This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
The 1988 Gamecock football season was one of the more eventful in our program’s history, and not for good reasons.
In a 10-day stretch our 6-0 and eighth-ranked Gamecocks lost on the road to a 1-4 Georgia Tech team, and a few days later a huge steroid scandal was exposed at USC by Sports Illustrated. The story of Tommy Chaikin can be found here, and I encourage you to read it if you never have. The future of South Carolina football was very much in doubt, in our minds if not in reality, during that time.
After a late season swoon (sound familiar?) that included a 59-0 loss to Florida State, a loss at Clemson, and a loss to Indiana in the Liberty Bowl, we thought we would have a respite from bad football news for a while. Unfortunately, that was far from the case.
Head Coach Joe Morrison died tragically after playing racquetball at Williams-Brice Stadium on February 6, 1989. Not only was this a huge blow to the University, it also happened THREE DAYS before National Signing Day. Within two weeks Sparky Woods was hired from Appalachian State to try to put the pieces back together.
I’m trying to keep these flashbacks short and concise – under 10 minutes, but this one does run long because so much happened in 1988. (Plus I bore you with a couple of personal stories.)
Oh, and on a side note, the music in each Buckshots will come from the year we are featuring. I’m sure you recognize both songs so far, 1987 was “Walk Like and Egyptian” by The Bangles, and in the this episode we have “Faith” by George Michael. (Don’t judge, I’m just trying to give you a flavor of the time!)
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
After our discussion on the last TRC Unleashed about 80s and 90s Gamecock football seasons, I had the urge to piece together all the seasons since my Freshman year (1987). And instead of writing about those seasons, which would take years, I decided to record short recaps in the form of Buckshots (a mini-podcast idea that never went anywhere).
So starting with 1987, I’m going to try to give a pseudo-recap of each season leading up to the start of the 2013 season. The purpose is to try to recapture the mood of the program, the major players, and some important/interesting/depressing games. Most of what I’m doing here I’m going on memory, so feel free to correct my ever-eroding memory in the comments section below.
One note I left off this episode, the Todd Ellis TD to INT ratio in 1987: 10-24. Ugh.
Honorary Chicken and 2016 Southeast Region District 6 Pickle Ball Player of the Year Jorge (@jorhay) fills in this week to give some bye week snaps. Enjoy!
How did the seasons get their name? Starting off with some non-football fare! We all know it’s called ‘fall’ because leaves fall and ‘spring’ because it’s when ‘spring break’ happens. But did you know winter used to be called “Fall, but for Snow, Not Leaves”? But that was too cumbersome, so they called it “Winter”, which is an acronym for “Whence It’s Now To Enter [Fall, but for Rain, Not Leaves, or Snow]” which is what they used to call spring. Summer was named for famous mathematician Euclid who was believed to be born on June 21. Mathematicians used to be called “summers”, before they discovered forms of math other than addition, so the season now bares his vocation. This is all true.
Oh and autumn came from the colloquialism “Audem”, as in “hey guys, audem leaves startin’ to fall!”
The most exciting play in football? If you ask me, there’s only one real answer: the pass.
Unsubstantiated take on a subject that is probably way more nuanced than it seems but I still think I’m right about. Official replays should take 30 seconds max. These five-minute official replay sequences are simply Refereeing Theater. “Look how thorough and careful we’re being — trust us coach, we looked at it from every angle. We should be praised for Getting It Right™.” No. Reviewable circumstances are rarely ambiguous, and if they are, then don’t overturn it because it’s Not Conclusive.
IMVHO, it should be as simple as this:
Ref: “The previous play is under review.”
[replay booth should already be watching the portion of the play in question when ref puts on headset]
Replay booth: “Ah damn yeah, his foot was out of bounds. Ref, the pass is incomplete, actually.”
Ref: [takes off headphones] “The pass is incomplete, 2nd and 10.”
30 seconds, done.
But, but what if they have to reset the clock and the yardage?
