5 Things We Learned From The Vanderbilt Game
posted by Scott Hood, Monday, October 26, 2009
1. ZERO IS SOMETIMES THE BEST NUMBER: In a conference where defense is king, taking care of the football is paramount. Last season, of course, was a disaster for USC in the turnover department. But so far QB Stephen Garcia has performed admirably when it comes to ball security. Through eight games, USC has committed only nine turnovers, an average of slightly more than one game.
Saturday night, USC didn’t turn the ball over once. Neither did Vanderbilt, so one miscue could have meant the difference between victory and defeat. Yes, USC got a couple of breaks (the reversal of the Kenny Miles fumble early in the game being one example) but committing zero turnovers against a defense as talented as Vanderbilt’s was no small feat. USC is tied with Alabama for the third fewest number of turnovers in the SEC.
2. KENNY MCKINLEY’S RECEIVING RECORDS COULD BE IN JEOPARDY: OK, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has only played three full games in his career (he played sparingly until the Kentucky game), but the freshman’s enormous talent is obvious to even the most novice of football fans. He has 19 receptions in the last 12 quarters of football. Assuming USC plays in a bowl game (a virtual certainty with the SEC’s 9 bowl tie-ins), Jeffery has plenty of opportunities left to push his numbers skywards.
Right now, Jeffery has 24 receptions for 443 yards, just one fewer than Kenny McKinley had as a freshman in 2005. If Jeffery maintains his current pace from the last three games (6.3 receptions per contest), he will finish the year with almost 60 receptions, more than double the number McKinley had in his first year. As long as he continues to improve, Jeffery could possibly pass McKinley (207 catches) even if he plays only three years with the Gamecocks before departing for the NFL.
3. THE SEC IS A LOT LIKE THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: The best analogy I can offer for Gamecock fans still unappreciative (or a little naïve) of the difficult SEC grind after 18 seasons is that playing in the top football conference in the country is a lot like the frenzied atmosphere of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The objective isn’t to look good or build up style points, but to win. I’ve heard a good catchphrase for it: survive and advance.
The weekly SEC wars are so brutal that any win is a great win, no matter how you get it. Every team in this league has talent. Everybody plays defense. That’s why a 14-10 victory over Vanderbilt – even if it takes a fourth quarter rally - is a precious commodity. You take it, make no apologies and move on, and now try to get ready for what should be a war in Knoxville. Then again, it’s just another week in the SEC.
4. THE CONFIDENCE OF THE COACHES IN KENNY MILES IS SKY HIGH: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the most reliable testament about how a coach feels about a certain player is told in the fourth quarter of any close game. If that’s true – and I sincerely believe it is – then the USC coaches have a lot of confidence in freshman running back Kenny Miles.
With USC nursing a 14-10 lead, Miles got the ball six times in a nine-play drive that consumed nine plays, 32 yards and 5:28 off the clock. The following possession, he got the ball four times. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 10 carries in a span of less than eight minutes. Why do the coaches have confidence in Miles? He’s tough, he pushes the ball forward and he doesn’t fumble. Out of 18 carries Saturday night, he didn’t have a single negative yard rushing. In short, he was tackled for no gain at worst. In the Kentucky game, he had one negative yard in 17 carries.
5. SPECIAL TEAMS CAN WIN OR LOSE GAMES: USC watched in horror as Georgia basically beat them with strong special teams play in the Sept. 12 matchup. Poor kickoff coverage almost cost the Gamecocks again on Saturday night when Vanderbilt returned one 99 yards for a TD. But the Gamecocks were able to finally overcome it, even if it took them until the fourth quarter to do it. Steve Spurrier called the breakdown “ridiculous” during his Sunday teleconference, which is fair. I’m reminded of that old saying, “First time, shame on you; second time shame on me.”
