Snap Judgments for the Florida game are a little late today, my apologies. So here are some quick, barely researched, not fully-formed thoughts from yesterday’s historic 17-12 victory over the Florida Gators:

The good news. Yesterday’s win locked up some pretty impressive records for the Gamecocks over the last two years: 6-0 vs. nemeses Georgia, Tennessee and Florida, and 9-1 vs. the SEC East overall (stupid Kentucky!). It was nice to hear Steve Spurrier wax philosophical about it yesterday and today because for once he seems content and proud of what the 2010-2011 Gamecocks have accomplished.

The bad news. Georgia pummeled Auburn 45-7 to, for all intents and purposes, end our run at back-to-back SEC East titles (stupid Kentucky!). This is the same Auburn team that left Columbia with a 16-13 victory on October 1, and has since lost road games to Arkansas (by 24), LSU (by 35), and now UGA (by 38). That game will linger as the one that could’ve meant a great season instead of a very good one…just like stupid Kentucky last year.

Grinding. Yesterday’s win was very typical of  the 2011 edition of the Gamecocks. We weren’t impressive against an unimpressive opponent, but did enough to get the win. Credit the coaching staff for taking what Florida gave us on both sides of the ball. Credit lady luck that our special teams play didn’t hurt us any more than it did. We don’t win pretty, but we win. I’ll take it.

Connor Shaw – The Chief Grinder. Connor Shaw once again showed us he is simply a football player. He took what the defense gave him, and took some pretty good shots along the way, but managed to pick up critical first downs at the right times. And the deep throw to Ace was a thing of beauty (and a spectacular catch by Ace, BTW). I don’t know how long #14 will be the QB at USC, but as long as he’s in there you at least know you’re going to get 100% on every play.

Wilds Vision Quest. I texted a couple of guys mid-way through the first half that Brandon Wilds has great vision, and that’s what makes him a good back. He doesn’t have breakaway speed, and he doesn’t have great power just yet (although with his frame and an offseason in the weight room, look out). But he knows how to find a hole, and that helped lead to another 100-yard performance yesterday.

#1. Congratulations big man, sorry it took so long to get you the record. I hope you still have a breakout game in you this year, and I hope it’s in two weeks.

Welcome Back #6. Melvin Ingram had been MIA the last couple of weeks, but made his presence known and then some against the Gators. His sack and non-strip of John Brantley may have been the play of the game. Speaking of the non-strip…

What Were the Officials Watching? There was one angle of that play that clearly showed Brantley going to the ground with zero of his hands on the ball. CBS showed it only once, right after the play was over. Did the booth officials not see that? I admit, all the other angles were inconclusive, but geez, what a big call to miss. To continue with the theme…

How Bad Does #7 Want to Score a TD? Watch the replay of that again. Jadeveon Clowney purposely doesn’t fall on the ball, composes himself over the ball, makes sure his knees are not on the ground, then picks the ball up. That cat wanted an opportunity to jet with that ball SO bad.

Kudos to UGA. I’ve been hammering UGA’s sad excuse for a win streak ever since it started, but they looked darned good yesterday. As bad as I wanted a return trip to Atlanta, they might actually be the team to give LSU a run for their money.  But still…45-42 my Bulldog friends.

Ellington. Will be the next guy to return a KO for touchdown for the Gamecocks. Maybe this week.

TRC Unleashed will air later this week due to some conflicts, we’ll let you know as soon as it is scheduled.

Well, Andy, I just spent the last hour directing my energy to a blog post wondering why people are so satisfied with a 7-2 record and #13 BCS ranking. Is it not OK to have wanted more?

In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen and heard a lot of what Andy Demetra is talking about above.  I even participated, telling the Gamecock Nation to “enjoy the ride” and quit complaining when we were 7-1 and had won 17 of 21 regular season games.  But Sunday morning after the Arkansas loss it really hit me – Georgia is in position to win the SEC East, and actually is likely to win the SEC East.

At that point my perspective changed. Because if that happens, we will have blown a golden opportunity.

Before I go any further, let me state that I’ve been a diehard Gamecock fan since 1987, my freshman year in Columbia. So I’ve lived through Sparky and Fat Brad, I’ve lived through 1-10 and 0-11, and I’ve seen many, many more disappointments than triumphs in 24 years. But I kept coming back, and I will continue to come back.

Unfortunately, through nine games in 2011, I must say this season has been a disappointment.  

