Humiliation. I was prepared to lose. I was not prepared for this.

I walked around all week in my Atlanta office telling my Bulldog co-workers that the 17 point spread was not enough. I told them they would win by three touchdowns despite their concerns about their quarterback. I mentally prepared myself for a loss, maybe even a bad loss, to protect these old bones from letting a football game impact other more important areas of my life.

Things were going according to plan through the first quarter, as we were competitive and looked like we might even be able to make a game of it. The 11-point halftime deficit wasn’t too bad, although I was a little concerned about how Georgia had moved down the field so easily in their two-minute drill.

Then we had to play the second half. Our offense was anemic. Our defense was horrific. Georgia ran 37 consecutive offensive plays without facing a third down. Greyson Lambert, a quarterback who was so average that Virginia asked him to not return for his senior season, completed 20 consecutive passes and set an NCAA record for completion percentage in a game. Jordan Diggs was blasted backwards into the end zone by Sony Michel and then posed over in a single moment that almost single-handedly eradicated our four wins in the previous five years over Georgia. Bulldog running backs were gaining eight yards before they were touched, and wide receivers were this open:

By the end Gamecock players were not only fighting with their opponents, but they were fighting with themselves in a telltale moment that right now this team is lost. Not only is there a dearth of talent on this squad due to poor recruiting efforts, but with very few exceptions there appears to be no heart and no self-respect.

In the end my mental preparation was for naught. A loss, even a bad loss, was acceptable to me last night.

Getting humiliated was not, and never will be, acceptable.

HBC. I have an idea how these last nine games will go, and if what I believe does happen it’s going to be a very sad ending to a great career for Steve Spurrier. Seeing video of him running out of Sanford Stadium having obscenities yelled at him by toothless, adult, redneck Georgia fans who have been dominated by Spurrier for the better part of 20 years did not help my mood.

That Ain’t No Hoke. Jon Hoke drew praise for his halftime adjustments in the first two games of the year as the Gamecocks played shutdown defense for the final 30 minutes against North Carolina and Kentucky. But last night he appeared to make no adjustments whatsoever. There was the occasional corner blitz that was picked up easily by Lambert, but very few times did we see more than four rushers to try to make something happen. Maybe I wasn’t watching closely enough, but I never noticed any stunts or twists either.

Who knows, maybe Lorenzo Ward deserves an apology.

It’s Zo Time. I said all summer that if at any point Lorenzo Nunez was our starting quarterback, then something has gone terribly wrong. I think we can all agree many things have gone terribly wrong, so it’s time to take our chances with the true freshman. Perry Orth is a nice story, from seventh string to bagging groceries to starting in Athens, but at this point that’s all it is – a nice story.

While Orth had his moments, it’s obvious Zo is an elite athlete and can make things happen that no other quarterback on the roster can. He might look like a baby deer running around out there at times, but I think he’s going to give us our best chance to score some points.

King Tuttchdown. Six yards receiving, 34 yards rushing. We’re wasting our main man.

On Quitting. At some point during the night former Gamecock defensive back D.J. Swearinger tweeted this:

Predictably, there was a lot of unfortunate reaction to this tweet by emotional fans. In turn, there was a lot of defense of DJ going on that what he said was “the truth”.

Here’s the thing – DJ was being honest in a way only DJ can be honest, and was probably expressing a lot of what we were feeling last night. The problem is, he has a responsibility none of the rest of us have. He’s one of the most popular Gamecock players of all time, and is now in a place where many of our players hope to be someday – the NFL. To tell our players, especially the ones who are strapping it up on Saturday and giving it every ounce of effort they have, that he is quitting on them is disappointing. Many of the current players look up to him. Hell, some of theme probably came to South Carolina BECAUSE of him.

Being disappointed in a performance is one thing, but telling a group of guys who look up to  you that you’re quitting on them is quite another. I’m disappointed, and despite my deep disappointment at how this season is shaping up, I’m not quitting. You can accuse me of bitching and moaning, and that’s fair. But regardless I’ll be there next week supporting these guys, and the week after, and the week after that.

The Final Word. From your lips to God’s ears Isaiah.

Go Cocks.

The season took an unexpectedly brutal turn Saturday night. The prospects for even a respectable (read: .500) season are looking somewhat bleak. So if you didn’t like last week’s TPR, you’re probably not gonna like this one either. But we soldier on.

