Monday November 30, 2009

South Carolina Review

South Carolina Review
I had already witnessed Saturday’s game a few times before. The last time I saw it was last year. I also saw it in 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 2004.

Saturday’s game was one where one team was waiting to ambush the other. One team was totally prepared and the other was not ready for what it was about to face. One team had a sense of urgency and the other treated it as just another game.

Last year this was the same story line only the color of the uniforms were reversed. Last year Clemson was waiting to ambush South Carolina. They had a bad season and an interim coach but they also had something to play for and had that sense of urgency.

The Tigers did that again in 2004. That physical domination looked like what I saw Saturday.

South Carolina did it to Clemson in 1987 when the Gamecocks blitzed Clemson as soon as the Tigers got off the bus. The Tigers returned the favor in 1988.

It has been rare that one team is totally focused and the other does not play well but when it happens it looks ugly for the losing team. The winning team gets in a rhythm and the loser looks lost.

That’s what I saw Saturday. I saw South Carolina line up and smash Clemson physically and the Tigers had no answer.

I saw the Gamecocks play with a sense of urgency and the Tigers sleep walk. Someone forgot to set their alarms Saturday.

Last year South Carolina looked disinterested in the rivalry. Their players were too focused on the NFL draft and their team was in disarray. But I saw the Gamecocks shut their mouths and go back to work and the dividends paid off Saturday in Williams-Brice.

Now it is Clemson’s turn. The Tigers are lucky that they don’t have to wait a year to go back to work. That can happen at practice today. But the off-season should be filled with a reminder of what happened Saturday. I would think a physical butt-whippin’ would be a terrific motivation for off-season conditioning. I think a little video of the game should be shown a few times in the off-season. They should be reminded how that felt so it won’t happen again anytime soon.

Saturday was the 19th game the Tigers have played under Dabo Swinney and only the second one where the other team was more physical. The other was the loss at Florida State last year.

The Tigers were dominated on both sides of the football. South Carolina ran the ball at will. They imposed their will upon Clemson. They shut down the run on defense. South Carolina was able to make Clemson one-dimensional and then attacked the passer. Kyle Parker was running for his life and had little time to throw which made him much less effective than we have seen him since the Maryland game.

I don’t buy any Clemson excuses. I don’t care if the Tigers were playing in the Super Bowl next week, there is no excuse for that lack of focus against the arch-rival. No excuses. The Tigers were punched in the mouth and had no answer. That effort was inexcusable.

I also don’t buy the SEC argument. South Carolina has been in the SEC since 1992 and is now 9-14 against ACC teams since joining the league. The Gamecocks were in the SEC when they lost to Clemson in 10 of the last 13 years. It’s not like they just joined the league.

The SEC is better than the ACC in football but that has not helped South Carolina over the last 17 years. To go 3-5 in the SEC is not a factor. The reason South Carolina beat Clemson Saturday is not because of the SEC. It was because they physically outplayed Clemson. The Gamecocks took advantage of Clemson’s mistakes and physically took the fight to the dog. Their offensive line blocked better. Their backs ran harder. Their receivers caught the ball better. Their defensive line got more pressure and their secondary covered better. They out played and out coached Clemson Saturday. They were more prepared and more motivated,

They won the game this year and to the victor belongs the spoils. Congrats are due. The Gamecocks have bragging rights in this state for the next 363 days. If Clemson does not like it then it should have done something to prevent it Saturday.

Losing sucks. I am not a good loser. I hate losing. I really hate losing to the arch rival. Thank goodness it has not happened too often in my lifetime but when it does there is only one option and that is sit back and take it all in and remember how bad it feels. Sometimes you have to lose to the arch rival to make you appreciate how good winning feels.

Nothing makes this go away for the next year but winning the ACC title Saturday sure will help. A trip to the Orange Bowl will help. This feels so funny because as I sit here and step on my bottom lip, I have to remind myself that the Tigers will be playing in their biggest football game in 20 years. Win Saturday and Clemson will be playing in its best bowl in 28 years. As bad as we feel right now, we could feel much better if the Tigers win the next two. If the Tigers are sitting here on January 6th with a 10-4 record, an ACC title and an Orange Bowl title then it will be a happy village. Until then, little can help get this feeling out of my gut. Thank goodness this does not happen too often.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
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Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Ann Fallaw, Bob Pollock, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe.