I know, calm down Ryan Brewer fans. I made the rules – first player that pops into my head – so I have to abide by them. (For the record, I love me some #21 Lou Holtz edition just as much as you.) I guess I picked Zola Davis because I’m a big-time jersey number guy, and I’ve always loved to see a WR wear a number in the 20’s. It’s like they’re saying “I don’t give a crap what number I have on my jersey, I’m going to beat you like a rented mule.”
Davis came highly recruited to USC and as the guy who was going to put an extra gear into Brad Scott’s high-powered offensive machine. (A machine that did indeed become offensive.) He wound up having a good career, but not great, which is what we were banking on.
The lasting memory I have of Zola is catching a TD pass from #18 (who we’ll get to later) in the back of the end zone just before halftime against UGA in Athens. It was so easy and so effortless, with his soft hands and arms way too long for his body. It was the first game of the 1995 season, and we were coming off a season in 1994 in which we had thrashed Clemson 33-7 and won our first ever bowl game. Life was good as we took a 14-7 lead into the locker room against UGA.
Then, UGA unleashed a converted DB on us named Robert Edwards who proceeded to score five TD’s and run for 160+ yards. The next week we went into Arkansas and Madre Hill scored six TD’s in a 51-21 ‘Hog victory.
Sorry Zola, the unpleasantness of that season still overwhelms me.
In my former life as a member of the criminal justice system, I often used Relationship Diagrams to help visualize connections between people and actions. The diagrams were extremely helpful during investigations, and juries loved them. Now, I am certainly not suggesting that anything illegal is afoot with the NCAA probe into agents and college players, but part of me suspects that, somewhere in the mysterious offices of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, there is a piece of foam posterboard that looks something like this:-tbone
The travails of Derek Watson have been well-chronicled, so I won’t go into detail. But here are a few moments I remember from his Greek tragedy of a college career:
– Busting off a long run near the end of the hurricane game against NC State in Lou Holtz’ first game as Gamecock coach. A long run that gave us hope for the future and made us all say, “this guy’s got a chance”.
– His 20-some yard touchdown run that sealed the stunning 2000 upset of #9 Georgia. I can still see him running up on the end zone camera, crossing his arms and nodding his head. I thought it was cool, but Lou didn’t. It wasn’t the last time #22 would disappoint Lou.
– “The Fade” game against Mississippi State. Returns a kickoff for a touchdown that is unfortunately called back by a stupid penalty. Then MSU returns a Watson fumble for a touchdown, and he completely goes in the tank (he fumbled again later, maybe even twice, if I’m not mistaken.) Then he runs out of bounds while we’re trying to run out the clock. A bad day for Watson that ended spectacularly for the Gamecocks.
– His long run against Clemson in “The Push” game. This one is a little telling to me, in that he does something really good, and ends it with something really stupid.
Wherever you are Derek, I hope you got it turned around.
South Carolina backup QB Connor Shaw Bubba Drago continues to stare down the competition (the press) and convert the unbelievers (the coaches).
Add The Post and Courier’s beatwriter Travis Haney to Drago’s list of admirers. In reflecting on the quiet, compelling strength of the native of Georgia Russia he mirrors our own earlier thoughts: “Every sentence ends with this defined awkward silence. When he’s done, he’s done. On to the next. Shaw has a distant look in his eye during those times. His gaze seems to say he would rather be on a football field. And it’s probably true.”
Gamecock QB Coach G.A. Mangus is also smitten. “It’s just ‘it,’ ” Mangus said. “And I wish I could define that. It’s an intangible thing. It’s the way they carry themselves, a quiet confidence. He’s got all that ‘it.’ ”
Lock up the women and children, gentlemen, because Bubba Drago may be headed to your town. Oh, and if you happen to be a scholarship QB at USC, put down that barley pop and get to work, cause Drago is gunning for you, too.
Why Terry Wilburn? Why the heck not. The lack of memorable players over the years to wear the number 23 for South Carolina is mind-boggling. It took me a while to recall Tremaine Tyler, and a couple of days to think of Mike West (who also wore number 44 for a time.) Besides that, I’m at a loss.
Wilburn was a serviceable tailback in the early 90’s, also a part of the ’92 upset of UT. I remember he had a few decent games, and I remember thinking he would probably be more successful if he didn’t wear such huge shoulder pads. (Hello, random memory, good to see you again.)
