>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We’re always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it’s been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we’re rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

You can take the survey HERE

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WYR2WQT

Thanks for your support!

The Gamecocks host the Tennesee Volunteers today in Columbia. Blake Cooper starts for Carolina and Bryan Morgado starts for the Vols. Morgado has been beaten up a little bit from time to time (5.00+ ERA), so it will interesting to see how good we can get the bats going.

Chat about the game in the open thread.

The Real Prize Recruit?

A lot of Gamecocks fans have fixated on Bruce Ellington and Demontre Harris. Maybe we should all take a closer look at another incoming recruit, big man R. J. Slawson. Slawson had a phenomenal senior season, culminating in netting the SC Gatorade Player of the Year Award. He beat out Ellington for the honor.

What I’m really liking about Slawson is that he has a fairly developed offensive game. We need another scorer on the block in the worst way. Word is that Harris’s offensive game will need a bit of work when he gets here.

Another thing to like about Slawson, especially after what we’ve experienced with some other prize recruits over the past few years, is this:

Slawson has maintained a 3.42 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a summer basketball camp counselor, a youth mentor for elementary school students and as a caretaker for the elderly.

The Real Prize Recruit?

A lot of Gamecocks fans have fixated on Bruce Ellington and Demontre Harris. Maybe we should all take a closer look at another incoming recruit, big man R. J. Slawson. Slawson had a phenomenal senior season, culminating in netting the SC Gatorade Player of the Year Award. He beat out Ellington for the honor.

What I’m really liking about Slawson is that he has a fairly developed offensive game. We need another scorer on the block in the worst way. Word is that Harris’s offensive game will need a bit of work when he gets here.

Another thing to like about Slawson, especially after what we’ve experienced with some other prize recruits over the past few years, is this:

Slawson has maintained a 3.42 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a summer basketball camp counselor, a youth mentor for elementary school students and as a caretaker for the elderly.

Some interesting news came out of the Gamecocks’ spring practice report last night. Here are some of my thoughts on what’s going on.

Steve Spurrier Wants Stephen to Cut His Sacks in Half this Season

I’m glad Spurrier is keyed in on this, as sacks were perhaps the offense’s biggest weakness last year. However, I got the impression that Spurrier is putting a lot of the burden of making this happen on Garcia, and that idea seems misplaced to me. Yes, it’s true that Garcia could have avoided a few sacks over the course of the season by getting rid of the ball instead of holding onto it for too long or getting happy feet and trying to make a play by scrambling. At the same time, though, Garcia saved more than a few busted plays with his feet last year. Moreover, and most importantly, the real problem here isn’t Garcia: it is, and always has been, the offensive line. Yes, it’s important for Spurrier to coach Garcia to learn to deal with poor protection. It’s more important, though, that Shawn Elliott gets this line playing a little better so we don’t have so much poor protection. Because of the lack of time he had, Garcia is excused for more than a few of the sacks he took last year, and I hope Spurrier is aware of that.

Connor Shaw Played Well

Spurrier seems pretty high on this kid and he seems to be a decent, smart player. That’s good, because we need a reliable backup for Garcia, as well as someone who can step into the starter role a couple of years down the road.

Garcia is Taking a Leadership Role

This is good. As it should be a for a veteran. (Did I just call Stephen Garcia a veteran? Wow.)

Patrick DiMarco Is Getting Reps at Tight End

Also a good idea, IMO. I’ve heard good things about Justice Cunningham, but if DiMarco is a better change of pace for Weslye Saunders, then I say go for it, especially if Brian Maddox is indeed ready to step into the fullback role.

We’re Working on Improving Kickoff Coverage

Thank God.

Nolan Belcher hurled six scoreless innings to pick up his second win of the season and Scott Wingo drove in a career-high four runs as South Carolina defeated Furman 15-0 on Tuesday night at Fluor Field.

Brown: increasingly the tint to our season 

Spring break 2010 got off to a less than auspicious start when the Gamecocks, needing a win on Sunday to take the series, dropped a 19-6 decision to the Team from the Upstate. The 14 point loss is the largest in Carolina Stadium history and the largest since the Tigers beat USC 10-2 in their last trip to Carolina Stadium on April 22, 2009. I hope this isn’t the start of an unfortunate trend.

Pressing on to more sunny matters, USC stealed its resolve to finish Spring Break week on a 5-0 run. Of course, the oppenents for this week consisted of Valparaiso (3-6) and Brown (1-6) . But pay no attention to that Win/Loss record behind the curtain.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sounding the alarm bells yet. Clemson and ECU are both great teams, and losing a series to them doesn’t indicate that we’ll miss the post season this year. Clemson managed to sweep one of the ACC’s most prolific offenses in NC State. We were a couple of runs from taking both of those series. Then again, we were also a couple of runs from being swept in both of those series…

More concerning is that we needed extra innings to take the third game from Brown 6-5 on Sunday. Outscoring Brown University by a talley of 24 – 16 doesn’t exactly indicate the prolific offense or the overpowering pitching staff that we were rumored to have pre-season. More bothersome, still, is that Ray Tanner felt it necesarry to send Jackie Bradley, Jr. to steal second during Saturday’s second game. Bradley, who was already back a few weeks early from an injury that was supposed to keep him out 4-6 weeks, re-injured his hand (he was out on the throw, by the way). Who knows how long Bradley will be out now that we really need his services, even as we start SEC play with a series against Tennessee this weekend. That one’s on you, coach.

Also on Coach Tanner was a horific double steal attempt that made my eyes bleed in the second Saturday game. Runners were sent from both first and third in an attempt to take a run from Brown while we were down. Some signals were crossed on the play, resulting in a run down between first and third that the baserunner narrowly escaped to remain safe at first. I have to give it to coach Tanner, though, he made a gutsy move, Mav, and called the exact same play before the next pitch was even thrown. This time the play worked as planned when an imperfect throw home resulted in a perfect run for the Gamecocks (tieing up the game if memory serves me). Hat tip to you, Coach Tanner. We’ll, no doubt, keep that play in our back pocket for when we may need it later in the season.

I’d like to be more forthcoming in my analysis, but to be honest, homework and fantasy baseball preclude me from giving this re-cap more of my time. On the slate for this week are games at Furman and vs. Davidson before the weekend series against Tennessee. I’ll concede that this post might be a little negative for a week that saw us go 5-0, so I’ll leave you with this. If you want a hero for the season thus far, look no further than one Kyle Enders. That kid has been great. Let’s hope he keeps it up.

The State has more in-depth re-caps for you below:

Saturday games

Sunday game

I’m going to take the weekend off from writing anything substantial. I have a few things to say about the basketball team and how people are taking the loss (sneak preview: the future is brighter than some are saying), but I’m going to give it a rest for for a couple of days. We have nothing but time now, and frankly I’m a little spent.

We can, though, chat about the goings-on here in this open thread. We can talk about our series against the Brown Bears (there’s a double-header today after yesterday’s postponement) and that basketball tournament that we crapped our way out of.

Gamecocks Sweep Mid-Week Valpo Series; Set Two Records

Spring is here and with it comes spring football practice. I’m a little late getting in on the discussion here, mostly because I’ve been busy with basketball and that sueño known as the real world. However, better now than never, so what follows are the five questions I’m most interested in hearing about over the next few weeks, beginning with least important and moving to most.

5. How will we use Tori Gurley and Alshon Jeffery together?

We’ve already heard one bit of good news out of practice: the coaching staff is working on getting the twin towers on the field at the same time, with Gurley moving to slot receiver. Along with Jason Barnes and a talented group of backups, this could be one of the–if not the–best receiving corps in the conference. It will be exciting to see how they look on the field together.

4. Will special teams play improve?

There are a couple of questions here. First of all, we need to see our kickoff return coverage unit play much better. This needs to be a top priority in 2010; it’s very possible to argue that our coverage unit cost us at least one big game last year–Georgia–and hurt us in others. Second of all, I’d like to see an improved return game. We have two of the faster players in the league in Chris Culliver and Bryce Sherman. It’s time for us to see these guys take a couple to the house.

3. Who will end spring as the top runningback?

We were crowded at runningback last year and will be more so this year. Candidates for top spot will be Kenny Miles, who started most of last year, Brian Maddox, who started some and played a lot in short yardage situations throughout, Jarvis Giles, who was highly recruited but never broke into the rotation consistently, and Bryce Sherman, a dimunitive speedster. I think the big issue here is probably how much Giles has improved; he’s probably the most explosive player of the group, but his decision making and small frame cost him last year. If he is ready to be more of a downhill runner and has put on a few more pounds, he could challenge Miles. There’s been talk of moving Maddox to fullback (and last year’s fullback Patrick DiMarco to tight end), which I think is a great idea, both for the team and Maddox’s NFL prospects. Sherman will likely continue to play in specialty packages. Finally, of course, regardless of what happens in the spring, Marcus Lattimore will get his chance when he gets on campus in the summer.

2. How will the new faces on defense fare?

We return a good bit of talent on D, but a few longtime starters are gone, particularly Eric Norwood, Darian Stewart, and Nathan Pepper. What is more, a few of next year’s projected starters, such as Chris Culliver, will be taking it easy this spring as they nurse recovering injuries. This will give us a chance to see how some of the new faces on the depth chart look. I’m especially interested in DeMario Jeffery, D.J. Swearinger, Tony Straughter, Josh Dickerson, Toquavius Gilchrist, and Melvin Ingram.

1. Can we expect improvement from the offensive line?

Despite hitting some road bumps at times, the performance of the offensive line improved last year under Eric Wolford. Can Shawn Elliott complete the job? If so, our offense has the tools and experience in place at the other positions to be one of the best in the league.

This post is intended to be a general conversation starter; please sound off with your own questions / concerns in the comments section.

Greetings from Roll ‘Bama Roll. Thought you guys might be interested in our game preview.

Good news: somebody has to win tonight!

