We were afraid of this guy?
It's appropriate that ESPN Gameday selected new country-pop stars Big and Rich to perform in Columbia, S.C., as part of the festivities surrounding the Central Florida-South Carolina football game. One bunch of musical wannabes sharing the stage with a wannabe football program, each enjoying their 15 minutes of fame ... two fads that can't be forgotten quick enough.
This is what drove Steve Spurrier to come back to college football? To inherit a weak football program with exactly one conference title in its entire history? It's one thing to get your start at a place like Duke, but it's another to enjoy the high life at Florida and then come crashing back down to earth and patrol the sidelines for South Carolina. Welcome to Columbia, the place where college football coaches go to die.
With the exception of three drives, the Gamecocks looked so awful Thursday night it's difficult to fathom how they can compete in the SEC this year. Beating a team which had lost 15 straight games by a mere 11 points - and being completely and thoroughly dominated in the second half - is not exactly how you go about building a dynasty.
South Carolina's running game was non-existent. The Gamecocks' offensive line was incredibly porous. The special teams were terrible. And their defense couldn't stop an offense that ranked as one of the worst in the country last year.
Blake Mitchell looked OK ... throwing for 330 yards and all. But much of that came on big plays and more often than not he looked a tad lost. He missed several wide open receivers and was frazzled in the face of a blitz.
Plus, if South Carolina thinks it can run that gimmick defense where its defensive line is standing up against teams like Georgia and Tennessee, then the ole ball coach needs to brush up on his play-calling skills. Big, strong and experienced offensive lines, like the Bulldogs' and Volunteers', can come off the line quick and will lay the Gamecocks' undersized lineman flat on their backs.
All in all ... absurdly unimpressive. But the South Carolina fans scream like mad, certain (as they always are) that glory is right around the corner.
Perhaps I should put out a sign for them next week when they visit Athens. It'll be the one that reads 'Welcome To Reality.'
This is what drove Steve Spurrier to come back to college football? To inherit a weak football program with exactly one conference title in its entire history? It's one thing to get your start at a place like Duke, but it's another to enjoy the high life at Florida and then come crashing back down to earth and patrol the sidelines for South Carolina. Welcome to Columbia, the place where college football coaches go to die.
With the exception of three drives, the Gamecocks looked so awful Thursday night it's difficult to fathom how they can compete in the SEC this year. Beating a team which had lost 15 straight games by a mere 11 points - and being completely and thoroughly dominated in the second half - is not exactly how you go about building a dynasty.
South Carolina's running game was non-existent. The Gamecocks' offensive line was incredibly porous. The special teams were terrible. And their defense couldn't stop an offense that ranked as one of the worst in the country last year.
Blake Mitchell looked OK ... throwing for 330 yards and all. But much of that came on big plays and more often than not he looked a tad lost. He missed several wide open receivers and was frazzled in the face of a blitz.
Plus, if South Carolina thinks it can run that gimmick defense where its defensive line is standing up against teams like Georgia and Tennessee, then the ole ball coach needs to brush up on his play-calling skills. Big, strong and experienced offensive lines, like the Bulldogs' and Volunteers', can come off the line quick and will lay the Gamecocks' undersized lineman flat on their backs.
All in all ... absurdly unimpressive. But the South Carolina fans scream like mad, certain (as they always are) that glory is right around the corner.
Perhaps I should put out a sign for them next week when they visit Athens. It'll be the one that reads 'Welcome To Reality.'
posted by Jmac at 11:12 PM
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