This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
Connor Tapp of the HalfCocked Show podcast and 247 Sports joins us to talk about Steve Spurrier’s first year at the helm at South Carolina.
Among other things we discuss:
The first game hoopla including a visit from ESPN, Big & Rich, and a prediction from Lee Corso (one that he is still right about BTW).
Tough losses to Georgia, Alabama and Auburn early in the year (and why did Steve Spurrier wear glasses sometimes in 2005? I mean, I know why people wear glasses, but you know.)
Antonio Heffner’s ever so brief stint at QB and calling two timeouts at Auburn before running our first offensive play.
Big wins over Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida (here and here), and the emergence of Sidney Rice and Kenny McKinley.
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
South Carolina and Lou Holtz began 2004 with the intention of washing away memories of the horrifying 2003 finale. Skip Holtz had been stripped of play-calling duties (and of the notion he was the head-coach-in-waiting) and the Gamecocks took the field in god-awful black helmets and black and white uniform combinations.
After a somewhat encouraging 4-1 start with a close loss to a good Georgia team, USC stumbled to a 2-4 finish. Rumors began to swirl the last two weeks of the season that Holtz would be leaving. By the time the Clemson game rolled around not only was that a given, but there were also strong indications of who our next coach would be – Steve Spurrier. Obviously that seems easy to believe now that he’s entering his ninth season here, but at the time it was simply inconceivable that such a legend would come to USC.
Unfortunately, this garbage prevented us from giving Holtz a proper send-off. A 6-6 record would’ve probably gotten us a bowl bid, but the brawl cost us that and gave us a lot of bad national publicity. Even though things did not end well for Lou or the ’04 season, when Spurrier was announced as our next head coach a few days later, the program was given a much-needed shot of adrenaline.
Click here or click the graphic for the 2004 season review, and enjoy!
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
The 2001 Gamecock football season featured a lot of great memories sandwiched around America’s greatest tragedy. After opening the season with two victories, including a second straight win over Georgia, the season was interrupted by the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
USC and Mississippi State were the first sporting event, and the first real “event” after 9/11, so there were a lot of eyes on that Carolina victory. After that win, the Gamecocks had a thrilling victory over Alabama, and ran their record to 5-0 before crashing to the ground in a 10-7 loss at Arkansas.
Predictable losses to Tennessee and Florida preceded a win over Clemson which broke a four-game losing streak to the Tigers. And the season ended on a real high note with a cakewalk that turned into a last-second victory over Ohio State in the Outback Bowl (again).
Click here or click the graphic to listen to how the season unfolded, and enjoy!
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
It was a new century and Lou Holtz and the Gamecocks were looking to beak the nation’s longest losing streak (21 games) and give the fans something to cheer about.
They did that and much more in 2000, starting the season with two goalpost-destroying victories, including a stunning win over ninth-ranked Georgia and interception throwing machine Quincy Carter.
“While I breathe, I hope.” – Theocritus, or Cicero, or Steve Spurrier (depending on who you ask)
Man, so many people are seriously bullish on the 2018 Gamecock offense. I guess there are reasons – the return of Deebo Samuel, a veteran, battle-tested QB, a solid OL, a new fast-paced offense, and an offensive coordinator not named Kurt Roper. But I’m hesitant to jump on the bandwagon just yet for an offense that finished 12th out of 14 teams in the SEC last year in yards per game, rushing yards and points per game.
I’m by nature optimistic, but if I have two words for the Gamecock offense it’s these:
Show me.
Position by position, here’s why I’m optimistic, and at the same time very nervous, about the offense:
Quarterback. Jake Bentley enters his third season as starter with quite a bit left to prove. The way he played as a freshman gave us all great optimism that we were going to have an all-SEC guy under center for two more years, and then he’d probably bolt to the league. But he didn’t particularly show a lot of improvement from his freshman to sophomore years, regressing in QB rating, TD to INT ratio and completion percentage.
