38-14....Gamecocks beat SCSU

Well it was not easy to start but the gamecocks got the train moving in the second half to prove too much for the SC State bulldogs.  USC won 38-14.

Gamecocks improve to 4-1 overall and have a SEC fight coming to town next with the UK Wildcats.

More later....

5 keys for Carolina vs. SCSU Today

The gamecocks need to avoid an upset today against a good SCSU bulldogs team.  The most pressing concern for the Gamecocks is to avoid a letdown against South Carolina State. As good as South Carolina State is, the fact remains that they are a good FCS team, not a top five FBS team like Ole Miss. The challenge is for the Gamecocks to bring the same intensity on Saturday they brought last Thursday.

As my prediction and preview earlier noted, I feel that Carolina will win this game 38-10.  BUT for that to happen there are 5 keys to the game from the LOHD perspective....

1.  Play with urgency till late in 2nd half  ---  the gamecocks must come out the gate strong.  Play with energy, heart and determination.  Play with "fire in the belly" and like their "heads are on fire."  SC must score early and often to begin this game.  Set the tempo, establish a comfortable lead and in the 2nd half get some other players time to play.  Thus the 1st teamers get rest, avoid key injuries and us the fans can enjoy watching a good win.

2.  USC rush defense --- the D line of Carolina is a little beat up due to injuries but this is college football and no excuses are allowed.  Time once again for the Carolina defense to lead the charge into this in-state battle and get the job done.  Two years ago, the Bulldogs rushed for 196 yards against Carolina in the loss at Williams-Brice.  That type stat can not be allowed today.  The gamecocks must shut down the SCSU rushing attack lead by a great runner in Will Ford.  He has to be contained and limited.  By doing this, it will force SCSU to pass against a good secondary lead by SC safety Culliver. 

3.  USC success in red zone --- USC needs TDs not FGs today.  As much as LOHD wants to see Spencer Lanning build upon his nine consecutive field goals and get the needed six more to break the school record....well I prefer to see TDs.  Don't care if its a WR or a TE or rushing.  Just get it done.  If we settle for FGs then SCSU lingers and we don't want that.

4.  USC rushing attack must attack --- the multi headed rushing machine with Maddox, Miles, Giles, Sherman and Baker must have success in moving the ball today.  I would love to see the gamecocks get close to 200 yards rushing today.  I want Garcia/McCollum to get some good throws in but really want to see Carolina have a nice lead and all they have to do is hand-off.

5.  S. Carolina Capitalizing on Opportunities --- gotta get SCSU to make a mistake or many but the most important point is that USC must make them pay for it.

still feeln' Carolina wins this 38-10, thoughts?

No deja vu for USC's Pepper or South Carolina today

I am sure for South Carolina senior defensive tackle Nathan Pepper tonights game may bring back some painful memories.  As you the gamecock fan will recall, the last time USC took on SCSU that 2007 team won that game, 38-3, and got off to a fast start that year.

But what hurt during that SCSU game for gamecocks fans watching and for Pepper just two years ago was when he picked off a pass in the first quarter and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown.

That was great for him and the Carolina defense but after he got to pay-dirt some strange way he ended up tearing his ACL.  Thus Mr. Pepper missed the remainder of the season.  Just like that was a let down for him the season was a let down for SC fans. 

During that 2007 campaign, the Gamecocks peaked at 6-1 and No. 6 in the country before tumbling out of the polls and the bowl picture in losing their final five games.

Let's avoid disappointment today.

No freak injuries, no loss and remain focused on taking it one game at a time in 2009.

Gamecocks Depth Chart Today for SCSU Game

The following is the official USC depth chart for the Oct. 3 game with South Carolina State but could change slightly....

Offense

QB
5 Stephen Garcia R-So. 6-2 219
14 Reid McCollum R-Fr. 6-3 218

FB
47 Patrick DiMarco Jr. 6-0 243
46 Dalton Wilson R-Fr. 6-0 223

RB
10 Brian Maddox Jr. 5-11 224
3 Jarvis Giles Fr. 5-11 183
31 Kenny Miles R-Fr 5-9 190

WR
81 Tori Gurley R-Fr. 6-5 227
1 Alshon Jeffery Fr. 6-3 217

WR
9 Moe Brown Sr. 6-0 183
18 Dion LeCorn Jr. 5-11 220

WR
4 Jason Barnes R-Soph. 6-4 199
82 D.L. Moore R-Fr. 6-3 202

LT
76 Jarriel King Jr. 6-5 312
68 Kyle Nunn R-Soph. 6-6 283

LG
74 Heath Batchelor R-Jr. 6-7 315
62 Pierre Andrews R-Jr. 6-2 285

C
70 Garrett Anderson Sr. 6-4 315
57 Lem Jeanpierre R- Sr. 6-4 300

RG
55 T.J. Johnson R-Fr. 6-4 300
60 Terrence Campbell R-Jr. 6-3 290

RT
72 Quintin Richardson R-Soph. 6-3 296
66 Hutch Eckerson R-Jr. 6-6 290

TE
88 Weslye Saunders Jr. 6-5 280
87 Justice Cunningham Fr. 6-4 240

Defense

DE
98 Devin Taylor R-Fr. 6-7 232
96 Clifton Geathers Jr. 6-8 281

DT
91 Ladi Ajiboye Jr. 6-1 285
6 Melvin Ingram R-So. 6-2 297

DT
95 Nathan Pepper R-Sr. 6-1 300
43 Aldrick Fordham Fr. 6-4 258

DE
83 Cliff Matthews Jr. 6-4 249
92 Byron McKnight R-So.. 6-4 229
90 Chaz Sutton Fr. 6-4 240

WLB
40 Eric Norwood Sr. 6-1 252
44 Tony Straughter Jr. 6-0 209

MLB
16 Shaq Wilson So. 5-11 210
41 Josh Dickerson Jr. 6-1 221

SPUR
26 Antonio Allen Soph. 6-2 210
33 DaMario Jeffery Fr. 6-4 215

CB
5 Stephon Gilmore Fr. 6-1 188
36 D.J. Swearinger Fr. 5-11 196

FS
17 Chris Culliver Jr. 6-0 190
11 Jarrett Burns R-Fr. 6-2 180

SS
24 Darian Stewart Sr. 5-11 216
21 Devonte Holloman Fr. 6-2 211

CB
3 Akeem Auguste Soph. 5-10 180
12 C.C. Whitlock Soph. 5-10 173

Week 5 in the SEC - Who is playing who...

No. 3 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Kick-off: 12:21 ET, SEC Network/ESPN Regional

No. 4 LSU (4-0, 2-0 SEC) at No. 18 Georgia (3-1, 2-0 SEC)
Kick-off: 3:30 p.m., CBS

No. 21 Mississippi (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (2-2, 0-2 SEC)
Kick-off: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

No. 25 Georgia Tech (3-1) at Mississippi State (2-2, 1-2 SEC)
Kick-off: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSS

Texas A&M (3-0) vs. Arkansas (1-2, 0-2 SEC)
Kick-off: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Auburn (4-0, 1-0 SEC) vs. Tennessee (2-2, 0-1 SEC)
Kick-off: 7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Bye: Florida

and don't forget USC v SCSU !  Go Cocks!

Sports Illustrated picture of the week

USC Gamecocks v SCSU Bulldogs Preview / Prediction

USC (3-1, 1-1 SEC) takes on The South Carolina State Bulldogs on 10/3/09 at 7:05pm and aired on ESPN Classic. This will not be a ‘classic’ but it should be a good game for USC before getting back to SEC play.

These two schools are a mere 34 miles apart and this is only their second time playing each other in the history of college football. South Carolina State University (SCSU) is no push over or should not be viewed as an “easy win.” The Bulldogs are currently ranked 16th in the country in FCS and finished the regular season last year with a 10-3 record. So what is important for the team from Columbia is not to overlook the bulldogs from Orangeburg, South Carolina.

A win Saturday for Carolina would give the Gamecocks a 5-game winning streak at Williams-Brice Stadium. Also it would add to Coach Spurrier’s career record versus teams from non-BCS conferences which currently stands at 37-0 and 18-6 against teams from the Palmetto State.

The most important thing again is for Carolina not to go into this game thinking it will be a breeze as even the Ol’ Ball Coach has stated it will be a “dog fight.”

SCSU offense v USC Defense: The bulldogs bring to Columbia a team that is averaging 28 points a game and just defeated Winston-Salem State 27-10 at home to improve to 3-0 on the season. They are not a team that makes a lot of mistakes as they only have turned the ball over 4 times all year on offense. So they are disciplined and bring a balanced attack with an average of 190 through the air and 153 on the ground. They are lead by their QB Malcolm Long who has thrown 4 TDs with only 1 INT thus far. He has passed for 523 yds. Mr. Long likes to target WR OliverTre Young who has 19 catches for 245 yds. When trying to run the ball, their guy is RB William Ford. He has carried the ball 49 times for 265 yds and 2 TDs. Their weakness this week may lie in the offensive line and look for USC to be aggressive in their hunt for Long. USC will blanket their wideout Mr. Young and look to force the Qb to throw to someone else. The SC defense will try to slow the rushing attack as SCSU wants to establish the run. Look for USC’s defense to again be lights out as they want to build upon the Ole Miss win. Should be fun to watch SCSU’s O-line vs USC’s D-line.

