 Live From Williams-Brice Stadium
posted by Scott Hood, 9/29/2007 09:50:00 AM
GamecockCentral.com's Scott Hood and Brian Shoemaker will provide updates prior to and during the game from Williams-Brice Stadium. Refresh this page to see the latest updates.3:30 P.M.: GREAT DEFENSIVE STAND BY USC. MSU is denied on 4th and inches. They tried to run outside. But the ball carrier was swarmed under. Unfortunately, USC went 3-and-out, so they couldn't run some time off the clock. 3:25 P.M.A great slant pass by Smelley to McKinley sets up a short TD run by Davis. It's 31-21 with 14 minutes left. USC needs to play some defense here and stop the Bulldogs if they want to pull out this victory. 3:10 P.M.: Thanks to Eric Norwood, the momentum has changed. Norwood picked up USC's second blocked punt in two weeks. USC took over at the MSU 27 and Spurrier wasted little time going downfield. TD pass to McKinley. USC leads 24-21 late in the 3Q.. 2:55 P.M.: Huge play upcoming for USC. 4th and 1 from the MSU 41. Davis gets the first down. That was close. He was hit behind the LOS but squirmed forward for the first down. USC now faces another 4th down. SOS doesn't hesitant. 4th-and-4 from the MSU 33. USC calls T/O with 6:41 left. It looks like Succop will come on for a field goal. 2:50: For the first time today, you get the sense USC misses Jasper Brinkley. MSU just ran through the Gamecock defense, needing just 5 plays to drive 48 yards for the go-ahead TD. MSU leads, 21-17, with 8:56 left in the 3Q. 2:40 P.M.: The second half is underway. MSU is stopped on ther first possession. USC has the ball but the offense is struggling on the first couple of plays. Very poor start by the USC offense. Sorensen barely touched Titus Brown on a third-down sack. USC punts the ball. MSU has the ball at the USC 48 with 10:39 left in the 3Q. 2:20 P.M. HALFTIME STATS Total Offense: USC 214, MSU 125 Total Rushing: USC 15-32, MSU 21-45 Passing: Smelley 14-25, 182; MSU (2 QB's) 5-8, 80 yards. Rushing: USC, Smelley, 3-16, Davis 8-13, Boyd 4-3; MSU, Ducre 7-27, Dixon 11-25. Receiving: USC, Cook 4-66, Davis 3-16, Brown 2-43, McKinley 2-32. 2:10 P.M.: USC capped an ugly drive with a 45-yard FG by Succop with 2 secs left. USC had nine penalties in the first half. Way too many penalties. That's enough for an entire game and more. Lack of discipline in a couple of situations is hurting USC, and keeping MSU in this game. USC must regain its composure and play a lot smarters in the 2H. I'm sure that's what SOS will say after the game. 1:55 P.M.: MSU gets a major break when Munnerlyn is called for holding on a third down play that resulted in a sack. MSU gets new life and scored a TD. It's 14-14 with 2:20 left in the 2Q. MSU held th eball for 7 minutes. SOS must be going crazy on the sideline. Dumb penalties are costing USC in this one. 1:45 P.M.A dumb personal foul penalty on Travian Robertson has helped MSU to a long drive. They have the ball inside the red zone. They're chewing up a lot of time here. Spurrier has to be frustrated. 1:40 P.M.: A questionable holding call on Carlos Thomas has negated a TD punt return by Munnerlyn. The replay showed CT didn't do very much. But the call wa smade. 3-and-out for USC. MSU has the ball at its 38-yard line with 9:20 left in the 2Q. 1:30 P.M.: Great run-after-catch TD reception by McKinley. The key stat of the game: USC is 5-of-7 on third downs. USC leads, 14-7, with 13:28 left in the 2Q. Smelely is doing a nice job moving the team against a good MSU defense. He was 7-of-14 for 82 yards in the 1Q. 1:20 P.M.We're at the end of the 1Q. Cory Boyd returned to action on the final play of the 1Q. The score is tied at 7-7, though USC outgained MSU by a wide margin in the opening frame. 1:13 P.M.: MSU is hurting themselves with dumb personal foul penalties on USC's 3rd possession of the game. USC is driving but there's a fumble. Davis recovers. Davi smight be getting tired. He's played alot since Boyd was hurt. Anotehr 3rd down. There's a poor pass by Smelley. Intercepted. Scoring chance goes by the wayside. That hurt for USC. 1:05 P.M. - MSU is set up nicely at the USC 30 after a bad punt by Ryan Succop. Dion Lecorn caught his first career pass for USC on third down for USC. Nice TD pass by MSU. It's 7-7 with 5:17 left in the 1Q. The MSU receiver (Aubrey Bell) broke three tackles getting into the end zone. First career TD reception for Bell. Late hit on MSU on the kickoff return. 1:00 P.M.: After MSU hit a long pass, the USC defense got aggressive, blitzing on nearly every play. MSU had a tough time dealing with it. MSU got down to the USC 39 but that wa sfar as they would go. USC has th eball back at its 3-yard line following a nice punt. 12:50 P.M.: Impressive opening drive for USC. Smelley hit most of his passes and Davis replaced C. Boyd nicely. He capped the drive with a spinning TD run that looked similar to his TD run against Clemson last November. 12 plays, 69 yards. USC converted all 3 third downs in that drive. Good start for the offense. 12:45 P.M. - Cory Boyd has a right knee injury. Status is unknown. USC just converted a 3rd-and-15 on a pass to Brown. Brown is a very reliable wide receiver. Boyd has a right knee sprain. Smelley is 3-of-5 for 62 yards on the opening drive. USC just called T/O. They're down to the 4-yard line. 12:36 P.M.: Not a good start for USC. Cory Boyd loses 3 yards. He's hurt. But Davis gets a first down. There's a long pass to Cook. Joseph Hills is now into the game. They waste no time goingto him. But the pass is incomplete. I know Spurrier likes Hill. Thinks he can be another Rice. 12:30 P.M. MSU wins the coin toss and defers to 2H. We're almost underway. Josh Riddell is starting at QB for MSU. 12:25 P.M.: The players have departed the field and the band is on the field. The national anthem and alma mater has been played. It's almost time for kickoff. We're about 8 minutes away. By the way, for thise of you that care about such stuff, MSU did send a pep band to today's game. MSU fans occupy about 1 or 2 sections in the SE corner. About 1,000 to 2,000 Bulldog fans, maybe. 12:10 P.M.: Below is a list of the players who are on the dress list. CB Captain Munnerlyn RB Cory Boyd WR Jason Barnes CB Carlos Thomas QB Stephen Garcia QB Tommy Beecher LB Melvin Ingram CB Addison Williams QB Chris Smelley WR Larry Freeman WR Moe Brown RB Brian Maddox WR Kenny McKinley QB Blake Mitchell WR Mark Barnes K Ryan Succop WR Chris Culliver WR Dion Lecorn TE Nick Prochak RB Taylor Rank S Emanuel Cook CB Mike West LB Cody Wells RB Mike Davis S Brandon Isaac S Ty Erving CB Chris Hail LB Yvan Banag LB Gerrod Sinclair S Darian Stewart S Chris Hampton S Douglas Peterson LB Greg Wright FB Jim Hutton S Stoney Woodson FB Lanard Stafford CB Ranzino Valentine DE Eric Norwood DE Travian Robertson CB Mike Newton DE Ryan Brown LB Rodney Paulk FB Bryan Kingrey FB Patrick DiMarco LB Damien Wright DE Casper Brinkley LB Marvin Sapp OG Lemuel Jeanpierre LB John Guerry LS Charles Turner OG Terrence Campbell OG Pierre Andrews OG Seaver Brown OG Kevin Young OT Hutch Eckerson OG James Thompson OG Garrett Anderson C William Brown OT Heath Batchelor C Jeremy Burgess OT Jamon Meredith OT Justin Sorensen DT Marque Hall TE Andy Boyd WR Paul Haile WR Freddie Brown LB Cliff Matthews WR Scott Spurrier TE Jared Cook WR Joe Hills P Spencer Lanning TE Alex McGrath TE Weslye Saunders DT Ladi Ajiboye TE Robert Pavlovic K Thomas Hooper DE Clifton Geathers DT Kenrick Ellis P Nate Spurrier DT Joel Reaves DT Jonathan Williams DID NOT DRESSLB Alonzo Winfield CB Jamire Williams WR Matt Clements RB Bobby Wallace FB Clark Gaston LB Dustin Lindsey LB Vandaral Shackleford LB Jasper Brinkley DT Donte'e Nicholls C Ryan Broadhead OT Kyle Nunn OT Quintin Richardson OT Gurminder Thind DE Byron McKnight DT Nathan Pepper 12:00 Noon: We're about 35 minutes from kickoff. USC is starting its stretching exercises right now. The Starting O-Line is, as expected, RT Sorensen, RG Thompson, C Brown, LG Brown, LT Meredith. The First D-Line is DE Norwood, DT Hall, DT Ajiboye, DE Brinkley. The LB's are Sapp, Paulk and Matthews. The DB's are Thomas, Stewart, Cook and Munnerlyn. That's 3 So. and 1 Jr. in the secondary. In fact, there's just one Sr. in the defensive starting lineup. 11:30 P.M.: If you were wondering what color jersey USC would wear today, here's the answer - Garnet. Miss. State is wearing all-white. USC's special team players went back to the locker room and came out wearing the uniforms. Succop has boomed a few through from beyond 40 yards. There aren't many surprises on the dress roster. USC can dress 80 players for SEC home games. The QB's are on the field. Three QB's are throwing - Smelley, Mitchell and Garcia. Beecher was out there earlier holding. But he just joined the QB group. 11:15 P.M.: The USC special team players are out on the field going through their pre-game rutine. Here's one difference between USC and some of the so-called "big boys" in the SEC - the student section at Tiger Stadium at LSU was absolutely packed 90 minutes before last week's game. Here were are, about 90 minutes before today's game and I don't see more five people in the USC student section. If you want to be big-time, you have to act big-time. The students need to step up and show more pride in the football program. Please, don't tell me it's 11 a.m. Get out of bed and get to the stadium. It's not that hard. It's more "want-to" than anything else. No excuses. 