tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26708682017140570322010-02-02T21:44:26.378-05:00Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral.Brian Shoemakernoreply@blogger.comBlogger577125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-88002915849648241192010-02-02T21:43:00.001-05:002010-02-02T21:44:26.385-05:00

Marcus Lattimore is a Gamecock. Well, technically, not until 4 p.m. Wednesday when he is scheduled to sign his national letter of intent at Byrnes High School. What does his commitment mean? Assuming Lattimore doesn’t experience a change or heart at the 23:59 mark, here are 10 predictions for 2010 in the wake of his announcement Tuesday night at his church.1. USC Will Finish Among The Top Six In

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-434105084571394452010-02-01T23:58:00.003-05:002010-02-02T00:01:45.754-05:00

In a matter of hours, we’ll know where highly-touted running back Marcus Lattimore of Byrnes High School will play his college football.Supposedly, Lattimore has boiled his decision down to two schools – South Carolina and Auburn. But you truly never know in recruiting.Being a Palmetto State product, most Gamecock fans are praying the rosary in earnest Lattimore will place the USC hat on his head

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-65050901872107725612010-01-28T01:15:00.004-05:002010-01-28T01:34:09.730-05:00

Beginning with Tuesday’s news that Assistant Head Coach For Defense Ellis Johnson will nearly double his pay under the terms of a new four-year contract and continuing later that night with the historic basketball upset over Kentucky, we’re now three days into a nine-day stretch that could impact Gamecock Nation for years.If you think that’s just hyperbole, consider the following:-- USC has tied

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-89039449124200012402010-01-25T12:04:00.002-05:002010-01-25T12:07:15.043-05:00

And the hits just keep on coming.The announcement late Friday that rising junior wide receiver Matt Clements was leaving the team was hardly shocking considering his limited playing time this past season. He had no catches in two games.It also put the spotlight back on the once-heralded 2007 wide receiver class that was ranked No. 1 in the country by Rivals.com.But here we are three years after

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-54657162078230633052010-01-20T12:06:00.001-05:002010-01-20T12:06:52.292-05:00

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-45701382060720267822010-01-20T10:43:00.008-05:002010-01-20T11:35:57.384-05:00

Tuesday started slow but soon shifted into overdrive. It started well with the news Ellis Johnson had decided not to pursue the Louisiana Tech head coaching job, but went downhill after that.It started with the reports that TE Weslye Saunders had been suspended indefinitely, continued with reports that backup QB Reid McCollum was transferring and ended about 8 p.m. or so when OL prospect Eric

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-83529501077916252272010-01-18T11:39:00.004-05:002010-01-18T11:43:51.501-05:00

In a span of two hours Sunday night, highly-touted running back Marcus Lattimore went from “planning to sign with USC” to being a “slight lean” to Auburn.Just another day in the recruiting wars.So who’s right, if anybody? Well, the only thing we know right now is Lattimore is down to two schools – USC and Auburn – and that he plans to announce his decision at his church in Spartanburg on Feb. 2,

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-376332872185215432010-01-15T16:06:00.002-05:002010-01-15T16:09:03.239-05:00

South Carolina will have five scholarship quarterbacks on campus when spring practice starts sometime in March.But short of a devastating injury or Heisman Trophy campaign by incumbent starter Stephen Garcia in 2010, we all know who will be calling signals for the Gamecocks over the next two years. Garcia was heads and shoulders above the rest of the field in 2009 and the same should be true in

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-21904219070792980522010-01-13T14:47:00.005-05:002010-01-13T15:13:13.318-05:00

The seeds of defensive end Clifton Geathers’ departure for the NFL were sown the day after the bitter Papajohns.com Bowl loss when a still-angry Steve Spurrier was asked if he would speak with any of the draft-eligible juniors about returning for their final years.His response was classic Spurrier.He contended he wouldn’t beg any of the players to stay except for possibly DE Cliff Matthews, who

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-89178023020110164042010-01-12T13:57:00.006-05:002010-01-15T14:58:29.243-05:00

Silly me, but I didn’t realize God was a Gator.But apparently he is based on comments from Sharrif Floyd’s high school coaches about what went down in the final few days before Floyd announced his college choice on national TV last Saturday at the U.S. Army All-American game.As we all know, Floyd picked Florida.Now we’re starting to find out why.According to Floyd’s coaches, he was set to pick

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-57323308722270785482010-01-08T00:27:00.006-05:002010-01-08T00:49:58.752-05:00

It’s January. It’s cold. Alabama has won the national championship, defending the SEC's honor against Texas at the Rose Bowl Thursday night. Here are seven questions I’ve asked myself over the last few days:1. What’s Going On With Moe Brown?: First there was a supposed locker room confrontation between Brown and wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier, Jr. following the bowl game and now this June

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-29710870542758357452010-01-06T13:50:00.005-05:002010-01-06T15:01:30.771-05:00

Without question, one of the best comments I’ve ever heard about recruiting was uttered by South Carolina defensive line coach Brad Lawing in Union, SC last April.Lawing has been a college football coach for almost 30 years and has recruited hundreds, if not thousands, of prospects. So, I sat up and paid attention when he compared a commitment in today’s world of college football recruiting to a

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-179286151020877602010-01-03T23:21:00.002-05:002010-01-03T23:27:04.378-05:00

Saturday’s 20-7 loss to Connecticut in the Papajohns.com Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham marked South Carolina’s second straight forgettable bowl outing. Hopefully, though, the Gamecocks learned some valuable lessons that can help them in the future as they continue to climb the ladder in the SEC. What did we learn from the game? Here are five things:1. Football Is A Game Of Passion, Energy