But Buck, you just said you lived through 1-10 and 0-11? How can you be disappointed with 7-2 and a top 15 national ranking?

First of all, stop trying to relate what was going on in 1998 and 1999 to what we have today. The program is light years ahead of where it was in those years, but is it wrong to expect more? To want to improve on improvement? Lou Holtz took us to a new level, and Steve Spurrier has taken us to a level, or maybe two, above that. 1999 should not be our reference point for 2011.  2010 should be our reference point for 2011.

Second, yes, I will agree that 7-2 is a nice record after nine games. It’s how we’ve gotten to 7-2 that I have a problem with. We simply have not played up to expectations.

Don’t you know we still have a lot to play for? We still have a shot at the East, a shot at double-digit wins, a chance for a BCS bowl. This could be a historic season.

Right, I keep hearing that, and all those things are still in play. But what have you seen from this team, this year, that makes you think it can achieve any of those things? Please don’t take this the wrong way. I love our team, our players, and I think they play their heart out every week. But something is missing from an above average team that could make it great. Just look at how our season has played out:

• East Carolina – should we have really struggled with this team for as long as we did? A team that is now 4-5 and lost to Houston 56-3?
• Georgia – a great win no matter how you slice it, but we didn’t play particularly well, and could have easily lost this game. And I’m THRILLED we didn’t.
• Navy – again, a major struggle against a team that is now 3-6. If we were anywhere near elite, Navy shouldn’t stand a chance against us.
• Vanderbilt – yawn.
• Auburn – unfortunately, the game that is likely to define our season. A team depleted by graduation/defection to the NFL, searching for an identity after being crushed by CTU, comes into our house and takes away our margin for error. You CANNOT lose to this Auburn team if you want to be great.  
• Kentucky – easily our best game of the year. For once in the Spurrier era, we stepped on a team’s throat and crushed them.
• Mississippi State – a game won by pure force of will, which is why I love our players and coaches. But that’s a team we have to pull away from.
• Tennessee – much tougher than it should’ve been.
• Arkansas – the best team on our schedule and we really didn’t stand much of a chance. There’s no shame in losing to the ‘Hogs, but it would’ve been nice to have been competitive with them without the aid of dropped passes and missed field goals.

Every week I keep thinking we’re going to turn a corner, but the corner keeps moving further away.

But we’re playing without Lattimore, Nunn, Garcia, and played Saturdy without Antonio Allen!

Let me ask you, were we playing without those guys against East Carolina? Navy? Most importantly, Auburn? There is no doubt we miss them, but we weren’t playing very well WITH them in the lineup. And please don’t use it as an excuse for any losses we may have from here on out. That’s why you recruit. One man goes down, the next guy steps in. That’s what great programs are made of, and that’s where I hope South Carolina can get to someday. Soon.  

Back in August we were saying this was the most talented Gamecock team ever.  We had the three-headed monster of Garcia, Lattimore and Jeffery. We had a dominant defensive line. We were the odds-on favorite to win the East.

In September we cleared the Georgia hurdle. We continued to “win anyway” against inferior teams despite injuries and…well, whatever you want to call the Garcia situation.

But in the midst of it we wet the bed against Auburn, and sitting here today I can’t help but think we’ve blown it. We let one get away when we didn’t have the luxury of letting one get away.  

So stop telling me to be happy with 7-2 because in 1999 we were 0-11. This is a different team, a different era.

There are plenty of people that will be Pollyanna about Gamecock football and let me have it for saying the season has been a disappointment to this point even though we’re 7-2. And that’s fine.

I guess it beats being 6-3.

We wrapped up Episode 12 of the TRC Unleashed podcast last night and you can find it here. It wasn’t pleasant, which I can guarantee you it will not be after losses, but it’s still entertaining. Especially if you like hearing grown men cry (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Enjoy. 

Please be sure to join us for TRC Unleashed, Episode 12, at 6 p.m. We’ll be:

• Reviewing the loss to Arkansas
• Previewing the game against Florida
• Assessing our chances to still win the East
• Discussing the state of the program, and the state of college football in general

Click here for audio.

Click here to listen to last night’s mid-week episode of TRC Unleashed.  In it, Buck, Tbone and the Gman discussed:

• Offensive and defensive performances from the Tennessee game
• Play of the game from the Tennessee game
• How we’re 7-1 and nobody seems happy
• What we need to do to beat the ‘Hogs
• The annual “Spurrier is leaving” rumors
• Life with Tbone in the upstate after the first CTU loss

We’ll be back on Sunday with our regular edition of TRC Unleashed.

