South Carolina’s 34-16 victory over Mississippi State Saturday was about as exciting as watching an episode of “The Young and the Restless.” OK, OK, it wasn’t that bad. I have to say I’d rather watch football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, rugby, CSPAN, grass grow or a wall than sit down and watch a soap opera.
In Saturday’s thrilling 27-24 overtime victory at previously unbeaten Missouri, the Gamecocks — known for their overall youth this season — hitched their wagon to the team’s experienced veterans.
Before South Carolina’s dramatic comeback in the 27-24 victory over Missouri, it looked like mistakes would cost the Gamecocks the victory. The errors started with a missed 40-yard field goal in the first quarter by true freshman Elliott Fry, who redeemed himself later in overtime from the same distance.
Connor Shaw wasn’t supposed to play Saturday against Missouri. Neither was Kelcy Quarles. But with South Carolina down 17-0 midway through the third quarter and struggling to avoid turnovers, coach Steve Spurrier went up to Shaw and asked him if he could play.
Arkansas @ No. 1 Alabama, Sat. 7 p.m., ESPN/WatchESPN Coming off its 48-7 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats, the Alabama Crimson Tide switches focus to an Arkansas team that suffered a 52-7 home loss to South Carolina last weekend. Alabama’s ground game destroyed a mediocre Kentucky defense last Saturday, accounting for five touchdowns from three different players.
No. 16 Texas Tech @ West Virginia, Sat. noon, Fox Sports 1 A pair of Big 12 teams face off Saturday. One of them is Texas Tech, led by first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury. It is uncertain who will start for the Red Raiders this weekend, as freshman quarterback Baker Mayfield missed last weekend’s victory against Iowa State.
While the defensive line did not record a sack at Arkansas last weekend, it performed well, defensive line coach Deke Adams said. Adams said he saw progress in Saturday’s game, even though the unit still made some mistakes.
It is hard to complain about the South Carolina offense when it put up 52 points and more than 500 yards last week at Arkansas. However, coach Steve Spurrier is hoping there won’t be a letdown against Tennessee.
After a three game stretch that saw South Carolina earn a reputation for blowing leads late in games, last weekend’s 52-7 pummeling of Arkansas was just what the doctor ordered for the Gamecocks.
Is the sky falling for our Gamecocks as we watch Jadeveon Clowney’s legacy tarnish after sitting out Saturday without warning coach Steve Spurrier? Probably not, but that’s what the likes of ESPN want you to think. A miscommunication like that between a high-profile player and his notoriously outspoken coach is the kind of story that sports journalists live for, but we can be thankful that most of the reporting was a bit sensational. Unfortunately, one facet of the story is dead on: the concerning lack of communication.
Watching Saturday’s game between South Carolina and Kentucky was like déjà vu. For the past three weeks, the Gamecocks have built up a comfortable lead, only to let defensive and special team miscues let the other team back into the game.
Football is a man’s world, or so says our culture. From birth, it seems little girls may only enter this world with pom-poms in hand or a bow in their hair, cheering on their male counterparts, who dominate the realm of sports media.
After the student section emptied early during South Carolina’s game against Vanderbilt, Student Government and the Athletics Department have developed new strategies to keep students in the stands.
If you watched Steve Spurrier’s press conference without seeing the game Saturday, you’d probably have thought that the Gamecocks had just suffered a loss. Spurrier was frustrated that his team let the Knights get back into the game in the fourth quarter. It was the second game in a row in which the defense allowed an opponent to fight its way back.
At halftime of South Carolina’s game at Central Florida, the Gamecocks were trailing 10-0 and had 45 rushing yards. Sophomore tailback Mike Davis had 17 yards on five attempts. On the first drive of the second half, Davis had 70 yards on three carries, including a 53-yard touchdown run that woke the Gamecocks up.
One of the most polarizing topics in South Carolina football this year has been coach Steve Spurrier’s use of junior quarterback Dylan Thompson. While senior Connor Shaw has started all four games under center this season with Thompson occupying the backup role, some fans have called for the younger of the two to see more playing time.
South Carolina’s dynamic duo of sophomore running backs Mike Davis and Brandon Wilds took a hit on Saturday after Wilds dislocated his elbow in the third quarter. Head coach Steve Spurrier said Wilds is expected to miss two to three weeks. The injury occurred on a third-and-seven where Wilds actually picked up the first down off a running play but fumbled. The injury seemed to happen after the fumble, when a Central Florida defender nailed Wilds as the running back was reaching for the loose ball. The Knights recovered the ball at the USC 47-yard line, but were unable to cash in, going three-and-out.