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-75645455800611932462010-01-01T23:13:00.001-05:002010-01-01T23:14:18.991-05:00

South Carolina will be seeking the fifth bowl win in school history when they kickoff against Connecticut of the Big East Saturday at Legion Field in Birmingham. Here are five things we believe will happen in the game: 1. USC Will Have More Rushing Yards Than UConn: USC is averaging 125.0 yards on the ground this season, while UConn’s vaunted ground game is averaging 172.8 ypg. So, why will USC

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-22791297297769347452009-12-29T00:04:00.004-05:002009-12-29T00:10:05.537-05:00

Like everyone else, I don’t know when Florida head coach Urban Meyer will return from his indefinite leave of absence. Three months? Six months? 2011? Who knows?But I do know this - the door has been opened a little bit more for USC to make a long-awaited run towards the SEC East title in 2010.All three of its main rivals in the SEC East will have flaws next season. The Gators won’t have

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-23302794664185655692009-12-28T18:56:00.009-05:002009-12-28T20:00:11.600-05:00

Steve Spurrier held a special bowl edition of his call-in show on Monday night. Here's a summary of what he said. 7:00 - We're awaiting the start of the show. FIRST SEGMENT: USC has never lost a bowl game in a year when they beat Clemson. Trying to go to 3-0 in that category. USC played with a lot of effort v. Clemson and got some turnovers. Need better athletes on special teams. Attitude better

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-9216024319327505222009-12-24T10:31:00.001-05:002009-12-24T10:32:24.162-05:00

When Chris Culliver, Clifton Geathers, Ladi Ajiboye and Weslye Saunders say they plan to return to South Carolina in 2010, I believe them.It’s the agents I don’t trust. And neither should you.The deadline for juniors to apply for inclusion in the 2010 NFL Draft is Jan. 18th, so we will hear plenty about it over the next three to four weeks.Unfortunately, all four of the aforementioned players

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-26253567424841463612009-12-20T21:35:00.003-05:002009-12-21T01:11:50.896-05:00

I realize the South Carolina defense is losing one of the best players ever to wear the garnet and black, but I believe the Gamecocks will be better on defense in 2010.In fact, I'm willing to predict eight months before the season opener that USC will have the best defense in the SEC next season and finish in the Top 10 nationally. They're third right now behind Alabama and Florida, so it's a

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-1631120648663570402009-12-14T16:39:00.004-05:002009-12-14T16:42:04.875-05:00

I liked Eric Wolford.His weekly 10 to 15 minute session on Monday with the media was one of my favorite times of the week. He was smart, aggressive and brutally honest in his evaluations as he discussed both the previous game and the one upcoming. Unfortunately for Gamecock fans, Youngstown State officials saw those same attributes, which is one reason Wolford will be introduced as YSU’s new head

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-7386692733141271512009-12-08T23:37:00.003-05:002009-12-09T00:16:48.051-05:00

If you have any friends who are ill from all the SEC football on TV this past season, please do the right thing and inform them we just completed year one of the historic 15-year, $3 billion deal between the conference and TV partners CBS and ESPN.Translation: there’s a lot more where that came from.As well as the SEC has performed on the national stage over the last five years or so, the

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-63758921826888249252009-12-04T01:07:00.002-05:002009-12-04T01:12:50.297-05:00

I know some Gamecock fans were hoping for a spot in the Chick-fil-A Bowl or Music City Bowl following the huge win over bitter rival Clemson, but the Papajohns.com Bowl will do just fine. This year.Last year at this time, USC backed its way into the Outback Bowl in the wake of the dismal road performances at Florida and Clemson. So, even though they probably didn’t entirely deserve their good

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-46702698881588282772009-12-01T15:02:00.002-05:002009-12-01T15:04:04.439-05:00

You can always count on Jim McVay to do the unpredictable.The outspoken Outback Bowl President and CEO surprised everybody around the SEC – actually, stunned might be a better word - Tuesday afternoon when he invited Auburn to play in the New Year’s Day Bowl in Tampa.In doing so, he bypassed Tennessee, the school nearly everybody presumed would wind up in Tampa after the Vols finished up the

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-46499841142707485412009-12-01T00:25:00.002-05:002009-12-01T00:27:22.761-05:00

One year ago, South Carolina lost, 31-14, to Clemson to fall to 7-5.Three days ago, the Gamecocks trounced the Tigers, 34-17, to improve to 7-5.Different years, same record. Pretty much the same team, right? Hardly.Really, the differences between the 2009 and 2008 teams are like night and day. One team, as Steve Spurrier described it Sunday, was in “disarray,” late in the season while the other

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-10331406371991550232009-11-30T01:02:00.004-05:002009-11-30T01:18:10.328-05:00

No question, beating your rival is a good thing, especially when you do it in convincing fashion. South Carolina dominated Clemson, 34-17, Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium to improve to 7-5 on the season. 1. The Future Is Very Bright For USC: There were so many young players running around the field making plays for the Gamecocks on Saturday that I lost count. Stephon Gilmore, Alshon

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2670868201714057032.post-39526311885721051002009-11-29T13:37:00.004-05:002009-11-29T13:53:05.582-05:00

With six seven-win teams, the degree of difficulty of solving the SEC bowl picture might be exceeded only by the quest for peace in the Middle East.Oh yeah, the next seven days are going to be fun trying to figure out the different bowl scenarios and who is going where. No question, Saturday’s somewhat surprising results changed the landscape of where certain teams will go for the holidays. The

Scott Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982083872854109695noreply@blogger.com