Week 2 Results:

North Carolina (1-1) – Beat North Carolina A&T 53-14. I honestly did not see this score until I looked it up last night. I didn’t even think UNC played.

TPR for UNC: Yawn. Even if they turn out to be halfway decent, a win over North Carolina doesn’t help us now.

Kentucky (2-0) – Beat South Carolina 26-22. Kentucky picked up their third SEC win in two years (two over us, one over Vandy) and stopped a 22-game road SEC losing streak. I honestly cannot take anything positive from this performance.

TPR for Kentucky: I don’t Kentucky is any better than they were last year, I just think we’re worse. They’ll still struggle to get to bowl eligibility. Have fun in Birmingham, Wildcats.

Georgia (2-0) – Beat Vanderbilt 31-14. I mean to tell you, Georgia fans are downright MISERABLE after their 17-point road win last week. I wish a 17-point road win was why I was miserable.

TPR for Georgia: Led by All-American Nick Chubb (to whom Steve Spurrier was unwilling to lend any of his precious, precious time…twice) the Dogs have more than enough weapons to dispose of us on Saturday.  However, their lack of solid QB play will keep them out of the national conversation. Which will probably lead to more highly insecure blog posts like this one.

Central Florida (0-2) – Lost to Stanford 31-7. You’ll always have 2013 UCF.

TPR for UCF: Gamecocks will sweep the leg to move to 2-2.

Missouri (2-0) – Beat Arkansas State 27-20. Mizzou is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Games like this one and Indiana from last year are the reason we are reluctant to give them the credit they may or may not deserve.

TPR for Missouri: I just can’t bring myself to give up hope on this one. I think it’s a toss-up.

LSU (1-0) – Beat Mississippi State 21-19. LSU finally got to play a real ball game, and they were impressive at times, but still had to eke out a win over a tough Mississippi State team.

TPR for LSU: I liked us at home before last weekend. Can’t really say I feel that way any more. LSU is bigger, faster, stronger and more talented. And they will score more points than us.

Vanderbilt (0-2) – Lost to Georgia 31-14. I didn’t watch the game so I need to go find out how Vandy scored 14 points.

TPR for Vanderbilt: Trust me, they will give us fits with their defense, but we will win. If we don’t, Spurrier might quit during the post-game press conference.

Texas A&M (2-0) – Beat Ball State 56-23. TAMU has scored 94 points against one good opponent and one average opponent. We have scored 39 points against two average to below average opponents.

TPR for Texas A&M: Bloodbath and beyond.

Tennessee (1-1) – Lost to Oklahoma 31-24 in OT. I was so happy to see UT lose so we can stop asking if Tennessee is back for about ten minutes.

TPR for Tennessee: They might not be “back”, but they’re back enough to handle us at Neyland.

Florida (2-0) – Beat East Carolina 31-24. The big story was not the game or the outcome, but the ass chewing Jim McIlwain gave Kelvin Taylor after his throat-slash gesture. I enjoyed that because it reminded me of how I used to talk to the third-grade team I coached. Exactly.

TPR for Florida: This could be Steve Spurrier’s last chance for a significant win in Williams-Brice. I think he will call his best game of the year and the ‘Cocks will win going away.

The Citadel (2-0) – Beat Western Carolina 28-10. The Bulldogs look like a pretty darn good FCS team so far.

TPR for The Citadel: Let’s see, watch us play a triple-option team or stick bamboo shoots under my fingernails. Hmm, tough call.

Clemson (2-0) – Beat Appalachian State 41-10. You folks with the inability to give the Tigers any credit for anything will point out they haven’t played anybody yet, but I have to say I’ve been impressed with them so far. Their first “big” test is tonight against 0-2 Louisville. Notre Dame is down a starting QB, and Florida State has been less than impressive. Georgia Tech might be the only team standing in the way of an undefeated regular season for Clemson.

