We should all agree that what the HBC said yesterday at the Lattimore Birthday/Pep Rally was inappropriate.  He shouldn’t have made the comments he made.  They weren’t factual, they were offered in the wrong spirit, and they didn’t take into account the full breadth and nature of the classic SC-CTU rivalry.

Accordingly, we would like to suggest the following dozen or so alternate comments that Spurrier should have made instead.  Perhaps someone, somewhere, will show these to him and he can be appropriately chastened and correctly edified:

TRC SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVES TO OFFENSIVE “GARBAGE AND BS” STATEMENTS:

1.  Sorry folks, I know we are supposed to all be here for Marcus, but I’ve got a bad case of the giggles.  Can’t stop laughing because there’s apparently a grown man named ‘Dabo’ out there somewhere.

2.  Clemson Sucks.  I mean it really, really, sucks.  The only reason the State of South Carolina doesn’t crack off at the Savannah River and flee away from the stink of Georgia is because Clemson is sucking so bad.

3.  Dabo is so stupid.  Do you know how stupid Dabo is?  He’s so stupid that he thinks the Death Valley in California and the Death Valley in Louisiana were both named after Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.  Which isn’t in a valley, by the way, its kind of carved out of the top of a hill, actually.  That’s how stupid he is.

4.  Hey, somebody ask Dabo if, when he wants to have breakfast with his mother, does he call her on the phone or does he still just nudge her?

5.  Dabo is so ignorant that he and Tajh Boyd think that Val Kilmer was in Varsity Blues.

6.  Dabo says the ‘Real Carolina’ is in Chapel Hill and the ‘Real USC’ is in California.  I’ve got a question for you:  What’s a ‘Real Dabo?’  Wait, I think I know the answer cause I just stepped on some.

7.  Everyone who wears orange is either stupid, inbred, or color blind.  Or some combination of those three.  Bunch of fat pumpkins wobbling around.  Its disgusting.

8.  I hear ol’ Dabo is a nature lover.  That’s right, he loves nature.  Which is awfully big of him, considering what nature did to him.  Oh and something something something about sheep.

9.  Some drink deep from the fountain of knowledge.  Dabo just gargles and spits up.

10.  If your head coach ever tells you he has to fly all the way to Nigeria to get a ball player, then you all three have a problem.

11.  Even with Hartwell, Keowee, and Jocassee, Dabo can’t find anywhere to water ski.  Yeah, turns out none of those lakes have a hill in them.

12.  We all need to feel bad for Dabo.  I understand he went to the doctor about his recurrent constipation.  The doctor asked if he had been taking his prescribed suppositories regularly.  Dabo responded angrily, “Yeah, what do you think I’ve been doing?  Sticking them up my ass?”

UPDATE:  Apparently there was no harm done by the HBC’s original comments.  Appears Dabo didn’t understand them anyway:

Dabo said he did not take offense to spurrier’s jab. “I think he was trying to pay me a compliment. I think. ”

— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 30, 2012

I have an irrational fear of seeing serious football injuries. I literally have nightmares about them. Nightmares about seeing compound fractures, dislocations, and other injuries that are an unfortunate byproduct of the game that I love. I’ve often thought that I never want to see anything like that happen to a Gamecock.

Yesterday it not only happened to a Gamecock, it happened to THE Gamecock.

I was getting ready to go coach a youth game, trying to watch as much as I could before I left. I was in my bedroom getting ready and getting my son ready, keeping an eye on my bedroom TV all the while.

I saw the play, and I saw the foot planted as a Tennessee defender plowed into Marcus’ leg. The camera panned away, but before it did I saw Marcus put two hands on his knee, and I saw his lower leg bent at an awkward, grotesque angle. I knew immediately it was over.

I turned my head and didn’t watch the replay – I haven’t watched any replays – but yet I still have this brief few seconds burned in my mind. And it won’t go away like the others.

This is Marcus.

This is one of the highest profile recruits we have ever landed – a home-grown bulldozer of a running back that could’ve chosen any school in the country, and he chose us.

This is the guy who burst onto the scene against Georgia with a Herculean performance in his second college game and validated everything we thought about him as a football player.

This is the guy who spoke at churches and other events, willing to tell his story and teach and inspire others, and showing us we had something more than just a football player.

There were those games as a Freshman in 2010. Oh, man, those memories that will last a lifetime.

Then there was the Mississippi State game in 2011. Torn knee ligaments. A setback for sure, but we knew he would be back to 100% someday.

All this season there were trivial debates about whether Marcus was 100% or not. When he ripped off a 28-yard scoring run in the second quarter against Tennessee, he looked as good as ever.