10:50 A.M.: The players have arrived at W-B Stadium are are milling around on the field right now. The Fairgrounds parking lot is starting to fill up, as well. I haven't seen any sign of Miss. State yet. Wait, here they come. They've opened up the gates and fans are starting to file in. This is a big game for the Bulldogs, too. They're off to a good start. The Auburn win on the road was impressive. But they've been winning mostly with defense. The Gamecocks will provide them with their biggest challenge offensively since opening night against LSU. Sylvester Croom is a classy guy. he's one of the most approachable coaches in the league. When we're at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, he'll talk with you even if he doesn't know you at all. Some SEC coaches aren't like that. He's also not gripped with paranoia like some coaches. Spurrier is the same way. Unfortunately, the huge salaries now that coaches are receiving have produced a bunker mentality with some coaches. 10:25 A.M.: Today is Chris Smelley's 21st birthday, so if you're a USC fan you hope he'll have an opportunity to celebrate tonight. I just have one piece of advice for Chris: Stay out of Five Points! I don't think he'll do anything stupid. I'm sure his family is here from Tuscaloosa, so he'll spend a quiet evening with them. I look for Smelley to have a big game today. I think Spurrier likes Smelley better because he follows the game plan and has a quicker release. Spurrier's offense is totally timing based and the QB's must get rid the ball within a certain amount of time. Smelley does a good job of that, better than Mitchell. ESPN "Gameday" is talking about the Miss. State-USC game right now. It sounds like both Corso and Herbstreit are picking USC to win a close game. 9:35 A.M. - There's a little more buzz around the stadium. A lot more fans have arrived in the Fairgrounds parking lot. The cheerleaders are going through their pre-game routine. Based on the comments made by Steve Spurrier on Thursday, both following practice and on his weekly radio show, there should be a little cause for concern. But I think USC will come out and play well today. Chris Smelley is excited about starting this game at QB. Marvin Sapp finally gets the opportunity he's been waiting two years for. Here are the top storylines for this game: 1. Can USC handle MSU's running game? Some people think the absence of Jasper Brinkley will hurt the Gamecocks. I think it will initially, but I expect Marvin Sapp to step up and play well. Is he as good as Jasper? Maybe not. But he's still a very good player. I also expect Emanuel Cook to have a huge game as he provides run support. So, the answer to the question is yes. 2. Is this Chris Smelley's time? It could be. Smelley, like Sapp, has also been waiting for an opportunity to start. To his credit, he took advantage og his chance when he was inserted into the game after halftime last week at LSU. Smelley knows the job could be his if he plays well today. I think he's going to have a big game. 3. How will the new guys do? There's four new starters onoffense this week for USC. Smelley, of course, WR Dion Lecorn, OL Seaver Brown and OL James Thomspon. Brown and Thompson are both starting at guard. I know Spurrier has been very disappointed in the play of the guards this season. Hopefully, Brown and Thompson can provide a boost. Lecorn is getting his first significant action of the season. He's a true freshman. Someof the other, more publicized receivers haven't stepped up and made plays, so we'll see how he does.
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Five Predictions For USC-Miss. State Game
posted by Scott Hood, 9/28/2007 10:34:00 PM
There’s no question Saturday’s USC-Mississippi State game at Williams-Brice Stadium is huge for both teams as the 207 college football season enters the middle portion of the schedule. Both teams are 3-1 overall, 1-1 in the SEC. Here are my five predictions for the game: 1. Chris Smelley Will Throw For More Than 175 Yards: When he does, he’ll sustain a trend that’s developed over his first four career games. His passing yardage has increased with each outing. He threw for 48 yards in his USC debut in last season’s opener at Mississippi State. He followed that up a week later with 64 passing yards against Georgia. This year, he had 101 yards in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette and 174 yards at LSU last week. That’s the kind of progression Steve Spurrier is looking for. Smelley played well in Baton Rouge against one of the best defenses in the country. The Mississippi State pass defense is third-best in the SEC but it doesn’t have the number of athletes the Tigers have. 2. Emanuel Cook Will Have At Least 12 Tackles: Mississippi State is the perfect team for Cook to showcase his immense tackling skills. The Bulldogs don’t throw it very often. Instead, they rely on a solid running game featuring Anthony Dixon, a 240-pound sophomore. As a result, look for Cook to spend a lot of time up close to the line of scrimmage in run support. Cook is aggressive and fearless. He’ll mix it up with physically larger players. If MSU decides to try to establish the run, Cook’s name will called early and often. 3. Either Cory Boyd or Mike Davis Will Gain 100 Yards: What’s special about that? The Mississippi State defense hasn’t allowed a 100-yarder in 10 games. And that includes a meeting with Darren McFadden and Arkansas last year. The impressive streak dates back to a Week 6 game against West Virginia last season. Boyd and Davis, along with the offensive line, are eager to make up for last week’s embarrassing performance against LSU when the Gamecocks finished with 17 net rushing yards on 27 attempts. 4. No Pick-Six For The MSU Defense: The Mississippi State has an interesting stretch going. In the last three games, the MSU secondary has returned an interception for a first-quarter touchdown on the opponents’ initial possession of the game. That’s a new school record for the Bulldogs. Steve Spurrier is well aware of what the MSU secondary has accomplished in the streak. Chris Smelley is as good if not better than any QB the Bulldogs have faced over the last three weeks. Spurrier will probably stay conservative in his early play-calling to keep Smelley out of danger. 5. The USC-Kentucky Hype Will Start Quickly: With the USC-Kentucky game scheduled for Thursday night at Williams-Brice Stadium, Spurrier should expect plenty of questions about the Wildcats in his post-game press conference. Kentucky is No. 14 in this week’s AP poll. The contest is being billed as the Wildcats’ coming-out party in the SEC. If Kentucky beats Florida Atlantic Saturday afternoon, they will arrive in Columbia with a 5-0 record. Let the hype begin.
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Marvin Sapp Will Fill Large Brinkley Shoes
posted by Scott Hood, 9/27/2007 01:39:00 AM
Jasper Brinkley’s season-ending knee injury means one thing. It’s finally time for Marvin Sapp to shine. I’m hoping that by the time Saturday afternoon’s key SEC game against Mississippi State is concluded, all South Carolina fans will fully appreciate one of the harsh realities of athletics. No one is irreplaceable. Yes, that includes Mr. Brinkley. I’m not saying Sapp is capable of doing it all by himself. He may need help from freshman Melvin Ingram and, later, from Dustin Lindsey when he returns from his own severe knee injury. Okay, it might takes three players to replace Jasper Brinkley. But, I assure you, it will happen. The player I’m happiest for is Sapp, who has been eager to crack the starting lineup again since the early portion of last season when he lost his starting outside linebacker job to true freshman Rodney Paulk. Now we get to see Sapp and Paulk on the field at the same time. That’s a good thing. Both Sapp (5-11, 228 pounds) and Paulk (6-0, 220 pounds) may be a bit undersized when compared to some other SEC linebackers, but both are fearless when it comes to tackling and taking on much larger blockers. Here’s something else you need to know about Sapp: he has possibly the biggest “guns” I have ever seen on a football players. The kid is incredibly strong. We all know Jasper Brinkley led USC in tackles last season with 107. Do you know who was second? That’s right, Sapp. He had 51 tackles in 2006, despite starting only three games. I was a bit disheartened by Steve Spurrier’s comment during his weekly press conference Tuesday that Sapp “pouted” for a brief period of time when he was beaten out by Paulk last season. But, to his credit, he overcame his initial bitterness and rebounded from his losing battle with Paulk to have an excellent season. Pound for pound, Marvin Sapp is one of the best football players on the Gamecocks. He’s also one of my favorite players. Look up the term ‘warrior’ in the dictionary and odds are you’ll find Sapp’s photo there. When Sapp went down with the severe ankle injury during the Garnet and Black game in April, there were probably many Gamecock fans that thought Sapp would never see the field in 2007. But he fought back with an arduous rehabilitation program and finally reached full health towards the end of fall camp. He’s played every linebacker position since the start of practice. He’s how far Sapp has come in less than a month. He wasn’t even listed on the two-deep depth chart prior to the Sept. 1 season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. The following week, as he continued to round in form, Sapp was listed alongside true freshman Melvin Ingram as one of two backups to Jasper Brinkley at MLB. He was finally listed as the sole backup to Brinkley on the depth chart heading into the South Carolina State game. But he was rotated to OLB behind Paulk for the LSU game. Now, hopefully, with Brinkley out until next spring, at the earliest, Sapp is back to the place – middle linebacker – where he should become a vocal leader of the defense. Sapp said Monday he’s looking forward to playing the role of “quarterback of the defense.” He’s got plenty of talent around him, so there’s no need to think he has to do it all by himself.” While it’s possible down the road he might end up splitting snaps with the talented Melvin Ingram, the game Saturday is Sapp’s one chance to make a lasting impression on the USC coaches. I believe he’ll take full advantage of the opportunity.