TPR for Clemson: Pretty much more talented than us across the board. We’ll be hanging our hopes on wings and prayers, but as we all know anything can happ… /hit by meteorite

Projected final record: 6-6

Buck and Tbone, sans the Gman, reflect on the Kentucky game and what it might mean to the long-term direction of the Gamecock football program. Among other things you’ll hear:

• A recap of the loss to the Wildcats
• What it means for the rest of the season (hint: it ain’t good)
• Why this might be the end of the road for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina
• Who else is currently going through a thoughtful, tender undoing
• If there is a thoughtful, tender undoing, what qualities would we like to see in our next HBC
• Other Twitter questions

It’s a difficult conversation, and one we’ll probably be having for the next several weeks. But it’s healthy. Join us in the trust tree.

Click here to listen on iTunes.

Or click here or the graphic to stream, and enjoy!

Some quick, barely researched, not fully-formed thoughts from South Carolina’s 26-22 loss to Kentucky:

Watershed. On January 1, 2014, South Carolina defeated Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. Six days later when the final college football rankings were released, the Gamecocks were ranked fourth, the best finish in school history. In April 2014, Jadeveon Clowney was taken by the Houston Texans with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. The University’s athletic department ran a campaign called “Top Ten Program” featuring the football team’s successes.

Since then the Gamecocks have played a mere 15 football games, winning 8 and losing 7, including Saturday night’s loss to Kentucky. In the process, South Carolina has either lost ground to or been passed by every football program in the SEC aside from Vanderbilt and possibly Florida.

We are now, at best, the 12th best program in the SEC after falling for the second straight year to the Wildcats. You don’t believe it? Then who would you put us ahead of out of Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas or Texas A&M? (Don’t even get me started on how Clemson has passed us like we were standing still.) Even though we’ve beaten Florida twice in a row, they have a new coach, new energy, and because of a rich recruiting base a program that doesn’t have far to go to insert themselves back into the national conversation.

The fall of the Gamecocks has been fast and painful. Apathy from the head man has reflected mightily on the recruiting trail and that has translated in a bad way to the football field. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football, and we have failed miserably in that area for the last few years. Especially considering we had a run of three straight 11-win seasons and we actually WERE a top 10 program.

Steve Spurrier has done more for South Carolina Gamecock football than any other coach in our history. Maybe more than all the others combined. He has taken us to places we only dreamed of. He has put us on the map, and he has entertained us. Most of all, he has won a lot of important ball games for us. And I have a feeling we will be thanking him for many years and in many ways for his contributions.

But now Steve Spurrier is not winning. Or at least he’s not winning enough. In addition, there are signs things are not going to get better any time soon, and we don’t need a 70-year-old coach leading a rebuilding project anyway. And please spare me the “how soon we forget 1-21” speech. I haven’t forgotten that at all, but it WAS fifteen years ago and lot has changed, not the least of which are our expectations of wins and losses. Just because we experienced 1-21 doesn’t mean we should put a cap on our expected success.

I realize we are only two games into the season, and lot of things can happen. But I have also witnessed a precipitous fall from what was our football mountaintop. I have a feeling we’re going to be looking for new head coach in December. It will be a sad time, an uneasy time, and an exciting time. But it will be time.

Take your pick. The loss to Kentucky was the epitome of a team effort. Failed red zone trips, a fumble returned for a 2-point conversion, a crucial interception, two unsportsmanlike penalties, miserable first half tackling. They say games between equally matched teams are usually decided by 1-2 plays. But last night, even if we overcame one bad play, there was another one waiting around the corner to doom us.

A tale of two halves. For our defense, it was the worst of halves, and the best of halves. But most of what I’ve been reading has been praise for the defense for shutting the Wildcats out in the second half. That’s all well and good, but how about let’s not give up 24 points and 300 yards in the first half that makes the game virtually unwinnable.

QB conundrum. I was sorry to see Connor Mitch get hurt, and was glad to hear he would probably only be out six weeks instead of the entire season. I know the kid has worked hard to earn his spot, and that should not be forgotten. However, he was borderline atrocious in the North Carolina game, and even worse last night. Perry Orth came in and showed surprising poise and confidence. We’ll have to see how the battle between he and Lorenzo Nunez plays out over the next few weeks, but unless both go completely in the tank (along with Michael Scarnecchia) I have a hard time seeing Mitch win the quarterback job back.

Mouth running Wilds. Brandon Wilds had some great quotes after the game:

Most of the time I’m not a big fan of players calling out coaches publicly, but in this case I really love it. Wilds has gone to battle for four years for our school. He’s seen the highs, and now he’s experiencing the lows, and he doesn’t like it one bit. Here’s a guy who knows what it takes to win from every member of the team, including the coaches. I don’t blame him for bitching. Give the man the ball.