* * *

The Crimson Tide basketball team will travel to Columbia’s Colonial Life Arena tonight to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Both teams are struggling mightily as the season comes to a close, but Alabama will be coming in short-handed on top of everything else, with the suspension of its top player, sophomore forward JaMychal Green, and the possible continued suspension of another starter, junior guard Senario Hillman.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Alabama (Central) time and 7 p.m. local (Eastern) time. The game will be televised nationally by ESPNU. For Tide fans in the Carolina region, tickets can still be purchased online here. Unfortunately the game will not be available on ESPN360, but those without access to ESPNU can still listen to the CTSN radio broadcast.

The Tide is limping into their final road game of the season having lost seven of their last eight games. Bama is exactly .500 on the season, with a 14-14 overall record, but the Tide is only 4-10 in SEC play after a string of late meltdowns and close losses. Now they must face their final road challenge with only seven scholarship players.

Second-year coach Darrin Horn is hoping to move South Carolina from perennial NIT-status to perennial NCAA-status. The program looked to be improving both on the court and in the stands under his direction, but the recent losing streak has killed their NCAA hopes for this year and their top three players are all seniors. One of those seniors, wing player Dominique Archie, was lost for the season back in November with a knee injury, dampening expectations for this season. Still, the Gamecocks were projected as a possible NCAA tournament team as recently as three weeks ago. At that point they were 14-9 overall and 5-4 in SEC play with a win over #1 Kentucky under their belts. However, they have lost five in a row since then, and now sit with the same overall record as Alabama, 14-14, with an SEC mark of 5-9. The Cocks have lost all hope of an NCAA bid and would probably need to win out to even get on the NIT bubble.

Read below the jump for more on the Gamecocks and Alabama’s short-handed tactics…

South Carolina is led by senior point guard Devan Downey, who is the most prolific scorer in recent SEC history. His average of 26.4 points per game leads the SEC this season by a wide margin, and that’s taking into account his recent (relative) poor performances the past few weeks. At the midway point of the SEC season, he was averaging over 30 per game. Most impressive of all perhaps is the fact that Downey has done all of this as one of the smallest players in the league at a listed 5′9″. So how does he do it? Not only is he a deadly 3-point shooter, with nearly three made 3’s per game while shooting over 35% from beyond the arc, but he can also penetrate at will and score with his trademark tear-drop floater in the lane. He is able to get his looks from deep because defenders have to respect his driving ability and he is a threat to pull up from way beyond the arc and hit. He also needs very little space to get shots off with his quick release and high-aching shot, and he is adept at fadeaways. Finally, he draws fouls more frequently than anyone in the league and scores nearly 7 points per game from free throws alone. In addition to his scoring prowess, he leads the team in assists with 3.2 per game in conference play and will soon be the school’s all-time leader in steals, averaging 2.6 per game in league play this season.

Downey is joined in the backcourt by fellow senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross, who is second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game in SEC play. Raley-Ross is another dangerous 3-point threat, averaging over two makes per game in league play while hitting 34% from the arc. He scores the majority of his points in that way. The top reserve in the backcourt is freshman guard Ramon Galloway, who occasionally starts when Horn elects to go with a smaller lineup (let’s hope for our sake he does with us having only two post players left on the roster). Additional backcourt depth is provided by freshman guard Stephen Spinella.

The Gamecocks have struggled to find a replacement for senior swing man Dominique Archie, who was lost for the season early on and was expected to be their second-leading scorer. Freshman swing man Lakeem Jackson has started every SEC game in that spot, averaging 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in league play while turning in nearly two assists per outing, second on the team. He’ll play a lot of minutes and will probably be a solid player for them in the years ahead. Senior forward Evaldus Baniulis also sees time as a small forward and occasionally starts. He used to play a big role under former coach Dave Odom but only averages 1.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in conference play this year.

The only full-time starter in the post is junior forward Sam Muldrow. He has quietly put up some solid numbers this season, averaging 10.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in league play, but he also plays about 33 minutes per game, significantly more than most post players. Luckily for us, the Gamecocks don’t have tremendous depth in their frontcourt. Junior forward Austin Steed and JuCo transfer Johndre Jefferson each see time down low and occasionally start, but neither plays more than 14 minutes per game. In fact, South Carolina post players play a combined 57 minutes per game, meaning that for more than half of each game, they play with only one true post player. In other words, if we’re going to go into an SEC game without JaMychal Green and suiting up only two guys taller than 6′6″, this is the game to do it. 

Despite the fact that South Carolina is very thin in the post, you can’t get around the fact that, assuming Hillman is still suspended, we will only be dressing out seven scholarship players, one of whom averages less than five minutes in SEC play. So really we’ll be going into this thing with six players and one backup. There is a very real possibility that walk-on Greg Cage could come off the bench for some minutes here and there. Despite South Carolina’s smaller lineup and their five-game losing streak, this will be a big challenge for our team. The Gamecocks have been very good at home (11-4 this year) and will be fired up for senior night, where they will honor several guys who have done a lot for their program.

Looking at our lineup, we will be without over one third of our scoring if Hillman remains suspended. That’s a big blow for a team that’s already at the bottom of the SEC in scoring. Picking a starting lineup shouldn’t be hard with only six potential guys to choose from. Obviously Torrance and Brock will start at guard and Hines will start in the post. Mitchell will start somewhere, the only question being whether it’s at small forward or power forward. If it’s the former and we start with a big lineup, then Knox would get the start alongside Hines in the post. If it’s the latter and we go with a small lineup then Davis would get the start as the third guard. However we start, we’ll definitely play with a small lineup for much of the night, and Mitchell will have to play a lot at the power forward position. Eblen will also have to play the most minutes he has in any conference game. Let’s hope he can step up and at least distribute the ball efficiently. The other six guys will all need to be ready to go 30 minutes or more, something that I’m not sure guys like Davis and Knox will be ready for. If foul trouble or fatigue hits, we’ll have to send some walk-ons out there.

I suspect we’ll have to play a zone defense for much of the game simply for fatigue purposes, but I don’t think that’s the ideal way to defend Downey. If we do go that route we’ll just have to pray that Carolina’s other shooters like Raley-Ross and Galloway aren’t able to knock down their looks from deep when Downey kicks out to them. We’ll also have to somehow limit offensive boards, which are more prevalent when a team plays a zone defense. If Hillman does indeed return, and he might, then I think we will play a lot more man defense, with Hillman and Brock rotating on Downey.

To win this one, and this is probably asking too much, but Torrance needs to at least come close to matching Downey in scoring. If he can do that and we can keep the rebounding gap low or even, we’ll have a chance. Of course to make good on that chance we’ll need our other guys to produce above what they’re used to. Brock and Davis will need to make a high percentage of their 3’s, Knox will need to score effectively in the post (he’s proven he can do that in spurts), and Mitchell will need to produce like he was in the middle of the season.

In summary, against most SEC teams without Green, and especially without Hillman, I’d say we have no chance, but against South Carolina I think we might have a chance if Torrance and at least a couple of our other guys steps up and has a big game, and if we limit their second-chance opportunities. Hope for the best. Roll Tide.

After a 15-0 trouncing of the Presbyterian College Blue Hose (1-7) on Wednesday, the South Carolina Gamecocks (5-2) will take on their (our {everyones’s}) hated rival this weekend beginning Friday at 6:30. The Gamecocks should be riding high on confidence after Wednesday’s match in which five USC pitchers combined to allow just two hits and Carolina batters pounded out an impressive 18 hits of their own. Starter Nolan Belcher (1-0) had a stong five inning outing in which he allowed one hit and struck out seven.

Carolina got off to a hot start, scoring 8 runs in the second inning – all with two outs. Junior oufielder Whit Merrifield extended his hit streak to 21 games dating back to last year, and added his second career grand slam in the sixth inning for good measure. Jackie Bradley, Jr. got his first start of the season in center field, going 2-4. All-in-all, just what the doctor ordered for Carolina before heading into an important series this weekend.

Clemson preview after the jump.

This year’s series with Clemson differs from years’ past in that each team will have one home game with the third match being played at Fluor Field in Greenville. South Carolina is 9-3 vs. Clemson over the last three years, so there is reason to expect that the Gamecocks can enjoy some success this weekend.

Carolina’s staff ERA now sits at a stingy 2.63. The team is hitting .309, lead by Scott Wingo(!) at .462. Scott Wingo, you may remember, is on a personal quest to be hit by more balls than the fat kid in dodgeball. He added two to his talley on Wednesday to tie the school record of 34. The Gamecocks have nine players currently hitting at or above .300: Jackie Bradley, Jr. (.600), Scott Wingo (.462), Kyle Enders (.450), Brady Thomas (.400), Robert Beary (.360), Whit Merrifield (.333), Jeffery Jones (.333), Christian Walker (.323), and Adrian Morales (.300).

Clemson comes into the series fresh off a less-than-stellar outing against Dayton in which they needed three wild pitches in the 10th inning to score the winning run. Then again, Clemson holds a 7-0 record. The Tigers’ team ERA is 2.67 and their team batting average is .304 to date. Kyle Parker and his nice pants leads all Clemson hitters with a .464 AVG, 4 HR, .893 SLG%, and a .531 OB%. So yeah, he figures to be a tough out.

Carolina’s Friday starter, Blake Cooper, will certainly have his work cut out for him. The senior from Neeses, SC is 1-1 all time vs. Clemson, and I am sure he’d like to tip that number in favor of the good guys. As you can tell from the stats this series should be evenly matched. Even so, Carolina has put up great numbers against Clemson in the past when the teams looked similar on paper. I think the fact that the Gamecocks have to travel first will help them this time around. If they can win the first game out of the gate, they’ll be in the catbird seat for the games at Carolina Stadium and Flour Field. This series should look a lot like last weekend’s against ECU, although this time with a better outcome, hopefully. Expect low-scoring games that will come down to the final three innings.

Prediction: Right now I expect the Gamecocks to take 2 of 3 from the Tigers. The key will be how both teams respond to the new home-home-nuetral set up. I have to give Carolina the edge because 1) they’ve played a tougher schedule so far, including a series at a top 25 team, 2) Carolina has dominated the series as of late, and 3) I am a giant homer when it comes to Gamecock baseball. Honestly, though, these teams are so even that a sweep by either would not be all that surprising either. With any luck, the baseball Gods will favor us this weekend. Go Cocks!