To become the team we want to be, Bentley is going to have to temper his emotions, particularly early in games, and be a more consistent with the intermediate and deep ball. A great example is the first series of the Missouri game last year when he badly overthrew Hayden Hurst twice on balls that would’ve been touchdowns. Sure, we went on to win that game going away, but an early touchdown would’ve decreased my beer consumption by at least three.
I’m not down on Jake Bentley by any stretch, but for this team to be exceed expectations, he is going to have to be something he has not been thus far in his career – special.
Behind Bentley is a trio of players who have combined to throw exactly one college pass – Michael Scarnecchia, Jay Urich and Dakereon Joyner. It’s hard to envision any of these guys getting any significant playing time barring injury, although Joyner may be the most likely candidate to be thrown in as a change of pace/run package kind of guy.
Running back. This position has been an enigma for the last couple of years. On paper this seems like an area of strength for the ‘Cocks, but in reality none of the guys on our roster have taken advantage of their opportunity to become “the guy”. I’ve seen a lot of people on Twitter getting upset when our running back group isn’t mentioned among the best in the SEC, but in reality, what have they accomplished individually or as a group to earn that kind of publicity?
Rico Dowdle might be the most talented of the group, but has battled nagging injuries that have prevented him from reaching his full potential. After an encouraging freshman season where he rushed for 764 yards on 5.7 ypc, those numbers dropped to 251 yards on 3.8 ypc. Ty’Son Williams was the victim of some odd coaching decisions last season and probably didn’t get as many carries as he should have, but still averaged 5.0 ypc and ran for 471 yards. I would bet on one of those two guys becoming the “bell cow” that Will Muschamp is looking for.
AJ Turner is personally one of my favorite Gamecocks, and led the team in rushing last year. He has been a dependable performer in his two years in the garnet and black, but it’s obvious the coaching staff doesn’t view him as the guy to carry the primary load.
Mon Denson had his moments last year and has a fantastic attitude, but I’d be surprised to see him get more than a few spot carries. Waiting in the wings will be freshmen Deshaun Fenwick and Lavonte Valentine.
Wide Receiver. I ran into Gamecock running backs coach Bobby Bentley at the airport a couple of months ago and without prompting there was one guy he mentioned above all others – Deebo Samuel.
“To have a successful season we need him healthy,” Bentley said.
And who am I to argue. In the first two-plus games of last season Deebo might’ve been the most valuable player in the country, scoring six touchdowns on catches, runs and returns. A healthy number 1 for 12+ games might result in an all-time season for a Gamecock receiver.
On the other side you have Bryan Edwards, who is quietly moving up the receiving record books at South Carolina. He might be the most under appreciated player on the roster right now. He needs to cut down on the drops, but it’s hard to not be excited about he and Deebo back on the field together.
When you team them up with the electric Shi Smith and the Alshon-like OrTre Smith, Jake Bentley has no shortage of targets on the outside.
After the top four there are plenty of guys who can catch the ball, but it’s going to be hard for any of them to get a significant number of targets. It probably won’t happen this year, but look for freshman Josh Vann to be a breakout star at some point.
Tight end. This position obviously took a hit with the departure of first round draft pick Hayden Hurst, but there are plenty of bodies to try and fill his shoes. Jacob August, KC Crosby, Evan Hinson, Kyle Markway and Kiel Pollard will battle for time. I would expect to see August (blocker) and Crosby (pass catcher) get most of the early reps as veterans who have seen a lot of playing time. Hinson and Pollard are intriguing prospects, however.
Hinson is an outstanding athlete and might have the highest ceiling of all the tight ends. But the most intriguing to me is Pollard. I watched him several times in high school when he played wide receiver, and he was the proverbial man against boys. I think he’s been frustrated a little having to wait his turn, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rise to the top of the pack by mid-year.
Offensive Line. I’m not going to pretend to know anything about this offensive line you don’t already know. Zack Bailey is a masher and moves back to his natural guard position. Sadarius Hutcherson at the other guard spot has gotten rave reviews. Dennis Daley and Blake Camper will man the tackle spots and have had their ups and downs, and Donell Stanley will take over at center.