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Road To Knoxville Paved With Wins
posted by Scott Hood, 9/25/2007 10:43:00 PM
The LSU loss notwithstanding, South Carolina accomplished what it had to in the first four games of the season. If USC expects to win nine games (my prediction for this season), the Gamecocks had to conclude the first one-third of the season with no worse than a 3-1 mark. They did that. Now comes the all-important middle one-third of the schedule. USC is, top to bottom, a better football team than every opponent it will face over the next four weeks. Yes, that includes Kentucky. It starts, of course, with this Saturday’s home game against Mississippi State. While the Bulldogs have a respectable defense (5th in the SEC in total defense), their offense is running on fumes with a two-quarterback platoon running the show with Michael Henig sidelined with a hand injury. Their only true offensive weapon is running back Anthony Dixon, who has 349 yards and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry. The passing game will be D.O.A. with leading receiver Tony Burks grabbing just eight passes. Not surprisingly, Mississippi State is ranked dead last in the SEC in passing offense. Truthfully, the Bulldogs are the very definition of a one-dimensional offense. It may be good enough to beat Gardner-Webb, but it won’t get it done in the SEC. I full expect the USC defense will shutdown the limited Bulldog offense and roll to a victory that will cause people to quickly forget the LSU loss. Now we come to the Kentucky game. I’ve sensed some trepidation among Gamecock fans about this game. My biggest concern is that its comes five days after the Gamecocks have faced a SEC opponent, while Kentucky gets the benefit of hosting Florida Atlantic. I realize FAU beat Minnesota a couple of weeks ago but, hey, the Gophers are a member of the Big 10, annually the most overrated conference in college football. Yes, Kentucky has a good offense. But its not like they’ve faced a Murderer’s Row of college defenses in their first four games. The Wildcats have beaten Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Louisville and Arkansas in their first four games. EKU is a I-AA program, while Kent State is a perennial bottom-feeder in the Mid-American Conference, which typically generates a fair amount of media attention by beating up on, you guessed it, Big 10 schools. Louisville? After watching them on TV a couple of times, I’m convinced the Cardinals have the worst defense in the history of Western Civilization. Yes, it’s true. The Incas had a better pass defense. The Cardinals gave up 38 friggin’ points last Saturday to Syracuse! At home, no less. Syracuse, possibly the worst BCS conference team in the country, scored 32 points TOTAL in their first three games. Here’s how bad Syracuse is: the Orangemen were shutout, 35-0, by Iowa, which celebrated by going out the following week and losing to intrastate rival Iowa State, which opened the season with discouraging losses to Kent State (yes, the same one) and I-AA Northern Iowa. Follow that? Good. Arkansas, meanwhile, isn’t much better when it comes to the tackling part of football. The Razorbacks are 10th in the SEC in total defense and 11th in passing defense. In other words, they really, really miss MLB Sam Olajubutu, who exhausted his eligibility after last season. How good was Olajubutu? He had eight MORE tackles than Jasper Brinkley (107) last season. Arkansas surrendered 41 points to Alabama two weeks ago. In their other two SEC games, the Crimson Tide scored 24 points against Vanderbilt and 20 against Georgia. The difference? The Commodores and Bulldogs have a clue how to play defense. In my opinion, the jury is still out on how good this Kentucky team is, especially the offense. Unquestionably, they have some very good skill position players led by QB Andre Woodson. But they simply haven’t been tested yet. Even without Jasper Brinkley, USC will clearly be the best defensive unit the Wildcats will have faced this season. From that perspective, it will be an interesting game. If USC overcomes the Kentucky hurdle, and I think they will, it’s downhill after that with games against hapless North Carolina and pesky Vanderbilt. With upcoming games against Virginia Tech and Miami, the Tar Heels should be 1-5 when the Gamecocks arrive in Chapel Hill on Oct. 13. If that’s the case, Keenan Stadium will be a mausoleum except for the 6,000 rowdy USC fans in attendance ready for a bloodletting. Vanderbilt? Please. If USC loses to the Commodores at home, they don’t deserve to go to a bowl game, plain and simple. My prediction: USC will be 7-1 heading to Knoxville to face Tennessee on Oct. 27. Hey Phil, get ready. Your buddy Steve is coming.
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5 Things We Learned From The USC-LSU Game
posted by Scott Hood, 9/24/2007 07:54:00 PM
Is it possible to learn anything from a loss? Yes. If fact, it’s possible to learn more from an adversarial situation than one in which everything goes right. Here are the five things we learned from Saturday’s USC-LSU game in Baton Rouge: 1. USC Will Miss Jasper Brinkley: The USC defense wasn’t the same when Jasper Brinkley went out of the game with a knee injury on LSU’s initial possession of the game. He returned midway through the second quarter after the Tigers had put together a pair of touchdown drives during his absence, one of them a four-play, 69-yard romp immediately after the Gamecocks had taken the lead. Marvin Sapp, Dustin Lindsey and Melvin Ingram are all good football players. But let’s face it; none of them are as good as Brinkley. Collectively, they should be able to partly make up for Brinkley’s inability to play. But 100%? No. There’s a good reason Brinkley had over twice as many tackles as anybody else in 2006. He’s pretty darn good. If there’s a silver lining, USC has received strong contributions from defenders like Eric Norwood, Rodney Paulk and Casper Brinkley through the first four games of this season. With Jasper Brinkley now out for the season with torn knee ligaments, they’ll have to take another step up the performance ladder. 2. Experience Counts For Something: The most telling statistic from Saturday’s loss was this: Five of LSU’s top six tacklers were seniors. USC’s top three tacklers were sophomores. Here’s another: seven of LSU’s 11 starters on defense were seniors. That says a lot about where the two programs are currently situated. LSU is, thanks to Nick Saban’s incredible recruiting job three or four years ago, a national championship contender. USC is trying to build a program that will contend for the SEC title on an annual basis. If you read my game preview, you know that what happened Saturday at Tiger Stadium wasn’t a surprise to me. I figured LSU’s size, speed, and, most importantly, experience would pay dividends for the Tigers. USC will get there. The talented young players they have just need time to grow up and mature. When they do, the Gamecocks might become as good as LSU. 3. Chris Smelley Deserves To Start At QB: Steve Spurrier has a true meritocracy when it comes to who plays and who doesn’t. It’s especially true for his quarterbacks. By the time halftime arrived Saturday, it was obvious a change had to be made. Remember, Mitchell’s struggles didn’t start against LSU. He threw three interceptions against S.C. State the previous week, so he entered this past week’s game on a short lease. Mitchell led a beautiful 12-play, 67-yard drive on USC’s third possession of the game but the remainder of the half was a nightmare. USC did nothing offensively. In my opinion, the offense simply responded better to Smelley’s presence. His numbers (12-of-26 for 174 yards, 1 TD) certainly reflected that. Was it a perfect performance? No. But it was decent, as Spurrier is fond of saying. Bottom line, Smelley outplayed Mitchell on the national stage. Spurrier has always had the philosophy that the hot quarterback will play. Playing time is earned, not given. Right now, the quarterback who deserves to play is Chris Smelley. 4. Gambling On College Sports Is Stupid: LSU came into Saturday’s game as 17-1/2 point favorites. I’m sure the folks who put their money down on the Tigers were feeling pretty good about themselves when LSU scored a touchdown with about six minutes left in the third quarter to take a 28-7 lead. With USC reeling, and a redshirt freshman quarterback calling signals against one of the best defenses in the nation, it looked certain the Tigers would roll to a crushing victory and easily cover the spread. But then a funny thing happened. The USC defense tightened up and Chris Smelley began completing some passes. USC scored nine consecutive points to close out the game. They didn’t win, but they lost by fewer points than many predicted. That’s why you don’t bet on college sports. When you’re dealing with 18 and 19-year old young men, it’s tough to predict what’s going to happen. 5. Chris Culliver Will Bring Excitement: Chris Culliver’s 44-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was, hopefully, a glimpse of things to come from the true freshman. In fact, he came pretty darn close to breaking it the whole way. I was listening to the LSU radio broadcast and the announcer screamed, “Somebody tackle that guy” as Culliver streaked past midfield. USC has already utilized him on end-around plays, hoping he’ll be able to beat defenders on the perimeter. Culliver has touched the ball four times this season. He’s rushed three times for 32 yards in addition to the kickoff. That’s 76 yards on four touches. That’s pretty good in my book. But, frankly, that’s what we expected when Culliver was recruited. He was the top prospect in North Carolina for a reason. Here’s hoping for more carries and more returns for Culliver.
