Eleven Days That Shook Gamecock Nation
posted by Scott Hood, Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Or, if you’re talking about college football, 11 days.
Think back, if you will, to the eve of the Ole Miss game on Oct. 4. The Gamecocks stood at 3-2 and were coming off lackluster home victories over Wofford and UAB.
Stephen Garcia had wowed the home crowd in the latter win, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Steve Spurrier from naming Chris Smelley as the starting QB for the clash with the Rebels.
Most Gamecock fans were hoping just for a split of the games at Ole Miss and Kentucky and a 4-3 mark heading into the Oct. 18 home game against defending national champion LSU.
But a funny thing happened on the way to mediocrity – the Gamecocks won at Oxford, then won again in Lexington.
Suddenly, the Gamecocks are 5-2 with loads of optimism heading into a three-game homestand. Now if they could only figure out a way to play with as much focus, togetherness and intensity at home as they do on the road.
But if you’re a Gamecock fan, the fact your arch-rival just fired (please, don’t try to convince me Tommy Bowden “resigned”) its head coach in the middle of the season has given you the upper hand in recruiting within the Palmetto State for the foreseeable future.
The first of what could be a number of top-shelf commitments from the Palmetto State fell neatly into place on Tuesday when Stephon Gilmore put on the Gamecock hat at a press conference at his school.
His teammate DeVonte Holloman? He decommitted from Clemson within 20 minutes of the announcement that Bowden was gone and has re-opened his recruiting.
Right now, five of the top 10 prospects in South Carolina haven’t pledged to a school yet, so the harvest is bountiful for the Gamecocks.
In my opinion, the aftershocks from the events of the last 11 days could be felt for years around the Palmetto State.
Of course, USC must now rise up and seize the opportunity presented to it this Saturday. I won’t go so far as describe it as ‘must-win’ game (I’ll save that for the Tennessee game on Nov. 1) but it’s close.
The LSU team I saw on Saturday night in Gainesville is very beatable. The Tigers have a decent offense, but it’s certainly not overpowering. The secondary is, quite frankly, average at best, which is reflected in the fact the Tigers are ranked ninth in pass defense.
Before the season started, I thought USC’s chances of beating LSU were south of 50-50, but now I think they’re better than that.
After watching LSU’s defensive domination last season (first in SEC in total defense), here’s a sobering statistic: the Tigers are ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in each of the four major team defensive categories.
The Tiger team that shows up at Williams-Brice Stadium will be a very talented team, one of the top two or three in the league. But are they as good as last year’s national championship team? Not even close.
Certainly, LSU has more talent than the Gamecocks, but I’m fairly confident Spurrier will out-coach Les Miles and keep the Gamecocks right in the game until the very end. It could come down to the final play.
The key question for USC, of course, is whether Stephen Garcia will be able to handle the pressure of his first college start. Playing well against UAB and Kentucky is one thing, but staring down LSU’s impressive defensive line is another.
It will be a test for the freshman, but after watching him spark the rally at Kentucky, I wouldn’t put it past him to do it again. He is simply too talented. If you get a chance to watch the replay of the USC-UK, watch his 38-yard fade pass to Jason Barnes in the fourth quarter. Perfect.
If Garcia’s passing against LSU is that pinpoint, it could be a landmark night for the Gamecocks.
Here’s the bottom line: beat LSU and it’s off to the races. Wins over struggling Tennessee and Arkansas should follow, giving USC an 8-2 mark heading into the Swamp for a game that could decide the SEC East.
Then USC goes to the Upstate with a chance to post consecutive wins over Clemson in their own stadium.
If USC is able to capitalize on the developments of the last 11 days, it's possible we could look back on this stretch as truly the turning point.
My, how things have changed in 11 days.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, college football is a lot like the weather in South Carolina. If you don’t like it, just wait five minutes.
Or, if you’re talking about college football, 11 days.
Think back, if you will, to the eve of the Ole Miss game on Oct. 4. The Gamecocks stood at 3-2 and were coming off lackluster home victories over Wofford and UAB.
Stephen Garcia had wowed the home crowd in the latter win, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Steve Spurrier from naming Chris Smelley as the starting QB for the clash with the Rebels.
Most Gamecock fans were hoping just for a split of the games at Ole Miss and Kentucky and a 4-3 mark heading into the Oct. 18 home game against defending national champion LSU.
But a funny thing happened on the way to mediocrity – the Gamecocks won at Oxford, then won again in Lexington.
Suddenly, the Gamecocks are 5-2 with loads of optimism heading into a three-game homestand. Now if they could only figure out a way to play with as much focus, togetherness and intensity at home as they do on the road.
But if you’re a Gamecock fan, the fact your arch-rival just fired (please, don’t try to convince me Tommy Bowden “resigned”) its head coach in the middle of the season has given you the upper hand in recruiting within the Palmetto State for the foreseeable future.
The first of what could be a number of top-shelf commitments from the Palmetto State fell neatly into place on Tuesday when Stephon Gilmore put on the Gamecock hat at a press conference at his school.
His teammate DeVonte Holloman? He decommitted from Clemson within 20 minutes of the announcement that Bowden was gone and has re-opened his recruiting.
Right now, five of the top 10 prospects in South Carolina haven’t pledged to a school yet, so the harvest is bountiful for the Gamecocks.
In my opinion, the aftershocks from the events of the last 11 days could be felt for years around the Palmetto State.
Of course, USC must now rise up and seize the opportunity presented to it this Saturday. I won’t go so far as describe it as ‘must-win’ game (I’ll save that for the Tennessee game on Nov. 1) but it’s close.
The LSU team I saw on Saturday night in Gainesville is very beatable. The Tigers have a decent offense, but it’s certainly not overpowering. The secondary is, quite frankly, average at best, which is reflected in the fact the Tigers are ranked ninth in pass defense.
Before the season started, I thought USC’s chances of beating LSU were south of 50-50, but now I think they’re better than that.
After watching LSU’s defensive domination last season (first in SEC in total defense), here’s a sobering statistic: the Tigers are ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in each of the four major team defensive categories.
The Tiger team that shows up at Williams-Brice Stadium will be a very talented team, one of the top two or three in the league. But are they as good as last year’s national championship team? Not even close.
Certainly, LSU has more talent than the Gamecocks, but I’m fairly confident Spurrier will out-coach Les Miles and keep the Gamecocks right in the game until the very end. It could come down to the final play.
The key question for USC, of course, is whether Stephen Garcia will be able to handle the pressure of his first college start. Playing well against UAB and Kentucky is one thing, but staring down LSU’s impressive defensive line is another.
It will be a test for the freshman, but after watching him spark the rally at Kentucky, I wouldn’t put it past him to do it again. He is simply too talented. If you get a chance to watch the replay of the USC-UK, watch his 38-yard fade pass to Jason Barnes in the fourth quarter. Perfect.
If Garcia’s passing against LSU is that pinpoint, it could be a landmark night for the Gamecocks.
Here’s the bottom line: beat LSU and it’s off to the races. Wins over struggling Tennessee and Arkansas should follow, giving USC an 8-2 mark heading into the Swamp for a game that could decide the SEC East.
Then USC goes to the Upstate with a chance to post consecutive wins over Clemson in their own stadium.
If USC is able to capitalize on the developments of the last 11 days, it's possible we could look back on this stretch as truly the turning point.
My, how things have changed in 11 days.
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 @.