Yes this is always the announcer’s excuse for why overturned calls take so long. And I say garbage. Just have another ref get that information during the 15 seconds the review, just in case. The information has to be readily available. It’s not rocket science.
To summarize, it is unacceptable that a replay ever takes more than 30 seconds. I have never refereed football. Do not @ me.
Food for thought. It’s likely that all the animal mascots from recent USC baseball teams are dead.
Next coach? When Will Muschamp retires in 2031 after six SEC championships and two national titles (avg. 17 ppg) who’s up next? Our list of candidates:
Connor Shaw Recruits his son, and invites his father to be an honorary walk-on; is now a Coach of a Coach’s Son’s Father, and the Coach-Father of a Coach-Father’s Grandson (coach’s son)
Bret Bielema – Out of work for a decade frankly just needs somewhere to crash.
Steve Spurrier – 86 years young, Spurrier (now half-cybernetic) wants to give it one more go will attempt to “blue pill” the Cock and Fire offense 😉 Will win 8 games in 2032 and promptly stop recruiting in 2033.
Stephen Garcia – Seconds after winning championship, players douse him in a keg of Keystone Light.
Whoever got fired by a powerhouse like three years ago. (Let’s face it this is gonna be what happens.)
DID YOU KNOW!
Did you know Jake Bentley was supposed to be in high school last year
Did you know Hayden Hurst was a minor leaguer
Did you know Jamarcus King is actually a prince of a small Dutch protectorate in the South Caribbean
Did you know DJ Wonnum is right behind you
Did you know Ortre Smith is an anagram for Rot Hermits, which is the name of my new punk band
Kurt Roper Is Good But Also Bad. What’s the deal with Kurt, amirite? I mean the guy’s wasting our talent. Unless he’s not. After all, if the players aren’t executing the schemes it’s not his fault. Although, it’s kinda his fault if he’s calling plays that his players aren’t capable of executing. But you can’t just gut an entire offensive scheme because your guard’s not pulling fast enough…right? Then again, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Play the hand you’re dealt! Of course, since coaches recruit the players, you’re kinda dealing your own hand. So Kurt Roper is good, but might be bad. Or the opposite of that. I need to lay down.
I just broke my tibia. I just broke my tibia.
Possible new mascot names. Ole Miss will begin to use the on-field mascot Landshark, which is an outrage because changing things is always bad (except for definitely slavery and maybe Kurt Roper) but given the political correctification of America, it’s safe to assume that every program will eventually have to adopt a zany, internet-approved mascot. Gamecocks are nefarious betting-birds, so we’re probably gonna be among the earliest to be forced to change.
Safest to go with some abstract, soccery mascot:
USC Stormsand
USC Traintraffic
USC No Gain on First
USC Stansbury Eye Center Football Team
USC Three Stars
USC Chaun Gresham
USC Demetra
Looking ahead. Vanderbilt is next on our schedule.
Photo: thestate.comSome quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from South Carolina’s 48-22 win over Arkansas.
Hope restored. Saturday at home against Arkansas was very much a make or break game for South Carolina in the 2017 season. The win over North Carolina State looks better every week, but after disappointing performances against Kentucky, Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M, the season opener was feeling more like a fluke than a case of a good team beating another good team. Losing to a struggling Arkansas squad at home would’ve not only cast more doubt on our prospects for this season, but on the overall direction of the program under Will Muschamp.
What we got was that rare “breather” of an SEC game for the Gamecocks. Despite the occasional frustrating moment, the game was all but decided by the time the fourth quarter started. I don’t have to tell you that’s not a particularly common occurrence for USC football. The defense was spectacular and shut down pretty much everything the ‘Hogs wanted to do, while the offense did more than its share to help choke the life out of them.
Don’t get me wrong, no one is going to look at this as a season-defining win for South Carolina. But it might’ve been a season-saving win. Arkansas is on the fast track to firing the entertaining Bret Bielema, who is only 10-24 in SEC games since he arrived in Fayetteville. But at the same time it’s a team that took Texas A&M to overtime, and was within one score of sixth-ranked TCU until late in the fourth quarter. So the Razorbacks were certainly capable of coming into Columbia and causing trouble.
