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The New Carolina?
Will we see another late season collapse from the Gamecocks?
Is This a New Carolina?
10.12.09
It was a breezy October night when it happened. The fall winds were blowing and the aroma of grilled meats filled the air. It was halftime in Baton Rouge, and the University of South Carolina Fighting Gamecocks were leading Louisiana State University 14-3 at halftime. The sleeping giant that is the USC football program had been arisen by the living legend Lou Holtz, and the Gamecocks were coming off the second best season in school history as well as consecutive Outback Bowl wins over Ohio State. South Carolina had lost but twice in the 2002 campaign, a wild turnover filled nightmare against Virginia, and an unbelievable fumbled option pitch from Corey Jenkins to Andrew Pinnock in the waning seconds against the Georgia Bulldogs. Since then, USC had worked its way to 4 consecutive wins and were poised to make another late season rush to a bowl. It was not to be. South Carolina would drop the game 38-14 to the Tigers, and the losing wasn't about to end.
Something happened in the locker room that night against LSU. No one really knows the specifics, but some great barrier appeared in the hearts and minds of the Gamecocks, and Coach Holtz was reduced to a version of Captain Ahab on a futile chase of the great white whale of victory. The Gamecocks did not win again in 2002, and the 2003 season was a bizarre minefield of close losses, mental errors, and a humiliating 63-17 loss to in state rival Clemson. Unbelievably, the Gamecocks had started 5-2 in consecutive years only to have the rug pulled out from under them and be ineligible to participate in a post-season bowl. The Gamecock nation, sure that the Holtz hire and Outback Bowl success signified that finally, after 100+ years of mediocrity, the corner had been turned, was at a loss for a way to vent their collective frustration. The 2004 season seemed to be better; a late season win over Arkansas made USC eligible for a bowl, as well as ended the consecutive late season slides. Once again, though, the Gamecocks would be denied a bowl trip following the brawl against Clemson. Looking back over the Holtz era at USC, one sees the great leap made in the early years, followed by a saddening, sliding return into the .500 football that the program had always played. The high point, though, will be that 14-3 lead that the Gamecocks took into halftime against LSU in 2002, earning the ire of the bourbon filled, football crazed, urine tossing masses of Death Valley.
Enter Steve Spurrier. In his inaugural season, the Head Ball Coach climbed heights previously unreached. The victories over Florida and Tennessee provided some of the most memorable and emotional moments in Gamecock football history. Sydney Rice's TD grab in double coverage in Knoxville as well as over 80,000 fans in Williams-Brice Stadium doing the Gator chomp will bring a smile to the face and perhaps a tear to the eye of the lifelong Gamecock fan. A close loss to Clemson and a blown lead over Missouri in the Independence Bowl did little to damper the fervor in Columbia. Finally, it seemed, the Gamecocks would win. 2006 would provide sights both familiar and unfamiliar; close losses to Tennessee and Florida were reminiscent of 2000, but a victory over Clemson in Death Valley and a bowl win over Houston meant for a sunny winter in Columbia. However, the next two years were all too familiar; superb play and victories in the early part of the season followed by a winless November in 2007 and consecutive blowout losses to end the 2008 season.
Flash forwarding to the present, the Gamecocks are nationally ranked, have lost only once, and are headed into Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the holy shrine to football in the South. If someone is looking for historical comparisons, the situation is similar to 2002. However, there are some major differences. The Gamecocks are led offensively by a confident, talented quarterback that is being tutored by an equally confident and talented coach. The defense is very speedy and fundamentally sound, and are playing as a TEAM for the first time in years. The offensive line, the thorn that's been in the side of the Gamecocks in recent memory, are greatly improving as a unit. This year's Crimson Tide are a true juggernaut. Defensively, they may be the best team that Spurrier's seen since his return from the NFL. The special teams are solid, and Arenas is a constant threat to return a kick for a touchdown. If there is an Achilles heel to Alabama, it is the conservative play of the offense. Not to say that the Tide can't put up the points, but the general strategy seems to be to let the defense choke the life out of an opponent. While it sounds like a carbon copy of any color analyst's KEYS TO VICTORY, if a team can go without committing costly penalties and turnovers, it at least has a fighting chance against the Crimson Tide. South Carolina may not be able to win this Saturday in Tuscaloosa, but if can avoid a meltdown that will carry over into November, then the Garnet and Black have a bright future. Not just hope, but actual confidence. And that is something to crow about.
Justin F. Cannon
Jcannon@gmail.com
