Snap Judgments for the Florida game are a little late today, my apologies. So here are some quick, barely researched, not fully-formed thoughts from yesterday’s historic 17-12 victory over the Florida Gators:

The good news. Yesterday’s win locked up some pretty impressive records for the Gamecocks over the last two years: 6-0 vs. nemeses Georgia, Tennessee and Florida, and 9-1 vs. the SEC East overall (stupid Kentucky!). It was nice to hear Steve Spurrier wax philosophical about it yesterday and today because for once he seems content and proud of what the 2010-2011 Gamecocks have accomplished.

The bad news. Georgia pummeled Auburn 45-7 to, for all intents and purposes, end our run at back-to-back SEC East titles (stupid Kentucky!). This is the same Auburn team that left Columbia with a 16-13 victory on October 1, and has since lost road games to Arkansas (by 24), LSU (by 35), and now UGA (by 38). That game will linger as the one that could’ve meant a great season instead of a very good one…just like stupid Kentucky last year.

Grinding. Yesterday’s win was very typical of  the 2011 edition of the Gamecocks. We weren’t impressive against an unimpressive opponent, but did enough to get the win. Credit the coaching staff for taking what Florida gave us on both sides of the ball. Credit lady luck that our special teams play didn’t hurt us any more than it did. We don’t win pretty, but we win. I’ll take it.

Connor Shaw – The Chief Grinder. Connor Shaw once again showed us he is simply a football player. He took what the defense gave him, and took some pretty good shots along the way, but managed to pick up critical first downs at the right times. And the deep throw to Ace was a thing of beauty (and a spectacular catch by Ace, BTW). I don’t know how long #14 will be the QB at USC, but as long as he’s in there you at least know you’re going to get 100% on every play.

Wilds Vision Quest. I texted a couple of guys mid-way through the first half that Brandon Wilds has great vision, and that’s what makes him a good back. He doesn’t have breakaway speed, and he doesn’t have great power just yet (although with his frame and an offseason in the weight room, look out). But he knows how to find a hole, and that helped lead to another 100-yard performance yesterday.

#1. Congratulations big man, sorry it took so long to get you the record. I hope you still have a breakout game in you this year, and I hope it’s in two weeks.

Welcome Back #6. Melvin Ingram had been MIA the last couple of weeks, but made his presence known and then some against the Gators. His sack and non-strip of John Brantley may have been the play of the game. Speaking of the non-strip…

What Were the Officials Watching? There was one angle of that play that clearly showed Brantley going to the ground with zero of his hands on the ball. CBS showed it only once, right after the play was over. Did the booth officials not see that? I admit, all the other angles were inconclusive, but geez, what a big call to miss. To continue with the theme…

How Bad Does #7 Want to Score a TD? Watch the replay of that again. Jadeveon Clowney purposely doesn’t fall on the ball, composes himself over the ball, makes sure his knees are not on the ground, then picks the ball up. That cat wanted an opportunity to jet with that ball SO bad.

Kudos to UGA. I’ve been hammering UGA’s sad excuse for a win streak ever since it started, but they looked darned good yesterday. As bad as I wanted a return trip to Atlanta, they might actually be the team to give LSU a run for their money.  But still…45-42 my Bulldog friends.

Ellington. Will be the next guy to return a KO for touchdown for the Gamecocks. Maybe this week.

TRC Unleashed will air later this week due to some conflicts, we’ll let you know as soon as it is scheduled.

The Mindmatic 3000 is my pet project – a secret invention I will soon unleash upon the world. Its gonna be like the ipod or the wheel, except a whole lot bigger. Basically I hook myself up to the gizmo, and it records my exact thoughts as I have them – in real-time and unedited.

Kind of hard to explain, so I’ll demonstrate. I’ll read something innocuous – say the recent Justin King article, “Courage” on TBS (which is an excellent site, btw) – and you can immediately read all of my innermost thoughts LIVE.