But Muschamp’s boys didn’t let that happen. As a matter of fact they imposed their will and pushed around another SEC school for the first time in ages. And in the process, they restored some hope that 2017 could be a pretty good season after all.
Let’s hear it for the D. I have been more critical of the Gamecock defense than pretty much anyone I know. I haven’t trusted these guys because they have no superstars and I didn’t feel like the stats were telling the whole story on this unit. I’m here today to admit I’ve been dead wrong.
While “superstar” might still be a little strong for anybody on that side of the ball, Skai Moore has certainly returned to form as the ball hawk we all remember. TJ Brunson is a tackling machine, and nobody in the league or out of the league has dared throw it Rashad Fenton’s way more than a couple of times a game. And now DJ Wonnum has become that disruptive force on the defensive line that has been so badly needed. There are plenty more who deserve praise as well.
The net result is the Gamecock D has held every opponent it has faced below their per game scoring average. It probably took me too long to get there, and I’m knocking on wood as I say this, but I’m now a firm believer in the system and players we have on defense.
Once, twice, three times. Per ESPN, the Gamecocks had not scored a defensive touchdown since 2014, the longest such streak in the SEC. In the second half on Saturday, USC scored three touchdowns over the course of five Arkansas possessions. One other defensive score was overturned when the ‘Hogs runner was (barely) ruled down, and early in the game Jamyest Williams let a scoop and score opportunity slip through his hands.
This is 40. South Carolina scored 40 points for the second time in the Will Muschamp era, and for the first time against an SEC opponent. It was also the first time a Muschamp-coached team scored 40 points in a conference game since 2012. The opponent that day? You don’t want to know.
Roper hope. Kurt Roper kept the wolves at bay for at least one week with a nicely called game. He mixed up the run and pass very well, and if Jake Bentley had thrown a couple more accurate balls we could’ve scored more than 50. All this with a patched together offensive line. The only thing I wish Roper would do is take a page out of the Spurrier playbook and take a shot at the end zone when we force a turnover in plus territory.
Wake up call. If Jake Bentley played the first quarter the way he plays the last three he would be first-team All-SEC. Once again Bentley got off to a slow start on Saturday, completing only five of his first 15 passes for 28 yards. He followed up the slow start by going 11-16 for 171 yards and three touchdowns. He is now third in the league in yards and touchdowns, trailing two quarterbacks in Shea Patterson and Drew Lock who a) have wildly inflated numbers due to early weak competition and b) are often forced to throw the ball a lot because they are behind.
Never kick. Never kick.
D Will. I genuinely felt bad for David Williams on Saturday, after a performance he called “embarrassing, to be honest”. Williams came to USC as a highly rated running back and heir apparent to Mike Davis. He never hit his stride in Columbia, and any time he rose to the top of the depth chart he quickly slid back down. He saw the writing on the wall this offseason and transferred to Arkansas, where he’s actually found a little success in the Razorbacks’ offense.
I’m sure getting beat by almost four touchdowns in his return to Williams-Brice was not in his plans, and I’m not sure he expected to hear boos when he hit the field either. I’m not sure why some fans booed Williams, to my knowledge he was a model citizen at USC and never caused any problems on or off the field. Both Muschamp and Bielema had high praise for him, and I really wish the best for him going forward.
Knoxville. South Carolina returns on Saturday to a place filled with so many horrors it’s no wonder the game was traditionally played on Halloween weekend.
2007 – Gamecocks mount a furious rally from 21-0 down at halftime to force overtime, only to lose a heartbreaker 27-24.
2009 – Lane Kiffin, Tennessee in black jerseys, need I say more?
2011 – Ugly, ugly 14-3 win over a terrible Volunteer team.
2013 – Arguably the best Gamecock team ever falls on a last minute field goal.
