TRC Unleashed Episode 53 is angry my friends. Part of it has to do with recording during the great Atlanta sports meltdown of 2013, but mostly it has to do with how a 4-1 start to the Gamecocks’ football season can be so frustrating. Buck and Gman lecture each other (and some listeners) and Tbone for some reason keeps calling Jadeveon Clowney “Clifton Geathers”,

Mixed in you will hear us discuss:

• Why we need to stop invoking 1-21 when talking about this program
• What is wrong with the defense (it’s either the players or the coaches or something else)
• Why some fans might still want Thompson over Shaw
• Shaw is awesome so shut up
• Clowneygate 12: The Curious Case of the Ribcage Hematoma
• The @blitzjewelry Rubber Chicken Awards
• USC Equestrian #horsecocks

We’re kinda yelly on this episode, so buckle in. Click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!

Some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from Carolina’s 35-28 victory over Kentucky last night:

Perspexpectations. We’ve been preaching about two things for a while now, both in this space and on our podcast:  managing our perspective and managing our expectations. Personally, I’m now done with perspective. I sat through the worst of times, including a player revolt and 1-21 over two seasons, but those were a long time ago. Even the pizza bowl seems like an eternity ago given what has been accomplished the last three years. We’re a different program, and it’s a different time. Games in the past have no bearing on what happened last night, and what happened last night was we allowed a pitiful Kentucky team to play us, a self-proclaimed top 10 program, to within one score. At night. At home.

I never thought we would have an undefeated season. I even had serious doubts we could win the East. But I did expect us to beat UNC, Vandy, UCF and Kentucky going away. Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend. Four times and you know who you are. And at 4-1, I’m a Gamecock fan that is not particularly happy with who we are.

I’m not giving up on these guys or this season, but with three road games and home games against Florida and Clemson coming up, at the moment I really don’t feel good about how this thing is going to end up.

Defenseless. After last night we are fifth in rush defense, ninth in pass defense and sixth in total defense in the SEC. We only gave up 301 yards of total offense last night to Kentucky. Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination. But the problem has mostly been when and how we give up those yards. Late in games our defense is having trouble getting off the field, and against UCF we gave up huge pass plays that kept them in the game. Last night, 191 yards of Kentucky’s offense came on their last three drives. Also, in the last three games the Gamecocks have given up 2/3 of opponents’ points in the fourth quarter.

I wish I was smart enough to tell you if the problem is the Jimmys and Joes or the Xs and Os, but I’m not. I can tell you if it’s the former, we’re in big trouble the next seven games.

Clowney Sittin. We, along with pretty much every Gamecock fan, have been staunch supporters of Jadeveon Clowney this season. He has been under a microscope since early in this calendar year, and since the beginning of this season has been unfairly written about, talked about and criticized. But last night was the tipping point for me. It was obvious the coaching staff was upset that Clowney told them he couldn’t play prior to the game, and that’s a red flag.

I don’t know how hurt JD is, or if he had other motivations for sitting last night. It sounds like the coaches are going to allow him to speak on the subject at some point this week, and I’m sure he’ll give us what he believes to be a satisfactory answer – “I was hurting bad, I would never turn my back on my teammates, etc. etc.” But the real answer will be evident the next time he suits up for USC, and the next six or seven times after that, and how he plays. Is he the old JD Clowney, or is he just going through the motions until April?

I know that Connor Shaw has played through injury after injury, and mentioned last night that he fought to get back on that field because he knows he only has a few games left in a Gamecock uniform. I would love to hear that come out of JD’s mouth as well. But only if he means it.

DE-ssapointing. A lot of people expected Chaz Sutton to have a big season as a beneficiary of all the Clowney attention. Not only has he not had a big season, I don’t ever remember seeing him on the field last night. I remember seeing Darius English, because I remember thinking he needs to eat a few more cheeseburgers, but no other defensive end stood out to me. Besides the brush fire that is our return game, the DEs have to be the most disappointing unit on the team.

