The Party Should Be Better Than The Game
posted by Scott Hood, Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The S.C. State players and coaches will be eager to take it to the Gamecocks in the first-ever meeting between the schools on the gridiron.
Their fans should be out in force as well, with estimates saying as many as 20,000 Bulldog fans could be hanging around Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend.
No question, this is S.C. State’s moment to shine.
Still, USC should win the game by at least four touchdowns.
S.C. State has some quality players and a spread option attack that might cause problems for a quarter or two. But I expect USC’s superior talent and depth will take over in the second half and the Gamecocks will roll to an easy win in preparation for next Saturday’s nationally televised (we just don’t know who yet) showdown with No. 2 LSU in Baton Rouge.
I’m sure there are a few long-time suffering USC fans who can’t help but think back this week to the early 1980’s and the nightmarish home losses to Pacific (1981) and Furman (1982), as well as the stunning loss to The Citadel in 1990.
What’s interesting about those games is they all followed USC wins against larger, Div. I opponents.
The loss to Pacific followed emotional victories over No. 3 North Carolina and North Carolina State the previous two weeks. The Furman defeat followed a home victory over Cincinnati.
Those USC teams, it appears, had a difficult time handling success.
Where exactly is Richard Bell these days?
But Steve Spurrier won’t allow his team to take a mental dip. That’s why the USC coaches have put the pedal to the metal this week.
Moreover, if the Gamecock players require any remember what the “little guys” are capable of, they can watch the replay of the Appalachian State-Michigan game or last year’s USC-Wofford contest in which the Terriers had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds.
Spurrier appreciates how close the Gamecocks came to falling to Wofford, and to Louisiana-Lafayette two week ago in the season opener. I’m sure he’s already provided a “friendly” reminder of those games to his players.
Thus, if the Gamecock players haven’t gotten the message by now that in this era of scholarship limitations any team - no matter if they’re Division I or I-AA - is capable of beating you any given Saturday.
Michigan found out the hard way. Their loss, though, could be USC’s gain.
Here’s why Spurrier is so different from many coaches. Despite the fact the S.C. State game falls on the calendar between a pair of key SEC road clashes with Georgia and LSU, Spurrier was just as enthusiastic Tuesday during his press conference talking about S.C. State as he was last week going into the Georgia game.
In fact, after watching tape of their first two games, he commented that some of S.C. State’s players could be seeing significant playing time with USC.
In case you haven’t noticed, Spurrier treats every game equally, no matter the opponent. Although he’s been living in this state on a full-time basis for less than three years, he understands the history here and the significance of what will unfold on Saturday.
Unlike a lot of other coaches, Spurrier refuses to take a “nothing to gain, everything to lose” approach towards a supposedly inferior intrastate opponent. Many coaches of major state universities are so terrified of losing to a smaller in-state school that they decline the opportunity to schedule these type of games.
In other words, they let their egos get in the way.
Spurrier, of course, has a healthy ego, too. But he doesn’t let it intrude in terms of doing what’s right. He said he was surprised when he learned USC and S.C. State had never played before, considering both schools have been playing football for over 100 years.
I think that’s a shame, too. I’ve been told by a number of people that politics has played a key role in preventing the Gamecocks and Bulldogs from facing each other until now.
That’s too bad.
Fortunately, all of that nonsense will end Saturday.
Just make sure to get there early because the pre-game party should be more entertaining than the game itself.
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Make no mistake about it, this Saturday’s intrastate battle between South Carolina and South Carolina State at Williams-Brice Stadium means a lot to the school in Orangeburg.
The S.C. State players and coaches will be eager to take it to the Gamecocks in the first-ever meeting between the schools on the gridiron.
Their fans should be out in force as well, with estimates saying as many as 20,000 Bulldog fans could be hanging around Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend.
No question, this is S.C. State’s moment to shine.
Still, USC should win the game by at least four touchdowns.
S.C. State has some quality players and a spread option attack that might cause problems for a quarter or two. But I expect USC’s superior talent and depth will take over in the second half and the Gamecocks will roll to an easy win in preparation for next Saturday’s nationally televised (we just don’t know who yet) showdown with No. 2 LSU in Baton Rouge.
I’m sure there are a few long-time suffering USC fans who can’t help but think back this week to the early 1980’s and the nightmarish home losses to Pacific (1981) and Furman (1982), as well as the stunning loss to The Citadel in 1990.
What’s interesting about those games is they all followed USC wins against larger, Div. I opponents.
The loss to Pacific followed emotional victories over No. 3 North Carolina and North Carolina State the previous two weeks. The Furman defeat followed a home victory over Cincinnati.
Those USC teams, it appears, had a difficult time handling success.
Where exactly is Richard Bell these days?
But Steve Spurrier won’t allow his team to take a mental dip. That’s why the USC coaches have put the pedal to the metal this week.
Moreover, if the Gamecock players require any remember what the “little guys” are capable of, they can watch the replay of the Appalachian State-Michigan game or last year’s USC-Wofford contest in which the Terriers had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds.
Spurrier appreciates how close the Gamecocks came to falling to Wofford, and to Louisiana-Lafayette two week ago in the season opener. I’m sure he’s already provided a “friendly” reminder of those games to his players.
Thus, if the Gamecock players haven’t gotten the message by now that in this era of scholarship limitations any team - no matter if they’re Division I or I-AA - is capable of beating you any given Saturday.
Michigan found out the hard way. Their loss, though, could be USC’s gain.
Here’s why Spurrier is so different from many coaches. Despite the fact the S.C. State game falls on the calendar between a pair of key SEC road clashes with Georgia and LSU, Spurrier was just as enthusiastic Tuesday during his press conference talking about S.C. State as he was last week going into the Georgia game.
In fact, after watching tape of their first two games, he commented that some of S.C. State’s players could be seeing significant playing time with USC.
In case you haven’t noticed, Spurrier treats every game equally, no matter the opponent. Although he’s been living in this state on a full-time basis for less than three years, he understands the history here and the significance of what will unfold on Saturday.
Unlike a lot of other coaches, Spurrier refuses to take a “nothing to gain, everything to lose” approach towards a supposedly inferior intrastate opponent. Many coaches of major state universities are so terrified of losing to a smaller in-state school that they decline the opportunity to schedule these type of games.
In other words, they let their egos get in the way.
Spurrier, of course, has a healthy ego, too. But he doesn’t let it intrude in terms of doing what’s right. He said he was surprised when he learned USC and S.C. State had never played before, considering both schools have been playing football for over 100 years.
I think that’s a shame, too. I’ve been told by a number of people that politics has played a key role in preventing the Gamecocks and Bulldogs from facing each other until now.
That’s too bad.
Fortunately, all of that nonsense will end Saturday.
Just make sure to get there early because the pre-game party should be more entertaining than the game itself.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.