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Live from Tiger Stadium
posted by Brian Shoemaker, 9/22/2007 02:39:00 PM
GamecockCentral.com's Scott Hood and Brian Shoemaker will provide updates prior to and during the game from Williams-Brice Stadium. Refresh this page to see the latest updates.6:25 P.M.: USC fails on another 4th down attempt. USC challenged the spot but the call was confirmed. LSU gets the ball back early in the 4Q holding a 28-7 lead. 6:05 P.M.: Smelley hit Saunders on a key third-down pass for a first down. But Smelley is then intercepted on a pass intended for Saunders. Too bad. USC needed to score on that drive. It's 28-7 late in the 3Q. 5:50 P.M.: Smelley was USC's QB on the first possession of the 2H. But Spurrier's gamble backfires. USC is stopped on 4th down at its 30. LSU has a golden opportunity to add to its lead. 5:40 P.M: LSU came out and tried to runthe ball down USC's throat. It worked for a few plays/ E. Cook dropped an interception, and a potential pick-6. USC has the ball for the first time in the 2H. That could have changed the momentum inthe game. Smelley playing QB for USC. 5:30 P.M.1H Stats: Total Offense: USC 89, LSU 273. Rushing: USC 16-19, LSU 25-217 Passing: USC 70, LSU 56 Rushing: McKinley 2-16, C. Boyd 9-13, Mike Davis 3-9; Holliday 4-61, Perrilloux 5-54. Passing: Mitchell 7-16, 70 yards; Flynn 6-14, 56 yards. 5:10 P.M.: There's the halftime gun. LSU leads, 21-7. USC took th lead but gave up 21 straight points. USC struggled in the 2Q for the second straight week. It's raining here in BR. USC's run defnese definitely struggled in the 1H. It will be interesting to see how many rushing yards LSU has. A lot. The USC offense didn't do much after scoring a TD on its third possession of the game. LSU is definitely in control of thsi game. 5:05 P.M.: Some boos when LSU tries a QB keeper. But there's a trick play on a FG. Great call by the Tigers. They must have seen something on film. The entire left side of the USC line rushed to try to block the kick and Flynn flipped the ball over his shoulder without looking. It took a lot of precision to run that play. Tigers lead, 21-7. That's 21 straight LSU points after USC scored the initial TD. Captain Munnerlyn is hurt on the kickoff. 5:00 P.M.: Good stop by the USC defense. LSU is struggling to throw the ball. But there's an interception. LSU has the ball at the USC 33. Ouch. 2 turnovers by USC. That's too many. 4:55: Cory Boyd can't do anything running the ball. Mitchell drops the ball on 3rd down. 3-and-out. USC just got a break with a illegal block penalty on LSU on the punt. Defense must hold here, with the USC offense sputtering. 4:50 P.M.: Jasper Brinkley is back for USC. That should provide a lift. USC holds andLSU has to try a FG. No Good! Good stop by the USC defense. Going down by two scores would have been difficult. James Thompson was playing RG for uSC on their last series. Jeanpierre was playing LG. Anderson is out. 4:45 P.M.: USC just did something they can't afford to do - fumble the football. LSU now has the ball at its 46 and they're leading 14-7. 4:35 P.M.: The USC defense is struggling without Jasper Brinkley at MLB. LSU just marched 56 yards in 10 plays for the go ahead TD. Good play-action fake by Flynn on short TD pass. It's 14-7 LSU. The USC offense needs to respond. Without Brinkley, I'm not sure USC will be able to hold back the LSU offense. 4:25 P.M.: There's the end of the 1Q. It's tied 7-7. That was a good first quarter for USC, except for the 4-play TD drove by LSU. They survived the 1Q, which is what teams that come to BR haven't done. Now USC can go play. 4:20 P.M.: It didn't take LSU long to respond. 4 plays, 69 yards. 33-yard run by Trindon Holliday. He's a fast scatback. He's only 5-5 but boy is he fast. Ajiboye was hurt on the drive. 4:10 P.M.: USC is down to the LSU 1-yard line after starting at their 33-yard line. They've run 10 plays so far. USC was helped out by a face mask penalty on LSU. The biggest play was a 25-yard pass to Davis. Nice drive so far. TD Davis on 1-yard run. LSU has not trailed this year. the 1Q has played out perfectly for USC. 12 plays, 67 yards. 5:36. Impressive start for the Gamecocks. 4:03 P.M.: USC is out there for its 3rd possession. Mike Davis just ran over a LSU defender. Mitchell was just leveled by a blitzing LSU LB. Nobody touched him. That hurts. There's a 1st down! Pass to Davis. USC is in LSU territory for the 2nd time in thsi game. So far, this 1Q is playing ut like USC wants it. 3:57 P.M.: J. Brinkley is out there for LSU's first play of their second possession. But now he's out and Ingram is in. The LB's are Ingram, Wells and Paulk. LSU has to punt again. Matthews gets a hand of fit. It glanced off the cast. USC has good field position at its 33-yard line. So far USC has had good field poistion on its first 3 possessions of the game. 3:45 P.M.: 2nd chance for the USC offense. Cook is shaken up after being belted by a LSU DB. Looking at SOS, I think he wanted BM to throw the ball to the flat. He just caught a pass on 1st down. USC is into LSU territory. Jason Barnes is getting a look early. BM has thrown 3 passes to him early. None have been completed. I'm a little bit surprised JB is starting in this environment 3:37 P.M.: Not a good first series for the USC offense. The USC OL was beaten on 2 plays by the LSU DL. Succop punted from the 20. There's a pass by LSU. Jasper Brinkley is hurt. He's down on the field. The USC trainers are out. He's limping off the field. 3:30 P.M.: The LSU alma mater and national anthem have been played. We're almost ready for football. It's 83 degrees in BR with winds about 5 mph. The band is getting in position. Here comes LSU. Here comes USC. The team captains for this game are J. Brinkley, E. Cook, C. Boyd and Web Brown. 3:20 P.M.: The rain has lessened a bit here in BR. Man, it was an absolutely downpour for about 15 minutes. The LSU crowd was cheering, but the wet track may help USC. Former LSU QB Tommy Hudson is one of the former Tiger players being recognized before the game. He was the QB for the so-called "Earthquake Game" (as it's known ariund here) in 1988. The LSU band is about to take the field. I wish I could say the same thing about the USC band but they're not here. I would say there about 2,000 USC fans here. There is a lot of gold in the stadium right now. Matt Flynn has been announced as LSU's starter at QB. 3:10 P.M.: The skies have opened up and it's raining fairly hard right now in Baton Rouge. In fact, the rain is coming into the press box. USC left the field for a few minutes but have returned and are now doing the 11-on-11 drills. LSU has left the field. There's about 25 minutes to kickoff. This rain has to help the Gamecocks. There are a few surprises in college football today. Ball State is beating Nebraska, 37-28, in Lincoln. Lowly Syracuse is taking it to Louisville, 38-21, on the Cardinals' home field. It looks like Louisville is having a hangover from that last-minute loss to UK last week. Louisville's defense is BAD. 3:02 P.M.: Below is a list of the players who traveled to LSU and are dressed out. CB Captain Munnerlyn RB Cory Boyd WR Jason Barnes CB Carlos Thomas QB Tommy Beecher LB Melvin Ingram CB Addison Williams QB Chris Smelley WR Larry Freeman WR Moe Brown RB Brian Maddox WR Kenny McKinley QB Blake Mitchell WR Mark Barnes K Ryan Succop WR Chris Culliver WR Dion Lecorn TE Nick Prochak RB Taylor Rank S Emanuel Cook CB Mike West LB Cody Wells RB Mike Davis S Brandon Isaac S Ty Erving LB Yvan Banag LB Gerrod Sinclair S Darian Stewart S Chris Hampton LB Greg Wright DB Stoney Woodson FB Lanard Stafford CB Ranzino Valentine DE Eric Norwood DE Travian Robertson CB Mike Newton DE Ryan Brown LB Rodney Paulk FB Bryan Kingrey FB Patrick DiMarco DE Casper Brinkley LB Jasper Brinkley LB Marvin Sapp OG Lemuel Jeanpierre LS Charles Turner OG Seaver Brown OT Hutch Eckerson OG James Thompson OG Garrett Anderson C William Brown OT Heath Batchelor C Jeremy Burgess OT Jamon Meredith OT Justin Sorensen DT Marque Hall TE Andy Boyd WR Freddie Brown LB Cliff Matthews TE Jared Cook P Spencer Lanning TE Weslye Saunders DT Ladi Ajiboye TE Robert Pavlovic DE Clifton Geathers DT Kenrick Ellis DT Joel Reaves DT Jonathan Williams Scholarship players that aren't dressed outLB Alonzo Winfield QB Stephen Garcia