Surrat-ticous. OK, enough negativity. Got to give big JT Surratt and Kelcy Quarles props for their play last night. Especially Surratt, who showed he can be a playmaker in the middle.

Team Shaw. In the off chance that there is still anyone who thinks Dylan Thompson should be starting over Connor Shaw, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you to stop talking. Shaw is currently at the helm of the most prolific offense in South Carolina history, and percentage-wise is the winningest quarterback in South Carolina history. With all due respect to Mike Davis, he is also the MVP of this team.

(To reiterate, we love Dylan Thompson and look forward to cheering him on when his time comes. But that time is not now.)

The Rocket. Mike Davis went over 100 again last night, but his most impressive run was probably a three-yarder on third down late in the game. He was trapped in the backfield, but would not be denied and put the game away. He is easily the most pleasant surprise of the season.

Hampton Inn Out? Anyone else feel like the HBC was talking about Victor Hampton last night when he said “we still got some guys out there doing their own crap” and “we’re going to make some changes”? For the second week in a row Hampton took an extreme gamble and left his guy wide open for a touchdown. Don’t be surprised if he’s not starting next week.

Equipos Especiales. We should really stop talking about how awful our special teams are in such general terms. I suggest we separate the guys who put their foot on the ball from the rest of the special teams units. Elliott Fry, Tyler Hull and Landon Ard have all been quite good. But once again last night we showed we have zero ability to change a game with a return. Unless it’s a fumble.

Go Cocks.

TRC Unleashed Episode 52 reviews the painful but ultimately satisfying Central Florida game, and covers topics including but not limited to:

• Our proposal for Mike Davis’ new nickname
• Team Shaw and Team Thompson
• The best O-line in the Spurrier era
• What’s going wrong on defense
• Who doesn’t need to be fired
• Scotch
• Our Rubber Chickens Awards, sponsored by @blitzjewelry
• How many days it’s been since we lost to Clemson in football

All that and much, much more. Click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!

A few quick, barely researched, and not so – what is it that Buck always says?

I forget.  Regardless, here are a few thoughts on our “victory” down in Orlando:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Quick, identify the quote. Quick, Quick, Quick. Most overused quote in history, and few can give it correct attribution. It’s the very first sentence of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and the full quote is:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

And that pretty much sums up the way that root canal in Orlando felt on Saturday.

The Rocket. Yep, I’m sticking my neck out and nicknaming Mike Davis. Has to be done. And not because of his 168 yard, three touchdown performance on Saturday. A performance where he basically took the team on his shoulders (well, thighs, I guess) and willed us to victory. No, that’s not the reason for his new moniker.  Instead, his new name arose thusly.

The king is dead, long live the king. I suspect we’ve seen the last of Connor Shaw as our starting quarterback. I know he’s a tough kid, and I wholeheartedly agree with the assessment Brian Griese made on air Saturday: Shaw is the better quarterback. But I also know that a bad sprain to your throwing shoulder might take more than two or three weeks to heal.  I also noticed that the two or three weeks time frame came to the coach from Shaw, and not from the training staff.

Hope I’m wrong, ‘cause I’m #teamglove all the way, but I think we are probably seeing the beginning of the Thompson Era.

Where’s the gas pedal? One of the hallmarks of Steve Spurrier’s teams at Florida was their ability to work an opponent silly. When the OBC got up on someone, he didn’t just win, he DOMINATED. Went right for the throat and did the funky chicken on it.

One of the hallmarks of Steve’s Spurrier’s teams at South Carolina is an inability to put another team away. From the HBC’s very first game at Carolina (a 24-3 third quarter lead at home became a 24-15 escape) to his most recent (a 28-10 fourth quarter lead on the road becomes a 28-25 squeaker) the trend has persisted.

What’s the reason? No idea. But I do keep thinking of something Sweet Old Lou said: The prevent defense only prevents one thing: winning. Those soft zones, coupled with an inability to tackle led directly to both of the Knights’ fourth quarter scores.