SCSU Defense vs. USC Offense: The playmakers for SCSU are: David Erby with 26.5 tackles (22 solo); Julius Wilkerson 13.5 tackles (8 solo) and Jayson Ayers at DE. They do a lot of the right things and can cause turnovers. Look for South Carolina to come out ready to establish the run in this game. I feel the “running back by committee” that Carolina uses will get plenty of turns in this game. Garcia is a little banged up with his ribs so it is crucial for him not to get exposed too much this game. The other thing to watch for is the occasional testing of the deep ball. Spurrier will want to air it out a few times and it will be worth watching to see if USC can get open down field and SC not throw dumb passes. Expect to see Gurley, Barnes and Saunders getting plenty of looks. But don’t forget about Moe Brown and LeCron. I can see everyone getting involved this game.

Basically, I feel this game will be a normal game for Carolina…one that is about ball control, field position, no TOs, great defense and a balanced offensive attack. Not a lot of flash in this game but hope I am wrong because a blow-out by USC will do wonders for the team after the Ole Miss win. I do not want to watch a close game and this game should not be close. Must avoid the let down! USC should be just simply too much for SCSU to handle. And with that I can see USC winning this game by 3-4 scores with the possible outcome sounding like 38-10 in favor of the Gamecocks.

Thoughts?

Gamecocks need a win for .500

The Univ of South Carolina is in its 116th year of intercollegiate football, USC is now 530-531-44 all-time and could get back to .500 overall with a victory over South Carolina State on Saturday. 

Let's get that 'W' and call it even.

It's not just football

Here is an article from the Post and Courier by Travis Haney, that will help you understand just how special Eric Norwood really is. Does Eric truly have a shot at winning the Heisman trophy, No, but will he get the chance to play on Sundays, Yes. Here is a article that show you just how much character Eric has, and how much respect he deserves.

USC's Eric Norwood for Heisman?

Well he was not on our Top 5 list but maybe he should as he made it on the ESPN Watch List .

Let's take a look at his stats for the season (4 games).......

27 tackles (leads team)
18 of those tackles were solo tackles
6.5 tackles for loss for a total of 42 yards
6 sacks
1 INT that resulted in a 35 yd TD run for a score for Eric
1 Pass deflection
3 QB Hurries
1 Forced Fumble
1 Blocked Kick

What put him on the ESPN radar? Norwood, a 6-1, 252-pounder from Acworth, Ga., logged a game-high 10 tackles (seven solos) with a pair of sacks and another half-tackle for loss, partially blocked a punt and added two quarterback pressures in the upset win over Ole Miss last week.  He was the SEC Defensive Player of the week and now it seems he is a Heisman Contender.

So is Mr. Norwood a serious contender in your view?

You can VOTE for Eric Norwood by clicking here.

Gamecocks Clippings / News Round-up

Here is a shot of selected gamecocks sports related news for ya....


USC Football
Norwood's impact goes beyond big plays
Ole Miss Upset By South Carolina
Breakthrough Win For South Carolina
Johnson has USC D running wild
Going up? USC hopes so
Gillespie: Victory doesn't have to look good
Lanning shines under the lights
Gamecocks secondary begins to grow up
Despite the youth, Gamecocks' 'D' rolling along
Patience Finally Paying Off for Spurrier, Gamecocks
Steve Spurrier's Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Not-so-Old Ball Coach building 'New Carolina'
Wolford is lining up his options
Nunn in USC's mix at OT

SEC Power Poll, Week 4

USC Basketball

• Jason King from Yahoo! Sports has his preseason power rankings for the SEC out and he puts South Carolina at 4th best in the conference.
• Devan Downey was also recently profiled in The Sporting News

Garnet & Black Attack Blog Posts of Note

• Previewing S. C. State at South Carolina: Checking in on the Bulldogs' Defense
• Previewing S. C. State at South Carolina: Checking in on the Bulldogs' Offense
• Post-Spring Previews: South Carolina State

Here is a "Did you know"..........

The Gamecocks are ranked 4th in the SEC and 13th nationally in total defense, and they lead the SEC with 14 sacks.

LOHD Heisman Watch

Here is our weekly 2009 Heisman Watch List in no certain order....

Tim Tebow, Florida quarterback
Season: 44 of 68 passing for 643 yards, 6 touchdowns and an interception. He also has five rushing touchdowns.

Case Keenum, Houston quarterback
Season: 93 of 134 passing for 1,160 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He has also rushed for two touchdowns.

Colt McCoy, Texas quarterback
Season: 103 of 145 for 1,145 yards, 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He also has rushed for a touchdown.

Tony Pike, Cincinnati quarterback
Season: 93 of 132 passing for 1,223 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also had two rushing touchdowns.