Game Times:

Friday:      @ Clemson      6:30

Saturday:  @ Fluor Field   2:00

Sunday:    @ Columbia     2:00

Previews:

Gamecocksonline.com

via www.uscrugby.org

Clemson University A/B (4-4) @ #21 University of South Carolina A/B (10-0-1)
Friday, March 5th, 2010 – STWFC Rugby Field – Columbia, SC
A: 07:00 PM   B: 08:30 PM   R.S.V.P. on Facebook!

Fans please arrive early to reserve a good space and clap USC on to the field. Those in attendance will receive a free Cock Rugby coozie (while supplies last), and a chance to win a free rugby ball at half-time. Admission is free.

Fresh off their victories over UNC Chapel Hill and East Carolina, the #21 Gamecock A-side will take on arch-rival Clemson University this Friday, March 5, at 7:00 PM on USC’s STWFC Rugby Field, located behind USC’s Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center at 1000 Blossom St., Columbia, SC. After years of futility against their hated foe, USC has now beaten the Tigers in three consecutive meetings, though the sides haven’t met since the fall 2008 season. While Clemson has struggled some the past two years, this match is always intense, and USC appreciates those who are able to attend the final A & B-side home matches of the season. The Gamecocks head in to the match with a 10-0-1 record during full 80-minute matches this season, and an 18-3-1 mark overall (including shortened tournament matches). USC is also undefeated at home this season, posting a mark of 7-0-0. With a victory, USC will seal its trip to the USA Rugby South Final Four, and lock up a date with the #6 Arkansas State Red Wolves. The event, to be held this year in Murfreesboro, TN, is essentially a national ‘Round of 32,’ as the top two teams will advance to the USA Rugby National Round of 16 held in Marietta, GA and Santa Barbara, CA on April 16 & 17.

Also potentially on the line is USC’s chance at capturing the inaugural Carolinas Rugby League A-side Championship, though it will ironically need a little help from its rival. A victory with a bonus point, coupled with an N.C. State victory without a bonus point over the Tigers on March 12, will likely give the Gamecocks the first-ever CRL league title. A victory of any sort coupled with a Wolfpack loss to Clemson also ensures the CRL Championship will come to Columbia. Thanks to a bonus-point advantage and a tied match between the clubs, NC State has a 1-point advantage over USC in the standings at this time, as it was able to score 4 tries against Wake Forest while USC did not.

The A-Side match will be followed by USC’s final B-side match of the spring. USC ‘B’ is 11-2-1 on the year, and defeated Clemson for the Rucktoberfest B-Side Championship this past October in Boone, NC. At 5-0 in league play, the Gamecocks’ reserves have already clinched the CRL 2nd XV Championship, but the squad is looking to end its spring season undefeated.

The Carolinas Rugby League is USC’s new spring matrix, and consists of the top 7 clubs in North and South Carolina, including USC, Wake Forest, Clemson, North Carolina, Appalachian State University, North Carolina State University, and East Carolina University. As the league is a mixture of Division I and Division II competition, it will send its top DI school into the South DI Final Four and its top two DII clubs to the South DII Quarter-Finals. The CRL will be naming its own all-star team and MVP, as selected by coaches and referees, and will reward the top club with its own trophy at the end of each season. The brainchild of former UNC head coach Andy Richards, the league is intended to limit regional clubs’ travel time while promoting local growth through rivaled competition.

Please join us this Friday, as the final USC home match is make-or-break for the #21 Gamecocks. Kick-off is at 7:00 PM and, as always, admission is free.

Standings and promotional information after the jump.

Become a fan of the club on Facebook!

via www.uscrugby.org

This post is part of a series on the prospects of Gamecocks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Darian Stewart

Measurements: 5′11, 216 lbs

Summary: Darian Stewart has been a starter for the Gamecocks at safety and spur since the second half of the 2007 campaign. In his early days as a starter, he was part of the forgettable late-season defensive collapse that we suffered through. Since then, though, Stewart has been a rock solid player for the Gamecocks. The hard-hitting safety has been very consistent and has made many memorable plays for us. Although he tended to fly under the radar on the league and national levels, he will be remembered fondly by Gamecocks fans.

What the Pros Have Right: Darian has an extremely versatile skill set, as demonstrated by the fact that he’s played both safety and spur throughout his USC career. He believes he can play corner, safety, and linebacker at the professional level. Because of his frame and tackling ability, he projects primarily as a strong safety, but his versatility could be attractive to teams that want him both to provide depth at SS and to be a utility player for various speciality defensive packages. I could see Darian finding a place in the league in this context.

What the Pros Have Wrong: Darian’s “tweener” status is going to play against him in the draft, as measurables-obsessed scouts are going to fixate on how his size, frame, and speed don’t exactly fit into any recognizable categories as the NFL defines them. I’m not so sure I agree with the scouts or the NFL’s general philosophy here. The NFL oftentimes has a very limited understanding of what a player can be, and while they know what they’re doing to a certain degree, I don’t think they should pass on a player like Darian who has proven himself to be more than capable of doing what he’s asked to do. Sometimes the NFL’s rigid sense of what it’s looking for in players blinds it to the potential of a talent like Darian.

Are the Mocks Right?: The mocks I’ve seen project Darian in the 5th-7th rounds or as a free agent. I think that’s probably about right, although I think teams might do well to take him earlier in that range rather than later. Although I doubt he’ll ever be a star in the league, I think he could be an excellent addition in terms of rounding out depth in the defensive backfield.

The Gamecocks will face Presbyterian College on Wednesday because of poor weather. via pictopia.com

South Carolina dropped the  prophylactic match of the ECU series on Sunday by a 4-2 margine. Gamecocks starter, Steven Neff (1-1), allowed 3 quick runs in the bottom of the first inning to give the Purple Pirates all the runs they would need for the victory. Neff would settle down a little after the first, giving up only more run (unearned) in his 3.2 total innings of work. It is somewhat missleading to call that run “unearned,” however, as the series of events that lead to it scoring can be placed squarley on Neff’s shoulders and his alone. In sequence, Neff 1) walked the batter, 2) advanced the runner to 2nd on a balk, 3) allowed the runner to third by thorwing a pick-off attempt into center field, and 4) allowed the runner home after a wild pitch. You could say it was unearned in that the batter did no work to score, but it most certainly should be charged to Neff.  After Neff followed that by giving up a bunt single, Ray Tanner brought in Reliever Tyler Webb to finish out the game. Webb performed admirably, giving up 2 hits in 4.1 innings of work. The freshman certainly made a case to be next week’s Sunday starter.

More after the jump.

Although Carolina added a run each in the 7th and 8th innings, the Gamecock bats never seemd to be in this one. Case in point, Carolina had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the 8th but were unable to to take advantage of the situation. Jackie Bradley, Jr. provided one of the few highlights on Sunday as he singled following a pinch hit appearance. Bradley, who was expected to be out with an injury for much longer, continues to show off skills that made him a Freshman A.ll-American last season. Kyle Enders had a pretty decent weekend as well, throwing out a steal attempt at second and raising his average to .450 on the season.

What to take from this weekend:

Losing a series to an obnoxious ECU team may feel like a swift kick to the nether regions, but I assure you, Gamecock fans, the sky is not falling. In fact, we actually out-scored ECU this weekend by a count of 11-10. ECU is, and has been for a while, a good baseball program that returned a lot of solid starters from last year’s squad that beat the Gamecock is similar fashion. We took one from them in their backyard, and that’s really all we needed to do at this point to stay on track for our goals.

Even Steven Neff’s performance on Sunday wasn’t all that bad, aside from the unholy, satan-spawned unearned run he promenaded around the bases, of course. Neff holds a 1-1 record on the season with 5.1 innings pitched. Not great, but not terrible by college standards. It’s still very early in the season for Neff, and to be honest he was the victim of some bad luck Sunday afternoon. At least two of the base hits he allowed in the first inning were ground balls, and the hit that scored them was a blooper that landed in the shallow outfield. Baseball can be a funny game, and sometimes these kinds of things happen. It’s a long season, and as I’ll often remind you, even the best team in the MLB loses 1/3 of its games. It’s not like he was getting shelled by ECU – it was more of the dink-and-dunk variety.

Carolina, on the whole, didn’t suffer all that much from its 1-2 performance. Baseball America had this to say about dropping the Gamecocks to #15:

The Gamecocks won the opener against East Carolina before losing close games the next two days. South Carolina used a balanced 11-hit attack Friday in support of Sr. RHP Blake Cooper. Jr. RHP Sam Dyson (4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) was solid in a no-decision Saturday, but the Gamecocks blew a one-run lead in the ninth, allowing the Pirates to rally for two in the frame. South Carolina was held to six hits Sunday, though Fr. LHP Tyler Webb (4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) was strong in relief of So. LHP Steven Neff (3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER). Sr. 1B Nick Ebert, who missed last weekend with academic issues, doubled in his first at-bat and had four walks and three runs over the weekend.

The Gamecocks currently hold a staff ERA of 3.08 and a team AVG. of .285. Expect those numbers to swing in opposite direction as the Gamecocks’ pitchers face better competition and the offense gets Jackie Bradley, Jr. back for good.

Perhaps the worst thing about the weekend, though is that the Gamecocks are temporarily the fourth best baseball team in the Carolinas, behind Coastal Carolina (#8), Clemson (#13), and East Carolina (#14), but ahead of UNC (#20). We’ll have a chance to rectify the situation this weekend in our weekend series against Clemson. I’ll have more on that (hopefully) later this week.

Looking ahead:

The Gamecocks need to do two things this week to maintain their status as a top 25 team: a) beat Presbyterian College in mid-week game and b) Take two of three from Clemson over the weekend. The Clemson series will be a 3 game one for the first time in recent memory, with a home-and-home and a nuetral site match at Greenville’s Flour Field. Carolina has dominated the series with the Tigers as of late, and a win this weekend would be a boost to our season.