Here’s to some more memorable 23’s in the coming years. Although it may be at least a couple, because with all due respect, I doubt Brandan Davis is going to get it done.
When Steve Spurrier was announced as the Head Football Coach at the University of South Carolina, many commentators (and most Gamecock fans) thought ten win seasons and SEC crowns would quickly follow. He came to USC with a championship pedigree: Heisman winner, Heisman winner’s coach, National Champion, and multiple SEC crowns.
Five years later, those early expectations remain largely unfulfilled. His record at USC stands at 35 wins and 28 losses, a .556 winning percentage that sits in marked contrast to his other college coaching achievements.
A case could be made that his tenure at USC has been a disappointment. And to the uninitiated, his performance may seem lackluster. Â But such a characterization fails to place him in proper context within the history of Gamecock football. Consider:
In 2004 Coach Spurrier took over the team at its seeming nadir; a bitter loss to its archrival, an embarrassing brawl on national TV, and a self-imposed bowl ban. Â Off season arrests routinely depleted the roster, and recruiting was slipping into junior college reliance and Canadian experiments (Evan Spanogians, anyone?).
Spurrier’s first squad, the 2005 Gamecocks, marched through five straight SEC victories for the first time in school history on the way to a seven win season. Â His subsequent teams have all avoided losing records (although the 2007 squad fumbled its way to a home loss to Vandy and a 6-6 record). Â Five straight non-losing records may not seem like much, but such an accomplishment hasn’t happened in Columbia since Coach Billy Laval did it just prior to the Great Depression.
As hard as it is to believe, Coach Spurrier’s seven win average over 5 seasons is the best mark ever by a gamecock coach. Â His 35 wins are the highest total for any gamecock coach in his first 5 years. Â He presently stands as the 6th winningest coach in USC history, and is on pace to easily move into 3rd this year, and to 2nd sometime in the middle of the 2011 season. Â First place legend Rex Enright stands 29 victories ahead of Spurrier, but coached 10 years more.
So the question naturally arises: Â How much longer does Spurrier have at USC? Â He says he feels great, and publically states that he intends to serve out his current four-year commitment.
But I want to suggest that the 2010 Gamecock team will serve as the determining factor in whether or not Spurrier sticks around that long. Â And I also want to suggest that there is an over and an under that could send him off to the golf links permanently.
Imagine the veteran 2010 gamecocks limp through the season with six or seven wins. Â Suppose they again head to a middling bowl and give a lackluster performance. Â Might Spurrier think he’s done all he can? Â Might he conclude that seven wins is the most he can hope to accomplish? Â Might he decide it’s time to give someone else a shot?
Conversely, what might happen if USC wins it all? Â What if the team wins the conference and a BCS bowl? Â Couldn’t Spurrier be forgiven for thinking that he should leave on a high note? Â It would be an easy transition: Head Coach Johnson and Offensive Coordinator Mangus and the idea that the long-listing USC ship is finally righted.
If both of the above scenarios seem reasonable, then there exists a sweet spot where the Gamecocks win in 2010, and yet Spurrier remains for another year.  Is it 8 wins? 9 wins with a bowl loss? Or would it take a disappointing loss in the SEC championship game?� What would be enough to satisfy his inner barometer for progress but still motivate him to compete further?
I think I can speak for all Gamecocks in saying that a BCS crystal and a fond wave goodbye to Stephen Orr Spurrier is a deal we would all gladly make. But as we enter this defining season in his tenure we must temper our hopes to a more realistic outcome.
Here’s hoping the outcome, whatever it may be, lights a new fire of competitiveness in Spurrier, the most successful coach in the modern Gamecock era.
Like several players to come on this list, I can’t think of a single defining play in the career of Tony Watkins. I just remember that he was one bad dude. He was undersized, but was a hitter who always seemed to be around the ball. If he got his hands on a ball carrier, the play was as good as over.
In honor of the beginning of college football season, today we will begin counting down by referencing former Gamecocks’ jersey numbers. There’s no rhyme of reason to the selection, it’s basically the first person that pops in my head when I think of the number. If only I had thought of this 74 days ago…
#25 – Mike Reddick – If you were fortunate enough to be there, who could forget Oct. 31, 1992. USC stunned Tennessee 24-23 when Hank Campbell snuffed out a UT two-point conversion attempt. But earlier in the game, Reddick, a redshirt freshman from Miami, FL, snuck out of the backfield and hauled in a pass down the crease for a touchdown that seemed to give the Gamecocks the momentum they needed. He also got additional cool points as he crossed the goal line, dropped the football and threw up the Omega Psi Phi “que dog” hand gesture.
