5 Things We Learned From The Florida Game
posted by Scott Hood, Monday, November 16, 2009
1. Mistakes In The First Quarter Are Costly Too: There were still more than 58 minutes to play when USC lined up in punt formation from its 43-yard line. But Spencer Lanning took the snap and lofted a pass to D.J. Swearinger for an 18-yard gain and apparent first down. But USC was called for an illegal shift, wiping out the positive play. Less than 2 minutes later, Riley Cooper caught a 68-yard TD pass from Tim Tebow. So, rather than having the opportunity to jump out in front, USC found itself trailing by a touchdown less than three minutes into the game. In my opinion, the game could have gone differently had USC scored first. Gary Danielson of CBS had the best line when he said, “That’s why one team is 10-0 and the other is 6-4.”
2. There’s A Lot of Gas Left In Brian Maddox’s Tank: Brian Maddox had been a forgotten man over the five weeks leading up to the Florida game. The junior from Anderson, SC had a total of 13 carries in five games while youngsters Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles handled most of the backfield chores. But the USC coaching staff thought Maddox’s superior size (5-foot-11, 224 pounds) would be able to handle the physical punishment from the Florida defense. They were right. Maddox had 57 yards in the first half as USC established some semblance of a running game and kept the gators from teeing off on QB Stephen Garcia.
3. USC’s Defense Is Pretty Good Too: Most of the talk entering Saturday’s game focused on the Gators and their prolific offense behind Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow. There was also a lot of chatter about how good the Florida defense was, as well, since it was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the SEC in most of the major categories. Without question, the USC defense was overshadowed by Florida, but in my opinion they turned in one of their best performances of the season. The Gamecocks held the Gators to 24 points, 339 yards of total offense and 140 rushing yards, all well below their season averages. In short, the defense put USC in position to pull the upset but the offense faltered just when they were about to score points to either tie the game or go-ahead. Of course, the USC defense faces one final test Nov. 28 when they square off with Clemson. They’ve haven’t done a good job tackling C.J. Spiller over the last three years, something USC must do for USC to have any chance to win the game.
4. The O-Line Has A Lot Of Work To Do Between Now and Nov. 28: The USC offensive line did an admirable opening some holes for the Gamecock running backs against the tough Florida defense. But the pass protection was an entirely different matter. Steve Spurrier described it as ‘woeful’ in his Sunday teleconference. But that’s been a season-long concern as seen by USC’s 33 sacks allowed. Yielding six sacks, four in the fourth quarter, won’t get it done in the SEC. Or against Clemson in less than two weeks, for that matter. The Tigers have an outstanding defensive front, as well, and could present plenty of problems just like Florida did.
5. One Dimensional Offenses Typically Don’t Work In The SEC: Unless your talent in one phase is so overwhelming, it’s difficult to win consistently in the SEC without a balanced offense. In the first three quarters of Saturday’s game, the USC offense was perfectly balanced with 27 rushes and 27 passes. They were driving towards either the game-tying or go-ahead points when the fourth quarter started, and had the Florida defense back on their heels a little bit. But then the interception occurred and everything changed. Once USC fell behind by 10 points, they were forced to throw the ball more than they wanted. And the USC offensive line was exposed. The fourth quarter was a complete mismatch between the USC O-line and the Florida front seven. The USC offense snapped the ball 11 times in the final frame following the costly interception. Garcia was sacked four times, including three times in the first four plays. The longest play gained seven yards. Obviously, Florida knew USC was going to throw the ball most of the time, so they just pinned their ears back and attacked Garcia. Someday, Eric Wolford hopes, the Gamecocks will have an offensive front that can stop the defense in those situations.
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South Carolina could walk out of Williams-Brice Stadium with their heads high after a stellar effort in a 24-14 loss to No. 1 Florida. But, in the end, the history books will show it as just another setback, the third straight for the Gamecocks heading into the Nov. 28 showdown with arch-rival Clemson. Here are five things we learned from the USC-Florida game:
1. Mistakes In The First Quarter Are Costly Too: There were still more than 58 minutes to play when USC lined up in punt formation from its 43-yard line. But Spencer Lanning took the snap and lofted a pass to D.J. Swearinger for an 18-yard gain and apparent first down. But USC was called for an illegal shift, wiping out the positive play. Less than 2 minutes later, Riley Cooper caught a 68-yard TD pass from Tim Tebow. So, rather than having the opportunity to jump out in front, USC found itself trailing by a touchdown less than three minutes into the game. In my opinion, the game could have gone differently had USC scored first. Gary Danielson of CBS had the best line when he said, “That’s why one team is 10-0 and the other is 6-4.”
2. There’s A Lot of Gas Left In Brian Maddox’s Tank: Brian Maddox had been a forgotten man over the five weeks leading up to the Florida game. The junior from Anderson, SC had a total of 13 carries in five games while youngsters Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles handled most of the backfield chores. But the USC coaching staff thought Maddox’s superior size (5-foot-11, 224 pounds) would be able to handle the physical punishment from the Florida defense. They were right. Maddox had 57 yards in the first half as USC established some semblance of a running game and kept the gators from teeing off on QB Stephen Garcia.
3. USC’s Defense Is Pretty Good Too: Most of the talk entering Saturday’s game focused on the Gators and their prolific offense behind Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow. There was also a lot of chatter about how good the Florida defense was, as well, since it was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the SEC in most of the major categories. Without question, the USC defense was overshadowed by Florida, but in my opinion they turned in one of their best performances of the season. The Gamecocks held the Gators to 24 points, 339 yards of total offense and 140 rushing yards, all well below their season averages. In short, the defense put USC in position to pull the upset but the offense faltered just when they were about to score points to either tie the game or go-ahead. Of course, the USC defense faces one final test Nov. 28 when they square off with Clemson. They’ve haven’t done a good job tackling C.J. Spiller over the last three years, something USC must do for USC to have any chance to win the game.
4. The O-Line Has A Lot Of Work To Do Between Now and Nov. 28: The USC offensive line did an admirable opening some holes for the Gamecock running backs against the tough Florida defense. But the pass protection was an entirely different matter. Steve Spurrier described it as ‘woeful’ in his Sunday teleconference. But that’s been a season-long concern as seen by USC’s 33 sacks allowed. Yielding six sacks, four in the fourth quarter, won’t get it done in the SEC. Or against Clemson in less than two weeks, for that matter. The Tigers have an outstanding defensive front, as well, and could present plenty of problems just like Florida did.
5. One Dimensional Offenses Typically Don’t Work In The SEC: Unless your talent in one phase is so overwhelming, it’s difficult to win consistently in the SEC without a balanced offense. In the first three quarters of Saturday’s game, the USC offense was perfectly balanced with 27 rushes and 27 passes. They were driving towards either the game-tying or go-ahead points when the fourth quarter started, and had the Florida defense back on their heels a little bit. But then the interception occurred and everything changed. Once USC fell behind by 10 points, they were forced to throw the ball more than they wanted. And the USC offensive line was exposed. The fourth quarter was a complete mismatch between the USC O-line and the Florida front seven. The USC offense snapped the ball 11 times in the final frame following the costly interception. Garcia was sacked four times, including three times in the first four plays. The longest play gained seven yards. Obviously, Florida knew USC was going to throw the ball most of the time, so they just pinned their ears back and attacked Garcia. Someday, Eric Wolford hopes, the Gamecocks will have an offensive front that can stop the defense in those situations.
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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 @.