Mid-Week Game:

vs. Presbyterian College (1-6), Wed. 7:00pm, @ Carolina Stadium

• Probable Starter – Nolan Belcher (So. LHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO

Weekend Wrap-Up Coverage:

The State

Gamecocksonline.com

South Carolina (3-0) travels to Greenville, North Carolina Friday to take on the ECU Pirates (2-2). The Purple Pirates are coming off an opening weekend that saw them drop two games to the number one team in the country, The University of Virginia. More recently, ECU laid the wood to Old Dominion (3-1) on Tuesday, pounding out 16 hits en route to an 11-2 victory.

More after the jump.

Carolina fans, of course, will remember our last meeting with ECU when the Pirates won back-to-back elimination matches to knock us out of the Greenville regional. This year’s edition of the Purple Pirates is every bit the championship squad as last year’s, if not more so. Lead by Sophmore LHP Kevin Brandt (1-0), ECU currently holds a team ERA of 5.75. Offensively, ECU’s team batting average currently sits at a good, but not Earth-shattering .331. Freshman infielder John Wooten (no, not that John Wooten) leads the team hitting .417 with 3 hr and 6 rbi.

Meanwhile, South Carolina (3-0) enters the weekend hitting an even .330 with a team ERA of 3.00. Not a bad stat line, even in light of the Gamecock’s competition thus far. Carolina figures to get a boost from the return of Senior 1b, Nick Ebert, who is back much earlier than anticipated after failing to make sufficient progress toward his degree. Ebert will likely take over the DH spot since Jeffery Jones has been on fire since opening day (.333 avg, 3 hr, 10 rbi). That makes for a formidable lineup no matter who is on the mound. Once we get Jackie Bradley, Jr. back into fold, we’ll have a 1-5 line up (Merrifield, Bradley, Walker, Ebert, Jones) that will rival any in the country.

As for weekend expectations, I like our chances. Ray Tanner’s offenses are capable of exploding at any time. Ebert as a late edition is a huge boost. What’s more is Tanner’s pitchers have historically performed better in the early season. Presumably, this is attributed to Tanner putting to much stress on his young men’s arms, but in the early part of the season this shouldn’t be a concern. With a little bit of luck we could come out of this weekend with a 5-1 record. I don’t dare dream of going 3-0 against a solid ECU team on their home turf. Even if we manage just one win in Greenville this weekend, all is not lost. Carolina’s season has always been made or broke in SEC play. As long as we leave Greenville with at least one win on Sunday night, the Gamecocks will be on track to make the post season and possibly acheive the 40-win milestone for the 11th year in a row.

Game Times:

Friday:      3:00pm

Saturday:  2:00pm

Sunday:   1:00pm

Brancheau was rubbing a killer whale named Tilikum after a noontime show when the 12,000-pound animal grabbed her and pulled her in, said Chuck Tompkins, head of animal training at all SeaWorld parks. Park officials say the veteran trainer drowned.

This post is part of a series on the prospects of Gamecocks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Clifton Geathers

Measurements: 6′8, 307 lbs

Summary: Clifton skipped his senior season after doing spot duty in 2008 and starting for most of 2009. Clifton had a very solid 2009, registering three 41 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. Much of his best play came late in the season. Gamecocks fans were disappointed that he chose to forego his final year of eligibility, as his late-season improvement sparked hopes that he would be an all-league performer in 2010.

What the Pros Have Right:  Clifton is rightly prized by scouts for his tremendous upside. He is tall, wide, strong, and fast, and his large frame suggests that he can put on even more pounds without losing much in the speed department. His steady improvement suggests that he can come through on his potential if given time and opportunity.

The pros are also rightly concerned over his lack of experience. Clifton doesn’t have a ton of experience and has only shown flashes of brilliance on the field. If Clifton were to bomb after being taken high, it wouldn’t be the first time a player didn’t pan out after being taken based solely on physical tools. Scouts know that.

The pros are also probably right that he should have stayed one more season. I’m not saying this because I resent his choice to leave, although I certainly think we’ll miss him somewhat. I’m saying this because he now has everything riding on a great combine. That’s not an enviable position. If he does well, he’ll be an early round pick. If he bombs, he risks not being drafted at all. If he had stayed for 2010 in Columbia, he would have likely been our sack leader and an all-league performer. That would have guaranteed him a first- or second-round selection, meaning he wouldn’t have to be worrying over his status as he is right now.

What the Pros Have Wrong: Some scouts have expressed concern over Clifton’s behavioral issues. I think they should be a non-issue. Clifton’s run-in with disciplinary problems at the beginning of this season were a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clifton comes from a good background, has generally been on the up-and-up, and will continue to be so in the NFL.

Fun Fact: Clifton is from a family of NFL talent that includes his brother Robert, father Robert Sr., and uncle Jumpy, the latter of whom was a star defender for many years. His brother Kwame plays for Georgia and also has a bright future.

Are the Mocks Right?: The mocks show little consensus on Clifton, which is to be expected with a player who is something of an unknown quantity. Most mocks mention how much he has riding on his combine performance, and I’d say that’s right. He needs to prove his freakish athleticism there, because if he doesn’t, teams will hesitate to take him based on his on-field performance.

Opening day weekend saw the Gamecocks go 3-0 against a Duquesne team that was making its last trip to Carolina Stadium. Ever. The Gamecocks performed admirably, outscoring their opponent 28-9. However, the weekend still left Carolina fans with a few questions, as every opening weekend always does. For instance, will USC’s bullpen be improved this year? After all, 6 of Duquesne’s 9 runs were scored after the sixth inning – not exactly a ringing endorsement of a Gamecocks’ relief pitchers. The USC starters fared far better, though, never allowing an inning to get away from them. The main question surrounding the starters is whether freshman RHP Tyler Webb will be able to lock down the Sunday spot. If not, we’re looking at a long season of “Sunday-starter-by committee.” Questions also surround flame thrower Sam Dyson and whether he will be able to make the same kind of contribution he did last year after coming off shoulder surgery.

via grfx.cstv.com

Of course the main question on everybody’s mind is if Scott Wingo will be able to achieve his goal of becoming the most beamed second baseman of all time. Wingo got off to a good start this weekend notching two hit-by-pitches already (or should I say allowing two hit-by-pitches to notch him).

Tanner’s offense didn’t disappoint, either. As it seems is the case every year, Christian Walker exploded in his first series with the Gamecocks to sure up a spot that had previously been a question mark. Even injured Jackie Bradley, Jr. got in as a defensive replacement late in some games, good news for those of us who feared he may be out the better part of two months.

Carolina starts this week ranked #10 by Baseball America and #12 by Rivals.com   

With the first series in the books, USC head to Greenville this weekend to take on a ranked ECU team. Tanner never has shied away from scheduling strong opponents, and this weekend may very well set the tone for the rest of the season.

 Wrap-ups:

Gamecocks Online

GoGamecocks.com

Rivals.com

LOHD Reviews Carolina Baseball Weekend

LOHD Baseball Preview

The Yardcocks kicked off the 2010 season on Friday in front of a crowd of 6,380 at Carolina Stadium. Carolina rode a two homerun performance from 1b Jefferey Jones to a 10-3 win over Duquesne (pronounced due-cane). Jones, you’ll remember, was slated to be the starting first baseman last year until his and Nick Ebert’s batting averages started heading in opposite directions. Jones’ hard work in the off season seems to have paid off as he collected 5 R(s)BI on the night. More after the jump.

Firstbaseman. Redhead. Hero.

Duquesne, you’ll also remember, is the team that South Carolina has pummeled many a time in the past. In fact, the Gamecocks now own a 20-0 all time record against the Dukes. Whether this has something to do with the Duquesne athletic department announcing the cancelation of the baseball program after 2010, I can’t say.

Duquesne isn’t the only common thread between 2010 and previous seasons, though. You might recall Scott Wingo’s propensity for being hit by pitches. Well I had to laugh when I turned on the game on my way home from work today and literally the first thing I heard was Wingo getting hit by his second pitch of the afternoon. Wingo had an all around solid game today, getting on base after all five plate appearances.

We also saw a strong pitching performance by senior right-hander Blake Cooper. We’ll need his steady arm if the Gamecocks are going to make any noise in the post-season at all this year. Relief pitching, on the other hand, was only adequate. Next week’s match-up against a ranked East Carolina squad will tell us a lot more  about the one component of Ray Tanner’s squads that have always seemd to disappoint.

You can’t take much away from a season opener, especially when it’s against a team that has never given us an ounce of trouble in the past. Still, by all accounts this year’s squad looks to be on par with the previous years’. I fully expect us to make the NCAA tournament again, and once you get there anything can happen. The key to getting back to the CWS will be our oft neglected bullpen. If Carolina can find a closer this year, look out. Getting Jackie Bradley Junior and Nick Ebert back shouldn’t hurt, either.

Carolina plays Saturday at 3:00 and again on Sunday at 1:30.

Media Coverage:

Box Score

Athletic Department

The State

This post begins a series on the prospects of Gamecocks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Eric Norwood

Measurements: 6′1, 250 lbs

Summary: Norwood has been a major contributor at both DE and OLB since his freshman year. He gotten better with each passing year, finally becoming a household name around the country after an epic performance in a Gamecocks upset of then-fourth ranked Ole Miss in 2009. He was honored as a first-team Freshman All-American in 2006, first-team All-SEC in the following three years, and first-team All-American in 2009. He holds Gamecocks team records for sacks and tackles-for-loss.

Norwood is a fan favorite and indeed something of a legend in Columbia, S. C. He’s been a big-game performer all his career and is a player the fans rally around. His choice to return for his senior season in 2009 and subsequent big season cemented his place in Gamecocks lore.

What the Pros Have Right: Pro scouts correctly note Norwood’s draws as his pass rushing, tackling, special teams abilities, and durability. His closing speed, instincts and ability as a tackler, and ability to block kicks are well documented, and he has the skills to translate these attributes to the next level. Norwood is exceptionally durable, having played in every game over the course of his career and started 32 consecutive games. The pros do and should love that.