Jahvid Best, California running back
Season: 69 carries for 467 yards and 8 touchdowns. He has also caught a touchdown pass.

Ten questions for last weeks college football?

Sorry for the delay in this week’s questions but I have been out of town working with very little free time. I know, stupid work.

Well here we go.....

1.) Did Coach Myers leave Tebow in to long last week against Kentucky?

2.) Could Eric Norwood really be a Heisman finalist?

3.) After this week, most Non BCS schools are done playing the big boys so who deserves to be in the top 10 more TCU/ Boise State?

4.) Will Willy Korn transfer after this season?

5.) Is VT now the best team in the ACC, I can’t figure out the ACC, somebody please tell me who is good and who sucks?

6.) Does Iowa have a shot at the national championship game, they play Michigan at home and OSU on the road, after that the schedule looks mighty easy?

7.) Who is more over Hyped --- Jimmy Clausen or Jevan Sneed?

8.) Are you excited about the new bowl game called the Yankee Bowl, pitting the # 4 Big East team vs. #7 team from the Big 12? Does the Big East have 4 teams?

9.) Does South Carolina deserve to be in the top ten, if so at what poll position?

10.) Better upset, USC over Ole Miss , Oregon over Cal or Iowa over Penn State?

SEC Power Poll : Week 4 Ballot from LOHD

1. Alabama
Making dismantling opposing teams a art form.

2. Florida
Taken care of business but can it be done without Tebow?

3. LSU
 For now they're undefeated but true tests coming after scare to MSU.

4. Georgia
Week to Week we are not sure what you get with these bulldogs.

5. South Carolina
If they could play a complete game on both sides of the ball they could be scary good.

6. Auburn
Auburn's Gene Chizik is making the Auburn AD look like the smartest guy in the room.

7. Ole Miss
Rebels look for a rebound vs Vandy after a loss to Carolina.

8. Mississippi State
They let LSU escape with a win.  They looked really good on both sides of the ball....wait this is MSU I am talking about right?

9. Tennessee
The Vols need Dr. Phil to come in and sort this mess.

10. Arkansas
Is it too early to say this is a re-building year?

11. Kentucky
Even the team is asking -- When does basketball start?

12. Vanderbilt
Having issues moving the ball and playing poor defense which translates to a poor season.

No more of this from the South Carolina Athletics Department Please

I would like to ask that the USC Athletic Department and Gamecock Club never solicit the purchase of a t-shirt like this again nor support its' creation! Come on; let’s act like we have won a game before!
I can understand a street vendor or local t-shirt shop putting forth a t-shirt like this to make a quick buck but for me to get 2 emails from USC advertising this t-shirt and its’ purchase…well it is plain stupid.

We are better than that and need to act like this game was not a fluke or one hit wonder. Beating teams like Ole Miss needs to become the standard at Carolina and one way to create that culture/attitude is to not put forth t-shirts like the above.

Agree or Disagree?

USC v UK will be a 12:30pm game

Word today that the Oct. 10th showdown between Univ of South Carolina and Univ of Kentucky will be a 12:30pm kickoff and will be on Fox Sports Network (FSN).

Nice to see us on TV again and nice to see a different time slot for the gamecocks.

Eric Norwood Earns SEC Defensive Player of the Week

Via the SEC ---

USC LB Eric Norwood got some SEC love today for his performance versus Ole Miss last week.  Here is what the SEC wrote and what earned him this nod....

• The senior leader of South Carolina’s defense logged a game-high 10 total tackles (seven solos) with a pair of sacks, another half-tackle for loss, partially blocked punt and two quarterback pressures in the Gamecocks’ 16-10 win over Ole Miss.
• The two sacks give Norwood 28 in his career, which is tied for eighth place in SEC history. His 2.5 TFLs against the Rebels now give him 49.5 for his career, which is 11th in SEC history.
• The Gamecocks held Ole Miss to 10 points and 248 yards of total offense, including just 109 through the air.
 
Also P/PK Spencer Lanning got a "Outstanding" Performance mention --
For kicking 3-of-3 field goals (26, 20, 30) and also averaged 42.9 yards on seven punts against Ole Miss. Also accounted for game-saving TD tackle on Rebel punt return.

South Carolina is a football state

According to Sporting News Today - South Carolina is a football state.
Currently, there are 51 former South Carolina prep players in the NFL; that figure is tied for eighth—with Virginia—among all 50 states.
Consider this...S.C. is one of the nation’s smaller states, with a population of 4 million-plus.

S.C. is No.3 in the union in NFLers per capita (one for every 78,667 people).

This is yet another reason why it is so crucial for the Gamecocks to keep in-state players and not allow them to leave for other schools!!!