Georgia on our minds. And they’re going to be on our jocks on Saturday. They opened as a 16-point favorite. While they didn’t play well on Saturday against Vanderbilt, I would feel comfortable laying the 16 based on what I’ve seen from USC so far.

I hope I’m wrong about all this. Regardless, I’m in it for the long haul.

Go Cocks!

The TRC triumvirate celebrates the return of college football, and walks through the Gamecocks’ season opener against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Among other things the boys discuss:

• The performance of new starting QB Connor Mitch
• Shon Carson superhero
• The stellar (!) play of our offensive line
• Bending but not breaking
• Special teams excellence what???
• Rubber Chicken Awards
• Twitter Questions (please don’t be mad we were asked to talk about what QBs would not be on the roster next year and we are contractually obligated to answer all controversial Twitter questions.)
• This Week in Dabo
• A look ahead to Kentucky
• A very happy 2-year old and her bath time
• All brought to you by Blue Moon Disk

You can listen to the podcast via iTunes.

You can also listen by clicking here, or click the graphic below, and enjoy!

After a two-year absence, The Transitive Property Report has returned for 2015. What we do in the TPR is take a look at how our opponents and future opponents have fared against other competition. This allows us to, with complete accuracy, determine what our chances are against our own future opponents, and gauge how good or bad we actually are.

The results after week one can be easily summed up by paraphrasing The Lego Movie – EVERYONE IS AWESOME. I honestly don’t see us beating anyone besides Vandy and The Citadel based on how awesome every team was this weekend. But we can’t cancel the season, so I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out.

Week 1 Results:

North Carolina – Lost to South Carolina 17-13. Well this one is easy, right? We’re better

and we won. However, UNC still thinks they were the better team Thursday night, and for once I tend to agree with them. If not for a botched trip inside our ten yard line and a dropped pick six, they could’ve had a 21-0 first quarter lead. Fortunately the ball bounced our way and we escaped with a win. TPR for UNC: Here’s hoping they are a much better team in 2015. If they’re not, then it doesn’t say much for us.

Kentucky – Beat Louisiana Lafayette 40-33. The ‘Cats had this one well in hand until they didn’t. I wish this made me feel better about our game, but I still think it’s a one possession game. TPR for Kentucky: Putting it in the win column, but he confidence level is only medium.

Georgia – Beat Louisiana Monroe 51-14. We got to see a new QB and the next next next next next next next next Herschel Walker between the hedges. Yawn. TPR for Georgia: Nothing learned here, but I still think UGA puts a fair whipping on us in Athens.

Central Florida – Lost to Florida International 15-14. Well, this helps. UCF has been a tough out for everybody the last couple of years, but losing your opener to FIU doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season. TPR for UCF: Putting this one firmly in the win column.

Missouri – Beat SE Missouri State 34-3. Ah, hell, who knows. Maty Mauk was his usual wild ass self and the Mizzou defense doesn’t look like it’s skipped a beat without Shane Ray and Marcus Golson. TPR for Missouri: Stout defense, at their place, prospects for a win are grim.

LSU – Lost to Mother Nature, TKO. It’s rare for a college game to be cancelled due to weather and not rescheduled, but it looks like that is exactly what has happened to the Tigers. We’ll have to wait another week before we learn anything about the fighting Les Miles’s. TPR for LSU: Strangely feel good about this game, but that could change very easily.

Vanderbilt – Lost to Western Kentucky 14-12. Oh, Derek Mason, your cool new uniforms still cover up a horrible football team. TPR for Vanderbilt: Their defense will frustrate the bejesus out of us, but it’s still definitely a win, right?

Texas A&M – Beat No. 16 Arizona State 38-17. The most impressive win of the weekend for an SEC team because they actually played somebody. DE Myles Garrett is NFL-ready and he’s not even eligible to leave until 2017 (which means we have to play him TWICE). The offense will only get sharper. This team could win the SEC West. TPR for Texas A&M: Ugh. Moved from we have a chance to probably definitely  a loss.