As far as weaknesses go, pro scouts judge that Norwood will likely only be effective as an outside linebacker in 3-4 schemes. This is probably a correct assessment. While Norwood has great instincts in coverage, his height allows bigger tight ends to pick on him underneath, and faster receivers and backs can get a step on him. These weaknesses would be exposed in 4-3 schemes. In essence, Norwood will be at his best in a limited, pass-rush specialist role in the NFL. He may be able to be an every-down linebacker on some teams, but teams with more depth will likely view him as a utility player for sure-fire passing downs.

What the Pros Have Wrong: Pro scouts seem to doubt Norwood’s ability to play defensive end, with most focusing solely on him as an OLB prospect. There is some truth to this assessment: Norwood’s height will prohibit him from being the kind of top-shelf pass tipper NFL teams want at DE, and his size and weight-room measurable strength give him a disadvantage against powerful NFL offensive linemen. However, one of Norwood’s greatest strengths in the pass rush game is his knack for doing whatever it takes to get through the line. He has an impressive array of moves. I believe that, if he were to put on a few more pounds, he could likely be an effective DE. Of course, many teams will probably view him as more valuable at OLB, so this may be a moot point. It could be worth thinking about for teams looking for an elite pass rusher at DE, though.

Fun Fact: Norwood was considered an academic liability coming into college. However, he excelled in academics and chose to come back for his senior season to finish his degree despite projecting as a late-round pick after his junior season. He in fact finished his degree a semester early.

Are the Scouts Right?: Most mocks I’ve looked at project Norwood in the second to third rounds. I think this is about right. Norwood provides incredible potential as a pass rusher and special teams player, and his durability suggests that he will have a long, productive career. He’s also a very positive force in the locker room and a player that teams rally around on the field. However, he’s not well-rounded enough to warrant a first-round pick. In the first round, most teams will simply be looking for someone that can do more on more downs than Norwood can provide.

“I didn’t think he was as aggressive in Columbia. But when I say non-aggressive I thought he did a terrific job of incorporating the other guys in the game,” Donovan said. [Editorial note: yeah, I think this explains the 13 3FGA against UGA. Whatever Coach Horn may be saying, Devan is running on fumes right now.]

Here at GABA, we’ve discussed the NCAAs asinine plan to make celebration penalties live-ball fouls. We’ll, we’re one step closer to seeing the NCAA continue to ruin the game we love:

Both proposals were announced Thursday by the Football Rules Committee and must now be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.

As if it wasn’t painful enough to hear that the NCAA continues to explore this possibility, former Oregon Ducks coach Mike Bellotti had the audacity to treat college football fans like idots:

“Taunting and prolonged individual acts have no place in our game, and our officials have generally handled these rules well,” said former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, the committee chair. “This is just another step in maintaining our game’s image and reflecting the ideals of the NCAA overall.”

Paging Mike: your officials have not handled these rules well, and that, for me, is precisely the problem with this proposal and with celebration penalties as they already exist. Look, I’m all for limiting taunting. Acts that could provoke violence on the field unquestionably need to be regulated. However, the grey area comes in when we start talking about “excessive individual acts.” What is such a thing? I’m not exactly sure, and the inconsistency with which officials throw flags on it makes me think that they’re not so sure, either. If a rule is so poorly understood and subjectively interpreted, it has no place in the rules book, especially when we’ve seen several incidents over the past few years in which officials have clearly altered the outcomes of games by throwing flags on what looked to be simple displays of emotion. You know, the kind of emotion you would expect a football player to exhibit after a huge play late in a game. Georgia-LSU and Washington-BYU are the two examples that most easily come to mind, but there are others.

In short, screw you, NCAA. This rule is BS.

First things first. There’s a lot of negativity going around Gamecock Nation right now. Folks are surprised selling the Gamecocks because we failed to lay the wood to Vandy. While I won’t disagree that last night’s game left a bit to be desired, I think we should also get a bit of perspective. Vandy has beaten us the past two years, and this time we finally got them. The past two losses were difference makers; this time around, if we win a couple more, we won’t be looking back at this game and thinking that we blew our chance at a good season by losing to Vandy. It wasn’t the pretty 30+ point victory I was hoping for, but it was a victory. We should be mindful of that.

Moreover, I think there are some good things to take away from the game. They are:

• Stephen Garcia, Alshon Jeffrey, and Kenny Miles all played well. Garcia had a couple of bad plays and needs to learn how to avoid the sack, but his throws were on the money last night. He’s progressing nicely and will soon be making better decisions. There’s not really anything to say about Alshon. He’s going to be an A. J. Green-caliber star before all is said and done. Miles is also very solid.
• The defense only gave up three offensive points. Although they gave up some yardage, the three points is good by any measure, even against Vandy.

Continue reading after the jump.

All of that said, we have some things to work on before traveling to Knoxville this week. These include:

• Penalties. I said it last night; I’ll say it again. Stupid mental errors are killing our drives. We’ll need more than 14 points to win the rest of our games, and we won’t get it if we keep ending up in 3rd and 20 situations due to penalties.
• Where is Jarvis Giles? Look, I love Kenny Miles as much as the next guy, and I think Miles is definitely our best back. However, Giles has the ability to make big plays in space, so you’d think we would have a few plays designed for him. Instead, he gets three runs, all of them between the tackles, which doesn’t take advantage of his skill set. I would have especially like to see him on one of those final drives. Vandy was gassed and we could have used Jarvis’s fresh legs. Let’s hope our coaches figure out a way to get Jarvis on the field soon, as he’s too good not to play.
• On the same subject, we appear to have all of about four running plays in our playbook; maybe five or six if you count the designed runs for Garcia. You would think we would diversify our running game a bit.
• The offensive line gave Garcia time for parts of the night, but at other parts they disappeared, and those were often on key plays. It’s not going to get any easier for them over the next two weeks, either.
• Our rushing defense is a little soft. I expected we’d see Larry Smith and the Vandy running backs move the ball on the ground, and they did so. I expect you’ll see us stack the box against the Vols. If Crompton is off, it’ll work, but if he’s on, we could be in trouble.
• How many sure interceptions have we dropped this year? That one C. C. Whitlock bobbled almost came back to haunt us.

These are all problems, but I think some of them can be corrected. I hope so, at least. This Tennessee game is as big as any we’ll play this year. We should have a chance to win, but we’re going to need to play really, really well to do so.

Go ‘Cocks.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

Terrence Cody helped the Tide survive a scare. This team needs to figure out its red-zone woes.

2. Florida Gators

Also had trouble over the weekend. I’d be worried about this weekend’s game if I were a Gators fan.

3. LSU Tigers

Finally came out with an overwhelming performance. Could they be heating up at just the right time?

4. South Carolina Gamecocks

The Gamecocks squeeked by Vandy in another underwhelming performance. This team continues to win but hasn’t played a complete game yet. Kindof like the Iowa of the SEC.

5. Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels finally look like they might be ready to make a little run.

6. Tennessee Volunteers

The Vols are playing decent ball right now, especially on defense. They were one good kicker away from beating ‘Bama. (As an aside, isn’t it just Gamecocks luck that Daniel Lincoln had the one good game of his career against us back in 2007?)

7. Georgia Bulldogs

Had an off-week to prep for Florida. Do they have anything for the Gators?

8. Arkansas Razorbacks

The Hogs reverted to their pre-Florida level against Ole Miss. Still a dangerous team, but probably not a good one.

9. Kentucky Wildcats

The ‘Cats picked up a relatively easy win over LA-Monroe.

10. Auburn Tigers

The wheels have seriously come off the Chizik train. The Tigers may vie with 2007 South Carolina for the worst finish in SEC history.

11. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Another week, another missed upset opportunity for the Bulldogs. Will they finally win one of these games at some point? ‘Bama or Ole Miss, perhaps?

12. Vanderbilt Commodores

The Commodores came to play against South Carolina, but this time, the Gamecocks won.

My hats off to Vanderbilt for playing such a gritty game. I’ll have a full recap up tomorrow. For now, here are some things to think about.

1. Phew. That was close, but we beat Vandy. It wasn’t beautiful and I would have liked to see us build more momentum going into the tough part of our schedule, but it does feel good to get a win over these guys after two years of futility. In the end, a win is a win, and we got the win. It’s also worth saying that this is a game we probably wouldn’t have won last year. This year’s team made the plays it needed to make and hung tough at the end.

2. The offense played well, but it didn’t show up on the scoreboard. What’s the problem? I actually thought the offense played quite well in this game, especially Stephen Garcia, Alshon Jeffrey, and Kenny Miles. I think this might have been the best game Garcia has played for us; he made good decisions and put a number of tough throws right on the money. That TD toss to Jeffrey was a thing of beauty, and the earlier touchdown pass was also a good throw that D. L. Moore should have caught more cleanly. (That was a catch, though; his left foot was down when he gained possession.) The offensive line had some problems, but I wouldn’t say they played a bad game outside of the penalties. All in all, we put up 432 total yards. That’s a good night against a tough defense.

However, we only got 14 points out of it, and all those yards don’t mean a thing without points to show for them. Some of the problems weren’t exactly in our control, such as the bad field position we often had due to Vandy’s stellar special teams play. However, some of the problems are things we need to work on. Penalties killed some of our drives, and our play calling seemed to get strange when we would get close to the red zone. I also thought Spurrier was a little too conservative late in the game; it’s one thing to run it up the middle every time when you’re up by two scores and another altogether to do it when you’re only up by four and need to get a few more first downs. The conservative approach was even more suprirsing considering how hot Garcia was.

3. Penalties. What’s the problem? There are some penalties that I can stand, like Melvin Ingram’s facemask early in the game. Ingram was playing hard and was just in a bad position. But all these mental mistakes from the offensive line are frustrating. You’d think that our coaches would have addressed these problems by this point in the year, but apparently not. We really need to limit this stuff down the stretch if we’re going to finish strong.

This is the place to talk about VU-USC as well as the other games today. Go ‘Cocks!

