We will call this play the "thanks dad" play.
Here's what just happened: Scottie Spurrier comes off the bench DURING THE PLAY to haul in a long TD pass; yes off the bench from the sidelines out of no where. Scottie runs onto the field around the 15-yard line when Chris Smelley heaved a pass downfield to seemingly no receiver, only to have Scottie arrive under it and come in for the score. Tricky is right....
The officials threw their flags, calling the flagrant illegal participation. And Coach/Dad Spurrier, because he can, ordered that the defense decline the penalty.
TD for Scottie Spurrier, the 5 foot 4 inch Son of Steve Spurrier.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
USC Football Spring Game Today / Thoughts
Today at 1pm the Univ of South Carolina will hold its' Spring Game today.
Let's take a moment to review.....In the four months since South Carolina played a football game, the Gamecocks lost their leading passer and rusher to graduation, Steve Spurrier hired two defensive coordinators and a special teams guru, and another SEC school won a national championship by beating Ohio State.
After failing to earn a bowl berth for the first time since 1990, Spurrier made a couple of major staff changes. With no guarantee he would retain his title at USC, defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix left for the same position at Mississippi. Nix’s departure was part of a coordinator’s carousel that saw Brian VanGorder bolt USC to return to the Atlanta Falcons 17 days after arriving in Columbia.Hours after VanGorder left, Spurrier hired Winnsboro native Ellis Johnson, who left Mississippi State for Arkansas three weeks earlier.Johnson, who was Clemson’s coordinator from 1994-96 and The Citadel’s coach from 2001-03, inherits a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters, including middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley.
What to watch for in the Spring Game?
The Defense --- The first item on Johnson’s improvement list should be the run defense. The Gamecocks ranked last in the SEC and 110th among 119 teams nationally last year at stopping the run, giving up 209.3 yards per game. USC’s defensive interior was gashed late in the season by Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden and Tebow, helping both players build their Heisman platforms. Johnson describes his defensive philosophy as fairly simple: “You get the most speed on the field you can get,” he said when he was hired in January. Johnson aligns a lot of that speed near the line of scrimmage, preferring to keep the linebackers in his 4-3 scheme in the game rather than substitute with extra defensive backs. Defensive tackles/designated run-stuffers Ladi Ajiboye (6-1, 300), Marque Hall (6-3, 314) and Kenrick Ellis (6-5, 353) all gained weight this winter but must do a better job shedding blocks. The Gamecocks also need to develop depth in a secondary that is thin behind the starters.
What newcomers are going to step up? ---Given the situation at cornerback, Akeem Auguste should get a chance to prove he can cover SEC receivers. Auguste and his Fork Union Military teammates, safety Antonio Allen and tailback Eric Baker, are 2007 signees who enrolled in January. Baker, the leading rusher in Florida two years ago with 1,703 yards, could push Mike Davis and Brian Maddox for playing time. Also, new special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski will give Chester athlete C.C. Whitlock a shot to return kicks. Also watch if Spencer Lanning steps up to be the punter to help rest Succop's leg which could prove to be vital as the 08 campaign moves on.
It will be good to watch which QB steps up, Beecher or Smelley and also to see what WR steps up or could it be a TE that becomes a top target behind McKinley. One thing is for sure and that is USC will not lose today.
Let's take a moment to review.....In the four months since South Carolina played a football game, the Gamecocks lost their leading passer and rusher to graduation, Steve Spurrier hired two defensive coordinators and a special teams guru, and another SEC school won a national championship by beating Ohio State.
After failing to earn a bowl berth for the first time since 1990, Spurrier made a couple of major staff changes. With no guarantee he would retain his title at USC, defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix left for the same position at Mississippi. Nix’s departure was part of a coordinator’s carousel that saw Brian VanGorder bolt USC to return to the Atlanta Falcons 17 days after arriving in Columbia.Hours after VanGorder left, Spurrier hired Winnsboro native Ellis Johnson, who left Mississippi State for Arkansas three weeks earlier.Johnson, who was Clemson’s coordinator from 1994-96 and The Citadel’s coach from 2001-03, inherits a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters, including middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley.
What to watch for in the Spring Game?