Reddick didn’t do a heckuva lot the rest of his career, but we’ll always have Halloween.
– Stephen Garcia announced his new diet plan. It involves eating what you normally eat, some light jogging, and cutting your beer intake by four percent.
– Carolina football players are fair game if you feel like doin’ some punchin’. Especially if you happen to carry a badge. They can’y hit back for fear of getting kicked off the team, and it gives you wonderful stories to tell your grand kids!
– Stephen Flint announced he was quitting the Gamecocks. In a related story, it appears that someone named Stephen Flint was a member of the football team.
– The backup QB gave a post-practice interview this week. He answered every question with quietly furious stares and a steely confident demeanor. After viewing the clip, I’m convinced fictional boxer Ivan Drago visited a local watering hole in Flowery Branch, Georgia about 19 years ago and met a chaste young lady who was momentarily taken in by the big Russian. In fact, I hereby dub the so-called Connor Shaw by his rightful name “Bubba Drago.”
– In a moment of rare self-realization, Clemson Tiger University head screw Dabo Sweeney opened fall practice with Bruce Springsteen’s nostalgic anthem, “Glory Days” blaring on the loudspeakers. The exact moment Dabo realized that things had passed him by? My guess:
Since internet message boards have been around since roughly the early 17th century and their origins and evolution are largely unknown, they contain many great, seemingly unsolvable mysteries. A prime example are the message board debates you find on fan sites. Message board debates are quite common and nearly identical from team to team, from board to board, and from sport to sport.
On any given day you can choose a random SEC or ACC fan site message board, and find a debate raging about how many “stars” a recruit has, a heated discussion about the team’s uniforms, or a kerfuffle about whether we pull for or against our heated rival in the interest of “state pride.”
These, along with several other debates, are all – I believe you kids say IMHO – stupid, time-wasting, circular debates (no offense). Maybe they were once legitimate, but over time have become tedious and oh-so annoying. So, in my infinite wisdom, I will once and for all solve these debates in a clear and concise fashion that will leave no room for rebuttal. I will do this every Friday until I run out of ideas, so unless I can think of more the series will come to an end next week.
Remember this 5-star? I bet you do.
Installment one: The STAR Debate
You’ve seen it - A recruit commits to USC, with a star ranking of one or two and offers from East Tennessee State, Mars Hill, Georgia Southern and Florida A&M. Immediately there is an outcry, and then it’s game on.
Point: “Why in the world are we recruiting a guy with such a low ranking and offers from THOSE schools?!? Our recruiting sucks.” Counterpoint: “Trust our coaches, they know what they’re doing.” Point: “Yeah, but Georgia has 27 commitments with an average ranking of 4.2 stars!” Counterpoint: “Ever heard of Ko Simpson? He was a 2 star.” Point: “We’ll never get anywhere with a recruiting class of sleepers.” Counterpoint: “How about Captain Munnerlyn? If he was a sleeper, I’ll take a team full of sleepers.” Point: “Spurrier is out playing golf when he should be visiting recruits.” Counterpoint: “Eric Norwood? Didn’t grow a right arm until the summer before his freshman year. Fact.” Point: “Your mother is a poodle.” Counterpoint: “I slept with your wife.”
OK, maybe I made up a couple of those, but it’s not that far off.
The verdict is really simple – stars matter, and stars don’t matter. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t like to reel in classes like Florida, Alabama or Texas every year. But unfortunately, and sit down for this, we’re not Florida, Alabama or Texas. Occasionally we’ll be able to land an Ellis, a Watson, a Summers, a Gilmore, a Lattimore (mixed bag, eh?) and hope they live up to their ranking and hype.
But because we are South Carolina, more often we have to round out our classes with some “undersirables”. Hopefully in that mix we find a gem like McKinley, Munnerlyn, Robinson or Simpson, but those guys are exceptions.
So debate away my friends, for the truth is star rankings are about as reliable as Brett Favre’s next retirement.
South Carolina backup QB 
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