Speaking of the defense. I know they are young. And I know Whammy is a great recruiter. And I also like the guy. But we have the most dominant player in the nation on defense, and yet we can’t seem to get him freed up to make plays. I’m going to leave it at that, because I don’t want to be the first person to head down that particular road. But we all know where that road is going, and I’m afraid it’s gonna become a busy street soon.

On a related note: Just how good are we? Are we the #12 team in the country? Are we BCS Bowl caliber?

I’m not so sure. Our best win thus far is probably the 35-25 win over Vandy at home, and that isn’t saying much. Kentucky should make us feel better about ourselves this weekend, but this team is going to have to get better play from the defensive second and third level if we are going to survive the three game road trip that follows.

Ah geeze, I didn’t even mention our terrible special teams . . .

A rundown of random things that actually are, and other things that, actually, are not:

ARE correct models of subatomic matter:  The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, The Wave-Particle Duality

NOT:  Bohr Models

ARE valid uses of bacon:  Omelets, Salads, Sandwiches–well most everything, actually.

NOT:  well, clothing, I guess.

ARE the 2010 ACC Atlantic Division Champions:  Florida State

NOT: Clemson*

ARE sometimes golden:  potato chips, wedding rings, sunsets, showers, the spray paint on Notre Dame’s helmets,

NOT:  The UCF Knights.  They don’t like being called the “Golden Knights” apparently.  News to us, but since we don’t particularly like being called the “Garnet Gamecocks”  we will can comply.

ARE involved in game day playcalling:  Steve Spurrier, G.A. Mangus, Shawn Elliott, Brent Venables, Chad Morris, Whammy Ward

NOT:  Dabo Cornelius Swinney

ARE Duck Dynasty Endorsed:  Everything, Everywhere.  Evidently, this contrived reality series has taken over our culture to such an extent that it is nearly impossible to transact basic commerce without “Duck Commander” stamped on the product.  Dutch Tulip Mania, anyone?

ARE SEC:  South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M

Supposed to be SEC: Kentucky

NOT:  Central Florida, Clemson

ARE going to be 3-1 after Saturday:  South Carolina, Central Florida, Georgia (dang it)

The Gamecocks are taking a much-needed break this weekend–well the Carolina players and Coach Deke Adams are taking a much-needed break.  The rest of us are still hungry for CFB, so here’s your weekend viewing guide:

THURSDAY: (that’s today!):  7:00 pm –  ESPN –  Clemson* vs. North Carolina State.

Yes, yes, I know this isn’t an SEC game.  It should be, but not in the way your think.  Clemson* will never be in the SEC, despite their collective pillow gripping fantasies, but NC State coulda been.  Not because the Wolfpack are some football powerhouse, but because our state’s northern neighbor needs a real football school, and the SEC can wait 20 years for Raleigh to build one.  Heck they gave us that long, right?  But during the last go-round of expansion we got stuck with Missouri instead . . . .

Side note here:  Since before the season started, I’ve called this week’s game as  a Clemson* loss.  First road game, etc., etc.  But now I have my doubts.  See, for all their delusions of grandeur and claims of superiority, the specific fevered level of hubris necessary for a complete clemsoning collapse has not yet been reached.  Right now, I’m hoping it holds off until November in the Billy B.

FRIDAY: Cut your damn grass already.  Geeze, what an embarrassment!  Your neighbors hate what you are doing to their property values, you lazy buffoon.

SATURDAY:

12:00 – Some channel you probably don’t get – Vandy vs Umass.

Don’t watch this game.  Please don’t.  Instead spend some time with your miserable family and feign interest in whatever it is they talk about.  Then slip away at:

3:30 – CBS – Florida vs Tennesee.

HAHAHAHAHA you thought I was gonna say Arkansas vs Rutgers on ESPN, didn’t you?  You didn’t?  Oh, nevermind.