CB Jamire Williams WR Matt Clements RB Bobby Wallace DB Chris Hail FB Clark Gaston LB Dustin Lindsey LB Vandaral Shackleford LB Damien Wright DT Donte'e Nicholls OG Pierre Andrews OG Kevin Young C Ryan Broadhead OT Kyle Nunn OT Quintin Richardson OT Gurminder Thind OG Terrence Campbell WR Joseph Hills DE Byron McKnight DT Nathan Pepper 3:00 P.M.: Cody Wells could be starting at OLB. he's been working with the 1st team LB during positional drills. Weather-wise, it's getting darker here at Tiger Stadium. The LSU stident section is full. It's starting to rain here in BR. It could be a wet one here today. That will have to help USC. The crows is tryngto find cover. It looks like UF will beat Ole Miss. It's 27-9 UF in the 3Q. 2:50 P.M.: The rest of the USC team has taken the field. They look like they're reasdy to go. I see a lot of players bouncing around. Cory Boyd and some other players talked this week about shocking the worls, so we'll see how it goes. The players are going through the pre-game stretching exercises. Cliff Matthews has a large cast on his hand. But it looks like he's starting alongside J. Brinkley and Paulk at LB. The starting OL is what we expected: Sorensen, Jeanpierre, Brown, Anderson and Meredith. Stephen Garcia is on the dress list but he's not out there. Spurier typically takes 3 QB's on road trips, so Smelley replaced him. Yvanbanag is dressed, though he's not on the "official" dress list for the game. 2:35 P.M.: The game today features a great matchup between two masterminds. Everyone knows about Steve Spurrier's reputation as an offensive play-caller. he's considered one of the best, if not the best, in the business. LSU Def. Coordinator Bo Pelini is regarded as one of the best, too. Since taking over as LSU's DC in 2005, a span of 29 games, the Tigers have allowed 20+ points only five times. Between Pelini's expertise and the talent on LSU's defense, this may be Spurrier's biggest challenge since arriving at USC. A tight, low-scoring game is clearly USC's best chance to win. There are some dark coulds overhead right now. But it hasn't started raining yet. The USC QB's are on the field. Smelley and Mitchell are playing catch. Beecher has joined them. Munnerlyn, Culliver, Lecorn, McKinley and M. Barnes are practicing catching punts from Ryan Succop. 2:21 P.M.: One hour and 13 minutes before kickoff and the LSU students have already started their coordinated chants. 2:15 P.M.: We just received USC's dress list for the game. Right now, there does not appear to be any surprises. Banag is not on the dress list, though he's definitely here. Gurminder Thind is NOT on the dress list, meaning it will be up to guards Garrett Anderson and Lemuel Jeanpierre, along with C William Brown to hold back the strong LSU defensive front line. Chris Hail is also not on the dress list. The sun is out at Tiger Stadium. But there is still some clouds overhead. LSU is 27-2 at home since 2003, the nation's sixth-best record over that span. It looks like Ole Miss is giving UF some fits. It's 14-6 at halftime. That's closer than some people thought. 1:45 P.M.: The Gamecocks have arrived at Tiger Stadium. Not surprisingly, they received a rowdy reception from the LSU fans. Brian and I were there and we'll have some video of that. I walked past the LSU student section and they were already practicing their cheers. We saw Yvan Banag, but we're not sure if he's dressing or not. On Thursday, we were told he was out. There's some activity around the stadium. The gates have been opened and fans are filing in. There are several hundred students right now inside the stadium. Most of them are wearing gold shirts. I see a few USC players already on the field. Here comes the LSU band. They're arriving 1 hour, 45 minutes before kickoff. But there will be no USC band, as most of you know. Too bad. I've been watching some of the Florida-Ole Miss game. UF is leading, 14-6. Ed Orgeron could be in trouble. The Rebels have to go to Georgia next week. Ouch. 1:10 P.M. - We're approaching 2-1/2 hours to kickoff. They haven't opened the stadium yet for the fans. But I see they've allowed some student to enter the stadium. I see about 100-200 already in the stands. In my opinion, there's a couple of things USC must do today to have a chance to win this game. -- Survive the 1Q. In 16 home games under Les Miles, LSU has dominated the first quarter. The Tigers have outscored the opponents, 167-7, in the opening 15 minutes here at Tiger Stadium. In addition, LSU is 20-1 under Miles when it leads after the 1Q. So, USC has to be careful and make sure they come out ready to play. In the past, I think the opponents have allowed themselves to be intimidated eary by the crowd. That can't happen today. The fact this will be a day game will help. The stats show that LSU is nearly unbeatable at home in night games. So, if you're watching the game on TV, if USC is close after the 1Q, you'll have to feel pretty good about its chances. -- Convert in the red zone. USC is 11-for-11 this year in the red zone. LSU has allowed only one trip inside the 20-yard line this year. -- Get the ground game going. If USC is able to control the clock by running the football, it will take the crowd out of the game. To do that, the USC OL MUST hold its own against the LSU DL. C William Brownand the two Guards have to contain Glenn Dorsey. If he's allowed to wreak havoc, USC will have no chance. ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit called Dorsey "the best player in college football." -- Hold LSU to less than 100 yards rushing. The Tigers are 23-0 under Les Miles when they rush for more than 100 yards. -- Play defense. LSU is 22-1 under Mile when they scored 20+ points, and 19-1 whenscoring 25+ points. 12:42 P.M. - Shoe just shot some video of the stadium. Not a whole lot going on in the stands yet as the gates aren't open for the fans. It's the calm before the storm. Click here to watch the video. 12:25 P.M. - Welcome to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. There's plenty of activity going on around the stadium. Shoe and I just arrived at the stadium. Walking in, we saw the area where they keep Mike the Tiger. We also walked past Alex Box Stadium. I saw the LSU baseball team working out. The LSU campus is located about 2-3 miles from downtown. We see the Baton Rouge skyline in the distance. LSU is a 17-1/2 point favorite, but I think the game will be closer than that. Right now, I'm picking LSU to win by 10. The USC defense will keep the Gamecocks in it for most of the game. LSU has more depth, though, than USC. If USC's starting 11 on defense can stay healthy and sustain their performance for 4 quarters, USC has a decent shot to win it. The local paper here in BR is picking LSU to win, 31-10. The New Orleans newspaper is picking LSU to win, 27-7.
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Five Predictions For USC-LSU
posted by Scott Hood, 9/22/2007 10:14:00 AM
Here are my five predictions for Saturday's USC-LSU showdown: 1. First Team To Score Will Win: In a tight defensive struggle, which this game could very well become, the team that seizes the early momentum usually comes out on top. If USC wants to squeeze out a win, it might be necessary to score on its first possession. 2. USC's Fate Is In The Hands Of Cory Boyd: Between running with the football or catching it, Boyd may be USC's most important player on offense. He must be on top of his game if USC has any chance today. 3. USC Will Score Every Time In The Red Zone: The Gamecocks are 11-for-11 in the red zone this season. Of course, they have to get there first against a great LSU defense which has allowed just one trip inside the red zone this season. 4. USC Won't Trail After The 1Q: In the 16 home games under Les Miles, LSU has outscored its opponents 167-7 in the first quarter. So, LSU typically starts fast, feeding off the frenzied crowd. If USC can hang on through the first 15 minutes, it has a chance. 5. USC Will Rush For 150 Yards: LSU is surrendering just 1.0 yard per rushing attempt in 2007 but USC may have the best rushing attack the Tigers have faced this year. Certainly, they haven't seen a tandem like Cory Boyd and Mike Davis. I think the duo will pound away at LSU and the offensive line will do just enough to for USC to have an effective ground game.