2015 – Another big deficit (17-0), another rally, Jerrell Adams fumbles deep in Volunteer territory with a chance to tie or take the lead.
That’s four losses in the last five tries in Knoxville, with all four incorporating some delicious new form of knife-twisting pain for Gamecock fans.
This week USC will face a Tennessee program that currently makes a dumpster fire look like a field of fresh lilies. They have a lame duck coach, players getting suspended for fighting with one another, crushing injuries on both sides of the ball, and a fan base collectively lined up at the edge of a tall bridge.
Still, the Volunteers are favored. Given our history in Neyland, this is not at all surprising.
Some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from South Carolina’s 24-17 loss to Texas A&M.
Gigged. The Gamecocks had a chance to rebuild some good will Saturday night that had been lost over the last two weeks with a bad loss to Kentucky and a last second win over Louisiana Tech. After a shaky first quarter on offense in College Station, USC took control of the game behind the arm of Jake Bentley and a swarming defense. A touchdown pass from Bentley to OrTre Smith put the Gamecocks up 17-10 with 9:24 left in the third quarter, and the defense immediately held Texas A&M to a three-and-out on their next possession. Things were looking very good for South Carolina on the road in one of the most hostile SEC environments.
They didn’t look good for long.
The Gamecocks went three-and-out on their next four possessions, losing an astounding 30 yards of field position combined. Texas A&M unleashed the hounds on defense and found some rhythm on offense, and once they tied the score at 17 there wasn’t a lot of hope on our side that we could score again or stop them from scoring. What was a golden opportunity to tell the college football world “hey, we might be pretty good after all” turned into another in a long line of “almosts” for USC in conference road games.
Dominos. The standard arguments apply – it’s Kurt Roper, it’s the offensive line, it’s Will Muschamp, it’s our lack of a run game, it’s a lack of creativity in the offensive game plan (also Roper), it’s the lack of depth on both lines of scrimmage. The truth is, it’s quite possibly all of these things combined, and until we get at least one of them fixed we’ll never know the biggest culprit.
What happens is one thing goes wrong and the dominos start to fall. Saturday night our offense was not able to stay on the field long enough because for the most part we failed to establish a consistent run game. Once the defense was out there for enough plays they obviously ran out of gas and couldn’t stop the Aggies. Once we were put in must-passing situations our offensive line couldn’t hold up to the TAMU pass rush and Jake got killed.
Roper has had a season and a half and a bevy of skill players to help prove his ability to move this offense and score points. So far he hasn’t done that. At the same time, up 17-7 if we hadn’t run the ball on first and second down with a back that was gaining six yards per carry people would’ve screamed “RUN THE DANG BALL”. Instead, they’re yelling because we didn’t keep the foot on the gas and bury the opponent.
Kurt Roper has made himself an easy target based on the lack of production of our offense, but on Saturday night I think he was mostly victimized by our thin offensive line. Whatever it is, he needs to get it fixed or the cries for his head will only get louder.
Additionally, as @HJhughes79 puts it:
Ppl ppl,our Oline and Roper can both suck at the same time! Their sucking in not mutually exclusive! Y'all dnt have to argue which is worse😂
The USC Three-and-Outs. In addition to the four straight three-and-outs in the second half, the Gamecocks started the game with four straight possessions without a first down as well. The only reason we had four plays on one of those first half drives was because we recovered a fumble and missed a field goal. That means six of our fourteen possessions resulted in no first downs and we were off the field in an average of 1:37. That will wear a defense out.
T-bone’s Food for Thought. No coach has won an SEC title in the modern era who didn’t win at least nine games in his second season. I think it’s safe to say we aren’t going to win nine games. It’s also safe to say Kirby Smart at Georgia is.
On the other hand, we are 3-2, which is after five games is probably exactly where we are supposed to be.
Rocked. Jake Bentley is a hell of a football player, and we’re lucky to have him. He has a lot to learn and tons of room to grow, but it’s hard to imagine what our team would be without him. That said, if he keeps taking shots like he took on our next to last offensive play of the game and is allowed to keep playing we won’t have him around for long.
