South Carolina College Sports

[Spartan]

I think that last season has little relevance now that this season has started. New players, new coaches, etc. Its a new ballgame (pun intended). Speaking of performances, I'm surprised that Clemson was able to stay ranked on the coach's poll after theirs.

[distortedlogic]

I think that last season has little relevance now that this season has started. New players, new coaches, etc. Its a new ballgame (pun intended). Speaking of performances, I'm surprised that Clemson was able to stay ranked on the coach's poll after theirs.

Maybe, but that is what preseason and 1st week polls are mainly based on. But even if we are just looking at week one, I would not have ranked SC. They looked awful (at least offensively) for 3 quarters, and beat a seemingly awful team. I didn't see anything in their performance that was rank worthy.

[CorgiMatt]

Maybe, but that is what preseason and 1st week polls are mainly based on. But even if we are just looking at week one, I would not have ranked SC. They looked awful (at least offensively) for 3 quarters, and beat a seemingly awful team. I didn't see anything in their performance that was rank worthy.

You forget that we just missed being ranked in the preseason poll at number 26 or so. As college football polls go, moving up two spots after winning a game isn't undeserved, IMO.

[scoop]

I think that last season has little relevance now that this season has started. New players, new coaches, etc. Its a new ballgame (pun intended). Speaking of performances, I'm surprised that Clemson was able to stay ranked on the coach's poll after theirs.

Our D returned almost all of it's starters from last season, so I expect them to be stout all season long. The O is where I have concerns, but Clemson shouldn't have remained in the polls after Bama soundly thrashed them at the GA Dome.

I don't want us ranked too high, even if we beat the Dawgs next week because we appeared to have gotten a swollen head last year when we went 6-1.

[GvilleSC]

How about them Shamecocks? I never expected this after the "glorious" showing last week!

[CorgiMatt]

We're sorry and always will be. Spurrier is not the answer because there is no answer.

[distortedlogic]

How about them Shamecocks? I never expected this after the "glorious" showing last week!

Like I said after last weeks win over NCS, it could be a very long year for SC. We are now officially the "Duke" of the SEC. Unless SC can get back that mental toughness, the spark of hunger and confidence ( like they had the first half of last year) I don't see more than 3 or 4 wins this year.

[CorgiMatt]

The depressing part is having to ask why not SC? It will never change.

[distortedlogic]

I think what Holtz and Spurrier have been up against is a mentality about SC football; namely that is purely a mediocre team that always has been and always will be. This is just what SC has always been. Right now, after 120 years of football, SC is about 4 or 5 games under .500. That is about as mediocre as you can get. I think that mentality has been passed down from player to player and team to team for decades. Perhaps this is what Spurrier talked about when he first got here about changing the way some things are done, and changing some attitudes. I guess it's easier said than done. But until the mentality of the football players and program changes, we will always get what we've always gotten. Sc has to develop a chip on their shoulder, an attitude of winning, a mentality of a winning program. Alabama is a good example, even though they have been down for awhile, the Alabama program has an attitude of winning that transcends coaches and teams. They expect to win everytime they take the field. Anything less is underacheiving. SC on the otherhand, has a legacy and attitude of mediocrity. Anything more is "overacheiving." I think Steve has been working to change this, but it would probably take many years to acheive. I don't think neither Holtz or Spurrier actually realized the scope of the tasks they decided to undertake at SC.

[scoop]

We're sorry and always will be. Spurrier is not the answer because there is no answer.

You're right SS isn't the answer. His Offenses are so predictable, the Defense doesn't have to do much guessing as to what we're gonna do. We need a coach who is up to date in this era of college football.

Alabama has Saban, GA has Richt, LSU has Miles, Florida has Myer, etc. Tenn is on it's way down with Fulmer another one who has seemingly lost touch with the modern game.

Schemes and adjustments wins games and we don't do a very good job at either of them.

[Spartan]

Ok, first of all Carolina is not the Duke of the SEC. Vandy still holds that title, and it will take many decades before that changes. Don't forget that we are the first RANKED team they've beaten in 25 years (and many of us questioned whether USC should have been ranked). We are also the highest ranked team they've beaten since the 1930s or something crazy like that. Oh sure Vandy has an ok team this year but lets not assume that a second loss to them is the start of any long term trend. We still hold a 14-4 record over them.

So regarding the game... did it suck for Carolina? Absolutely. Our offense had a poor showing, though I think it was still better than the NCSU game. Thankfully our defense is extremely good this year and we have a few good playmakers. I think it will be a difficult year, as always, but there is no reason to give up hope just yet. Vandy had a few lucky plays and our guys made a lot of mistakes (especially false starts) which hurt us a lot. If our boys will play better in the trenches we will prevail.