TRC Unleashed returns at 6 p.m. tonight. Riveting topics include:

• The win over Tennessee
• The upcoming win over Arkansas
• The performance of the offense
• The performance of the defense
• Rumors of the demise of the HBC

Join us, won’t you?

Loyal readers, we apologize for the slackness of the blog and podcast for the last couple of weeks. The bye week personally lulled me into a warm, comfortable apathy that felt like a deep, Ambien-aided sleep in a feather bed in a deep woods cabin, snuggled up with my beautiful wife. (Hey, she reads the blog, so I couldn’t say Christina Hendricks, OK?)

Most years a road win over Tennessee snap me out of that like a bucket of cold gin martini to the face, but this edition of the Volunteers just makes me sad for the poor suckers who agreed to take a football scholarship from that porcelain bowl swirling institution.

But now the real season starts folks. A stretch run that was supposed to include three tough road SEC games is down to one tough road SEC game now that we have dispatched disappointing Mississippi State and Tennessee squads.   Then we finish with three at the W-B, and Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, a trip back to Atlanta. If that don’t get you excited, I don’t know what will.

With that in mind, we’ll resume TRC Unleashed with a special Thursday edition this week, and here is a combo Snap Judgments and Tusings for your reading enjoyment.   

The defense doesn’t rest. After the first two games this season, we all had to wonder why the immense talent on the defensive side of the ball wasn’t translating to reduced points and yardage. But Ellis Johnson has his squad playing lights out, once again holding an opponent to less than 200 yards of total offense. Are our ridiculous statistics fools gold because of the level of offensive competition we’ve been playing? We’ll find out this week, because Arky will easily be the most potent offense we’ve seen all year.

Wilds’ Kingdom. All we heard since the knee injury to #21 was “Brandon Wilds is talented, but he’s no Marcus Lattimore.” If we can get the kind of production out of #22 week in and week out like we got Saturday (137 yards rushing, 31 receiving), we’ll all be just fine with Brandon Wilds being Brandon Wilds. The tailback spot appears to be in good hands.

Chill Pill for Connor. Connor Shaw has done a good job since taking over the starting QB job three games ago, but in my humble opinion he regressed a little against UT. The Vols pressure seemed to rattle him early and often as he never had a chance to let downfield routes develop. Blame the O-line (specifically the tackles) for poor protection Saturday night, but Shaw also took off running too early of a few occasions. He will need to stay super cool against the ‘Hogs for us to have a chance this week.

Play of the UT game: Cody Gibson not giving up after Shaw’s interception. The big OL’s good hustle helped prevent a touchdown, and D.J. Swearinger was able to come up with a pick two plays later, and USC finished off the game with a 20-play drive. Who knows how different the game would’ve been of UT had converted their pick into a six.

7-1 and 5-1 and what it means. In a historical context, we are truly on one of the great runs in Gamecock football history. The fact that we have not been particularly impressive in our victories combined with the stank that is the Eastern division (see below) has caused that to be overlooked. With two SEC games left, we have already equaled our greatest conference win total ever. We are also 17-4 in our last 21 regular season games. Let that sink in, and then think twice about bitching about our shortcomings. Could things be better? Sure, and hopefully they will be. But take just a moment and enjoy the ride.

The sad state of the East. It’s hard to defend the SEC East at this point in the season. Kentucky and Tennessee are putrid. Vanderbilt is good for Vanderbilt, which means they are merely awful. Florida gets worse every week, which I guess is good for USC, but not good for the SEC in general. The ‘Cocks main competition for the East crown? UGA, a team that has beaten Coastal Carolina and five teams with a combined SEC record of 4-22. Yowza. I’m beginning to believe Auburn can take the Bulldogs, which would give us a one game margin of error. (Not that I want it, I’d rather win out of course.)

Speaking of Georgia…You think we’ve had issues at tailback? With today’s suspension of THREE of UGA’s top four tailbacks for “violation of team rules”, and with Richard Samuel ruled out Saturday with an ankle injury, the Bulldogs are thinner than Mark Richt’s hairline at that position. Rumors are flying that the suspensions are related to failed drug tests, and at least one Atlanta sports talk station has it on “good authority” that UGA knew of the tests the Friday before the Florida game. If that’s true, then shame on your Mark Richt and Greg McGarrity. (Anyone who wants to debate how this relates to Stephen Garcia, bring it. My glass house was shattered a long time ago.)