I don’t care the situation, somebody – a Gamecock coach or player, a referee, anybody – has to see a guy staggering back to the huddle like that and stop the game. It’s not worth a serious brain injury to let a kid keep playing in that instance.
The Smith Brothers. It’s hard not to be excited about Shi and OrTre Smith. They accounted for both South Carolina’s touchdowns on Saturday night and will be centerpieces of this offense for the next four years. Now, how to get them the ball…
Winnables. Switching to optimist mode, South Carolina has winnable games coming up against Arkansas, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Honestly the only two games left on the schedule that appear to be completely unwinnable are Georgia and Clemson. The key to the entire season might be getting Cory Helms and Zack Bailey back on the OL. If we can get them healthy and playing up to their potential 7-5 is not out of the realm of possibility. If not, well, basketball season is right around the corner.
**WARNING: WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY BAD AUDIO IN THIS PODCAST. THAT IS, ASIDE FROM THE USUAL BAD AUDIO OF US TALKING**
On episode 97 we celebrate week two of Gamecock football, and we lament week two of a Tbone-free TRC Unleashed. Fortunately for us, the one and only @BeatClem does a fantastic job of filling in and imparting his knowledge upon the podcast. Among other things the guys discuss:
How @BeatClem passes the time while we’re not beating Clem
The ease of the Missouri win, despite an early 10-0 deficit
Is this team fool’s gold?
Is Deebo a Heisman contend…of course he’s not don’t be silly
The Ginger Ninja Hayden Hurst
Dante Kinlaw. Or is it Javon Sawyer. Or Sante Jawyer.
TRC Unleashed is finally back, although minus one member of the team. Connor Tapp from 247Sports fills in for Tbone and joins Buck and Gman to review South Carolina’s season opening win over North Carolina State. The trio talks offense, defense, and don’t forget SPECIAL TEAMS PEOPLE. They also cover what went on over the weekend in the SEC and explain why your should never pull for Tennessee (as an example).
You can stream from the site by clicking the logo below, or check us out on iTunes, and enjoy!
Some quick, barely researched, not fully-formed thoughts from South Carolina’s 35-28 victory over North Carolina State.
Elite. Make no mistake, the victory Saturday over North Carolina State was a complete team effort. Offense, defense, special teams, and all the sub-groups that make up those units had significant contributions in the mild upset of a dark horse contender for the ACC title. But this game was about two guys in particular – Deebo Samuel and Jake Bentley.
Samuel electrified the crowd by taking the opening kickoff of the season back 97 yards for a touchdown. He later scored on a quick slant from six yards out, and then snared a 39-yard rope from Bentley with one hand that is an early candidate for play of the year. One year ago we still weren’t completely sure what we had in Samuel. When healthy he showed flashes of brilliance, but a balky hamstring kept him from reaching his full potential each of the last two seasons. Now Samuel is having high praise heaped on him from national media outlets. Completely healthy, he is the go-to playmaker this team has been missing since Pharoh Cooper took his talents to the NFL.
Meanwhile, Bentley is also drawing high praise after his performance yesterday. His numbers won’t exactly put him in the early Heisman conversation (17-29/215/3 TD/1 INT) but the leadership and poise he showed are those of someone well beyond his years. Oh, and about that elusiveness and arm strength:
Bentley was far from perfect. He missed a handful of easy throws, and had one ill-advised deep ball early that should’ve been intercepted. But regarding those, there is one thing of which we can be assured – he will work hard to correct, and will correct, those mistakes.
The fate of the 2017 season, at least offensively, rests on the shoulders of these two guys.
Statistically speaking. Uh, if you haven’t already, don’t look at the statistics. Just don’t. I know, the only statistic that matters is the final score, but it is a little disturbing that we were doubled up in total yardage and allowed a 400-yard passing game to a slightly above average ACC quarterback.