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Q&A With William Brown
posted by Scott Hood, 9/21/2007 01:27:00 AM
USC center William Brown sat down and answered questions this week as the Gamecocks prepared to play LSU. Q. Coach Spurrier said today that you were playing the best on the offensive line and you have had good practices. Talk about thatA. He asked me to be the center this year and to be the steadying force on the OL. Coming into the season I knew it was my last so I wanted to be good as I could be. All year I’ve been trying to stay with my assignments and as they say, if you stay with your assignments then good things will happen. I attribute to my coaches who keep pushing me and the weight coaches for helping me stay mentally strong. It’s been great so far but there’s still a lot of work to do’ Q. What was your initial reaction when you saw this LSU defense on film and how do they compare them to some of the other defenses you’ve had to prepare for?A. I would say the team I would compare them to was the Mississippi State team from last year. They have a strong DL so it will be a challenge. Hopefully we can practice hard this week and go in there and play our assignments and play at an intensity level we haven’t played at yet and come out with a win. Q. Has the problem so far been with pass-blocking?A. It’s tough because you have five guys and backups that have to be coordinated. It’s my job to see that everybody has the right call. We just have to do a better job of going out there. It’s going to be a tough crowd this week. It’s going to be loud. It’ll be hard to hear signals. Maybe we should just whisper in practice this week to simulate what it will be like. We just have to listen to our calls and make sure we’re going the right way. Q. What will it take for this offense to go down there and be successful?A. It will take intensity, concentration and focus on the line. Everybody has to come out and play the best they’ve ever played. I think with the right mindset and confidence we are gaining this week, the coaches are preparing a game plan and we just have to follow it. It will be a challenge. I give them credit. They’re a bunch of good guys and we want to go against the best. We just have to be ready to take on the challenge.
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Gamecocks Reach The Quarter Pole
posted by Scott Hood, 9/20/2007 02:08:00 AM
South Carolina has reached the quarter-pole of the 2007 college football regular season. If you’re a Gamecock fan, you’re ecstatic with USC’s 3-0 start and the current No. 12 national ranking. I’m sure few fans thought USC would enjoy such a rapid ascent up the polls. I know it’s caught Steve Spurrier by surprise. I’m sure he expected USC to eventually climb into the national polls, but not until later in the season. Make no mistake. This Saturday’s clash in Baton Rouge with 2nd-ranked LSU, possibly the deepest and most talented team the Gamecocks will face this year, affords USC an incredible opportunity to make a lasting and profound national impact. And silence a lot of skeptics. At least for the remainder of this season. Of course, USC’s current the perfect mark does not mean the Gamecocks have earned straight-A’s across the board at every position. The offense has, for lack of a better term, been mediocre through the first three games. USC has basically won by engaging in old-school football, a style that relies primarily upon defense and a strong running game I like to refer to it as football’s version of hand-to-hand combat. It’s not fancy. It’s not high-tech weaponry. It’s not glitzy graphics. Instead, it’s swords and battle-axes. It’s the Fun-n-Run. USC is in prime position for, as Spurrier likes to call it, a “big year” primarily because of the backfield tandem of Cory Boyd and Mike Davis, and a strong, aggressive defense that displayed its true colors in the remarkable win at Georgia. Frankly, it’s been enjoyable watching Boyd and Davis punish opponents this season. Neither one backs down at any time. Most of the time they’re not pretty, but they’re highly effective. 6.4 yards per carry? Spurrier will take that everyday. There are two things I really like about this year’s defense: 1) they’re keeping teams out of the end zone; and 2) more players are contributing, giving it a feel of a total team effort. The last time we saw an opponent cross into USC’s end zone was the first half of the Louisiana-Lafayette game nearly three weeks ago. As most fans will recall, that was the game in which the Gamecocks surrendered 252 rushing yards, prompting doom and gloom from all corners of Gamecock Nation. Then a wonderful thing happened. The defense decided to get mean. They denied Georgia time and again and forced them to settle for four field goals. The same thing happened last week against S.C. State. The Bulldogs could do little offensively after an early field goal gave the visitors a short-lived 3-0 lead. The most encouraging part, though, is middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley doesn’t have to feel like a lone wolf anymore. He had over twice as many tackles as anyone else last season. But this year has been different. Heading into the showdown with LSU, it’s not a surprise Brinkley is the team leader in tackles with 18. But two others have 17 tackles (Eric Norwood, Casper Brinkley) and two have 15 (Rodney Paulk, Darian Stewart). Eight defenders have at least 10 tackles. More players are contributing. More players are, well, making plays. That’s the way it should be on defense. However, while the bottom line is still wins and losses, some areas haven’t cooperated fully. The passing attack has leaked oil most of the season. There’s only one reliable wide receiver on the roster – Kenny McKinley. The other receivers simply aren’t producing (Moe Brown, Freddie Brown) or lack experience (see freshmen). It speaks volumes that in-between McKinley (17 receptions) and the next highest receiver (Freddie Brown, four catches) sits a pair of running backs (Davis, Boyd) and a pair of tight ends (J. Cook, A. Boyd). Until USC finds a second dependable wide receiver, the offense won’t reach its true potential. Spurrier has hinted that freshmen Jason Barnes and Mark Barnes will get a look this weekend down on the Bayou. LSU favors a scheme of pressing, man-to-man coverage in the secondary. If USC is unable to throw the ball downfield, the Tigers will simply put eight or nine defenders into the box and sell out trying to stop the run. If that happens, Boyd and Davis will have little running room and the USC offense will essentially be paralyzed. Special teams? Don’t ask. Okay, Ryan Succop has consistently boomed kickoffs into the end zone and has been fairly accurate kicking field goals. Spurrier said earlier this week USC hopes to beat LSU in a low-scoring affair similar to the Georgia contest and most of USC's other recent road victories. The game in Athens two weeks ago ended up 16-12, as the teams combined for one touchdown. Yeah, it’s fun to chuck the ball all around the field and try to score 50 points every week. But it’s more fun to win. USC has been doing a lot of that lately.
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Quick Q&A With Cory Boyd
posted by Brian Shoemaker, 9/20/2007 12:39:00 AM
USC running back Cory Boyd spoke with the media earlier this week. Here are some of the questions asked and Boyd's answers. Compiled by Wayne Turner.Q. How do you feel about sharing snaps with Mike Davis this season?A. Once he gets out there, he brings a new dimension to the team, and when I’m out there, I do the same as well. We compliment each other real well. He’s just this little “fat” guy that always bounces off people and he can get around the corner a little quicker than I can. We enjoy our time together in the backfield. Some people think it might be a problem but now you need two backs to keep fresh legs, and that’s what the coaches have done. Q. Did the Auburn duo of Williams and Brown a few years ago show you guys how it could work?A. Not really. It just happened that way. I didn’t run away with the starting job. He was always there and made good plays. Playmakers always show up and the cream always rises to the top, so Mike didn’t just sit around and get upset with me starting. He just kept fighting and competing and we had to find a way to get him in there, so sometimes we’re both in there or we alternate. Q. Was there ever a time after Coach Spurrier first arrived that you thought you would probably catch a lot of passes but you didn’t know how many carries you’d get in his passing offense?A. When I first heard Coach Spurrier was coming, I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know if he was going to utilize my talents and move me to wide receiver, and he flirted with the idea of moving me to wide receiver, but my natural position is at running back. As his game plans came along, he had room for me in the backfield, even though I had to sit out a year, and when I came back I just wanted to fit in the best way I could. You know, Coach has put me in a position where I can catch the ball and run the ball, and Mike as well. Q. Has there been much talk about Spurrier's 11-1 record against them?A. No, we haven’t talked about the past. We’re trying to make history here. Q. How confident are you that Blake will be able to work through whatever he’s going through right now?A. I don’t see that Blake is going through anything right now. He just has to get used to some of the young wide receivers. I believe he’ll do well this week and Coach will put him in some good positions to be successful, where he can make more completions and have the passing game more where it should be. Q. After last week’s game, Coach Spurrier looked about as unhappy as a 3-0 coach could be. Are you concerned at all about Blake’s mental part right now?A. You know, it’s kind of funny. Blake never let’s anything get to him, so I’m not worried about the mental part at all. He’s a good kid and the mental part is never a question. Some people were concerned about how he would respond last year when he was benched. He responds real well and that’s something I like about him. He likes a challenge and this will be a challenge. So I’m looking forward to see how he does and what the coaches will do to help him to keep his head straight. Q. Do you guys miss Sidney Rice more that you first thought and has his absence had a big affect on how the passing game is doing?A. That never crosses our minds. Sidney is at the place he wants to be, and we’re glad he’s having success there. But we can’t focus on the Sidney Rice issue right now. He made his decision and it’s time now for some of the younger guys to step up and be better than him and step into his spot be the go-to receiver. We have McKinley, but you can’t do much if your QB is not going to throw it, so our offense is surrounded more around the running game right now, but soon somebody will step up at wide receiver and the Sidney Rice shadow will be gone.
