw to Barnes near the sideline for a 26-yard completion. The touchdown came three plays later.
“He’s a playmaker,” said RNE coach Jay Frye, who watched the scrimmage. “Players rally around him, and he wants the football. He’s confident that he can make things happen.”
“It just comes naturally,” Barnes said. “I love to be on the field. I just try to make it look easy and have fun.”
Brown’s progression at USC has not come as easily. The son of Woodruff High coach Freddie Brown Jr., Brown redshirted in 2005 and was a non-factor the first half of last season.
But Brown emerged as the Gamecocks’ No. 3 receiver down the stretch. He caught 14 passes for 147 yards — all over the final six games. A sure-handed, possession receiver, Brown has been the Forgotten Man this preseason as USC’s five freshman receivers have received most of the attention.
“We finally got him out there on the field,” Spurrier said. “Freddie can catch.”
Brown (6-2, 209), a starter in the Gamecocks’ three-receiver set, said he is working hard so that he can start the season the way he ended last year.
While Brown spoke with a single reporter in the south end zone at Williams-Brice Stadium after the scrimmage, a large group of media members crowded around Barnes about 20 yards away. But Brown said he is content to fly under the radar.
“I just catch the ball and block, whatever I need to do,” he said. “I really don’t care about people knowing me and the notoriety. I just want to help us win ballgames.”
See more at www.thestate.com