South Carolina squares off with Vanderbilt Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Here are five things I predict will happen in the game:1. USC Will Win The Time Of Possession Battle By At Least Five Minutes: Because of it’s ineffective offense, Vanderbilt has held the ball for just 26:33 per game, almost seven minutes less than the opposition. The Commodores average yards per

Time to host the Vanderbilt Commodores for homecoming. Here are my thoughts on the game.

Three Keys

1. Motivation

I don’t mean to disrespect Vandy, but we all know that the ‘Dores aren’t as talented as we are. However, the past two years the ‘Dores have been the better team, as they’ve come to play confident and mentally prepared, whereas as we’ve come out unfocused and mistake-prone. This year needs to be different. The players have motivation to come out and play their best in this game, that motivation being the fact that they’ve made fools of themselves in this game for two straight years and have had to endure trash talk from Bobby Johnson. If they can’t come out ready to lay the wood tomorrow night, something is wrong with them.

2. Turnovers

Turnovers have killed us the last two years against Vandy. I mean, seriously, how many times have we thrown interceptions against these guys just when you think we’re about to march down the field and score? And to tell the truth, I don’t think Vandy is good enough to beat us without coming up way ahead in turnover margin. The problem, of course, is that Vandy knows this and is good at taking calculated risks that end up netting them the turnovers they need. We–especially Stephen Garcia and our offensive line–need to be prepared for this and come out playing smart ball.

3. Running the Football

Vandy has a solid passing defense and relies on turnovers to win games. How do you counter this? You run the football well. For some reason, in both of the past two games against Vandy, we’ve abandoned the run, despite the fact that we have a size and talent advantage against Vandy in the trenches. With our new focus on running the ball better, I don’t think that will be the case this year. We’ll run the ball early and often, and whether or not we are successful doing so will go a long way towards telling us how we do in this game.

Fun Memory

Remember this game? Our last win against the ‘Dores. Despite fumbling the ball a few times, we lit Vandy up in this one. This win started a streak of good play for us that ended with the Vandy loss the following year. Hopefully we’ll see the team come out playing like this again (without the fumbles) and gain some momentum going into the tough stretch ahead.

Prediction

This game worries me simply because we’ve played so poorly against this team the past two years. However, while this Gamecocks team still has many flaws, it appears to have drastically improved in the area that’s been most detrimental to us in the past two Vandy games: turnover margin. Stephen Garcia only has four interceptions on the year, or, in other words, one more than Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley combined to throw in the infamous 2007 Vandy game. If we can continue to protect the ball well, we’ll take away Vandy’s best chance to win this game. That’s exactly what we’ll see happen. I doubt we’ll light Vandy up considering the defense they have, but I do think you’ll see us pull away late in a physical game for something like a 24-27 to 6-10 Gamecocks victory.

Vote With Your Remote!

UK’s Wall and MSU’s Sidney Facing Eligibility Questions

via www.uscrugby.org

via www.uscrugby.org

Columbia, SC – USC Men’s Rugby was in top form this past weekend, putting forth a dominant performance despite the low score of 19-07. Facing Carolinas League foe N.C. State, the Gamecocks came out hard, pinning the Wolfpack deep in their own territory for much of the contest.
 
Club president/captain Anthony Hughes said that the Carolina, “played a very controlled game,” one in which the club, “dominated in the set pieces and rucked very well.” According to Hughes, USC “could have scored a lot more but NCST should be applauded for their stout goal line defense.”
 
The Gamecocks led 19-00 at the half, but “a few backline injuries meant several key players were replaced and the backs were disjointed,” according to head coach Geoff Mason (as reported to ARN). Nevertheless, Mason “was pleased with the forwards efforts and the defense was strong all day.”
 
Junior Nick Hart played an exceptional game, filling in scrum half, and slotted one of USC’s 3 tries on the day. Seniors Justin Schlachterman (hooker) and Chris Stevens (wing) put in USC’s other two tries, and sophomore Cullen Clair was 2/3 in conversions, once again playing excellent rugby. Of note, the match produced the lowest combined-score in a USC A-side match in the history of the club’s play at the STWFC Rugby Field. The club is now 14-5-1 at home since it began play at their current location in February 2007.
 
In the B-side match, Carolina’s depth and talent was on display once again, overwhelming the Wolfpack 48-00. The Gamecocks second XV is undefeated on the season, and was a large portion of the club that won the 2009 Palmetto Collegiate Cup last weekend in Greenville, SC. Against N.C. State, USC ‘B’ played a masterful match, dominating ball possession and scoring countless tries of well-timed dump passes and running into space. Fullback Tom Plumley was the key player on the day, running in a nice try in the second half of play, while also making conversions and penalty goals all game long.
 
Lander University A proved no problem for USC C, as the Gamecocks D3 Palmetto Side put up 60 points on the visiting Bearcats. Flanker/lock Jack Protzman led the team with high intensity and, according to club president Hughes, “was a rucking machine.” “Seeing how much those 30 guys have improved from the beginning of the year is really exciting. It is a testament to how much our program has improved and how much potential these young guys have.” The match marked USC C’s final match of the Fall semester, as the side will now be integrated into USC A & B for the club’s two remaining events. This spring the Gamecocks C-side will play in USA Rugby South’s Division III competition, taking on Furman, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Lander, and Armstrong Atlantic State in the Palmetto League – a brutal conference that has produced the last 7 South Championships while capturing 6 of the last 7 Division III National Championships. Such competition will do wonders for the continued growth and success of USC rugby, as participation in last year’s league is a large factor behind USC’s dominant run so far in Fall 2009. The University of South Carolina is the only school in all of USA Rugby South to operate 3 full sides in South matrix competition, with USC A and B participating in USA Rugby Division I.
 
Next weekend Men’s Rugby at the University of South Carolina travels to Birmingham, AL for the fourth consecutive SEC Championship Rugby Tournament, a tournament that was recently revived in 2006. Last year the club’s A-side finished 4th, losing to Division 1 rival Florida in the Plate Final. In the Second Division, USC B finished 1-1, but was denied the opportunity to defend its 2007 Plate Championship, as the tournament eliminated the Second Division 3rd-place game.
 
Heading into the tournament, USC has to be looked upon as one of the favorites, though getting past Tennessee or LSU will be no easy task. The Volunteers have dominated the Gamecocks in recent rugby action, and LSU heads into the tournament fresh off its upset of then-#2 Arkansas State. The victory moved the Tigers up to #6 in the American Rugby News Top 25. The Gamecocks will unfortunately be without backline player Richard Pyke (knee) and flanker Andrew McCauley (face) for the remainder of the season, as both players were injured in action against N.C. State.
 
USC finishes its Fall season at home on Saturday, November 7th at 1:00 pm against Appalachian State University. The B-side match will follow at 2:30 pm. Both matches will take place at USC’s STWFC Rugby Field, behind the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.
 
 American Rugby News article on the match | 2009/10 Schedule

Columbia, SC – American Rugby News (ARN), the nation’s leading collegiate rugby news agency, has ranked the University of South Carolina 22nd overall in its most recent Down Under Endeavours Top 25 (October 20th, 2009). The ranking is USC’s first appearance in the poll since February, when a loss to Arkansas State knocked the Gamecocks out of the #25 spot they’d held since November 2008.

Founded in 1967, the Men’s Rugby Club is the oldest sports club on the campus of the University of South Carolina. The club is an elite member of USA Rugby South’s premier Division I competition – an honor bestowed upon only 8 other USA Rugby South clubs (#9 Arkansas State, #23 Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, and 2010 newcomers Florida State and South Florida) – and is the only club in the South to field 3 fully competitive sides in league play. With an open membership of over 75 members, the club is the third largest rugby club in the United States as of September 27th, 2009.

South Carolina Men’s Rugby was a national powerhouse from its inception until the mid-1990s, and the club is proud of its return to national prominence. In 1984, the club was selected #1 in a national pre-season poll (by a now dormant ranking publication), a reflection of the club’s regular past dominance over both senior men’s and men’s collegiate rugby sides. The team’s greatness is reflected well in its alumni, as former USC ruggers have gone on to serve on the USA Rugby Board of Directors (Jeff Smolka), played on the USA Rugby Men’s Senior National Team (Phillip Rockefeller, ‘89), established National Division III powerhouse Furman Men’s Rugby (John Roberts, ‘90) and men’s senior powerhouse Atlanta Old White (Rick LeBel), founded the South Carolina High School Rugby League (Jeff Smolka), as well as many other accomplishments, including serving as the popular broadcasting voice of USC sporting events (Brad Muller, ’92).

The club’s current coach, Geoff Mason, is the only former professional coaching in collegiate South competition, and has been a large part of the club’s renaissance since 2003. A success on the field, Mason played in the New South Wales Rugby League competition for Sydney University, Newtown and Penrith in the 1970’s as a prop and second row and represented Newcastle against New Zealand in 1978. From there, he emigrated to the US in 1980 and was Player/Coach at USC from 1981-1985. He also played for Olde Grey 1986-1990 where he represented Combined South and East in the National All-Star Championships. Afterwards, he coached USC from 1992-1994 where the club reached the South Final Four. Since Coach Mason’s return to USC in the spring of 2004, USC has risen to new heights and returned to national prominence. Taking over a previously under-achieving Division II team, Coach Mason quickly helped the team reach the USA Rugby South Division II playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Building on this success, coupled with increased performance on the organization level, the club moved to the South’s prestigious Division I competition – an honor bestowed upon only 9 collegiate clubs in USA Rugby South, where the club’s A and B-side teams both placed 4th of 7 in their first year of Division I play (spring 2008). In the spring of 2009, the club’s A-side finished 5th of 7, but its B-side rose to 3rd, and USC became the first club in the South to place a C-side into full league play (Division III – Palmetto League).

This week’s ranking is a reflection of Carolina’s 4-0 record in full regulation play. The club also put together a motley side of mostly B & C-side players at the 2009 Palmetto Collegiate Cup, winning that competition despite the tournament coinciding with USC’s Fall Break. 