Then there was the play. The play that made tears well in my eyes as I saw Marcus carted off.

People have been speculating ever since on the severity of the injury. Will he be back next year? Will this hurt his pro career? Will he be back EVER?

As I put on Twitter last night, I am no doctor and I am no surgeon. But what I saw with my eyes yesterday tells me his injury is something catastrophic.

Steve Spurrier saw the same thing, and spoke ominous words after the game yesterday when he said, “He’s such a wonderful man. Good things will happen for Marcus Lattimore. I don’t know in what field of life, but he’s a wonderful guy. He’s going to do well in whatever he does.”

“I don’t know in what field of life…”

That makes me hurt, because even though there is no official word as of this writing, Spurrier knows if Marcus ever comes back to football it will be a long, long road.

Honestly, I am half way hoping he hangs it up. I hope he just says, “I had a great ride, but I’m done.” He has nothing to prove to anybody, including himself. As Spurrier said, he will be successful no matter what because of his character, not because he can run with a football.

I prayed for Marcus. My whole family did. If he wants to come back, I hope he does and I hope he’s stronger than ever.

But if he doesn’t that’s perfectly ok, because the game Marcus loves has betrayed him for a second time.

I won’t blame him if he doesn’t want to tempt fate on a third.

Seriously. No words for what just happened.

Greatest gamecock ever.

The Transitive Property Report comes to you a little late this week, but I typically react to the first loss of the season by pouting like a spoiled little brat and refusing to have anything to do with football for a little while. Aw, heck, I actually respond that way with any loss, so be prepared, things could get downhill quicklike if we don’t bring our A game to Gainesville.

Here’s how past and future opponents fared last week:

(Reminder: I do not include this past week’s opponent in the TPR.)

• Vanderbilt – lost to Florida 31-17. This game was actually close most of the way. At one point Vandy scored on a long TD to apparently take the lead over UF, but a penalty nullified the score. You know the refrain, “Vandy being Vandy”. TPR for Vanderbilt: Starting to play decent football. A strong finish could get them in contention for bowl slot.
• East Carolina – beat Memphis 41-7. Memphis is a 17-car pileup, but nevertheless the Pirates get their fourth win of the year. TPR for ECU: About like a bag of microwave popcorn, satisfying at the time, but easily forgotten.
• UAB – lost to Houston 39-17. The same Houston team that just gave up 72 points to Pony Express-less SMU. TPR for UAB: Blech.
• Missouri – lost to Alabama 42-10. Mizzou’s application to the SEC is currently being reviewed to make sure all papers were properly signed. TPR for Missouri: 0 SEC wins, so I’m not sure how you can take anything positive out of our pantsing them.
• Kentucky – lost to Arkansas 49-7. We can complain about our schedule now that we’re about to play our third straight top 5 team, but in retrospect the first five games of the year were about as easy as it gets, culminating with this victory. TPR for Kentucky: We were losing to them 17-7 at the half. I can’t shake that, because they are TERRIBLE.
• Georgia – bye week. Somehow they are still in decent position to win the East if we stumble. Have to stop there before I get really pissed. On a side note, apparently UGA changed their mind about playing us later in the year and complained to the SEC office, so now we’re their first SEC game again in 2013. TPR for Georgia: Remains to be seen. Like us, the UF game will be their barometer.
• Florida – beat Vandy 31-17. The Gators are riding a wave of confidence and are somehow ranked second in the BCS. They have some quality wins, but we’ll be the best team they’ve played. TPR for Florida: Like I felt before the UGA game, I have no idea how this game will play out. Which bodes well for us. Maybe.
• Tennessee – lost to Mississippi State 41-31. The Dooley watch is on. TPR for Tennessee: They have enough talent to beat us if we’re not at our best. Still a scary game to me, especially early in the day and coming off an emotional game at Florida.
• Arkansas – beat Kentucky 49-7 (!!!). Of course Arky starts to get well late in the season. Of course, everybody gets well against Kentucky. TPR for Arkansas: Wary, definitely not as confident as last week.
• Wofford – lost to Georgia Southern 17-9. Wofford’s first loss of the season. TPR for Wofford: STOP SCHEDULING OPTION TEAMS.
• Clemson – bye week. The big news out of CTU this week was Dabo had them all sign a “commitment poster”. Dabo picked up the idea from a self-help book he’s currently reading called “Shystering for Dummies”. TPR for Clemson: 4peat coming.

The boys from TRC review the LSU game and tell you why we’re all so bummed. They also tell us why we shouldn’t be. (But still should be.)

It’s not as confusing as it sounds. Give a listen.

Oh, and This Week in Dabo.

