Steady, Spurrier-era Gamecock QB with a live arm and a few warts
In the 2008 season, Chris Smelley flashed big-game upside for South Carolina, finishing with 1,922 passing yards and 14 touchdowns while going 9-6 as a starter overall at USC. His best trait was his ability to deliver in spurts—most notably a 327-yard, 3-TD outing against Ole Miss—but the book on him was always mixed: efficient enough to move the offense, yet prone to interceptions and inconsistency, with a career 23 TDs and 22 picks. He fit best as a rhythm passer in Steve Spurrier’s system, not a pure game-breaker.