Next weekend Men’s Rugby at the University of South Carolina travels to Birmingham, AL for the fourth consecutive SEC Championship Rugby Tournament, a tournament that was recently revived in 2006. Last year the club’s A-side finished 4th, losing to Division 1 rival Florida in the Plate Final. In the Second Division, USC B finished 1-1, but was denied the opportunity to defend its 2007 Plate Championship, as the tournament eliminated the Second Division 3rd-place game.

Heading into the tournament, USC has to be looked upon as one of the favorites, though getting past Tennessee or LSU will be no easy task. The Volunteers have dominated the Gamecocks in recent rugby action, and LSU heads into the tournament fresh off its upset of then-#2 Arkansas State. The victory moved the Tigers up to #6 in the American Rugby News Top 25. The Gamecocks will unfortunately be without backline player Richard Pyke (knee) and flanker Andrew McCauley (face) for the remainder of the season, as both players were injured in action against N.C. State.

USC finishes its Fall season at home on Saturday, November 7th at 1:00 pm against Appalachian State University. The B-side match will follow at 2:30 pm. Both matches will take place at USC’s STWFC Rugby Field, behind the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.

In the Spring of 2010, USC will begin play in the inaugural Carolinas Rugby League, a result of the South’s reorganization of its collegiate competition. The Gamecocks are joined in the CRL by Division 1 foes Clemson University and the University of North Carolina, as well as D2 sides Appalachian State (#6 – Rugbymag.com), East Carolina (#22 – Rugbymag.com), North Carolina State , and Wake Forest. The Carolinas League represents a new opportunity for growth and cooperation in North and South Carolina, as the league will name its own All-Star Team, MVP, and crown its own champion. It will also send its top D1 and top two D2 sides into South playoff action, with USC aiming for the South Final Four on March 27th and 28th. 

The Men’s Rugby Club at the University of South Carolina is an open membership club that takes all interested athletes, regardless of experience level. Many USC ruggers have little to no experience prior to competing at the collegiate level but adapt quickly, as evidenced by club newcomer Calvin Storey’s selection to the 2008 SEC Tournament All-Star Team (Nov. 8th, 2008) – Storey only began play with the club in the spring of 2008. The club regularly fields 3 full sides, and is a proud member of USA Rugby, USA Rugby South, and the Palmetto Rugby Union. Additionally, the club is honored to compete in the SEC Championship Rugby Tournament. Several club members are also annually selected to the Palmetto Rugby Union Collegiate All-Star team and compete in the USA Rugby South Local Area Union All-Star Tournament each November, where they are selected to tryout for the USA Rugby South Collegiate All-Star Team. 

The club is always welcoming of new players, and interested athletes should visit the team’s website at www.uscrugby.org for further contact information.

American Rugby News Down Under Endeavours Top 25:

1 (1) California (idle) [5]
2 (3) Utah (6-0) [5]
3 (4) BYU (idle) [5]
4 (5) Navy (6-0) [4]
5 (6) Dartmouth* (10-1) [2]
6 (7) LSU* (2-0) [4]
7 (9) Delaware* (5-0) [4]
8 (16) Colorado* (6-2) [4]
9 (2) Arkansas State* (2-1) [4]
10 (8) Army* (0-0-1) [2]
11 (11) Penn State (4-1) [4]
12 (12) San Diego State (idle) [4]
13 (13) St Mary’s (idle) [5]
14 (14) Arizona (idle) [4]
15 (15) Cal Poly (idle) [4]
16 (10) Kutztown (5-2) [4]
17 (20) Central Washington (1-0) [3]
18 (21) Bowling Green (8-0) [2]
19 (18) Texas A&M (idle) [4]
20 (19) UC Davis (idle) [5]
21 (17) Colorado State* (4-4) [4]
22 (unranked) South Carolina (4-0) [3]
23 (22) Florida (3-0) [3]
24 (23) Syracuse (4-1) [2]
25 (24) Harvard (4-1) [2]

*denotes exhibition games

source: American Rugby News

Steve Spurrier held his weekly call-in radio show on Thursday night. Here is a summary of what he said:FIRST SEGMENT: Spurrier has not arrived at Wild Wings yet. Fans are reminded to arrive at W-B Stadium early on Saturday because of the State Fair. Parking coule be difficult for those who linger.SECOND SEGMENT: Spurrier has arrived. USC is very healthy right now. WR Moe Brown has a concussion

1. Dropped balls. Penalties. Pass protection. Quarterback dazed and confused. 3rd and really long. How do we fix these things? Are they really big problems or did we just face a defense for the ages tonight?

2. How good is our defense? In the absence of defenses that can embarrass us like Bama just did, can our defense carry us to our goals?

3. What the F$#@ was up with that final drive? Where was the urgency?

4. How does this change expectations?

South Carolina travels to No. 2 Alabama Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Here are five predictions for the game:1. USC Won‘t Miss Jarvis Giles or Heath Batchelor: Giles piled up huge numbers against Florida Atlantic (113 yards) and SC State (74 yards) but has just 45 yards on 15 carries (3.0 yards per carry) in three SEC contests. Giles has a tendency to run backwards when he gets into

Time to take on the Tide under the bright lights of Bryant-Denny. Do we have anything for the heavily-favored Red Elephants? We’ll soon see.

Comment on the game in the open thread. Also feel free to weigh in on WFU at Clemson, Georgia at Vandy, Arkansas at Florida, and anything else that catches your attention.

The 5th ranked Lady Gamecocks were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by number sixteen Georgia.  Carolina had a 1-0 halftime edge, but Georgia took advantage of a PK and a goal in the run of play from senior Carrie Patterson to come back for a 2-1 victory.  It was the first time Carolina had given up more than a single goal in a game, and the first time the team had trailed all season. 

It sounds like South Carolina just ran into a hot keeper.  Just like a starting pitcher can hurl a team to an upset, a keeper can do the same in soccer.  The Lady Bulldogs’ keeper came up with seven saves from twelve Carolina shots, while managing eight shots of their own.

South Carolina is still first in the East thanks to Florida’s 2-2 tie at Tennessee.  The Lady Gamecocks (13-1-1, 5-1-1)  travel to Knoxville for a Sunday match with the Lady Vols.

<!–Session data–>

Recent unfounded accusations of neologisms aside, I thought it only fitting to borrow a term from the ever-disappointing writers over at The State for my mid-season re-cap. In case you missed this gem, the headline of one of Seth Emerson’s pieces ran as “Tampering Expectations” for some time before someone apparently realized the mistake.

Emerson’s piece relays Spurrier’s comments about the expectations surrounding the Gamecocks’ upcoming game with the Tide. Essentially, Spurrier says that this team has an incredible opportunity in front of them, but that fans should keep their own expectations for success reasonable. In other words, temper them. Or tamp them down. Or, if you work at The State, “tamper” them.

Insert collective groan here.

However, it did get me thinking: what are reasonable expectations for a team that was predicted by most to finish 5-7 or worse but is currently sitting at 5-1 mid-way through the season? Sure, if you operate in a knowledge vacuum you might be tempted to say that any team at 5-1 should have at least 4 more wins under its belt by season’s close. If you were a pessimist, you might look at USC’s schedule and declare that there’s really only one more win in it for the Gamecocks – Vanderbilt. As usual, you can safely assume that the truth is somewhere in between.

As I see it, current expectations for the ‘09 edition of the Gamecocks must be adjusted – up. Coming into this season, the disastrous end to ‘08 and the incredible youth on our two-deep had most saying that a 6-6 season would be moral victory that could lead to much better things in ‘10 and beyond. I, myself, remember thinking that 4-8 or worse should result in Spurrier’s exit, 5-7 or 6-6 should put us in wait-and-see mode depending on how we finished, and 7-5 or better would be a resounding success.

At 5-1 I think Gamecock fans can reasonably expect a winning season and a trip to a bowl game. At this point Vanderbilt is a definite win. Yeah, I said it. If we lose to Vandy this year, Steve Spurrier is going to have a full on brain aneurism a la Tom Cruise at the end of Mission Impossible III. Read my lips. It’s not going to happen.

But 10-2 isn’t going to happen either. Reasonable people see losses to Alabama and Florida ahead. That leaves Tennessee, Arkansas, and Clemson as toss ups. I think it may be optimistic, but still reasonable, to predict we win two of those three. From where I sit, anything less 7-5 at this point is a failure. Complete and unqualified. Anything less than 8-4 is a failure to take advantage of a golden opportunity. 9-3 or better and Spurrier squelches any talk of having lost his touch. Eric Hyman then commissions Blue Sky to create a statue that captures Spurrier in all his glory.

I got together with Roll Bama Roll’s Create Story: SB Nation: Garnet And Black Attackoutsidethelines for a little tete-a-tete to preview this game. Here’s what he had to say. My answers to his questions are forthcoming at RBR.

1. One of the big question marks for Alabama coming into this season was Greg McElroy. Obviously, McElroy has turned out to be a pretty good player. How do you feel about your quarterback situation at this point in the season and what should South Carolina expect from the Tide passing game?

It’s hard to not feel very good about McElroy at quarterback. He’s been a smart quarterback, moved well in the pocket, been accurate in his throws, stretched the field vertically, and has generally done everything that you would want your quarterback to do. He hasn’t been entirely perfect, though, and did struggle last week against Ole Miss, but I don’t think it’s really anything overly unexpected. The Rebels have a good defense, and McElroy was going to experience some growing pains at some point. As for against South Carolina, I expect McElroy to have his typical solid-to-good day, so long as we can keep Norwood and Matthews from overly harassing him.

2. Alabama has one of the best rushing attacks in the SEC, while South Carolina had trouble slowing down Kentucky last weekend. Will ‘Bama move the ball well on the ground against South Carolina, and if so, how?

(2) If we will commit to running the football — which we didn’t do last week — then I imagine we’ll have a good bit of success on the ground against the Gamecocks. Perhaps I’m wrong, but with Ingram and Richardson in tow, it’s hard not to feel optimistic after watching South Carolina State and Kentucky combine for almost 400 yards against you guys. As for how we look to move the ball, expect to see lots of runs out of the Pistol and the shotgun… we operate out of those two sets probably about 75-80% of the time now, and you see a nice mix of both inside and outside runs.