Here are some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from last night’s 23-21 heartbreak in Baton Rouge:

Losing?  What’s Losing?  I can’t speak for the rest of Gamecock Nation, but I didn’t exactly handle last night’s defeat with grace.  Or class.  Heck, I didn’t even handle it with baseline adult maturity.  I think I’ll keep the details to myself; for fear that I lose all legitimacy with you, our gentle readers.

However, I suspect I’m not alone, eh?

But with the rising of the sun today came new perspective:  I think we Gamecocks have all become unfamiliar with losing, and that’s undoubtedly a good thing.  Makes the rare defeats sting a little harder, but I’d rather suffer through the occasionally sharp pain than endure that old slow week-to-week torture (the way Kentucky does, for example).

Streaking. Of the myriad storylines that preceded last night’s action, several involved active streaks.  LSU was riding a 21 or-something-God-awful streak of home wins, and hadn’t lost back-to-back games since 2008.  Carolina was riding the nation’s longest active win streak of ten games and had achieved its highest ranking since 1984.  There were other streaks on the line for both squads, but all you need to know is that basically all the LSU streaks are still active, and all the Carolina ones ended with a loud and calamitous thud.

Death Valley. The HBC made a few headlines last Tuesday when he by-accidently-on-purpose forgot about Clemson’s Memorial Stadium “Death Valley” nickname during his weekly presser.  I’m not sure he put a ton of thought into the comments, but any intention on his part to establish the Death Valley in Baton Rouge as the REAL Death Valley was right on point.  That place is evidently a nightmare.

Everything we did last night looked – I’ll use the HBC’s word – discombobulated. From getting our plays in on time, to calling audibles, to make on the fly defensive adjustments, we looked out of sync.  I think it’s safe to say the hostile environment played its part in those difficulties.

Interestingly, last night was only our fourth visit to the real Death Valley since joining the SEC.  With the current divisional format, we only make that trip once every five years, so it’s safe to say that few, if any, members of our roster had experience with the place.  Maybe the western teams get used to it, I don’t know, but we get reintroduced to the insanity only twice a decade, and I suspect that isn’t frequently enough to get comfortable.

X’s and O’s. Brent and Kirk seemed absolutely befuddled that we took the ball after winning the toss.  Don’t know what team they’ve been watching, as we have a pretty firm pattern established there.  Regardless, it worked out about how you’d expect it to in that environment, with a quick three and out.

Conversely, I think LSU had their first series scripted out perfectly.  It went against all our preconceptions about their tendencies as it was pass-pass-run instead of the opposite.  It made our defensive troops think, and as we all know, thinking can only hurt the ball club.  We were reeling from the beginning, and played on our heels all night.

Jimmy’s and Joe’s.  Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought LSU had numerous linemen that either quit or were injured in the last couple of weeks.  I expected an inexperienced and undersized group of bewildered trench men, but that’s not what the Tigers looked like to me.  Instead they looked like a big group of beef jerky sasquatches out there in yellow.  Not that we messed with ‘em too much, mind you.

Lattimore.  21 had no room.  It was clear that the LSU defenders were focused on him like a laser from the outset.  That being said, we all certainly thought the Oline could get a crease opened every now and then.  Alas, it was not to be.  Marcus made one big first down run and another TD dive and they were both 100% Marcus giving 1000% effort all on his own.

Right Handed.  Anyone else notice how often Shaw rolls to his right as opposed to rolling to his left?  Even on run plays it holds true:  On the speed option right he kept the ball for a good gain, but on the following play left he pitched quickly to Latti for minimal yardage.  Don’t know what it means, whether it’s a commentary on our left tackle or just Shaw’s preference, but it seems to me that a right handed QB could see more of the field if he rolled left.

Tale of two Damieres.  And two DL’s.  Both guys made big-time tough catches last week against Georgia, and then missed on very similar throws this week.   It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, I guess.

Hanging on.   The physicality of the Tigers was obvious, and our inability (or unwillingness) to respond in kind was painfully evident.  But still we somehow managed to hang in the game.  We led at the end of the 1^st quarter; we led again at the half.  Heck, we even led going into the final period, and but for an unusual Shaw overthrow/pick, we might have led when the clock hit 0:00.   No idea how we hung around with a team that was obviously better and in such a batcrap crazy environment.  But still we did, and that must speak to our team’s tenacity at least.

Moving on.  So let’s flush it. Forget it.  Move on.  And that should be easy as we have the third straight BIGGEST GAME IN OUR HISTORY coming up on Saturday down in Gainesville.  A win down there and we are right back on the inside track.

Go Cocks, beat the Gators!