The Defense --- The first item on Johnson’s improvement list should be the run defense. The Gamecocks ranked last in the SEC and 110th among 119 teams nationally last year at stopping the run, giving up 209.3 yards per game. USC’s defensive interior was gashed late in the season by Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden and Tebow, helping both players build their Heisman platforms. Johnson describes his defensive philosophy as fairly simple: “You get the most speed on the field you can get,” he said when he was hired in January. Johnson aligns a lot of that speed near the line of scrimmage, preferring to keep the linebackers in his 4-3 scheme in the game rather than substitute with extra defensive backs. Defensive tackles/designated run-stuffers Ladi Ajiboye (6-1, 300), Marque Hall (6-3, 314) and Kenrick Ellis (6-5, 353) all gained weight this winter but must do a better job shedding blocks. The Gamecocks also need to develop depth in a secondary that is thin behind the starters.
What newcomers are going to step up? ---Given the situation at cornerback, Akeem Auguste should get a chance to prove he can cover SEC receivers. Auguste and his Fork Union Military teammates, safety Antonio Allen and tailback Eric Baker, are 2007 signees who enrolled in January. Baker, the leading rusher in Florida two years ago with 1,703 yards, could push Mike Davis and Brian Maddox for playing time. Also, new special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski will give Chester athlete C.C. Whitlock a shot to return kicks. Also watch if Spencer Lanning steps up to be the punter to help rest Succop's leg which could prove to be vital as the 08 campaign moves on.
It will be good to watch which QB steps up, Beecher or Smelley and also to see what WR steps up or could it be a TE that becomes a top target behind McKinley. One thing is for sure and that is USC will not lose today.
Gamecocks beat Ole Miss
James Darnell hit his second grand slam home run of the season and Mike Cisco allowed just one run as South Carolina defeated Mississippi 6-2. Cisco limited the Rebels from scoring on Friday until the sixth inning, improving to 5-1 on the year for the win.
Justin Smoak's four hits led the way for the Gamecocks (28-10, 10-6), and Carolina is riding what is now a 8 game winning streak!
Justin Smoak's four hits led the way for the Gamecocks (28-10, 10-6), and Carolina is riding what is now a 8 game winning streak!
The streak ends...
for Clemson's baseball team b/c they beat DUKE last night. D.J. Mitchell held Duke to three earned runs over seven full innings to lead Clemson to a 7-4 win over Duke on Friday night, breaking the Tigers' 11-game losing streak.
This is one streak I am sad to see come to a end....
This is one streak I am sad to see come to a end....
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Gamecocks help to extend Clemson's 11 game losing streak
7-11.....A 7 game winning streak for the Gamecocks and a 11 game losing streak for the Clemson Tigers.
USC (27-10) used a five-run fourth inning to clinch its seventh win in a row and complete its first season sweep of Clemson since 1985. The 6-0 win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium gave USC its first series sweep since 2000, when they won two games, and the first of at least four since 1985, when they won six. Adding insult to the wounded pride, the rout extended the Tigers’ school-record losing streak to 11 games — three of which USC accounted for. Thus, for the first time since 1974, Clemson (18-19) dipped below .500 after the midway point in the regular season. Clemson also extended their school-record mark of 19 consecutive games scoring six runs or fewer. Clemson was shut out for just the second time in the past 91 games against USC. The other occurred last season. The Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 28-3 in the series. It is a great day...All this and very little coverage of the losing streak in the Upstate media.....mention the a** whooping to clemson fans and all that have to say in response is "baseball doesn't matter we got your number in football"....right....
USC (27-10) used a five-run fourth inning to clinch its seventh win in a row and complete its first season sweep of Clemson since 1985. The 6-0 win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium gave USC its first series sweep since 2000, when they won two games, and the first of at least four since 1985, when they won six. Adding insult to the wounded pride, the rout extended the Tigers’ school-record losing streak to 11 games — three of which USC accounted for. Thus, for the first time since 1974, Clemson (18-19) dipped below .500 after the midway point in the regular season. Clemson also extended their school-record mark of 19 consecutive games scoring six runs or fewer. Clemson was shut out for just the second time in the past 91 games against USC. The other occurred last season. The Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 28-3 in the series. It is a great day...All this and very little coverage of the losing streak in the Upstate media.....mention the a** whooping to clemson fans and all that have to say in response is "baseball doesn't matter we got your number in football"....right....
