Gamecocks Beware: The Job Is Only Half Done
posted by Scott Hood, Tuesday, October 07, 2008
That’s why this Saturday’s game in Lexington is so important for the Gamecocks. Ignoring for a moment the simple reality that 5-2 is a heck of a lot better than 4-3 this time of the year, quarterback Chris Smelley and the USC offense must prove that last weekend’s impressive performance against Ole Miss wasn’t a fluke.
And not just to Kentucky, either, but to Spurrier and the USC offensive coaches as well.
Great players don’t play great every once in a while. They do it every game. Ask any coach and they’ll tell you they’d prefer to have a good player who’s consistently good than a more talented player whose performance is erratic.
Major college football is all about constantly reaching the next level and staying there.
Smelley took that step last weekend, finally surpassing the 300-yard passing mark in a single game and completing 15 of 17 passes in a remarkable second half. Can he reach that level again only seven days later?
He’ll certainly get that chance against a Kentucky defense that surrendered 352 passing yards to Middle Tennessee on Sept. 13, yet limited Alabama to just 106 yards through the air last week.
The Wildcats are currently second in the SEC in passing defense behind USC. But Alabama enjoyed a lot of success running the football (282 yards) with Glen Coffee totaling 218 yards by himself.
Spurrier certainly believes Smelley is capable of performing much better than what he showed in Oxford. Considering it was probably the best performance of his career, Spurrier’s message is not hard to decipher: Smelley hasn’t come close to fulfilling his potential.
Kentucky will come after USC with both guns blazing. The vibes out of Lexington this week are that the Wildcats and their fans are eager to break the eight-game losing streak to USC. Kentucky has beaten just about every other SEC team during that span, but has been unable to break the stranglehold of the Gamecocks.
Spurrier is also 15-0 all-time against Kentucky, a perfect record the citizens of the Blue Grass State are tired of hearing about. UK head coach Rich Brooks has accomplished a lot in his efforts to revive the Wildcats after the Guy Morriss and Hal Mumme years, but beating USC hasn’t been one of them.
While Kentucky appears to be a good football team (we really don’t know much about them considering their extremely weak non-conference schedule), USC will be battling itself as much as the Wildcats on Saturday.
If you don’t believe me, ask Ole Miss.
The Rebels were coming off a historic win at Florida when they met USC last Saturday. Certainly, Rebel fans thought, Ole Miss was on the verge of a breakthrough under first-year Houston Nutt.
Nutt warned all week that a loss to the Gamecocks would, in effect, neutralize the momentum from the big road win over the Gators.
And that’s exactly what happened. Ole Miss didn’t play badly, just not well enough in the second half to keep up with Smelley and the sizzling USC offense.
In short, it was a wasted opportunity for Ole Miss to take a step forward in the SEC.
Well, the same scenario has presented itself for the Gamecocks. When this current two-game road trip started, I contended USC faced a must-win situation in both games.
One-half of the job is complete. But in order to really propel the program forward, the Gamecocks must beat Kentucky and complete the sweep.
If they don’t, they’re staring at a 4-3 mark (and 1-3 in the SEC) with defending national champion LSU coming to town on Oct. 18.
That’s not the uncomfortable position USC wants to find itself in. A loss to the Wildcats would make the LSU game an absolute must-win situation. Is that what the Gamecocks really want? I don’t think so.
The good news is USC has shown a knack for playing well on the road during Spurrier’s tenure. In fact, I would argue they’ve played better on the road than at home.
So, as long as they understand, and appreciate, that the win over Ole Miss last weekend means the job is only half done, I expect the Gamecocks to win.
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One of the best reminders Steve Spurrier offered at his press conference on Tuesday was this tidbit: success is good but sustained success is better.
That’s why this Saturday’s game in Lexington is so important for the Gamecocks. Ignoring for a moment the simple reality that 5-2 is a heck of a lot better than 4-3 this time of the year, quarterback Chris Smelley and the USC offense must prove that last weekend’s impressive performance against Ole Miss wasn’t a fluke.
And not just to Kentucky, either, but to Spurrier and the USC offensive coaches as well.
Great players don’t play great every once in a while. They do it every game. Ask any coach and they’ll tell you they’d prefer to have a good player who’s consistently good than a more talented player whose performance is erratic.
Major college football is all about constantly reaching the next level and staying there.
Smelley took that step last weekend, finally surpassing the 300-yard passing mark in a single game and completing 15 of 17 passes in a remarkable second half. Can he reach that level again only seven days later?
He’ll certainly get that chance against a Kentucky defense that surrendered 352 passing yards to Middle Tennessee on Sept. 13, yet limited Alabama to just 106 yards through the air last week.
The Wildcats are currently second in the SEC in passing defense behind USC. But Alabama enjoyed a lot of success running the football (282 yards) with Glen Coffee totaling 218 yards by himself.
Spurrier certainly believes Smelley is capable of performing much better than what he showed in Oxford. Considering it was probably the best performance of his career, Spurrier’s message is not hard to decipher: Smelley hasn’t come close to fulfilling his potential.
Kentucky will come after USC with both guns blazing. The vibes out of Lexington this week are that the Wildcats and their fans are eager to break the eight-game losing streak to USC. Kentucky has beaten just about every other SEC team during that span, but has been unable to break the stranglehold of the Gamecocks.
Spurrier is also 15-0 all-time against Kentucky, a perfect record the citizens of the Blue Grass State are tired of hearing about. UK head coach Rich Brooks has accomplished a lot in his efforts to revive the Wildcats after the Guy Morriss and Hal Mumme years, but beating USC hasn’t been one of them.
While Kentucky appears to be a good football team (we really don’t know much about them considering their extremely weak non-conference schedule), USC will be battling itself as much as the Wildcats on Saturday.
If you don’t believe me, ask Ole Miss.
The Rebels were coming off a historic win at Florida when they met USC last Saturday. Certainly, Rebel fans thought, Ole Miss was on the verge of a breakthrough under first-year Houston Nutt.
Nutt warned all week that a loss to the Gamecocks would, in effect, neutralize the momentum from the big road win over the Gators.
And that’s exactly what happened. Ole Miss didn’t play badly, just not well enough in the second half to keep up with Smelley and the sizzling USC offense.
In short, it was a wasted opportunity for Ole Miss to take a step forward in the SEC.
Well, the same scenario has presented itself for the Gamecocks. When this current two-game road trip started, I contended USC faced a must-win situation in both games.
One-half of the job is complete. But in order to really propel the program forward, the Gamecocks must beat Kentucky and complete the sweep.
If they don’t, they’re staring at a 4-3 mark (and 1-3 in the SEC) with defending national champion LSU coming to town on Oct. 18.
That’s not the uncomfortable position USC wants to find itself in. A loss to the Wildcats would make the LSU game an absolute must-win situation. Is that what the Gamecocks really want? I don’t think so.
The good news is USC has shown a knack for playing well on the road during Spurrier’s tenure. In fact, I would argue they’ve played better on the road than at home.
So, as long as they understand, and appreciate, that the win over Ole Miss last weekend means the job is only half done, I expect the Gamecocks to win.
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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 @.