And to you Climpsen people, lets not forget that USC played a relatively close game to Vandy, as opposed to not showing up against an "inferior" team. In the SEC any team can defeat any other. Watch out for the Bulldogs this weekend. They might leave a bite mark.

[Charles Pearson]

Tigers should (and probably will) clobber the Citadel Bulldogs 70 to 10...but then, who knows in college football. Bulldogs may shock me, and I'll tune out college football for the rest of the year. Clemson causes me such stress...

It's certainly been a tough week in sports for my native state with Carolina losing to Vandy and DC edging Charleston Battery in soccer for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. Oh well, the Battery played well & will be back...while shaky Clemson makes me nervous.

[CorgiMatt]

The loss to Vandy made the Gamecocks exactly even in wins and losses according the The State the other day. USC's women just beat the Clemson women in soccer for the third time in 5 matches. That comes nicely on top of the USC men beating CU for the second straight year the other day.

[lifeisajourney]

Ok, first of all Carolina is not the Duke of the SEC. Vandy still holds that title, and it will take many decades before that changes. Don't forget that we are the first RANKED team they've beaten in 25 years (and many of us questioned whether USC should have been ranked). We are also the highest ranked team they've beaten since the 1930s or something crazy like that. Oh sure Vandy has an ok team this year but lets not assume that a second loss to them is the start of any long term trend. We still hold a 14-4 record over them.

That was Vandy's first win over a ranked opponent at home in 16 years. Oddly, they have beaten many ranked opponents on the road in that time - including a team in Columbia last year. According to an article I skimmed, they won at Arkansas and Tennessee in 2005, Georgia in 2006 and South Carolina in 2007.

[distortedlogic]

SC is just so hard to figure! Going back to the end of 06, through the first seven of last year, SC went 8-1, including wins over Clemson, a top 12 UGA, and 8th ranked UK. They had won 5 straight SEC games. Since that time, that same team has gone 1-6, with two losses to Vandy. It is like they turned off their mental toughness last year at halftime of the UNC game. They got it back for a half against UT, but after thier comeback fell short, they haven't found it since. I think about 85% of SC issue right now is mental.

[Spartan]

Its not the same team. The current squad does have a lot of the same players, but lets not forget that people graduate every year. Sidney Rice was a key player for the offense in 06. Since losing him we have not had an effective QB. Blake Mitchell had his moments, but he was never spectacular, and IMO Chris Smelley was and is promising. IMO it was a lot of luck that got us where we were the first half of last year. I do agree that a lot of what is happening now is mental in that there is not a key player to make things happen offensively like Rice.

[goodbye]

If you look closely, it sure does appear that Lou Holtz out-recruited Steve Spurrier at most positions. If SC's record against Vandy includes a total of 4 losses and half of those have come within the past year, under Spurrier no less, that fact alone raises serious doubt about whether he is the right man for the job. Personally, I would like to give Vandy and former Furman University head coach Bobby Johnson credit for beating a better team twice within a year (two seasons). The question remains, "How long will the Gamecocks have to wait?"

[Spartan]

It has recently come to light that Carolina has tied the record with Mississippi for the smallest student section in the SEC at about 12%. "Florida's ratio is the highest at 24 percent, with Georgia trailing at 19 and Mississippi State University at 18 percent." The Student Body Government is considering adopting a resolution to increase the size of the student section- no word on what that increase will be though. In the resolution, it's reported that the national college average is above 20 percent.

IMO we should be at least at the national average- 20%

The Daily Gamecock

[CorgiMatt]

Who will Clemson's next head football coach be?

[GvilleSC]

Who will Clemson's next head football coach be?

I don't know, but I think it's solidified that it will happen next year...

[knightrider162]

Next game should be interesting with a new quarterback, don't think that will rescue the season though.

[Spartan]

Well, mid season, CU is 3-3, USC is 4-2. Both are mired in mediocrity this half of the season. I hope that next season is different.

[GvilleSC]

Tommy Bowden is gone.

[teshadoh]

Holy cow - the only media source I've found is here: http://www.wyff4.com/sports/17703104/detail.html#- because it just happened. That is quite shocking that it happened mid-season & not at the end of the year. But I would have hoped they would have kicked the offensive coach too.

Most likely - Clemson AD has written off the remaining football season, because the rest of the season is just going to get uglier. Still - I hope it gives Clemson enough time to shop for a new coach & for the players to adjust to not having Tammy around.

Also, in other news - I read that Korn will get the starting position for QB.

[CorgiMatt]

Swinney is probably just what Clemson needs to beat the Gamecocks by season's end. They almost always figure out a way. Not that Bowden couldn't have done it.