CTU HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. What can spice up a lackadaisical win over Tennessee? How about Georgia Tech steamrolling the former BCS National Title contenders. I didn’t think the Jackets had it in them, especially given how bad they were against Virginia and Miami. But wow, what fun. If ever there was a good time to break out the phrase “Paper Tigers”, that was it.

Go Cocks, beat those Hogs.

The staff from TRC will be gathering at Goat Island (across from the Isle of Palms) this weekend for our semi-annual convention. You’re not invited, it’s a very exclusive convention. We will keep you updated on our exploits via Twitter, however.

It’s only been two weeks, but it feels like an entire offseason since we played last, and even longer since I submitted a blog post. Well, sometimes life just happens to catch up with you and sometimes that happens during a bye week when there’s not much to write about anyway, so what are you going to do.

But anyway…

We get back into the swing of things on Saturday against our pale orange non-friends from Tennessee.  On paper this is a mismatch – a 6-1, top 15 team going up against a winless SEC East foe (not named Vanderbilt or Kentucky, mind you) so desperate that they’re starting a true freshman quarterback whom they had planned to redshirt.

Unfortunately games aren’t played on paper. They’re played inside thin rectangular boxes that no matter how hard you throw a beer bottle through them you still can’t reach in to choke any of the coaches, players, or referees. And then you have to spend $1500 to buy another rectangular box to have football games played in. But I digress…

I fully expect this to be like every other South Carolina game this year save Kentucky – a painful, nerve-wracking, sloppy slopfest of a game that we pull out by some unimpressive score like 16-12. 

But a win would be a win, right? On to a few tusings:

The Melancholy Season. The Gamecocks have won 6 of 7, including a win over Georgia, and are ranked just outside the top 10. Many of our goals are still well within reach with what appears to be a manageable schedule left. So why aren’t we happier as a fan base? We certainly haven’t played great in our six wins, and have some injury concerns, but I think more that that is the surprisingly good play of our neighbors to the north.

The Clemson Tiger University Tigers are good. There’s no more denying it, and painful as it is and as much as we still may want to look for reasons otherwise (you can give me schedule, but since they beat Auburn and we didn’t, it’s a hard argument for a Gamecock to make). CTU has the best freshman in the country complimented by a stable of very good wide receivers. They have a competent, if injury prone, running back. Tajh Boyd has been sickeningly good since the third game of the season. And their offensive line and defense have done enough to not lose games.

Are they as good as Alabama or LSU? HELL NO, why would you ask such a stupid question.  However, I do not think it is beyond the realm of possibility that they run the table, and with a few breaks wind up playing in the…gulp…ugh…BCS National Championship Game. I just threw up. Outside my mouth. A lot.

I hate CTU so much.

The good news. CTU still has to jump past a few teams to get to that point. Odds are high that either LSU or Alabama will finish undefeated. Oklahoma State would have to lose. Boise would probably have to lose.  I don’t know the math, but I would imagine Stanford and/or Kansas State might have a chance to jump CTU if they remain undefeated.

The bad news. We were pretty sure Wisconsin and Oklahoma would remain undefeated too.

Oklahoma. Fools gold. Every year. Don’t trust them, ever.

South Caromageddon. Can you imagine what the state of South Carolina would be like in the week leading up to a game where South Carolina is 10-1 or 9-2 hosting an 11-0 Clemson team? The entire state might spontaneously combust at kickoff.

South Carolina @ Tennessee. I really wish I had more thoughts on this, but I’m stumped. Besides Justin Worley getting the start for UT, what are the storylines? Wilds replacing Lattimore? Dooley’s orange pants? Spurrier v. Morris? I’m stumped. I sure hope we have a lot of good stuff to talk about once it’s over.

Speaking of, be on the lookout for a special edition TRC Unleashed. I say be on the lookout, because I don’t know what our internet connection situation will be on Goat Island. We’ll keep you posted via the blog and/or Twitter.  

Go Cocks. Go Gators. Go Yellow Jackets.

For one week we have a new day and time for TRC Unleashed. Tonight we’ll be discussing:

• How the loss of Marcus Lattimore will affect the team going forward
• A recap of the Mississippi State game
• A preview of the open date festivities
• Looking forward to Tennessee

Click here to listen.