USC says revenge not a factor though after two losses to Tigers in 2010
It has been nine months and 26 days since South Carolina played eventual national champion Auburn in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.
Much has changed since then. Quarterback Cam Newton is now under center for the Carolina Panthers, breaking three different NFL rookie records in his first three games. Nick Fairley is a member of the Detroit Lions. Fourteen of Auburn's 22 starters in the BCS title game are gone.
As the Gamecocks look to avenge their 56-17 title game loss to the Tigers in Atlanta, Auburn could not be a more different team than when it last played USC. In Auburn's loss to Clemson on Sept. 17, the SEC championship seemed like a distant memory.
The Gamecocks have not forgotten, though. It may not be about revenge this Saturday, but the Gamecocks will have something to prove. Auburn is the only SEC team USC has not beaten since joining the league since 1992.
"Revenge does not play into our mind," offensive lineman Terrence Campbell said. "Of course, with them beating us two times last year and us never beating Auburn (since joining the SEC), this would definitely be a big win for us. We're just going to come out and play hard. We're going to give our all out on the field. We're going to try to let the score take care of itself."
Rather than seeking revenge, the Gamecocks are viewing Auburn as a stepping-stone on their way to the SEC Championship.
"The last step would be winning the SEC Championship," Campbell said. "Beating Auburn would be great, and they're another step towards our goal, but they're an SEC West team and we're an SEC East team, so we're just looking to go out there and get another 'W.'"
While Auburn may be just another game toward returning to the Georgia Dome in December, there is no denying that Auburn has been on the mind of the Gamecocks for weeks now. After the Navy game, in which South Carolina won its second consecutive game by just three points, having to come from behind late in both games, quarterback Stephen Garcia brought up the manner in which the Tigers beat opponents throughout its national championship run.
"If you look at Auburn last year, they came from behind several times," Garcia said. "They did against us as well. That's what we've been focusing on all season — playing well in the fourth quarter and getting out of the game with a win."
Indeed the greatest change in the Gamecocks from last season to this one has been a newfound ability to come from behind and secure the win late in the game, something Auburn specialized in last season. Through four games, the Gamecocks have trailed in the fourth quarter twice and had to overcome a 17-0 deficit in its first game against ECU.
Against Auburn last year in the regular season, USC had a two-touchdown lead in the second quarter before the Tigers came back to win 35-27 to go to 4-0. Now, the Gamecocks are the team that is 4-0, while Auburn struggled against Utah State and Mississippi State before losing to Clemson. They beat FAU last week 30-14. It's clear Auburn is no longer the team with which coach Gene Chizik hoisted the BCS Championship Trophy after its victory over Oregon.
"It's two different teams," defensive tackle Travian Robertson said. "It's a different game from last year, and all we're doing is focusing on is getting our assignments right and playing to the best of our abilities. What happened last year is over with."
Though USC boasts an unblemished record, it hasn't played to the best of its abilities yet. The Gamecocks are similar to last year's Auburn squad, which took several weeks to become dominant, though it never stopped playing close games.
"We can be a lot better," running back Marcus Lattimore said. "As far as consistency and limiting our mistakes and really just cutting down on the stupid things we do, we've just got to be a more fundamentally sound team, and we can get better as the season goes on."
Knowing that the Gamecocks have not played up to their potential makes Lattimore a believer that USC can put together the kind of season that Auburn had last year.
"We've got the players to do it," Lattimore said. "We've got the coaches to do it, and we've just got to continue to get better. It's possible for us to go undefeated, but we've just got to keep getting better."
In order to have the season that Lattimore envisions, USC will have to beat a team it hasn't beaten in 78 years. The Gamecocks don't want revenge against this year's Auburn squad as much as they want to eliminate the damage from last year's SEC Championship Game.
"They did embarrass us that second game," Lattimore said. "It was a good ... first game. We want to come out and play like we've never played. We're just trying to get that win because they did embarrass us that last game."
No matter how much time has passed since USC last played Auburn, the past won't soon be forgotten, as it is shaping the Gamecocks' focus on the 60 minutes they'll play on Saturday.
"We're going to think about what happened," defensive lineman Melvin Ingram said. "We won't dwell on it, but we're going to always think about it. Every day in practice we can get better so we won't experience that feeling again."