Saturday, November 08, 2008

USC Safety out 1st half vs. UF

Under NCAA rules, Chris Culliver must sit out the first half of next week’s game at Florida, leaving the Gamecocks without their starting free safety and top kick returner. All b/c of some swings made to the helmet of a Ark-kansas player on the on-side kickoff try towards the end of the game....can we say dumb?

Full story here.

McKinley sets SC school record

Senior Kenny McKinley became the school record holder for career receiving yards on the second play of the Gamecocks' first drive, as he reeled in Garcia's 30-yard pass.

McKinley ended the game with 130 yards to put his career total at 2,602. The grab also extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 40.

McKinley moved into a tie for second place in school history with his 19th career touchdown reception. His total matches that of Robert Brooks (1988-91) and Jermale Kelly (1997-2000).

All three are four behind school-record holder Sidney Rice (2005-06), who collected 23.

McKinley ended the game with 130 yards receiving, tying Moe Brown for the most by a receiver in a game this season. Brown set the mark against Georgia on Sept. 13.

USC beats Arkansas by 13

USC’s 34-21 victory against Arkansas was a nice win today. It improves USC to 7-3 overall. Will the gamecocks be ranked going into the Florida game?

With today's win, South Carolina is assured of at least a .500 record in SEC action. It is the sixth time the Gamecocks have finished at .500 or better in the league since joining the SEC in 1992.

Game ball goes to Jordin Lindsey, for his game-changing interception. It got the momentum back for SC today during a much needed time.

What did ya'll think of the “quarterback shuffle?" I am not sold on it. Felt Garcia played better today and deserves the start vs. UF next week.

USC Defense was stellar! USC sacked Razorbacks quarterback Casey Dick six times and knocked tailback Michael Smith, the SEC’s leading rusher, out with a shoulder injury in the first half. Smith rushed seven times for a season-low 25 yards, 98 yards below his average.

Final Stats
Gamecocks Defeat Arkansas, 34-21

Gameday at Carolina....Let this Gamecock video wake you up

This is a old video but still gets you pumped about Gamecock Football.

Get the sleep out your eyes and let's all get pumped up for today's USC victory vs. Ark-Kansas......

26 USC Players playing last game at Willy-B

These 26 players will be playing their final game at Williams-Brice Stadium today. LOHD would like to say thank you and good luck. Let's finish the season out strong!

  • Yvan Banag--FB
  • Tommy Beecher--QB
  • Jasper Brinkley--LB
  • Jamarial Brown--DT
  • Mike Davis--RB
  • Larry Freeman--WR
  • Paul Haile--WR
  • Marque Hall--DT
  • Bryan Kingrey--FB
  • Dustin Lindsey--LB
  • Jordin Lindsey--DE
  • Alex McGrath--TE
  • Kenny McKinley--WR
  • Michael McQueeney--QB
  • Jamon Meredith--OL
  • Mike Newton--CB
  • Hardee Sanders--C
  • Marvin Sapp--LB
  • Justin Sorensen--OL
  • Nate Spurrier--P/K
  • Ryan Succop--PK
  • Gurminder Thind--OL
  • Carlos Thomas--CB
  • Bobby Wallace--RB
  • Jonathan Williams--DT
  • Stoney Woodson--CB

Horn Era begins at USC....Hoops Win!

Gamecocks gain a 75-55 victory Division II Kentucky Wesleyan last night....complete story HERE and HERE.

Final Stats

I am looking forward to the Horn Era at SC.

Friday, November 07, 2008

5 keys to a Win vs. Ark-Kansas


Last week we know was a win....it was not pretty but it was a win. USC is now bowl eligible but we need to win this game against Ark-Kansas. I have a little bit of uneasy feelings for some reason going into this game. First because the Gamecocks converted only 4-of-17 third downs and finished with 11 first downs in the UT win, their fewest since picking up 10 first downs in a 15-0 win against Mississippi State in 2006. Also Kenny McKinley was the only wide receiver to catch a pass in the UT game. And Tight end Jared Cook, the team’s leading receiver, was held without a catch for the first time this season vs. UT. I know we went into safe mode in the 2nd half....still.....another reason the game is at 1pm and we all remember the last time SC when into a day game with sleep in their eyes.....VANDY WON!

Very quietly, the Gamecocks have been able to put together a nice year after winning five of their last six games. This is the 17th meeting between South Carolina and Arkansas. The Razorbacks lead the all-time series, 10-6, but the teams have split eight games in Columbia evenly. The teams have met every year since 1992 when they both joined the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks have won the last two games in the series, posting a 26-20 win in Columbia in 2006, then outscoring the Gamecocks, 48-36, in a shootout last year in Fayetteville. Three of the last four games have been decided by six points or less.

I feel Carolina will win this game and here are the 5 keys to getting that win....

1. Not letting Ark-kansas establish the run....Tennessee rushed for just 34 yards, the fewest a Gamecock defense has allowed in four seasons under Spurrier. This needs to happen again. The Carolina D needs to come ready to play and stop the Ark running game. This will put pressure on Dick to step up and I am confident that against the USC secondary that we will win that battle and not allow Wright to have a repeat performance.

2. USC QB must be on target....Whomever starts just get the job done. Spread the ball around and make good decisions. Look for the TE to be open as our guys create mis-matches. I have been harping on the O line all year but now we must work with what we got. So no more blame game...play football.

