5 Things We Learned From The USC-Miss. State Game
posted by Scott Hood, Monday, October 01, 2007
Here are the five things we learned from the USC-Miss. State game in Columbia:
1. Steve Spurrier Has The Killer Instinct: When Eric Norwood blocked the MSU punt in the third quarter with the Gamecocks trailing by four points, Spurrier knew he had a chance for USC to quickly regain the lead. He called for pass to Kenny McKinley nears the goal line. McKinley beat his defender and caught the pass with his back to the end zone. He turned and scampered in for the go-ahead TD. Spurrier knew the block by Norwood had the potential to change the momentum of the game if USC could follow up with a touchdown. Spurrier lives by one axiom: when you’re opponent is down, don’t help him up. So, Spurrier went for the quick score. The play was reminiscent of a Mitchell-to-McKinley TD pass two years in Fayetteville, Ark. when Spurrier went for the jugular following an interception at midfield.
2. The USC Defense Is Good And Getting Better: Here’s something to keep in mind when you consider how good the USC defense is right now – it’s only going to get better. The Gamecocks started one senior on defense Saturday against MSU – defensive end Casper Brinkley. The secondary, tops in the nation defending the pass, features three sophomores (Munnerlyn, Stewart, Cook) and a junior (Thomas) in the starting roles. With each passing week, you can see their confidence grow. Emanuel Cook is becoming one of the top strong safeties in the country. He fired through and tackled MSU’s Anthony Dixon behind the line of scrimmage on the fourth-and-inches play in the fourth quarter. With Jasper Brinkley planning to return, plus the maturation of the players already on the roster, next year’s defense will be scary good.
3. Cory Boyd Is A Warrior: When Boyd limped off the field after being suffering a right knee sprain on the first play from scrimmage, many people, including Boyd himself, feared the worst. Boyd left the game but eventually returned in the first half. He had 55 yards on seven carries in the second half, an average of nearly 8.0 yards per carry. He played in pain but he knew his team needed him if it wanted to be Mississippi State. Boyd finished with only 58 yards on 11 carries but his presence in the huddle certainly helped Chris Smelley in his second career start. I’m sure Boyd woke up Sunday morning in a great deal of pain but I’m sure he thinks it’s worth it when you win.
4. Kenny McKinley Has Become USC’s Go-To Guy: The last two seasons, if USC has any trouble in the passing game, the strategy was simple: throw the ball to Sidney Rice. This season, the same thing is happening with Kenny McKinley. Whenever USC needs someone to make a catch, they just throw it to McKinley. Right now, he is USC’s only threat at wide receiver, yet he still manages to find a way to get open. Saturday, thanks to his ability to pick up huge chunks of YAC, he had 107 yards on four receptions. Currently, he has 27 receptions on the season. If he maintains his pace, he’ll finish with close to 70 receptions when the season is concluded in late December of early January. He’s also on pace to break the school record for career receptions.
5. The Level of SEC Officiating Is Deplorable: USC cornerback Captain Munnerlyn was called for holding in the end zone to help keep a Miss. State drive alive in the second quarter. Steve Spurrier is still waiting for a rational explanation of what the official saw. Spurrier has described the flag as a “phantom holding call.” The call came on a sack on third down and was well away from the play. Unfortunately, there are too many calls like that in the SEC. Munnerlyn said he was simply covering his man and didn’t do anything wrong, I believe him. The level of officiating in the SEC, as well as other conferences around the country, is at a crisis stage. It must improve, and quickly, or the game of college football could be endangered.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Steve Spurrier described South Carolina’s 38-21 victory Saturday over Mississippi State as the most complete effort by the Gamecocks in his three seasons as head coach. So, did we learn anything from the game? You bet.
Here are the five things we learned from the USC-Miss. State game in Columbia:
1. Steve Spurrier Has The Killer Instinct: When Eric Norwood blocked the MSU punt in the third quarter with the Gamecocks trailing by four points, Spurrier knew he had a chance for USC to quickly regain the lead. He called for pass to Kenny McKinley nears the goal line. McKinley beat his defender and caught the pass with his back to the end zone. He turned and scampered in for the go-ahead TD. Spurrier knew the block by Norwood had the potential to change the momentum of the game if USC could follow up with a touchdown. Spurrier lives by one axiom: when you’re opponent is down, don’t help him up. So, Spurrier went for the quick score. The play was reminiscent of a Mitchell-to-McKinley TD pass two years in Fayetteville, Ark. when Spurrier went for the jugular following an interception at midfield.
2. The USC Defense Is Good And Getting Better: Here’s something to keep in mind when you consider how good the USC defense is right now – it’s only going to get better. The Gamecocks started one senior on defense Saturday against MSU – defensive end Casper Brinkley. The secondary, tops in the nation defending the pass, features three sophomores (Munnerlyn, Stewart, Cook) and a junior (Thomas) in the starting roles. With each passing week, you can see their confidence grow. Emanuel Cook is becoming one of the top strong safeties in the country. He fired through and tackled MSU’s Anthony Dixon behind the line of scrimmage on the fourth-and-inches play in the fourth quarter. With Jasper Brinkley planning to return, plus the maturation of the players already on the roster, next year’s defense will be scary good.
3. Cory Boyd Is A Warrior: When Boyd limped off the field after being suffering a right knee sprain on the first play from scrimmage, many people, including Boyd himself, feared the worst. Boyd left the game but eventually returned in the first half. He had 55 yards on seven carries in the second half, an average of nearly 8.0 yards per carry. He played in pain but he knew his team needed him if it wanted to be Mississippi State. Boyd finished with only 58 yards on 11 carries but his presence in the huddle certainly helped Chris Smelley in his second career start. I’m sure Boyd woke up Sunday morning in a great deal of pain but I’m sure he thinks it’s worth it when you win.
4. Kenny McKinley Has Become USC’s Go-To Guy: The last two seasons, if USC has any trouble in the passing game, the strategy was simple: throw the ball to Sidney Rice. This season, the same thing is happening with Kenny McKinley. Whenever USC needs someone to make a catch, they just throw it to McKinley. Right now, he is USC’s only threat at wide receiver, yet he still manages to find a way to get open. Saturday, thanks to his ability to pick up huge chunks of YAC, he had 107 yards on four receptions. Currently, he has 27 receptions on the season. If he maintains his pace, he’ll finish with close to 70 receptions when the season is concluded in late December of early January. He’s also on pace to break the school record for career receptions.
5. The Level of SEC Officiating Is Deplorable: USC cornerback Captain Munnerlyn was called for holding in the end zone to help keep a Miss. State drive alive in the second quarter. Steve Spurrier is still waiting for a rational explanation of what the official saw. Spurrier has described the flag as a “phantom holding call.” The call came on a sack on third down and was well away from the play. Unfortunately, there are too many calls like that in the SEC. Munnerlyn said he was simply covering his man and didn’t do anything wrong, I believe him. The level of officiating in the SEC, as well as other conferences around the country, is at a crisis stage. It must improve, and quickly, or the game of college football could be endangered.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
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 @.