As we found out last year, bend but don’t break is great when it works, but you can’t rely on it week in and week out. Our pass rush improved as the game went on, but our coverage skills, particularly on one side of the field (cough, King, cough) did not. I loved how some of our young guys looked on the defensive line and at linebacker in particular, but we desperately need to find a way to get off the field on third down more often.
D-lighted. On the bright side, DJ Wonnum and Kier Thomas in particular had very good games on the defensive line, helping the Gamecocks record four sacks on the day while the Wolfpack’s all-world defensive line only had two. In addition, linebacker TJ Brunson racked up 16 (!) tackles and fellow ‘backer and freshman Sherrod Greene showed great speed and aggressiveness while he was on the field. Jamyest Williams took his lumps in the secondary, but he was often matched up against Jaylen Samuel, arguably NC State’s best offensive player. All the freshmen and sophomores in the defensive rotation acquitted themselves well despite the high yardage total given up, which bodes well for the future of the defense.
MIA. The Gamecock run game was non-existent yesterday, which for the moment we will attribute to the stout front seven of NCSU. In a mild upset, AJ Turner got second team carries at tailback over Ty’Son Williams. I’m not sure if that’s a product of Turner’s longevity and good standing with the staff, or if he’s actually outplayed Williams in the preseason. Regardless, neither had an impact on the game, with Turner getting one carry for two yards, and Williams not being credited with a rushing attempt and catching one pass for five yards.
Also missing were our pass catching tight ends. Preseason All-SEC selection Hayden Hurst had a man-sized block on Rico Dowdle’s second touchdown run, but caught only one pass for minus two yards on the day. Neither K.C. Crosby nor Jacob August had a catch. Maybe it was a product of NC State’s defense, but we’ll need production from that position for our offense to be all it can be.
Prevent(s you from winning). The Gamecocks punted to the Wolfpack with 1:38 left in the first half and up by seven. NC State took possession on its own 21 and proceeded to march 79 yards in 10 plays for the game-tying touchdown. How the hell do you get off TEN plays in 1:38? Well, if the defense mostly rushes three and gives a 10-12 yard cushion and doesn’t guard the boundary, turns out it’s pretty darned easy. I still haven’t figured out what the staff was thinking.
Under center. On our final offensive possession, Jake Bentley went under center on second down. I was actually thinking earlier in the week if I could remember Bentley taking a snap under center, and I couldn’t. That second down snap was the first time I can ever remember it happening. I thought it was odd timing given the danger of fumbling a snap in that situation.
However, I do like the fact we are practicing at least some under center. There’s not much worse than a fourth-and-inches situation and seeing a team line up in the shotgun.
Harmon-ized. Sophomore Kelvin Harmon led the Wolfpack in receiving with 10 catches for 114 yards. You may remember Harmon as a former Gamecock commit who spurned the Gamecocks when Steve Spurrier retired. Harmon was the target for NCSU quarterback Ryan Finley on the Wolfpack’s last ditch attempt to tie the game. That would’ve been quite a kick in the jubblies.
Hold the LOLs. Last year at this time we were looking ahead to facing a Mississippi State team that had just been upset by South Alabama. We all had a good laugh at their misfortune, and while we weren’t chalking up a victory quite yet, we certainly felt good about the possibility of going into Starkville and getting the W. We received our comeuppance in the form of a 27-14 beatdown that wasn’t nearly that close.
Yesterday we watched in amazement as Missouri State rolled up 35 points and moved the ball at will against next week’s opponent, Missouri. It was once again LOL-worthy seeing a future conference opponent get shredded like that. However, the Tiger defense tightened up in the second half while their offense never slowed down, scoring 72 points and finishing with 815 total yards.
I’ve seen a lot of Gamecock fans feeling confident about this game, thinking “they won’t be able to stop us, and surely our defense is better than Missouri State’s”. All I can say is, not so fast my friend. Yes, our defense is probably better, but that doesn’t mean this won’t be a shootout. Remember, we gave up a boatload of yards to an offense yesterday that is not nearly as potent as Missouri’s. This game will be a battle, and the fact the Tigers have been installed as a 4.5 point favorite, I think the folks in Las Vegas agree.