Florida is a pretty big hurdle on our schedule down the road, or at least we hope it’s still important when we get there, so watch for scouting purposes if nothing else.  One under-reported theme that is developing for our Gamecocks is Whammy’s inability to stop a power running attack.  Both of these teams purport to have big physical Olines and a stable of backs, so watch to see which one can gain the upper hand.

Its gonna be Florida, of course, but work with me here.

7:00 – ESPNU – Texas A&M vs SMU

Yawn.  Turn immediately to:

7:05 – ESPN2  – Alabama vs Colorado State

Double Yawn.  Grab a snack and then flip to:

7:45 – ESPN – LSU vs Auburn

Cause we need LSU to be really, really, good next week in Athens.  Pull for tons of Tiger offensive rhythm, and absolutely no injuries.  If the game gets lopsided, switch over to:

8:00 – Big Ten Network (no, I’m not making this up) – Missouri vs Indiana

The fact that these two Midwestern Midmajors are facing off on the BTN is perfect.  See my comments on NCSU v. Clemson*, above.

Happy viewing!

TRC Unleashed Episode 51 is what happens when a really tired guy, a guy who is still at work at 10 p.m. and a guy who has yet to watch the “Ozymandias” episode of Breaking Bad get together and try to discuss the Vanderbilt game. We still think we put together some entertaining #hotsportstakes even though we lose the Gman (aka CMOS) about 2/3 of the way through the podcast.

You get to hear:

• Our emotional state as we built a 28-point lead Saturday night only to see it melt away in the second half
• Our weekly praise-heap on Connor Shaw
• Our second consecutive praise-heap on Clay Stadnik
• Feeling bad for Shon Carson
• A rock-solid defensive performance despite what you might hear on the internet
• Why are we playing AT Central Florida again?
• Questions from the audience
• Thoughts on the students leaving early (boooooooriiiing)

All this and more on this week’s edition. Click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!

Some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from Carolina’s 35-25 victory over Vanderbilt last night:

The best of times, the worst of times. As South Carolina roared out to a 28-0 lead over Vandy on Saturday night, I took a moment to relax at the unexpected fortune of blowing out a conference opponent. Alas, a couple of hours later we were one yard from a one-score game with plenty of time left on the clock, and I was back to my familiar pacing, hand-wringing self. We looked like champions for the first quarter and a half, and nearly bumbled ourselves right out of the game the rest of the way. I’m afraid we will see this throughout the season, the very best of what this team can be at one moment and the very worst the next.

I will take this moment to remind you, we lost to a VERY good Georgia team on the road, and if not for some horrible turnovers, would’ve crushed a pretty good Vandy team. We’re good y’all. It’s just not always gonna be pretty.

Statistically speaking. The box score tells a much different story than the final score. The Gamecocks led in

• First downs 31-14
• Rushing yards 220-121
• Passing yards 359-147
• Total yards 579-268
• Time of possession 37:10-22:50
• Turnovers 3-2

I threw that last one in there to show how important ball protection is. Without the Gamecock turnovers this is 4-5 score game. (I know, without the Vandy turnovers it’s a different game as well, so you can’t really play that game.) Otherwise it was a thoroughly dominating performance for the Gamecocks, and the second-most total yards in the Spurrier era.

Team Shaw. Connor Shaw was 21-29 for 284 yards and three TD’s passing, and had 19 rushes for 84 yards. That’s 368 yards of total offense, and this win moved his career record to 19-4 as a starter. Any questions?

Team Thompson. Dylan Thompson came in and did Dylan Thompson things on the third series of the game. He passed and ran the team to an easy touchdown to give the Gamecocks a 21-0 lead. With USC up 28-0 and headed towards halftime, Thompson came in for his second series, and the way we were moving it appeared we would go into the half with a 30+ point lead. But Thompson threw his first interception of the season, and it was returned to the USC one yard line. Vandy would punch it in, then add a field goal on the last play of the half to cut the lead to 28-10.