3. 3rd down success for SC...Not surprisingly, the success rate of the Gamecock offense on third downs is usually linked to its winning and losing. In its six wins this season, the Carolina offense has been successful on 44.3 percent (39-of-88) of its third down conversions. Conversely, in its three losses, the USC offense has been successful just 33.3 percent of the time (12-for-36) in third down opportunities. Defensively, the Gamecocks are allowing 32.0 percent of their opponents' third down opportunity to be successful (39-for-122), which ranks fifth in the SEC and 18th in the nation. So convert on offense and stop them on defense....sounds simple enough right?

4. No TOs on Offense but create on Defense....we win when we do this simple formula. The Gamecocks are one of the nation's worst in turnover margin, ranking 12th in the SEC and 99th in the country at -0.78 per game, the defense has minimized the damage. Carolina has surrendered just 27 points following its 24 turnovers, while they have scored 65 points following their 17 takeaways.

5. USC Pressure....SC must get to Dick and not allow him to settle in the game. Constant pressure from the men up front.

PS - Make sure to get Kenny McKinley his 26 yards. That is all he needs to become South Carolina's all-time leader in career receiving yardage. He enters the Arkansas game with 2,472 career yards, trailing only Sterling Sharpe's school record of 2,497 receiving yards.


My prediction - USC 34 Ark-Kansas 13

USC Defense - Black Death?

So is everyone happy with calling our Defense "Black Death?" Remember LOHD did this same thing last year - name the Carolina D . Now Person is putting some thoughts down on what the defense should be named (make sure to check out the comments section in Person's blog)...but if it is to be 'black death' (which got its start from a 1987 band member) then enjoy this video...



We Are.....Carolina!

SC Safety Suspended

Chris Hail has been suspended for the Arkansas game...This will have the biggest impact on ST and if Captain eats a bucket of fried chicken tonight....

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The Crying Game starring Pete Carroll


With the Presidential Election over Pete decided that it was time for him to start BCS campaigning... JR doesn't like Pete or South Cal...


Pete Carroll is at it again crying over beating up on a win less Washington team and dropping 2 spots in the BCS standings… I think this article does a pretty good job on saying " duh Pete this is why you’re not getting respected," because your conference sucks and the Big 12 and SEC are head and shoulders above what your team faces weekly… Pete then throws out a whimper about the reason the Pac 10 is down is because all of their QB’s in the conference are injured… sure Pete that’s the whole reason your conference stinks…

Hey you don’t see South Carolina blaming their losses or conference on the QB position… In Fact Carolina has a better record then the Team that control’s its own destiny for the Pac 10 title….

South Cal maybe? No way! Dropping the Bomb on Pete’s Bichars is the Fact that Oregon State at 5-3 (4-1) in the Conference controls its own destiny to win the Pac 10… And boy do I hope they do come through because I can’t stand to hear Pete cry for another 3 months about why South Cal could not get in the BCS CG! (FYI South Carolina is still mathematically alive to win their conference- for this weekend at least).


So grow a pair Carroll and win your conference before complaining about the BCS! Pete ends this by saying he is not trying to win the BCS he is trying to win the conference... Oh really Pete? Then why in the hell did you open your mouth to begin with???????


Monday, November 03, 2008

Insert Caption for this SC/UT Pic


Insert your own caption in the comments section for this photo.
Have some fun with it especially now that Fulmer is out at UT.

USC O Lineman Quits Team

Starting offensive guard Heath Batchelor will drop out of school to deal with medical issues, USC coach Steve Spurrier announced tonight.

This is not good news for the offensive line but I feel this will make the line stronger.

Spurrier has no interest in UT job

Spurrier: No interest in Tennessee job

Did anyone think we would seriously leave for the UT job?

USC-Arkansas game on PPV

Seems this campaign worked because-
"The South Carolina - Arkansas football game, scheduled for Saturday, November 8 at Williams-Brice Stadium, will be available throughout the Palmetto State on a pay-per-view basis and throughout the remainder of the country as part of ESPN's GamePlan package, Athletics Director Eric Hyman announced tonight."

More HERE. Congrats Gene Kizer, now quit crying and support the Gamecocks.

Phil Fulmer Out! --- Is this Deja Vu?

UT fans must be thinking Deja Vu.......Last time USC beat UT in Columbia in 1992, the Halloween-day loss prompted Tennessee to fire Johnny Majors and promote Fulmer, who took over for Majors for the final three games before being named the head coach at the end of the season.


Now it seems losing to USC has yet again ousted a UT coach....
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3679810
http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/576830.html

USC Tampa bound?

The State has a good look at how the SEC bowl picture could break down and the different scenarios. Looks like as of right now and how most feel the season will shape out that USC will be either going to the Outback bowl or Peach Bowl.

ESPN BOWL PROJECTION has Carolina slated to go to the Outback bowl.
CBS Sports has SC going to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl!

Where do you think SC will end up?

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Gamecocks beat Volunteers, 27-6


Arkansas game time change still irks some fans

Gene Kizer, a USC fan from Charleston, is spearheading a protest of Hyman's decision, and has even launched a web site devoted to the effort: www.HorribleDecisionToChangeArkansasGameTime.com

thoughts?

USC OG Out for Season

After the USC win vs. UT it was stated that offensive guard Lemuel Jeanpierre will be out for the remainder of the year due to a knee injury on the crazy Garcia INT play that resulted in 3 SC players being hurt. The other two players should be fine. I hate to see anyone on our O line go down as this group needs lots of strong bodies. LOHD wishes Lemul the best as he is a junior and we need him back in 09!

Spurrier Post Game Quote

"I can't remember a time I won a game punting eight times," Spurrier said.

We will take them anyway we can get them!