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
You got 10 so let's make it 11
Western Carolina defeated the Tigers 6-2 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium extending the tigers losing streak to 10 games, breaking the season record set by the 1919 team. The Tigers (18-18) now, are hitting .198 during the streak with 98 strikeouts...ouch!
Let's hope that the 11th loss comes tonight b/c the Gamecocks square off against the Tigers tonight in Clemson, SC.
Here are some interesting thoughts on the game:
Let's hope that the 11th loss comes tonight b/c the Gamecocks square off against the Tigers tonight in Clemson, SC.
Here are some interesting thoughts on the game:
- In Tanner's 12 years at USC the Gamecocks have swept the season series against Clemson only once in 2000, when USC won both games.
- The last time USC swept a season series of at least four games was 1985, when the Gamecocks were 6-0 under coach June Raines en route to the College World Series.
- USC has outscored the Tigers 22-3 in winning the first three games.
- A year ago USC also won the first three against Clemson by a combined 19-4 before the Tigers won the season-finale 14-5 at Doug Kingsmore
Monday, April 14, 2008
USC Baseball Round Up
The University of Carolina rode its five-game winning streak last week up three positions in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll announced today.
The Gamecocks (25-10) moved from 15th to 12th in the voting by coaches, media and publicists. USC also moved from 15th to 14th in the Baseball America rankings announced earlier today. Florida State stayed No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball and Miami remained No. 1 in the Baseball America rankings by the newspaper staff.
South Carolina plays host to USC Upstate Tuesday before playing at Clemson, which is enjoying a 9 game losing streak, on Wednesday.
Clemson (18-17, 6-12 ACC) was swept in consecutive conference series for the first time since the ACC went to three-game series in 1990. UNC (29-7, 13-4) also handed the Tigers their second conference sweep at Doug Kingsmore Stadium during Leggett’s 15-year tenure (Florida State, 2002).
The Gamecocks (25-10) moved from 15th to 12th in the voting by coaches, media and publicists. USC also moved from 15th to 14th in the Baseball America rankings announced earlier today. Florida State stayed No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball and Miami remained No. 1 in the Baseball America rankings by the newspaper staff.
South Carolina plays host to USC Upstate Tuesday before playing at Clemson, which is enjoying a 9 game losing streak, on Wednesday.
Clemson (18-17, 6-12 ACC) was swept in consecutive conference series for the first time since the ACC went to three-game series in 1990. UNC (29-7, 13-4) also handed the Tigers their second conference sweep at Doug Kingsmore Stadium during Leggett’s 15-year tenure (Florida State, 2002).
Walvius resigns as USC women's basketball coach
University of South Carolina women's basketball coach Susan Walvius has resigned after 11 years at the school. Seems things were heading that direction all season. Many on the message boards were wanting this and it seems the pressure got to her. Let's hope a good coach can come in and make the women's team good and avoid this....something tells me it had something to do with this recent announcement.
Sad weekend news
You always wonder what has happened to ex gamecock players and I was saddened to day to hear that Jamacia Jackson passed away this weekend. Watching Carolina games with many Sumter people, I heard many stores about Jamacia, as he was a high school legend for many Sumter people. It is always hard when we lose a member of the gamecock nation, so we would like to keep the Jackson family in our prayers.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Random thoughts on SC Sports...
Seems the Clemson Tigers have now lost 8 in a row in baseball...wow...even heard some tiger fans talk of getting rid of Jack Leggett. Oh, the life of a college coach; truly is love/hate.
Ron Morris is back to reality after this and now is showing his true colors here; I knew it was too good to be true and the hidden agenda is shining through again.
Then we see where Carolina is going for a darker shade of garnet more like MSU....maybe this is a attempt to force fans to buy more retail products since now the color has changed? Shouldn't they have consulted the fans?
Looking forward to the spring game next week for USC after reading about Whitlock and Maddox but in the mean time it seems that the baseball team at USC is hitting a stride right now since the sweep at UGA, they won yesterday.
Ron Morris is back to reality after this and now is showing his true colors here; I knew it was too good to be true and the hidden agenda is shining through again.
Then we see where Carolina is going for a darker shade of garnet more like MSU....maybe this is a attempt to force fans to buy more retail products since now the color has changed? Shouldn't they have consulted the fans?
Looking forward to the spring game next week for USC after reading about Whitlock and Maddox but in the mean time it seems that the baseball team at USC is hitting a stride right now since the sweep at UGA, they won yesterday.
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