Tennessee – Beat Bowling Green 59-30. Good news for Vols fans: scored 59. Bad news for Vols fans: gave up 30. TPR for Tennessee: Vols are not quite ready for prime time, but Knoxville is a house of horrors for us.

Florida – Beat New Mexico State 61-13. Florida fans seem pretty happy with this start despite the level of opponent. Given their recent struggles in openers I don’t blame them. TPR for Florida: Still feeling like a win, but will have to keep an eye on these guys.

The Citadel – Beat Davidson 69-0. One of the top three scariest scores in the report, and I’m not kidding. TPR for The Citadel: Option offense + week before Clemson = load up on the Zantac.

Clemson – Beat Wofford 49-10. Did you know Clemson played THIRTEEN freshmen yesterday? Incroyable!!! I don’t quite understand how this is evidence that the Tigers are going to make an unimpeded run to the national championship, but they sure are spinning it that way. Of course, they spin everything that way. Side note: Did you see Tajh Boyd wearing a number 4 jersey on the sidelines for them yesterday? Am I the only one who thinks that’s incredibly awkward? Don’t most returning players wear a golf shirt on the sidelines or something, not the jersey of the current starting QB? TPR for Clemson: Probably better than us right now, but I’m going to lay this one at 50/50.

See you next week.

Some quick, barely researched, not fully-formed thoughts from South Carolina’s 17-13 victory over North Carolina:

A win is a win is a win. Look, folks, this might sound silly given it was the first game of the season, but this was a must win. With road games coming against UGA, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Tennessee, and home dates against LSU and Clemson, a loss to UNC would’ve given us very little room for error just to reach bowl eligibility. We didn’t seem to play with that kind of urgency for most of the game, but we made the big plays when they absolutely, positively had to be made. To win the games we are supposed to win, and maybe pull and upset or two along the way, consistent growth will be needed on both sides of the ball.

But for now, we’ll take the win and enjoy our long weekend. And who knows, maybe the Tar Heels turn out to be a pretty good team and this win looks a lot better in November.

Bending, not breaking. The rebuilt Gamecock defense looked much the same as last year’s group during most of the game, giving up huge chunks of yardage between the twenties. As The State pointed out, despite limiting the Tar Heels to 13 points, the Gamecocks gave up 440 yards and seven yards per play, which would’ve ranked last in the NCAA in yards per play last year.

But the Gamecocks came up with some key sacks, and of course three huge red zone interceptions to limit the damage. All in all, USC held UNC to only three points on three red zone opportunities, which is insanely good.

Is this defense improved? Definitely. But how much remains to be seen. Our defensive line upgrades were obvious, and our linebackers were solid as expected. The corners still gave a lot of cushion at the line of scrimmage last night, and when the UNC protection held up it was a pretty easy game of pitch and catch. Also, I have no doubt Isaiah Johnson is going to be a solid, solid player, but he was a little wild last night. He picked up an early personal foul penalty, and took a few bad angles and looks to be the type of guy who goes for the kill shot instead of wrapping up and making a tackle. Still, I like him a lot, and will chalk up last night to first game jitters.

Sack exchange. Last year we averaged 1.08 sacks per game. Last night we had four. We are more than one-quarter of the way to our entire sack total for last year. Isn’t getting pressure on the quarterback fun? Kudos to the defensive coaches and all the linemen who have worked so hard in the offseason. Special shoutout to Kelsey Griffin, who as I admitted last night, honestly didn’t know was still on the team. 😦

Mitch, please. Speaking of first game jitters, Connor Mitch had the proverbial deer in headlights look during the first quarter last night. He settled down and his short passes were mostly on target, and he made some nice runs, but we had no vertical game whatsoever. I’m not sure how much fault to put on 6 for that, as I’m afraid we are sorely lacking playmakers at the wide receiver position. Interested to see how he’ll respond in front of the home folks next week.

And the good news: 0 turnovers.

Evil person of slightly above average intelligence. Steve Spurrier said he called a lousy game last night, and I agree with him. But more annoying than simply the play calling is the fact the play calls aren’t making it to the field until late in the play clock. We’ve seen it for too many years now, the QB and other offensive players looking to the sidelines waving their hands in the universal sign for “COME ON, HURRY UP!” This gives very little time for the QB (or the coach) to survey the defense and change the play if necessary. It can also cost us to burn valuable time outs. I don’t expect this to get fixed overnight because it’s been going on for years, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.