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Television's Favorite Son
posted by Scott Hood, 9/18/2007 10:36:00 PM
I saw through my laptop computer some of your puzzled looks when it was announced Sunday that CBS would nationally televise this Saturday’s USC-LSU game from Baton Rouge, La. Some of you couldn’t understand why CBS would turn down Georgia-Alabama to telecast the Gamecocks’ first trip to Tiger Stadium since 2002. You may remember that game. USC played well in the first half but collapsed in the second and ended up on the wrong end of a 38-14 score. Here we go again. This time the nation will be watching. There’s two fundamental reasons why CBS chose to show the USC-LSU game. 1. Steve 2. Spurrier. You must understand that the TV industry thrives on controversy and personalities. That’s why we get a steady diet of Hollywood celebrities whenever we turn on the tube. There’s no bigger lightning road in college football than Spurrier. He’s the coach other fans love to hate. He says what he feels. He says what he thinks. He’s not afraid to hurt people’s feelings. He’s not afraid to take subtle shots at opponents and rivals. Yes, he’s politically incorrect. But that’s why he’s Spurrier. There’s also one other thing you need to know about Spurrier: people watch when he’s on TV. They may love. They may hate him. But they still watch. It’s all about the eyeballs. ESPN figured that out a while ago. That’s why the self-proclaimed world-wide leader in sports opened the 2005 season by televising the USC-UCF game. Spurrier’s return to college football was one of the biggest stories in college football that year. Spurrier is also the main reason ESPN had USC play two Thursday night games last season. The Auburn game was one of ESPN’s highest rated games of 2006. Why did so many people watch? They wanted to see if Spurrier could upend the No. 2 team in the country. He almost pulled it off, as USC fell a desperation pass into the end zone short of upsetting the Tigers. Spurrier is also the primary reason USC will open the 2008 season with a pair of ESPN Thursday night contests against North Carolina State and Vanderbilt. ESPN loves Steve Spurrier. Why? Simple. Spurrier is ratings gold. Tony Barnhart of the AJC said it best: Spurrier is a rock star. Throughout the country, college football fans may not know much about the South Carolina players (most couldn’t name five players), but they do know Spurrier is the head coach of the Gamecocks. So they watch whenever USC pops up on TV. Even if it’s just to yell at the TV. If you don’t think personality and controversy count for something in TV, why do former players/blowhards like Michael Irvin, Keyshawn Johnson and Deion Sanders contaminate the studios of all those Sunday NFL pre-game shows? Here’s why: controversy sells. Spurrier is controversy. You figure out the rest. CBS will get exactly what they want on Saturday: millions of people glued to their TV sets to see if Spurrier can lead USC to another road upset. Some will be rooting for Spurrier. Some will be rooting against him. But they will be watching. You can be sure there will be lots and lots and lots of camera shots of Spurrier stalking the sidelines throughout the three-hour plus broadcast. It’s capitalism at its finest – give the consumers what they want. Maybe CBS will get lucky and Spurrier will toss his visor. Les Miles who?
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Five Things We Learned From The USC-SC State Game
posted by Scott Hood, 9/17/2007 06:59:00 PM
It was a tale of two halves for South Carolina in their 38-3 victory over Div. I-AA South Carolina State. The first half was filled with penalties and sloppy play. But once USC decided to focus on running the ball in the second half, the tone of the game changed. The defense played well for the most part after surrendering an early field goal. Here are the five things we learned from the South Carolina State game: 1. Cory Boyd and Mike Davis Are The Real Deal: If USC’s final true possession of the Georgia game didn’t convince you, then the Gamecocks’ initial possession of the second half should have. With the outcome still in doubt against S.C. State, Steve Spurrier decided to ride USC’s talented duo of Boyd and Davis to victory. He drove the point home by calling nine running plays in a 10-play, 91-yard touchdown drive. At this point, with the passing game struggling to gain any semblance of consistency, putting the ball in the bellies of Boyd and Davis remains USC’s best option at sustaining drives. Boyd and Davis have combined for 507 yards in three games, and have accounted for 43.9 percent of USC’s total offense (1,155 yards). Nearly 40 percent of the calls by Spurrier have been a running play by one of the two running backs. When you see numbers like that, it’s not difficult to figure out the importance Boyd and Davis play. 2. It’s Time To Give The Young Receivers A ChanceWhen the season began Spurrier was counting on veterans like Moe Brown and Freddie Brown to provide reliable second and third options to Kenny McKinley. McKinley has lived up to his billing but the Browns have not. Moe Brown dropped a slant pass against Georgia that could have picked up a key first down. Against S.C. State Saturday night, he had a long pass ricochet off his facemask. Moe Brown has shown he possesses the speed to become a solid SEC receiver but his pass-catching ability is another question. Freddie Brown doesn’t have Moe’s speed and has proven he will catch the ball when it’s thrown in his direction. But it’s a question of production. Moe and Freddie Brown have combined for seven receptions through three games. That’s not good enough. Spurrier promised Sunday we’d see more of freshmen Jason Barnes and Mark Barnes in the future. They’ve proved in their limited opportunities that have the potential to become quality SEC receivers. Jason Barnes made a leaping 34-yard catch inside the SCSU 15-yard line to set up a six-yard TD pass the Mark Barnes. This comment by Spurrier says it all: “We’ve seen the other guys a lot now and they’re struggling. It’s to watch those two guys a little bit more.” Dion Lecorn impressed the coaches with his blocking ability in his brief playing time. We may see more of him as well. Spurrier even regretted not throwing him a pass. 3. Emanuel Cook Is Back: The comeback of Emanuel Cook from a gun possession charge and an appendectomy may be the most inspiring story of the 2007 season to date. Saturday, in his first extensive action of the season, Cook led USC with seven tackles, all solo. In two games, which includes limited snaps against Georgia, he already has 10 tackles. Why was USC so anxious to get Cook back? Compare the defense in the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette with the last two games. It’s like night and day. The difference? Cook sat out the first game while he recovered from surgery. Defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix appreciates what Cook means to the defense, calling him USC’s second best tackler behind Jasper Brinkley. Cook is excellent supporting the front seven in run defense. Next season, Cook and Darian Stewart could form the best safety combination in the SEC. Do you think Miami regrets not recruiting Cook, who played his high school football in South Florida at Palm Beach Gardens High School? I think it’s fair to say the Hurricanes let one get away. 4. Blake Mitchell Needs To Crank It Up: Something’s up with Blake Mitchell. His performance against S.C. State Saturday night was mediocre at best. His completion percentage was good (14-of-21, 66.7 percent) but something was slacking. Mitchell should have picked apart the Bulldogs secondary but it didn’t happen. The first play of the game, a guard “whiffed” on his block and Mitchell was sacked for a seven-yard loss. After that, it appeared Mitchell lost confidence in the line’s ability to pass block. One play after being sacked, Mitchell threw an interception over the middle. Was there a correlation? I think so. Spurrier acknowledged Sunday that the poor pass protection has made Mitchell “gun shy.” As a result, he tends to panic in the pocket after a few seconds and “doesn’t give the pattern a chance.” Moreover, he’s been hesitant sometimes to throw the ball. Mitchell showed signs of becoming an excellent leader in the Georgia game. But there’s no question he regressed against S.C. State with four interceptions. He must play a lot better this week or USC will make the fatal mistake of becoming one-dimensional against a talented LSU defense that’s allowed only seven points in three games. 5. The S.C. State Band Is Pretty GoodThe “Battle of the Bands” at halftime was a much-discussed topic entering the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between USC and S.C. State. While the USC band is improving, the S.C. band was impressive. I managed to catch some of their halftime show, and I have to admit it was entertaining. I have one concern, though. How does a university with 4,000 students end up with a far bigger band than one with 25,000 students? It wasn’t even close. It appeared S.C. State had twice as many members in their band. That’s my head-scratching question of the week.