Depth is always critical on the offensive line, and there’s a lot of inexperience behind those guys. If the offense goes from running 60 plays per game to 90 plays per game like the staff wants, we’ll need plenty of big bodies.
The thing is, usually when we think we have a great offensive line they underachieve, and when we think we’re going to stink on the OL they play pretty well. So in the immortal words of Cousin Eddie Johnson, “I don’t know.”
How’s that for analysis.
Offensive coordinator. I’ll say this about Bryan McClendon, I’m thrilled for him. I love the guy, think he’s worked hard and deserves this opportunity, and is a fantastic recruiter and representative for USC. I am also pretty excited about having a faster paced offense.
That said, I think it was a risky choice for Will Muschamp to tap someone with four quarters of coordinator experience to bring him out of his career-long offensive funk. McClendon did a nice job in the Outback Bowl after a slow start, but only time will tell if he is the man for the job.
The bottom line. I truly believe this offense will be the best of the Muschamp era, but it’s only year three and the bar is very low. There is a lot of potential, and on paper I can understand why there is excitement. But there is simply no history of sustained offensive success with these guys to guarantee we’ll take a significant step forward.
At the same time, there are plenty of examples of veteran teams that “put it all together” and greatly exceed their past accomplishments. If the potential we see on paper translates to the field the way we hope it will, this season could be a great one.
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
Tbone puts the 1999 Gamecock football season into perspective as I’m sure no one ever has, quoting Shakespeare, poet Edith Wharton, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And it all comes together perfectly to put that dreadful season in its proper perspective.
Not only that, but for you young Gamecock fans who were either too young, or had not yet reached your peak fandom by 1999, Tbone absolves you from any of the burden from that season. It is, as he says, “our gift to you”.
The 1999 Gamecock Flashback is an absolute must listen, an emotional ride through a dark, dark time. But it is indeed a time worth remembering.
Click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
Tbone fills in for Buck and takes us through Brad Scott’s final season as Gamecock head coach, a dreadful 1-10 campaign.
After a season-opening victory over Ball State, USC would slog through the worst season in the program’s history (a designation that would last all of 12 months). Tbone tells us about Gman’s ominous prediction after the first game, a loss to new D-1 member Marshall and their green polyester-clad fans, and listening to the Ole Miss game in his car at the beach – which I think qualifies as a clinical sickness.
Also, in 1998 a gentleman named Billy Reed from Kentucky wrote an unforgettable (believe me, we still haven’t forgotten) article about what a huge mistake it was to invite South Carolina into the SEC, basically because we were such pathetic losers. We have lost a total of two (2) football games to Kentucky since that article was written. (If anyone has access to the contents of that article, please contact us, we’d love to post it.)
The season culminated with a loss to a 2-win Clemson team in probably the most forgettable game of the series. Both teams would have new coaches when the 1999 season began.
It’s a scene man. Click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
The Brad Scott era at USC continues its slow fade in 1997, dropping to a 5-6 record. At least with the 6-5 in 1996 we had victories over Georgia and Clemson, but not so in ’97. The season could’ve turned out better, but a devastating knee injury to quarterback Anthony Wright against Tennessee forced 165-lb. Vic Penn into action.
Penn fled the program to Central Florida after the Clemson game, largely because he couldn’t throw the out (1:36:37 here). In that Clemson game, despite a blazing start by Troy Hambrick (TD’s at 22:10 and 31:50 here), we lost primarily due to Brad Scott making one of the worst calls in coaching history (1:05:50 here).
(Note: also fun to see Wally Burnham of USC matching defensive wits with Reggie Herring of Clemson. Two of the most hated defensive coordinators in the state’s history.)
Still, 5-6 was a picnic compared to what was coming.
Click here, or click the link to listen, and enjoy!
This blog post and the accompanying audio were originally posted prior to the 2013 season.
Brad Scott hoped to answer some questions about the Gamecock program in 1996, but another up and down campaign had fans scratching their heads. Despite smoking hot starts by QB Anthony Wright and RB Duce Staley, and victories over our top rivals Georgia and Clemson, we finished with only six wins and no bowl bid.
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