(Side note: a delay of game on the first play of the season???)

House call. We’ve had a lot of fun at the expense of Shon Carson over the 12 years he’s been at South Carolina. But in the third quarter when we hadn’t seen him on the field at all – no kickoffs, no snaps at running back – I was honestly starting to feel bad for him. This was no way to spend his last season after all his ups and downs.

Then, bang, he’s in the game and off to the races with what turned out to be the winning touchdown, and I was giggling like a little schoolgirl. Good on you Shon, good on you. Now go do it again.

Carolina Skai. At one point yesterday I told my wife Pharoh Cooper was our best football player BY FAR. After last night I must say I don’t believe that any more. I’d go so far as to say Skai Moore is the Pharoh Cooper of the defense, the one player we couldn’t afford to lose on that side of the ball. He’s well on his way to an all-SEC season.

Machine Gun Kelly. Sit down for this, but (with the exception of a non-existent return game) special teams were downright great last night, led by walk-on punter Sean Kelly. Most people will focus on Kelly’s 17-yard run on a fake in the first quarter, but he averaged a stellar 46.2 yards per punt, and looked very adept at dropping the ball inside the 20. He’s going to be a nice weapon.

Also, Landon Ard was killing kickoffs out of the end zone, and the steady Elliott Fry went 1-for-2, with his miss coming from somewhere near North Wilkesboro.

Outlook. I feel like I’m coming off a bit negative as I wrap this up, so let me just state that I’m thrilled with the win last night. I just believe we have a lot of problems to fix, including one potential major problem that we can’t fix this year – talent. The biggest issues are on the offensive side of the ball, where we still don’t know what we have at QB and where we have only one player capable of changing a game.

That’s not to say we can’t still win more than we lose, but the game last night didn’t change my position that the ceiling for this team is probably 8 wins.

I can tell you that I’m looking forward to a little revenge next week against Kentucky.

Thanks for reading. Go Cocks!

I’m not big on predictions, because I rarely get things right. For instance, in 2014 I had South Carolina at 10-2 prior to the start of the season. To be fair, most of us did, but we chose to ignore and/or be unrealistically optimistic about our defense.

This year, as stated on our last podcast, we know less about our Gamecocks as any team in recent memory. There are days I think we can play over our heads and win nine games, and there are days I feel like we will win as few as five.  As I look at the 2015 schedule, my head tells me this year is going to be a struggle. But when I’m not looking at the schedule, my heart sees my beloved garnet and black running onto the field and stunning the SEC with a talented, overachieving, scrappy bunch worthy of their nickname.

So against my better judgment, I decided to let my head and heart go game by game and tell me how the season is going to play out. Here are the results:

North Carolina

Heart: We should never lose to North Carolina in football. We are the football school, they are the basketball school. They are a middling ACC team, we are a fair to middling SEC team. Advantage SEC and USC. Win. (1-0)

Head: UNC was good on offense last year and terrible on defense, as was USC. This season UNC will be just as good if not better on offense, and should be better on defense, while USC will most assuredly be worse on offense and better on defense. This tells me UNC has a good chance to win. However, my head also tells me that given the toughness of the schedule USC faces, this is almost a must-win game for the Gamecocks (strange to say for a first game, but true). Hopefully they will treat it that way. For that reason my head is saying win. (1-0)

Kentucky  

Heart: It’s at home, and it’s payback time. Win going away. (2-0)

Head: My head says we come out with our hair on fire, but struggle down the stretch and hold on for a closer-than-it-should-be win. (2-0)

@ Georgia

Heart: Georgia leads the series 47-18-2, but is only 8-7 in the last 15 games against the Gamecocks. I don’t like our chances, but think we still have a chance. Unfortunately this game is in Athens, and much like us against Kentucky, it’s payback time. Loss. (2-1)

Head: UGA’s defense is LOADED. Our offense is not. Georgia has Nick Chubb. We do not. (You will argue we have Pharoh Cooper, which is fair, but he will get half the number of touches as Chubb, if that many.) This game would be a blowout if they had a QB. It still might be. Loss. (2-1)

Central Florida

Heart: We should not lose to Central Florida at home. Ever. Win. (3-1)