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Live from Williams-Brice
posted by Brian Shoemaker, 9/15/2007 03:36:00 PM
GamecockCentral.com's Scott Hood and Brian Shoemaker will provide updates prior to and during the game from Williams-Brice Stadium.10:10 P.M.: It's over. USC wins, 38-3. Good second half. The Gamecocks played much better. 10:05 P.M.: USC expands its lead to 38-3 with a TD pass to Mark Barnes. It's garbage time now at W-B. Mike Davis just got 100 yards. This is the first time since Watson and Pinnock in 2001 that USC had had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game. The game is winding down. The second half has been much more crisply played. 9:45 P.M.: Another TD run by Cory Boyd gives USC a 31-3 lead early in the 4Q. This one is all but over. USC has the ball again. Good effort by SCSU tonight but they hurt themselves with penalties and turnovers. 9:35 P.M.: After Jasper Brinkley intercepted a pass, SOS called a pass play and. . .it was intercepted. That's six turnovers for USC. Frankly, I'm puzzled by that play call. USC just ran the ball down SCSU's throat for a TD. I think USC should stick to running the ball. We're approaching the end of the 3Q and USC leads, 24-3. 9:25 P.M.: It's apparent SOS got sick of watching USC try to throw the football. USC just went 91 yards on 10 plays and passed the ball just once. Ironically, it was a short TD pass to Mike Davis. USC has turned to smash-mouth football to lift up the offense. It's 24-3 with 6:26 left in the 2H. USC has four runs of 13 yards or more. Call it the Fun-'n-Run. 9:00 P.M: FIRST HALF STATS: Total Offense: SCSU 126, USC 190 Rushing: SCSU, Ford 7-52, McCoy 12-35; USC Boyd 6-65, Davis 5-17. Passing: SCSU, McCoy 3-10 for 19 yards; USC, Mitchell, 11-17 for 98 yards, 2 Int, 1 TD, Beecher 2-5 for 32 yards. Receiving: SCSU, 4 with 1; USC, McKinley, 4-36, 1 TD. First Downs: SCSU 5, USC 13 Turnovers: SCSU 3, USC 5. 3rd Down Conversions: SCSU 1-8, USC 1-7. 8:55 P.M.: There is no explanation for this. That was one ugly 30 minutes of FB. USC committed 5 turnovers in the first half and somehow still leads, 17-3. Credit goes to the defense for continuously stopping the SCSU offense. SOS has to be in disbelief right now. Frankly, the offense is a mess right now. Little is going right. The defense forced 3 turnovers itself. So the two teams combined for 8 turnovers. In addition, there were 13 penalties, 10 by SCSU. Yikes. Still, USC leads, 17-3. Obviously, they'll have to play a lot better than this in the coming weeks. 8:30 P.M.: The penalty-filled half continues for SCSU. Another defensive stop for USC. SCSU has 76 yards of total offense. More penalties. USC, false start. Neither team appears to be focusing on the task at hand right now. This might be the ugliest halfof FB I've seen in a while. Neither team looks crisp at all. 8:25 P.M.: Another great play by Cliff Matthews. He batts a pass down and forces another SCSU punt. 8:41 left in the 2Q. USC leads 17-3. 8:15 P.M.: Great play by Munnerlyn. Third career INT. USC nearly returned the favor but the pass was ruled Incomp. Overall, the USC offense is struggling right now. SOS can't be happy. He must be frustrated. USC just picked up a 1D on a sneak but SCSU is challenging the spot. The call isd reversed. Ball goes to SCSU. 8:10 P.M.: The offensive line continues to struggle, as they allowed pressure on Tommy Beecher and he fumbled. SCSU recovered. The O-Line will have to play a lot better than this when USC faces SEC schools or the QB's will get hurt. 8:00 P.M.: Cliff Matthews just made a great play for the USC defense. SCSU just committed another penalty. The Bulldogs are committing too many penalties if they want to spring the upset. USC just got the ball back at the 41 after a bad ount. 7:55 P.M.: UF beats UT, 59-20. Wow. USC just scored another TD on a beautiful pass to KM. SCSU had M2M coverage on KM and he ran a corner route. It's 17-3. But SCSU just returned the kickoff beyond midfield. Poor kickoff coverage again. There's the end of the 1Q. USC leads, 17-3. But SCSU has the ball at the USC 42. 7:40 P.M.: USC drives 57 plays in 10 plays and ends up with a 40-yard FG by Succop. It's 10-3 USC with 4:46 left in the 1Q. onthekickoff, SCSU commits its sixth penalty of the night. 7:35 P.M.: USC has just called T/O with 8:09 left in the 1Q. BM just made a big play by scrambling to his right and hitting Cook for a 25-yard play. There's a flag on SCSU. USC is now in position to score agin. 7:25 P.M.: USC just got a huge play from the defense as Nathan Pepper picks off a pass and returns it for a TD. He obviously learned his lesson from the Clemson game. That may be the spark USC needs because the offense has done little with its first two possessions. USC leads, 7-3. 7:20 P.M.: Not a good start for USC. Blake Mitchell badly overthrew McKinley and the ball was intercepted by SCSU. The ball was returned to the USC 12. Fortunately for USC, the Bulldogs shot themselves in the foot with a couple of penalties and had to settle for a FG. Let's see if the second possession goes better. 7:10 P.M.: Dion Lecorn was on the kickoff return team. He was one of the "front line" guys. I believe that's his first action of the season. 7:05: USC's captains are Mike Davis, Jasper Brinkley, Darian Stewart and William Brown. SCSU won the toss and will defer. USC will get the ball first. We're almost underway. 6:58 P.M.: The national anthem and alma mater have been played. We're about 10 minutes from kickoff. There's still plenty of traffic out on George Rogers Boulevard and Bluff Road. This is a late-arriving crowd. They just showed a new video with highlights of the USC victory over UGA. Ray Charles' Georgia On My Mind was the music played with the highlights. They also showed Lee Corso saying it was "heck of a win" for the Gamecocks. The video concluded by saying "Thank You Gamecock Nation and Thank you Mr. Corso." The crowd applauded throughout but did boo when Corso was first shown. Right now, though, we're about 6 minutes from kickoff. The USC band is on the field. 6:25 P.M.: The Gamecocks are going through their stretching warmups right now. The starting OL is LT Meredith, LG Thind, C Brown, RG Anderson, RT Sorensen. The starting DL is DE Robertson, DT Pepper, DT hall, and DE Norwood. It looks like Pepper will start the game inside. We'll see of he stays there. The LB's are the Brinkley twins and Paulk. The DB's are Isaac and Munnelryn at CB, and Stewart and Cook at Safety. The first-team WR's are McKinley, Brown and Freeman. They're now breaking uointoi their positional drills. It's 40 minutes to kickoff. USC is supposed to be showing a new "The Game is ON" video with footage from the Georgia game. 6:15 P.M.: The USC QB's, RB's, TE's and WR's have taken the field. Mitchell, Beecher, Garcia and McQueeney are dressed for this game. Weslye Saunders is dressed for USC, despite reports he wants to redshirt this season. But since he's already played the only way he can redshirt now is with a medical redshirt. 6:00 P.M.: The USC special team players have taken the field. The Gamecocks are wearing GARNET jerseys and white pants. S.C. State is wearing all-white uniforms with white helmets and blue trim. 5:53 P.M.: Gurminder Thind will start at left guard and Garrett Anderson will start at right guard. 5:30 P.M.: USC has arrived and the players have taken their stroll around the field. SCSU just arrived and they're on the field right now. The USC players have gone back into the locker room. Here comes the USC marching band through the fairgrounds. I'm sure they've been hearing all week that the SCSU band was going to kick their butts at halftime. Let's see if they're up to the challenge. The band does appear to be much improved this season. They seem to be louder and more energetic. Here comes the SCSU band. They'e entered the stadium. We'll see how they do. Look like the Big 10 is taking another beating today. Iowa lost, 15-13, to an Iowa State team that had fallen to a pair of I-AA teams at home earlier this season. Minnesota gave up 42 points to Florida Atlantic and lost, 42-39. Currently, Ohio State is trailing Washington, 7-3, in the 3Q. UF leads Tennessee, 28-13 at HT. If that score stays that way, the heat will start on Phil Fulmer, UT would be 1-2 with games against UGA, Alabama, USC, Arkansas and UK still to come. Fulmer won't survive a 7-5 season. I'm sure Fulmer is disappointed because he was smiling from ear-to-ear at SEC Media Days. He thought the Vols were pretty good. It could be a tough road the rest of the way. 5:00 P.M.: Wow, it's 24-0 Michigan over ND. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy, Charlie Weiss. Watching that atrocious ND OL, Jimmy Clausen probably wishes he was back in So. Calif. about now. Do you think Gary Gray wishes he was back in Columbia? Things are picking up here at the press box. The teams should be arriving within the next 15-20 minutes. The State Fairgrounds is about 75 percent full. I haven't felt the buzz I expected. I think USC fans are taking a casual approach towards this game. SCSU fans are far more emotional, based on what I've seen. But I'm not surprised by that. Much has been made of the fact this is the first meeting in FB between USC and S.C. State. The Bulldogs are celebrating their 100th season of playing football. They started in 1907. USC began playing FB in 1892. S.C. State was picked by the league coaches to win the MEAC this year. They also had six players on the pre-season All-MEAC team. While this is the first meeting with SCSU, the two schools have faced off in other sports such as MBB, track, tennis, and golf. I remember a MBB game a couple of years ago when SCSU took USC to OT. USC is definitely going to have to put a spy on SCSU QB Cleveland McCoy. He's a senior. As a matter of comparison, Air Force limited him to 10 of 22 for 84 yards two weeks ago. He was a little better last week at Bethune-Cookman. One of their best RB is Will Ford, last year's MEAC Rookie of the Year. Here's an interesting note from SCSU: the Bulldogs have five players from tiny Lamar High School on its roster. 4 of the 5 players are defensive backs. 4:30 P.M.: Below is a list of the players who are on the dress list. CB Captain Munnerlyn RB Cory Boyd WR Jason Barnes QB Stephen Garcia CB Carlos Thomas QB Tommy Beecher LB Melvin Ingram CB Addison Williams WR Larry Freeman WR Moe Brown RB Brian Maddox WR Kenny McKinley QB Blake Mitchell WR Mark Barnes K Ryan Succop QB Michael McQueeney WR Dion Lecorn TE Nick Prochak RB Taylor Rank S Emanuel Cook CB Mike West LB Cody Wells RB Mike Davis S Brandon Isaac S Ty Erving RB Calvin Parks LB Gerrod Sinclair S Darian Stewart LB Marcus |
