Five Things We Learned From The USC-Kentucky Game
posted by Scott Hood, Sunday, October 12, 2008
1. Steve Spurrier Knows What He Is Doing, The Sequel: When you’re a quarterback for Steve Spurrier, you understand the HBC has a point of no return. That’s when he determines the starter has exhausted his usefulness and it’s time to switch quarterbacks. Saturday, that point was reached in the third quarter when USC punted for the second time after advancing just one yard. Spurrier decided the offense needed a jolt of energy, so he turned to Garcia. Was it a risk? You bet. Remember, Garcia had taken all of three snaps against a SEC opponent when he strode onto the field with 6:46 left in the third quarter. You knew things might be different when Garcia scrambled for eight yards on his first snap. Three plays later, he tucked it for 25 yards. Without question, the decision to put Garcia into the game threw the Kentucky defense off a bit. Afterwards, multiple Kentucky players acknowledged Garcia altered the pace of the game with his athleticism and arm strength. So, you have to credit Spurrier for his determination that USC’s best chance to win the game rested with Garcia, not Smelley, and to take a risk by giving the largely untested freshman a chance to see what he could do.
2. Stephen Garcia Has Turned The Page: After his performance on Saturday, there’s no question Garcia is now ready to start against a SEC opponent. It wasn’t a mistake when Spurrier said following the game that Garcia had performed well in his first “meaningful” action of the season. Was that a subtle shot at UAB? Possibly. But the message was clear: don’t start bragging until you’ve actually done something in a SEC game. Now that Spurrier has seen what Garcia can do against a conference opponent, the head coach has more confidence in him. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be throwing him out there against a defense as good as LSU’s, Saturday night’s debacle against Florida notwithstanding. I’m impressed by how easily Garcia has put his past problems behind him and moved forward with focusing on football. The way Garcia played against UAB and Kentucky, it makes you wonder just how good he would be right now if he hadn’t missed nearly all of two spring practices and been in Columbia working out with the team this past summer. Right now, he’s doing a great job making up for lost time. Statistically, Garcia is off to a good start: 23-of-35 (65.7 percent) for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
.
3. Winning Teams Are Successful On Third Down: Are you searching for a good reason to explain USC’s recent four-game winning streak? Look no further than the team’s third-down conversion rate. The Gamecocks have been successful on 30 of 57 third-down chances during the four-game, an impressive conversion percentage of 52.6 percent. Against Kentucky on Saturday, USC was a robust 5-for-9 on third-down opportunities when they needed to gain 10 yards or more for a first down. USC was 4-of-6 on third down after Stephen Garcia entered the game midway through the third quarter. In the fourth quarter alone, they converted a third-and-14, third-and-10 and third-and-12. Through seven games, USC is converting 47.0 percent of its third down chances, the top mark in the SEC. Saturday, the biggest difference between the teams was the amount of success on third-down. Kentucky was a poor 1-for-16. Not surprisingly, UK head coach Rich Brooks decried the Wildcats’ lack of playmakers following the game. We’ve heard that before, except it was Spurrier doing the talking.
4. It’s Actually Possible To Win In The SEC Despite Four Turnovers and Four Missed Field Goals: USC played far from a perfect game on Saturday. The offense kept turning it over in the first half, and Ryan Succop was flat out atrocious, missing field goals he’s typically made with ease in the past. I can excuse the misfires from beyond 50 yards, but you need to split the uprights on a 39-yarder at this level, especially with the game on the line. USC won because they got a couple of huge special team plays in the first half that produced a pair of touchdowns and they maximized their scoring opportunities when they weren’t turning it over and Succop wasn’t missing field goals. A key statistic in the game was USC punted only twice, while Kentucky kicked it away eight times. Out of their five “true” possessions beyond the turnovers and field goal failures, USC scored two touchdowns to go along with Succop’s only success of the afternoon.
