5 Things We Learned From The NC State Game
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, September 04, 2009
1. Stephen Garcia Is Still A Young Quarterback: At first glance, Garcia’s numbers appear respectable - 13-of-22 for 148 yards. Not great, but OK. Garcia missed a few open receivers and the offense bogged down in the red zone. He also made several clutch throws on third down that kept drives alive, especially the final one when his 33-yard completion to Moe Brown delivered the fatal blow to NC State’s hopes. Remember, Garcia made his fourth career start on Thursday night, so he is far from a polished product at this stage of his young career.
2. Clifton Geathers Will Behave Himself From Now On: Do you think Clifton Geathers took the Five Points Pledge and the Vista Vow after watching his supposed backup Devin Taylor manhandle the Wolfpack with a forced fumble, blocked punt and sack. Three of his six tackles were for loss. In short, it a terrific debut for the former Beaufort standout. If Geathers was smart, he’ll stay in his dorm room, drink water and juice and watch plenty of film, lest he lose his starting spot to Taylor. Heck, he might anyways but at least he’ll have a chance by staying out of trouble.
3. It Doesn’t Matter How Old You Are: Until Moe Brown caught that third-down pass in the final minutes, most of the big plays in the game had been made by freshmen. We’ve already talked about Devin Taylor. But he wasn’t the only newcomer to make an impact. DeVonte Holloman came out of nowhere to knock a pass away in the first quarter. Former South Pointe teammate Stephon Gilmore batted away the fourth down pass in the end zone. Offensively, three of Tori Gurley’s four receptions registered first downs. Yes, it was quite a night for USC’s young players. In all, 19 players appeared in their first game with the Gamecocks, while seven made the first starts of their careers.
4. Defensive Timeouts Are Worth Their Weight In Gold: In the fourth quarter, it appeared USC’s lack of numbers along the defensive line had finally caught with them. NC State gained possession at its 11-yard drive and methodically drove down the field, moving to the USC 38 in nine plays. When NC State picked up a first down with a 12-yard run, the Gamecock coaches decided to call a rare defensive timeout with 9:30 left. The brilliant decision allowed the defense to take a breath and talk things over. When they stepped back on the field, a rejuevanted USC went back to work. NC State gained only two yards on its next three plays and punted the ball away.
5. Patrick DiMarco Is A Weapon: For possibly the first time in his career, Patrick DiMarco was allowed to become a major contributor on offense. He entered the game with one career carry. Thursday, he rushed five times for 19 yards. His 3.8 yard average was the highest on the team. DiMarco was given the ball when USC needed some tough yards. Two of his carries picked up first downs, starting with a seven-yard gain on 2nd-and-5 towards the end of the first quarter. Of course, his biggest clutch carry came on fourth down in the third quarter when he was called upon on fourth-and-1. He made the first down – barely – with a strong second effort. It was DiMarco at his best.
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South Carolina knocked off NC State, 7-3, Thursday night in the opening game of the 2009 college football season. There were a lot of good moments and a few bad ones. It all added up to a huge win for the Gamecocks. Here are the five things we learned:
1. Stephen Garcia Is Still A Young Quarterback: At first glance, Garcia’s numbers appear respectable - 13-of-22 for 148 yards. Not great, but OK. Garcia missed a few open receivers and the offense bogged down in the red zone. He also made several clutch throws on third down that kept drives alive, especially the final one when his 33-yard completion to Moe Brown delivered the fatal blow to NC State’s hopes. Remember, Garcia made his fourth career start on Thursday night, so he is far from a polished product at this stage of his young career.
2. Clifton Geathers Will Behave Himself From Now On: Do you think Clifton Geathers took the Five Points Pledge and the Vista Vow after watching his supposed backup Devin Taylor manhandle the Wolfpack with a forced fumble, blocked punt and sack. Three of his six tackles were for loss. In short, it a terrific debut for the former Beaufort standout. If Geathers was smart, he’ll stay in his dorm room, drink water and juice and watch plenty of film, lest he lose his starting spot to Taylor. Heck, he might anyways but at least he’ll have a chance by staying out of trouble.
3. It Doesn’t Matter How Old You Are: Until Moe Brown caught that third-down pass in the final minutes, most of the big plays in the game had been made by freshmen. We’ve already talked about Devin Taylor. But he wasn’t the only newcomer to make an impact. DeVonte Holloman came out of nowhere to knock a pass away in the first quarter. Former South Pointe teammate Stephon Gilmore batted away the fourth down pass in the end zone. Offensively, three of Tori Gurley’s four receptions registered first downs. Yes, it was quite a night for USC’s young players. In all, 19 players appeared in their first game with the Gamecocks, while seven made the first starts of their careers.
4. Defensive Timeouts Are Worth Their Weight In Gold: In the fourth quarter, it appeared USC’s lack of numbers along the defensive line had finally caught with them. NC State gained possession at its 11-yard drive and methodically drove down the field, moving to the USC 38 in nine plays. When NC State picked up a first down with a 12-yard run, the Gamecock coaches decided to call a rare defensive timeout with 9:30 left. The brilliant decision allowed the defense to take a breath and talk things over. When they stepped back on the field, a rejuevanted USC went back to work. NC State gained only two yards on its next three plays and punted the ball away.
5. Patrick DiMarco Is A Weapon: For possibly the first time in his career, Patrick DiMarco was allowed to become a major contributor on offense. He entered the game with one career carry. Thursday, he rushed five times for 19 yards. His 3.8 yard average was the highest on the team. DiMarco was given the ball when USC needed some tough yards. Two of his carries picked up first downs, starting with a seven-yard gain on 2nd-and-5 towards the end of the first quarter. Of course, his biggest clutch carry came on fourth down in the third quarter when he was called upon on fourth-and-1. He made the first down – barely – with a strong second effort. It was DiMarco at his best.
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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 @.