With the season halfway through the books, @FeatherdWarrior from @DidtheBuntWork joins us to investigate…well, did the bunt work? (Note: statistics do not include last night’s game against Mississippi State.)
It’s been a long week folks. The 20-5 drubbing Carolina endured at the hands of the Tarheels has reignited the debate around the hotness of Chad Holbrook’s seat for a second straight year. The consensus seems to be that if it’s not hot, it’s definitely uncomfortably swampy. Given the intensity of that debate, I thought it might be a good time to take a detour and check in on our little project account @didtheBUNTwork.
The basics are pretty simple. To date, the South Carolina Gamecocks have executed 11 successful bunts out of 27 attempts. That’s a success rate of about .407, which looks pretty good if you’re comparing it to the team batting average (sitting at .274 at the time of this writing). However, keep in mind we’re defining a successful bunt as one that advances a runner who later scores, so comparing a bunt success ratio to a batting average isn’t exactly apples-to-apples. For one thing, even a “successful” bunt can result in an out. Assuming most of our bunts are sacrifices with zero outs, we’re essentially giving a bunt a whole inning of at-bats before we conclude whether it was successful. Therefore, I think I more appropriate benchmark would be to multiply the team batting average by 3 since, if the bunt weren’t an option, the team would have three outs to score the runner. In that case, a .407 success rate doesn’t look all that good next to an .822 success rate (.274 x 3), does it?
Before you say anything, I’m well aware of how crude this comparison is. This is the equivalent of a napkin scribble to settle an argument in a bar. For all the attention our bunting receives on Twitter, no one ever seems to address it in any kind of intellectually rigorous way. This is my attempt at doing so. I’m not trying to add Bill James’s sword to my throne or anything.
With that in mind, here are some other interesting nuggets I’ve pulled out from the data I’ve collected so far.
Eight bunts (.296) have failed to advance any runners. A major reason for utilizing the bunt is to guarantee advancing at least one runner at least one base. If we’re not even advancing a runner 30% of the time, how effective can that strategy be? Another 4 bunts (.148) only advanced a runner because the opposing team committed a fielding error. That means nearly 45% of the time (.444) our players cannot execute a bunt correctly. Granted, not all of our bunt attempts are sacrifices. Sometimes we actually bunt for a hit, but that’s extremely rare. So far this season we’ve successfully bunted for a hit a dismal 2 of 27 (.074) times.
For the season, the Gamecocks have logged a +31 weighted base runner differential. This is something I kind of made up, but basically you weight the bases 1-4 with 1st base being a 1 and scoring a run being a 4. So if a bunt advances a runner from 1st to 2nd, the WBD would be +1 (2 – 1 = 1), assuming the batter is called out. If the batter is safe the WBD would +2 (2 -1 +1 = 2). This means that, on average, the Gamecocks advance a runner 1.15 bases per bunt attempt. Six times a Gamecocks bunt has resulted in a 0 WBD and twice it has resulted in a negative WBD.
Danny Blair (.239 batting average) is the Gamecocks’ most prolific bunter with seven attempts.
Jonah Bride, the second best hitter on the team (.306) has accounted 6 of 27 bunts, twice the expected amount if you assumed the bunts were spread evenly throughout the order (9/27 = 3). Three of Bride’s bunts have been successful.
True to his word, Chad Holbrook has not bunted the 3rd or 4th place batter at all this season. He has, however, bunted the 1st and 2nd place batters a total 15 times.
So there you have it. It will be interesting to see how these numbers compare to the second half numbers considering our level of competition will have greatly increased. More than anything, I see this as a starting point for future discussions. If my attention span endures I’d like record Carolina’s bunting stats well into the future. I think it would be interesting to see how our success varies over the years. And I’d really like to be able to compare our bunting statistics with the rest of the SEC, but I just don’t have that kind of time.
The Rubber Chickens Blog 