Head: We should not lose to Central Florida at home. Ever. But something tells me there will be a point in the game where we have serious doubts. Still, win. (3-1)

@ Missouri

Heart: Missouri is somehow the back-to-back SEC East Champions. But they lost a lot of key players on offense and defense. This is finally the year that the Tigers are who we think they are. Win. (4-1)

Head: Missouri is in ours. They find a way to win no matter how bad we disrespect them, especially since it’s at their place. Loss. (3-2)

LSU

Heart: LSU has their problems, especially at QB. But they’re also always more talented than us from player 1 to player 85. We squeak one out at home. Win. (5-1)

Head: We have two wins over LSU in 20 tries, with the last one coming in 1994. Leonard Fournette is a freight train, and the Tigers always seem to be bigger and stronger than us, no matter how good we are. Loss. (3-3)

Vanderbilt

Heart: A good break between LSU and TAMU. Win. (6-1)

Head: We can never seem to dismantle these guys like we should, even when James Franklin isn’t their coach. Regardless, we’ll win, but somehow it won’t feel good. (4-3)

@ Texas A&M

Heart: In my heart I feel like we’ll take one of two between TAMU and Tennessee. Don’t ask how, that’s why it’s a heart thing. Win. (7-1)

Head: Home team in black uniforms. Halloween. We’ve seen this movie before. (4-4)

@ Tennessee

Heart: Well, we beat TAMU, and I said we’d take only one of these two. Loss. (7-2)

Head: Tennessee beat us on our home field with an inferior team last year. They will boat race us on their home field with a now superior team. Loss. (4-5)

Florida

Heart: With all their personnel deficiencies, a first-year head coach and them coming to W-B, I think we play well and get the win. (8-2)

Head: They will shorten the game and make us sweat, but for the reasons above I think we win fairly comfortably. (5-5)

The Citadel

Heart: Low-stress day. Win. (9-2)

Head: High-stress day. Win. (6-5)

Clemson

Heart: We’ll come out inspired, shut down Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson, and have one of our best days offensively. Win. (10-2)

Head: You might not like to hear this, but somehow, over the course of 21 months, Clemson has managed to completely change the course of the rivalry back in their favor. They are currently better than us in practically every aspect of their football program, and have gained national respect while we have tumbled back into mediocrity. We just have to hope we can figure out a way to get the momentum back as quickly as we lost it. Unfortunately it won’t be this year. Loss. (6-6)

Final Tally:

Heart – 10-2

Head – 6-6

Honestly, 10-2 is a pipe dream for the 2015 Gamecocks, and I will gladly print out this blog post and eat it if we get to that mark or better. We’ll have to be much better than our roster currently indicates, and at least two teams will have to be worse than they are projected to be.

A 6-6 campaign or worse would be disastrous for USC in my opinion, and would probably lead to the end of the Steve Spurrier era. The most likely scenario is 7-5, with a ceiling of 8-4.

Prove me wrong boys, please prove me wrong. Go Cocks. 

Billy Koehler writes college football commentary and analysis. You can find him at ThirdDownDraw.com or on twitter @BillyKoehler.

If you listened to the latest TRC Unleashed you heard them mention that we may know less about the 2015 South Carolina football team than any team in recent memory.  Though true of the entire team this is especially true of the defense. Between new defensive coordinator Jon Hoke, closed practices and limited media availability, it’s tough to know exactly what the defense is going to look like, but here’s generally what to expect.

4-3

South Carolina will run its defense out of a base 4-3 set.  4-3 describes the personnel grouping that is on the field when the defense is in its main set. There will be four defensive linemen and three linebackers. This is very similar to the 4-2-5 that USC has been running for the last few seasons. The difference is that rather than having two linebackers and a Spur defender (who was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back) this defense will have three pure linebackers.

Nickel

In passing situations and against some offenses, notably spread teams, South Carolina will go to a nickel defense. A nickel defense is named because it has five defensive backs. To get the fifth defensive back on the field, South Carolina will substitute out a linebacker, and the resulting defense will look a lot like the old 4-2-5.

Personnel

The change from the 4-2-5 to the 4-3 isn’t a drastic one, which is good for South Carolina.  Whenever a new coordinator with a new philosophy comes in he often has to find players that fit his system. That will not really be the case with South Carolina and Jon Hoke.  Because the 4-2-5 and 4-3 are so similar, the players that have been recruited fit the new system just as well as the old system.