3. Despite moving the ball fairly effectively, Alabama had problems putting the ball in the end zone against Ole Miss. What caused these problems, and could they continue against South Carolina?

(3) The problems in the red zone against Ole Miss were poor play-calling, penalties, and carelessness handling the football. A couple of drives stalled because we got too pass-happy near the goal line, another ended because of a false start penalty, two more ended with fumbles, plus we had one dropped touchdown pass. It was extremely frustrating to watch us continue to be completely unable to punch it across the goal line, but by the same token it did seem like the reasons we were unable to do so were largely one-off happenings that largely won’t re-occur in the future. We basically shot ourselves in the foot all afternoon against Ole Miss, and I imagine we have a bit of a regression to the mean against the Gamecocks. We won’t necessarily be an unstoppable juggernaut in the red zone, mind you, but I don’t look for a repeat of the struggles against Ole Miss either.

4. South Carolina has had an efficient but not spectacular offense this year. The key to slowing down South Carolina, though, is to pressure play tight man coverage and to pressure the quarterback. How well will ‘Bama do these things and how?

(4) We play a pretty good bit of man (though perhaps not as much as many think), and I imagine we’ll continue to use our typical mix of cover schemes. We always throw a million different looks at opponents, and I don’t see any reason to think Saban will change that long-held strategy this weekend against South Carolina. The real key, like you mentioned, will be the pass rush, and I think that’s where we likely take control of this game. We’ve got some great players on the defensive line, and it’s probably the deepest unit in the country to boot. We rotate players constantly and wear down opponents, and given South Carolina’s struggles on the offensive line, I really like our chances of taking over this game at the line of scrimmage. I do think South Carolina has some great skill position players on the outside, and we’ll probably see a fight to the draw there, but I look for our defensive line to take advantage of your offensive line.

5. If you could have one South Carolina player, who would it be?

(5) Eric Norwood, and it’s not even close to anyone else. Not only is he a great player in his own right, he would be the ideal replacement for Dont’a Hightower at the Will linebacker position. I’d probably take Norwood over literally every single other player in the conference, including Tebow.

6. Prediction. Who will win and how will it go down?

(6) I think ‘Bama wins this one, but doesn’t cover the spread. I’m not exactly expecting a nailbiter, but by the same token I don’t think this one will be a blowout by any stretch. South Carolina will fight hard and they have some good players, but I do think ‘Bama is the better team and that will ultimately show. I say the Tide gets a relatively comfortable, by SEC standards, victory somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 points.

Tomorrow evening brings us to Tuscaloosa, AL to take on what is undisputably one of the best teams in the country. The nation’s eyes will be on us and a win in this game would be one of the biggest in our program’s history. Can we do it? The odds are stacked against us, but I think we have a chance. Here’s what I think we have to do to get it done.

Three Keys

1.The Offense Must Break Through

Overall, I would say that this team has executed a veritable sea-change in its offensive play since 2008. However, a number of shortcomings have kept it from truly breaking through. Those include penalties, poor red-zone offense (oftentimes related to the penalties), and, last week, a couple of turnovers. (We can all agree, though, that our turnover margin is much improved overall from last year.) We can’t have any of these problems hold us back this week. With their defense, the Tide won’t give us much. Therefore, we need to play near-perfect, mistake-free offensive ball. We need to limit the penalties. We need to have no turnovers. And perhaps most importantly, we need to convert touchdowns when we have the chance. I have some hope that we can do these things after watching us come close several times. The key, perhaps, will be for our injury-ravaged offensive line to play the game of its life.

2. Big Plays

Conventional wisdom in a game like this–one that matches up a pretty good team against a great one–is for the pretty good team to try to keep it close until late in the game. At that point, the underdog can make its move. And I do think, if our team plays its best, that we can do that. However, I’m not sure that I trust us to win if we simply go out there, play relatively conservatively, and try to slug it out with ‘Bama. The Tide have greater depth than us and an offense that’s designed to pull away late in tight games. Therefore, while we should avoid tempting the gods, we should take some risks early. A flurry of early scores that not only keeps it close but gives us a lead is what this team needs to go into the fourth quarter with a winnable ball game on its hands.

3. Stephon Gilmore

I see Gilmore’s play as absolutely essential to this game. Why? Because he’s going to have to cover Julio Jones man-to-man. Conventional wisdom would suggest that we should use zone coverage to slow down Jones, but I just don’t see that as an option, as ‘Bama’s well-tuned rushing offense will gash any zone we throw at them. Moreover, we probably need a turnover or two to win this game. That’s why Ellis Johnson will–or at least should, from where I’m sitting–sell out to stop the ‘Bama run and pressure Greg McElroy, leaving Jones all up to Gilmore. We recruited Gilmore to be the next great corner at DBU, and this is his time to show us how good he can be. Can he stop Jones all night? Probably not. But if he can cover Jones well enough to prevent any huge plays and to allow our front line time to do what it needs to do for us to win this game, he’ll have done his job.

Fun Memory

Our first win against ‘Bama.

Prediction

After a somewhat sluggish performance last week in which I thought the team might have been looking ahead to this week’s game, I expect you’ll see us focused and playing our best this week. That should equal a tight game in which we bid for the upset. I really do think this team is capable of challenging ‘Bama; this South Carolina team is probably the best overall team Spurrier has had here. We have a very good defense and an offense that seems to get a little better each week. We’re really not that far from being able to compete with the ‘Bamas and Floridas of the world.

That said, we’re still not quite on that level. Without a screw-up or two by ‘Bama, I don’t see us being able to beat the Tide, especially with the game being in their house. Unfortunately, ‘Bama is a well-coached team that isn’t going to give us anything, so I have a hard time seeing us winning. The game will be close, though; I’m going with 27-21 Tide. I’ll be satisfied with that. While I’d love to win this one, if we can at least maintain our dignity better than the Tide’s other opponents have done, we’ll have some momentum going into the rest of our schedule, in which we’ll still be in position to accomplish our goal of an eight- or nine-win season.

Per The State:

USC freshman tailback Jarvis Giles is suspended for the Alabama game for an undisclosed violation of team and university policy, media relations director Steve Fink said Friday.

Fink said Giles would not make the trip to Tuscaloosa, but did not know whether the suspension extended beyond Saturday’s game.

Giles is the Gamecocks’ second-leading rusher with 245 yards on 42 carries.

This isn’t ideal for tomorrow, but it’s not the end of the world, either. Giles may be the team’s second-leading rusher, but most of his yards have come against the weaker portion of our schedule. Kenny Miles and Brian Maddox are most of the snaps against the real competition, and I expect that would have been the case against ‘Bama tomorrow regardless of whether Giles was on the field. However, Giles is an important part of this team going forward, so let’s hope he gets his act together.

Steve Spurrier held his weekly call-in show on Thur. night. Here is a summary of what he said: 7:00 PM – We’re awaiting the start of the show.FIRST SEGMENT: Kickoff Sat. at 7:45 p.m. ESPN TV. Rain this week. Disruptive? Preparation has been OK. Indoors Mon and Tue. USC has played well when they’ve practiced indoors. Temps expected to be in the 50’s in Tuscaloosa. Night game. Team must hang out

Here are the results, courtesy of TSK:

1. ALABAMA (10), 208
2. FLORIDA (8), 206
3. LSU, 175
4. SOUTH CAROLINA, 158
5. AUBURN, 129
6. ARKANSAS, 125
7. TENNESSEE, 105
8. OLE MISS, 93
9. GEORGIA, 87
10. KENTUCKY, 54
11. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 46
12. VANDERBILT, 18

Follow the link to TSK to see what the pollsters had to say about each team

Gamecock Man on RBR Podcast

My accuracy was pretty dismal last week, so take these picks with a grain of salt.

Georgia Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Commodores

If Georgia were in their current tailspin last year, I would probably call for a Vandy victory here. However, the ‘Dores are among the country’s worst teams this year, so while this game might be close, I doubt they’ll win. Expect Vandy’s defense to keep things tight, but their offense just doesn’t have enough to beat the ‘Dawgs.

Mississippi St. Bulldogs at Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders

An SEC team traveling to Murfreesboro? What’s the world coming to? MTSU actually beat Maryland earlier this year and may be able to give the Bulldogs a game. However, State has actually been playing quite well lately They just haven’t been able to break through with a big win against what has been a pretty brutal schedule thus far. Look for the Bulldogs to come out fired up and win this one.

Arkansas Razorbacks at Florida Gators

Many pundits have called this a trap game for the Gators. I don’t see it. Florida will move the ball at will against the soft Arkansas defense, and while the Hogs’ offense isn’t too shabby, it’s weakness is a strong pass rush, an attribute the Gators have in spades. Watch for Ryan Mallett to be sacked early and often as Florida crushes Arkansas.

UAB Blazers at Mississippi Rebels

The Rebels get a breather as they attempt to regroup and figure out a way to get back in the mix for a major bowl bid.

Kentucky Wildcats at Auburn Tigers

The ‘Cats have shown a bit of life over the last couple of weeks, but don’t have much to show for it. Auburn, on the other hand, was demolished by Arkansas last week after a promising 5-0 start. How will the two teams respond? I’m thinking that Kentucky’s offense is good enough to move the ball against Auburn, but if I were a ‘Cats fan, I would worry that the transition from losing Mike Hartline will be a tough one. Auburn, on the other hand, should be able to score frequently against Kentucky. Expect a close Auburn win.

Moments after USC had “upset” No. 4 Ole Miss, 16-10, on Sept. 24, in front of a raucous crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium, Eric Norwood confidently told ESPN’s Erin Andrews that the outcome didn’t surprise the Gamecocks at all.And it shouldn’t have.Now they need to take that same attitude to Tuscaloosa this weekend. Unless the Gamecock players approach that game with the expectation of winning, it

Gamecock Man on TSK Now