Ready? Let’s begin:

WWWWWHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 –Man this thing is loud and its kinda heating up my scalp – why is my brother bald but I’m not when we’ve got the same dad?  Dad had a birthday last week and I forgot to call him – WAIT –  FOCUS – Justin King Justin King Justin King – that cat has some cool videos, actually they’re all kinda identical except for the game footage and they always end with that out-of-focus gamecock flag – Man big picture of Alshon at the top of the article WHY CANT WE THROW THE BALL TO HIM EVEN AN ARM PUNT DOWN THE FIELD WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS NONSENSE WHO OUT THERE DOESNT THINK THAT ALSHON CAN BEAT A DOUBLE TEAM?  WHAT GOOD IS IT TO HAVE SPURRIER IF OUR OFFENSE STINKS EVERY YEAR –

 

– OUCH my leg is bleeding oh its cause I just stabbed myself with a pen can I get tetnus from that when was may last tenus shot I don’t think I’ve even had one I always lie on the forms – WAIT – Justin King says ‘Saturday Hurt’ well he is doggone right about that one it did hurt but he says it didnt hurt me as much as it hurt Connor or Alshon – I might give you Connor cause that was a brutal hit but Alshon’s biggest hurt is that he’s gotta wait 5 more months before he’s a millionaire so Im thinking it might hurt me more since Im broke and alway gonna be broke WHY DOESNT EVERYONE RECOGNIZE THAT IM A GENIUS I’VE TURNED OUT TO BE A BIG FAILURE WELL not a failure just not as big a deal as Merck – Merck was always popular I THINK HE EVEN NAILED MY SISTER course he ain’t unique in that regard, anyway.

 

FOCUS – JUSTIN KING ARTICLE – OK he says Victor Hampton got beat deep and he didn’t like it when he did – wait he got beat deep? there was that one play but I think he was supposed to have safety help I blame Williams not Hampton on that one but it wouldn’t have even mattered if Ellis Johnson would call a damn blitz every now and then.  If Gilmore is NFL bound and Hampton is so fast and CC is mean, why don’t we JUST PLAY MAN DEFENSE AND BLITZ PEOPLE JOE LEE DUNN MAN HE WAS KINDA FAT AND WE STILL LOST A BUNCH BUT I LIKED HIM even when Kimrey threw the fade he was pointing at something like maybe safety help that was missing WHAT IF JOE MO WAS still alive man I bet he would be retiring right now with 200 wins well the math aint right but I loved that guy and Joe Lee was only with him for a year or two right I mean it was Al Groh some also wasn’t it?

 

Wait – Al Groh is at Tech now and they just beat Clemson and that was beautiful but everyone I know is a Clemson fan and they are already forgetting and thinking they are awesome again why are there so many of them in Dollar General I mean its weird you walk in and everyone is wearing orange.  CVS is kinda that way not not like Dollar General or Family Dollar or even Walmart I mean if you walk into the Anderson Target I bet they are all Tiger fans but they don’t wear all orange all the time.  Man they’re gonna kill us especially IF WE DON”T THROW THE DAMN BALL TO ALSHON AND ELLIS DOESNT BLITZ TAJH BOYD OFF HIS ASS LIKE AL GROH DID wait it is Al Groh, isn’t it? 

 

Justin King says that we can’t question the teams heart –  he obviously hasn’t seen us cover a kick – how can our guys get blown off their assignments and not get down there to cover EVERY FREAKING TIME GOOD LORD FLORIDA WILL HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH US ON KICKOFFS AND THEN WEVE GOTTA FACE SAMMY WATKINS maybe we should fire John Butler and beg Rychleski to come back no I understand he liked the ladies but he had our special teams doing well was he married?  Man I hope my wife doesn’t find out about that girl in Accounting it just started cause she said her ankles hurt in her heels and I rubbed her feet in the breakroom and then she looked straight at me and she kinda twirled her hair and WAITWAITWAIT focus on Justin King Justin King –

 

 So he says Gamecock Nation doesn’t exist except where its in us or on us, but that doesn’t really mean anything its kinda like saying puppies kittens and happy butterflies you may feel better but youve learned absolutely jack squat.  And whats this nonsense he’s spouting about now they need us more than ever last time I checked they don’t need us for anything what they need is a coach THAT WILL THROW THE DAMN BALL TO ALSHON FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

 

– What if that girl from accounting calls my house?  How can I explain that to my old lady?  Justin King says the players need us now more than ever and that we should support and love them no matter what even when they don’t deserve it.  Try telling that to my wife if the girl from accounting calls . . .

 

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[So obviously I’ve still got some work to do on the gadget, but let’s not let my wife know about this, shall we?]