Now, I can speak for the other members of TRC and say that while we are firmly in the corner of Connor Shaw, we are in NO WAY anti-Dylan Thompson. I’ll even tell you that interception was more the result of a good play by the Vandy DB as it was a bad decision or throw. The play was a classic Spurrier combo route, with Bruce Ellington running an out pattern from his slot position while Damiere Byrd ran a deep pattern to clear out his defender. Problem is, Byrd’s defender gave a peek back into the backfield and saw the ball was coming to Ellington, so he peeled off and made the pick.

People have said of Thompson he’s a Spurrier quarterback because he trusts the system, and that’s what he did there. More often than not a receiver will be open in that pocket. Sure, Thompson floated the ball a little which definitely contributed to the interception. But hey, quarterbacks throw interceptions, it happens. We still love Dylan.

#clowneycomin. Jadeveon Clowney had his second sack of the season in the third quarter, which also resulted in a turnover. Once again, Clowney played very hard against an offense designed to allow anyone but him beat them, and once again pedestrian statistics were the result. It’s obvious some people are not going to judge Clowney on his impact on the game, and are only going to judge him on his stats:

(h/t Michael D. Fuller)

First of all, how would that jackass know how many tackles I had from my couch last night? (For the record it was eight, five of those unassisted.) Second, is he serious about comparing a linebackers’ stats to those of a defensive end?

I’m getting wary of defending Jadeveon Clowney, so I’m going to stop and just pray he knocks somebody’s helmet off soon so everybody will shut up.

Speaking of shut up… Look back at the statistics above and please tell me how you can complain about our offensive or defensive performances last night. If you want to nitpick about how Vandy had success out of the single wing in the second half I’ll listen, but otherwise I am not open to criticism of a team that gave up 268 yards of offense and touchdown drives of 1, 49 and 19 yards. I think @chickenhoops summed it up best:

Not so special. I’m amazed at how bad our special teams are so far this season after being above average recently. There is no danger whatsoever of USC returning a kickoff or punt for any significant yardage. Tyler Hull averaged 29.3 yards on three punts last night. We had another flukey turnover when a short kick hit T.J. Gurley. Thank goodness Elliott Fry (our walk-on we had never heard of until about four weeks ago) has been solid so far. Spurrier said he was going to “get Coach Robinson some players back there” to return kicks, but if they weren’t already back there, then how much better can they be?

Depress-Shon. I feel bad for Shon Carson, I really do. As a freshman he was in the tailback rotation, and even got a carry against UGA. Unfortunately he tore his ACL on that carry and missed the rest of the year. Last year he suffered another season-ending injury during a promising fall camp. After a failed attempt to make an impact with the Gamecock baseball team, he worked hard and made his way back to third on the depth chart at tailback this fall. But with Mike Davis and Brandon Wilds ahead of him, his carries would be limited at best, so the coaches gave him a shot returning kickoffs. After running straight into piles on his opportunities so far this season, last night he did the unthinkable, he ran straight into a pile and fumbled. Vandy capitalized and that was the last we saw of Shon Carson last night.

I hope it’s not the last we see of Shon Carson for good. He deserves a break, but he’s going to have to earn his way back onto the field and then make something happen when there. Something he has been unable to do so far in his career.

Picked. Game ball to Jimmy Legree for the play of the night.

Student discount. It was quite embarrassing to see our student section so empty last night. It didn’t go unnoticed by our players, but for some reason the HBC downplayed it in his comments today. To have some students leave during a 3-4 score game is expected, but the mass exodus last night simply made us look like pretenders. We can control very little of what happens on the field, but 80,000 voices are a heckuva lot louder than 65,000 voices. Those extra 15,000 would’ve been appreciated when Vandy was making a charge last night.

The Hymanator. Thanks again Eric Hyman for scheduling an away game with these guys.

Enjoy the off week folks, and Go Cocks!