I’m sure Shane Beamer will be spending a lot of time in the film room this week trying to figure out a solution. He has to solve the problem quickly with USC about to encounter top kickoff returners like David Oku (UT), Dennis Johnson (Ark), Brandon James (UF) and C.J. Spiller (Clem) over the final four regular season games.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
It was far from an artistic success, but in the rugged world of the SEC, you happily accept any conference win any way you can get it. The Gamecocks will take Saturday’s 14-10 victory over pesky Vanderbilt, file it and move on this Saturday’s clash with Tennessee in Knoxville. Here are five things we learned from the game:
1. ZERO IS SOMETIMES THE BEST NUMBER: In a conference where defense is king, taking care of the football is paramount. Last season, of course, was a disaster for USC in the turnover department. But so far QB Stephen Garcia has performed admirably when it comes to ball security. Through eight games, USC has committed only nine turnovers, an average of slightly more than one game.
Saturday night, USC didn’t turn the ball over once. Neither did Vanderbilt, so one miscue could have meant the difference between victory and defeat. Yes, USC got a couple of breaks (the reversal of the Kenny Miles fumble early in the game being one example) but committing zero turnovers against a defense as talented as Vanderbilt’s was no small feat. USC is tied with Alabama for the third fewest number of turnovers in the SEC.
2. KENNY MCKINLEY’S RECEIVING RECORDS COULD BE IN JEOPARDY: OK, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has only played three full games in his career (he played sparingly until the Kentucky game), but the freshman’s enormous talent is obvious to even the most novice of football fans. He has 19 receptions in the last 12 quarters of football. Assuming USC plays in a bowl game (a virtual certainty with the SEC’s 9 bowl tie-ins), Jeffery has plenty of opportunities left to push his numbers skywards.
Right now, Jeffery has 24 receptions for 443 yards, just one fewer than Kenny McKinley had as a freshman in 2005. If Jeffery maintains his current pace from the last three games (6.3 receptions per contest), he will finish the year with almost 60 receptions, more than double the number McKinley had in his first year. As long as he continues to improve, Jeffery could possibly pass McKinley (207 catches) even if he plays only three years with the Gamecocks before departing for the NFL.
3. THE SEC IS A LOT LIKE THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: The best analogy I can offer for Gamecock fans still unappreciative (or a little naïve) of the difficult SEC grind after 18 seasons is that playing in the top football conference in the country is a lot like the frenzied atmosphere of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The objective isn’t to look good or build up style points, but to win. I’ve heard a good catchphrase for it: survive and advance.
The weekly SEC wars are so brutal that any win is a great win, no matter how you get it. Every team in this league has talent. Everybody plays defense. That’s why a 14-10 victory over Vanderbilt – even if it takes a fourth quarter rally - is a precious commodity. You take it, make no apologies and move on, and now try to get ready for what should be a war in Knoxville. Then again, it’s just another week in the SEC.
4. THE CONFIDENCE OF THE COACHES IN KENNY MILES IS SKY HIGH: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the most reliable testament about how a coach feels about a certain player is told in the fourth quarter of any close game. If that’s true – and I sincerely believe it is – then the USC coaches have a lot of confidence in freshman running back Kenny Miles.
With USC nursing a 14-10 lead, Miles got the ball six times in a nine-play drive that consumed nine plays, 32 yards and 5:28 off the clock. The following possession, he got the ball four times. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 10 carries in a span of less than eight minutes. Why do the coaches have confidence in Miles? He’s tough, he pushes the ball forward and he doesn’t fumble. Out of 18 carries Saturday night, he didn’t have a single negative yard rushing. In short, he was tackled for no gain at worst. In the Kentucky game, he had one negative yard in 17 carries.
5. SPECIAL TEAMS CAN WIN OR LOSE GAMES: USC watched in horror as Georgia basically beat them with strong special teams play in the Sept. 12 matchup. Poor kickoff coverage almost cost the Gamecocks again on Saturday night when Vanderbilt returned one 99 yards for a TD. But the Gamecocks were able to finally overcome it, even if it took them until the fourth quarter to do it. Steve Spurrier called the breakdown “ridiculous” during his Sunday teleconference, which is fair. I’m reminded of that old saying, “First time, shame on you; second time shame on me.”
I’m sure Shane Beamer will be spending a lot of time in the film room this week trying to figure out a solution. He has to solve the problem quickly with USC about to encounter top kickoff returners like David Oku (UT), Dennis Johnson (Ark), Brandon James (UF) and C.J. Spiller (Clem) over the final four regular season games.
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 @.