Not sure which is the case, but be advised of the following info that landed in our in-box:

GEORGE ROGERS TO APPEAR AT THE “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED HEISMAN TOUR PRESENTED BY NISSAN”

The tour heads to Columbia, November 12, when No. 15 South Carolina takes on SEC rival Florida

WHO: South Carolina’s 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, the school’s career rushing leader, will appear from 10:00-11:30 a.m., participating in both an “SI Chalk Talk” session with Dan Patrick Show executive producer Paul Pabst from 10:00-10:30 a.m. and an autograph session from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

WHAT: Sports Illustrated and Nissan have teamed up to celebrate the Heisman Memorial Trophy and the greatest games in the history of college football with a 10-stop national tour at marquee matchups this season. Admission to the tour is free, and fans are encouraged to pick up a Sports Illustrated special-edition magazine that showcases “College Football’s Unforgettable Games” … compliments of Nissan.

o Get your picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the Heisman Trophy

o Take a closer look at the 2012 Nissan Maxima premium performance sedan, the original “4-door sports car,” and the 2012 Nissan Frontier vehicle, where single-minded ruggedness is married to advanced technology.

o View SI covers and images on 52” touch screen monitors

o Participate in autograph sessions and photo ops with former football greats

o Win prizes by participating in fun, interactive games including a virtual combine and QB challenge with gesture recognition technology

o Register for the BCS Championship Ultimate Experience Sweepstakes

o Get an RFID bracelet, allowing you to check in and instantly share your experience on Facebook

o Keep tabs on the weekend’s action by viewing games and highlights on plasma TVs and a custom 16’ x 9’ LED screen

WHEN: SATURDAY, November 12, 2011 – 8 a.m. until kickoff

WHERE: Located in Gamecock Village, on George Rogers Blvd. across from Williams-Brice Stadium

Look for the big Nissan/Sports Illustrated helium blimp flying overhead!

Well, Andy, I just spent the last hour directing my energy to a blog post wondering why people are so satisfied with a 7-2 record and #13 BCS ranking. Is it not OK to have wanted more?

In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen and heard a lot of what Andy Demetra is talking about above.  I even participated, telling the Gamecock Nation to “enjoy the ride” and quit complaining when we were 7-1 and had won 17 of 21 regular season games.  But Sunday morning after the Arkansas loss it really hit me – Georgia is in position to win the SEC East, and actually is likely to win the SEC East.

At that point my perspective changed. Because if that happens, we will have blown a golden opportunity.

Before I go any further, let me state that I’ve been a diehard Gamecock fan since 1987, my freshman year in Columbia. So I’ve lived through Sparky and Fat Brad, I’ve lived through 1-10 and 0-11, and I’ve seen many, many more disappointments than triumphs in 24 years. But I kept coming back, and I will continue to come back.

Unfortunately, through nine games in 2011, I must say this season has been a disappointment.  

But Buck, you just said you lived through 1-10 and 0-11? How can you be disappointed with 7-2 and a top 15 national ranking?

First of all, stop trying to relate what was going on in 1998 and 1999 to what we have today. The program is light years ahead of where it was in those years, but is it wrong to expect more? To want to improve on improvement? Lou Holtz took us to a new level, and Steve Spurrier has taken us to a level, or maybe two, above that. 1999 should not be our reference point for 2011.  2010 should be our reference point for 2011.

Second, yes, I will agree that 7-2 is a nice record after nine games. It’s how we’ve gotten to 7-2 that I have a problem with. We simply have not played up to expectations.

Don’t you know we still have a lot to play for? We still have a shot at the East, a shot at double-digit wins, a chance for a BCS bowl. This could be a historic season.

Right, I keep hearing that, and all those things are still in play. But what have you seen from this team, this year, that makes you think it can achieve any of those things? Please don’t take this the wrong way. I love our team, our players, and I think they play their heart out every week. But something is missing from an above average team that could make it great. Just look at how our season has played out:

• East Carolina – should we have really struggled with this team for as long as we did? A team that is now 4-5 and lost to Houston 56-3?
• Georgia – a great win no matter how you slice it, but we didn’t play particularly well, and could have easily lost this game. And I’m THRILLED we didn’t.
• Navy – again, a major struggle against a team that is now 3-6. If we were anywhere near elite, Navy shouldn’t stand a chance against us.
• Vanderbilt – yawn.
• Auburn – unfortunately, the game that is likely to define our season. A team depleted by graduation/defection to the NFL, searching for an identity after being crushed by CTU, comes into our house and takes away our margin for error. You CANNOT lose to this Auburn team if you want to be great.  
• Kentucky – easily our best game of the year. For once in the Spurrier era, we stepped on a team’s throat and crushed them.
• Mississippi State – a game won by pure force of will, which is why I love our players and coaches. But that’s a team we have to pull away from.
• Tennessee – much tougher than it should’ve been.
• Arkansas – the best team on our schedule and we really didn’t stand much of a chance. There’s no shame in losing to the ‘Hogs, but it would’ve been nice to have been competitive with them without the aid of dropped passes and missed field goals.

Every week I keep thinking we’re going to turn a corner, but the corner keeps moving further away.

But we’re playing without Lattimore, Nunn, Garcia, and played Saturdy without Antonio Allen!

Let me ask you, were we playing without those guys against East Carolina? Navy? Most importantly, Auburn? There is no doubt we miss them, but we weren’t playing very well WITH them in the lineup. And please don’t use it as an excuse for any losses we may have from here on out. That’s why you recruit. One man goes down, the next guy steps in. That’s what great programs are made of, and that’s where I hope South Carolina can get to someday. Soon.  

Back in August we were saying this was the most talented Gamecock team ever.  We had the three-headed monster of Garcia, Lattimore and Jeffery. We had a dominant defensive line. We were the odds-on favorite to win the East.

In September we cleared the Georgia hurdle. We continued to “win anyway” against inferior teams despite injuries and…well, whatever you want to call the Garcia situation.

But in the midst of it we wet the bed against Auburn, and sitting here today I can’t help but think we’ve blown it. We let one get away when we didn’t have the luxury of letting one get away.  

So stop telling me to be happy with 7-2 because in 1999 we were 0-11. This is a different team, a different era.

There are plenty of people that will be Pollyanna about Gamecock football and let me have it for saying the season has been a disappointment to this point even though we’re 7-2. And that’s fine.

I guess it beats being 6-3.

http://twitter.com/#!/MeetMeAtThe50/status/133677177085501440

Please tell me Hyman and Pastides aren’t that stupid.   PLEASE!?!

We wrapped up Episode 12 of the TRC Unleashed podcast last night and you can find it here. It wasn’t pleasant, which I can guarantee you it will not be after losses, but it’s still entertaining. Especially if you like hearing grown men cry (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Enjoy. 

 

Please be sure to join us for TRC Unleashed, Episode 12, at 6 p.m. We’ll be:

• Reviewing the loss to Arkansas
• Previewing the game against Florida
• Assessing our chances to still win the East
• Discussing the state of the program, and the state of college football in general

Click here for audio.

 

Whether legally or illegally, these guys will hit you.    Be advised, Gamecocks.

 

A few thoughts here:

–  Players play like they are coached to play.  Which made Chris Culliver (last year’s human personal foul machine) all the more disturbing.

–  Does Vandy play Arkansas next year?  If so, MUST SEE TV.

–  James Franklin continues to impress:  First, he personally corrals his own angered mob, then he checks on his injured warrior, then he starts bending the ref’s ear.

–  Dave Neal BRINGS IT, and BRINGS IT EARLY on the call for ejection.  This is a Dave Neal that could OWN Raycom sports, if it existed anymore.

–  Who’s the Arky coach that gets a fistful of the back of Wade’s jersey and escorts him out?

– Wait, Vandy still lost this game somehow?  /facepalm

 

 

Click here to listen to last night’s mid-week episode of TRC Unleashed.  In it, Buck, Tbone and the Gman discussed:

• Offensive and defensive performances from the Tennessee game
• Play of the game from the Tennessee game
• How we’re 7-1 and nobody seems happy
• What we need to do to beat the ‘Hogs
• The annual “Spurrier is leaving” rumors
• Life with Tbone in the upstate after the first CTU loss

We’ll be back on Sunday with our regular edition of TRC Unleashed.

TRC Unleashed returns at 6 p.m. tonight. Riveting topics include:

• The win over Tennessee
• The upcoming win over Arkansas
• The performance of the offense
• The performance of the defense
• Rumors of the demise of the HBC

Join us, won’t you?