5. USC Has A Road Warrior Mentality: I realize USC lost at Vanderbilt earlier this season, but there’s something about the road that suits the Gamecocks. Maybe it’s because there are fewer distractions and players and coaches are forced to take an “us again the World” approach. Whatever it is, it works the majority of the time. USC is now 8-7 on the road in SEC games under Spurrier, including a pair of wins at Kentucky. Over the same stretch, they’re just 5-8 against conference opponents at home. Spurrier discounts the whole home versus road thing, but I think there’s something to it. Do the players tense up with their families and girlfriends in the stands? Do they feel a negative energy from the home crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium? Do they bond together better on the road? Are there less distractions on the road? I suspect the answer to all those questions is yes.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
South Carolina pulled out another SEC road win on Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 24-17 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington. Here are the five things we learned from that game:
1. Steve Spurrier Knows What He Is Doing, The Sequel: When you’re a quarterback for Steve Spurrier, you understand the HBC has a point of no return. That’s when he determines the starter has exhausted his usefulness and it’s time to switch quarterbacks. Saturday, that point was reached in the third quarter when USC punted for the second time after advancing just one yard. Spurrier decided the offense needed a jolt of energy, so he turned to Garcia. Was it a risk? You bet. Remember, Garcia had taken all of three snaps against a SEC opponent when he strode onto the field with 6:46 left in the third quarter. You knew things might be different when Garcia scrambled for eight yards on his first snap. Three plays later, he tucked it for 25 yards. Without question, the decision to put Garcia into the game threw the Kentucky defense off a bit. Afterwards, multiple Kentucky players acknowledged Garcia altered the pace of the game with his athleticism and arm strength. So, you have to credit Spurrier for his determination that USC’s best chance to win the game rested with Garcia, not Smelley, and to take a risk by giving the largely untested freshman a chance to see what he could do.
2. Stephen Garcia Has Turned The Page: After his performance on Saturday, there’s no question Garcia is now ready to start against a SEC opponent. It wasn’t a mistake when Spurrier said following the game that Garcia had performed well in his first “meaningful” action of the season. Was that a subtle shot at UAB? Possibly. But the message was clear: don’t start bragging until you’ve actually done something in a SEC game. Now that Spurrier has seen what Garcia can do against a conference opponent, the head coach has more confidence in him. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be throwing him out there against a defense as good as LSU’s, Saturday night’s debacle against Florida notwithstanding. I’m impressed by how easily Garcia has put his past problems behind him and moved forward with focusing on football. The way Garcia played against UAB and Kentucky, it makes you wonder just how good he would be right now if he hadn’t missed nearly all of two spring practices and been in Columbia working out with the team this past summer. Right now, he’s doing a great job making up for lost time. Statistically, Garcia is off to a good start: 23-of-35 (65.7 percent) for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
.
3. Winning Teams Are Successful On Third Down: Are you searching for a good reason to explain USC’s recent four-game winning streak? Look no further than the team’s third-down conversion rate. The Gamecocks have been successful on 30 of 57 third-down chances during the four-game, an impressive conversion percentage of 52.6 percent. Against Kentucky on Saturday, USC was a robust 5-for-9 on third-down opportunities when they needed to gain 10 yards or more for a first down. USC was 4-of-6 on third down after Stephen Garcia entered the game midway through the third quarter. In the fourth quarter alone, they converted a third-and-14, third-and-10 and third-and-12. Through seven games, USC is converting 47.0 percent of its third down chances, the top mark in the SEC. Saturday, the biggest difference between the teams was the amount of success on third-down. Kentucky was a poor 1-for-16. Not surprisingly, UK head coach Rich Brooks decried the Wildcats’ lack of playmakers following the game. We’ve heard that before, except it was Spurrier doing the talking.
4. It’s Actually Possible To Win In The SEC Despite Four Turnovers and Four Missed Field Goals: USC played far from a perfect game on Saturday. The offense kept turning it over in the first half, and Ryan Succop was flat out atrocious, missing field goals he’s typically made with ease in the past. I can excuse the misfires from beyond 50 yards, but you need to split the uprights on a 39-yarder at this level, especially with the game on the line. USC won because they got a couple of huge special team plays in the first half that produced a pair of touchdowns and they maximized their scoring opportunities when they weren’t turning it over and Succop wasn’t missing field goals. A key statistic in the game was USC punted only twice, while Kentucky kicked it away eight times. Out of their five “true” possessions beyond the turnovers and field goal failures, USC scored two touchdowns to go along with Succop’s only success of the afternoon.
5. USC Has A Road Warrior Mentality: I realize USC lost at Vanderbilt earlier this season, but there’s something about the road that suits the Gamecocks. Maybe it’s because there are fewer distractions and players and coaches are forced to take an “us again the World” approach. Whatever it is, it works the majority of the time. USC is now 8-7 on the road in SEC games under Spurrier, including a pair of wins at Kentucky. Over the same stretch, they’re just 5-8 against conference opponents at home. Spurrier discounts the whole home versus road thing, but I think there’s something to it. Do the players tense up with their families and girlfriends in the stands? Do they feel a negative energy from the home crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium? Do they bond together better on the road? Are there less distractions on the road? I suspect the answer to all those questions is yes.
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 @.