1 and 3 Techniques

Reports out of fall camp have talked a lot about the 1 technique and the 3 technique. These labels describe positions on the interior of the defensive line, specifically the defensive tackles. Numbered techniques, like the 1 and the 3, describe the position a defensive tackle lines up in.

A 1 technique lines up on the center’s outside shoulder. A 3 technique lines up on a guard’s outside shoulder. The 1 technique is a bigger defensive tackle who will be tasked with holding his ground and stopping the run, much like a nose guard. The 3 technique is usually a little more nimble, for a defensive tackle, and is more of a pass rushing threat.

One Gap and Two Gap

From a defensive perspective the spaces between the offensive linemen are called gaps.  (On offense they’re called holes.) In different defensive schemes the defensive linemen are responsible for either one gap or two. Typically when a defensive lineman lines up directly across from an offensive lineman, the defender has responsibility for the gaps on either side of the lineman, two gap responsibility. Conversely, when a defender lines up on a lineman’s shoulder or in a gap, he usually has responsibility for just that gap.

As you have probably guessed, South Carolina’s defensive lineman will have one gap responsibility. They will be able to simply charge up field penetrate into the backfield. If they penetrate through the gap, then they are controlling the gap. This is part of what Hoke is talking about when he says the defense will be more aggressive. It should result in more tackles for losses in the backfield and more disrupted plays.

Tampa Two

South Carolina will probably be predominantly a zone pass coverage team. They will be capable of playing man to man coverage, but Jon Hoke’s history suggests they will probably be in a zone most of the time. It has been rumored, and is quite possible South Carolina will end up running the renowned Tampa Two coverage.

To understand the Tampa Two, which is a coverage, not an entire defense, it is helpful to have an understanding of the Cover Two from which it was modified. Cover Two, in its most basic form, means two players in zone coverage split the deepest part of the field into two zones, one covered by each.

It is common with a cover two to have the cornerbacks and linebackers each cover zones in the shorter passing areas, as you can see above. The weakness with a cover two is the vast amount of real estate the safeties, who are usually the deep men in the coverage, have to cover. Typically receivers can get open in the middle of the field, deep and in the corners.  The Tampa Two seeks to take this away.

The main component of the Tampa Two is the middle linebacker dropping deep, very deep. When the defense reads pass they drop to their zones. The middle linebacker drops back almost as deep as the safeties, taking away the deep middle route.

The other two linebackers squeeze in to cover the space left by the middle linebacker. The corners have the same responsibility. There are nuances to each position, but that’s basically it for the Tampa Two.

With all of the zone play South Carolina’s defense should have more interceptions this season. All of the defense should be looking into the backfield and be able to break on the ball.

Zone Blitz

Given Jon Hoke’s defensive pedigree, it is quite likely South Carolina will be running some zone blitzes. Technically a zone blitz is any blitz in which the defense is in zone coverage behind it, but most fans recognize a zone blitz when a defensive lineman drops into coverage.

Look at the diagram above of the Tampa Two coverage. In a zone blitz one of those zone defenders, usually one of the three linebackers, will blitz and another player, usually a defensive lineman, will take his place.

The best case scenario for the zone blitz is not a sack but an interception. The defense wants the quarterback to recognize the blitzing defender and instinctively try to throw the ball to the area where the defender has left. Instead of finding an open receiver there, he should find a defensive lineman waiting to catch the ball.

So, better then?

Does a new coordinator with a modified scheme mean South Carolina’s defense will be better? Maybe, it would be hard to be worse. The Gamecocks will be employing a coherent defensive gameplan that has been successful before. If they aren’t effective or are beat, it will probably not be because of schematic deficiencies. Effectiveness will come down to coverage and tackling, but USC should be in position to be better at both.

This series of audio blog posts recapping every season since 1987 were originally posted prior to the 2013 season and are sponsored by our friends at Blue Moon Disk. Use the promo code TRC2015 during the 2015 season and receive 10% off your entire order.

Buck takes us through the 2014 Gamecock football season – a season with historically high expectations, major disappointments, and a few bright spots mixed in along the way.

You can listen via iTunes here

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/trc-unleashed/id985866000?mt=2

You can also click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!