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  • Florida ices it

    semerson 8:05 pm on November 14, 2009 | 9 Permalink | Reply

    OK, put this one in the books.

    Stephen Garcia just got picked off again, with Florida cornerback Joe Haden returning it tothe USC 20. There’s 2:14 left, and more fans are making their way to the exits.

    Well, South Carolina fans.

    It’s amazing how one play not only changed the complexion of the game, but the attitude of the stadium. For a few fleeting moments there, you were wondering about possibly USC’s biggest-ever victory, knocking off the land’s No. 1 team and jolting the national title picture.

    Instead, the Florida defense reared its head, and showed that Garcia and the USC offense still aren’t quite there.

    I’m curious how this loss will be met in Gamecock land. Yes, it’s a loss, but they had a real chance to knock off the best team in the country, and played even with them for much of the game.

    But they still didn’t win. And that, unfortunately, is the same old story.

     

    • John 8:12 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      The frustrating part is it’s just the same things that have killed the team all year. Dumb turnovers, dumb penalties. And a TERRIBLE O line. This O line every week makes a new D line look like the New york Giants.

      If this team had an O line even at the level of Vanderbilt or Kentucky (and that says something itself wishing your team was as good as a vanderbilt or Kentucky) then the offense could be good. This team is as talented at the skill positions as any in the country, but is severely lacking talent in the trenches.

    • applicant 8:15 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      I don’t think it woud matter much if this was the Indy Colts offensive line; this QB and the offensive scheme employed here are not going to win games against good football

    • joel 8:42 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Start Looking for a new young Head Coach and Staff

    • Dave 9:24 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      What scripture reference did Tebow have on his cheeks tonight?

    • GCockfan 9:29 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Guys, Spurrier is not the problem-he called the plays and put us in position to win, we just turned the ball over. We played our best game of the season until that late INT.

      Give the coaching staff and players a break, my goodness some of you are either clemson fans or just plain stupid (which is the same)

    • Old Fan 9:34 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Why is it always a replay with SC football no matter who the coach is or the players are they always to loose. If you been following SC football for any length of time just think back…… a fumble, a int, a blocked FG or extra point and tonight a fluke INt.

    • gatorman 10:28 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      do not quite understand this statement, you falter every year, Clemson gets hot, and beats you, kinda like the UofF, FSU rivalary, not much to it anymore

      GCockfan 9:29 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Guys, Spurrier is not the problem-he called the plays and put us in position to win, we just turned the ball over. We played our best game of the season until that late INT.

      Give the coaching staff and players a break, my goodness some of you are either clemson fans or just plain stupid (which is the same)

    • NCTiger 11:15 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      One correction, from what I saw, Florida might be ranked #1, but they aren’t the best team in the country. Bama will beat them and I think they could have trouble in a bowl too. I’d love to see them play TCU.

    • David 1:33 am on November 15, 2009 Permalink

      We played well enough to win, just didn’t come through when necessary and committed the turn-over and we aren’t good enough to recover. We cannot create any turnovers any longer. I remember well the NCS game and how we were flying all over the place, creating turnovers, getting sacks and making the other team pay for them, after about mid-season, we stopped doing all that. Not sure why, other than a few injuries, but all teams have injuries 10-11 games into the season. Garcia is NOT our answer at this point. He misses way too many attempts that are more than 10 yds from the line of scrimmage. When he escapes a collapsing pocket, he gets into trouble too often. He needs to improve 75% between now and next season, or he just may get replaced. He just doesn’t have it. Parker at Clemsux is far better running their offense than Garcia is at running ours. Of course we know how bad the OL is. I watched #66 totally miss his guy 2 plays in a row!!!! I had to stop watching the OL at that point.
      “Wait till Next Year”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • The death march arrives

    semerson 8:00 pm on November 14, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    This is still a two-score game, Florida only leading 24-14 after a missed chip-shot field goal by Caleb Sturgis. But it feels like the game’s already over.

    The air was pretty much out of the stadium after the first play of the fourth quarter, but it kept going out after that. When Tim Tebow was bottled up behind the line on third down just now, there was only tepid applause.

    Fans have been leaving for some time, and the stands may now be two-fifths Florida fans.

    You can’t really say the defense wore down; after all, Florida had really short fields here in the fourth quarter. But Darian Stewart, a senior, did draw an unsportsmanlike penalty on the most recent drive.

    The interception return will get the most blame for this loss, and justifiably. But let the record show that the offensive line completely broke down in the fourth quarter too.

    There were three sacks in a four-play stretch, most critically in the series after Florida’s touchdown. Instead of being able to provide some sort of answer, USC just went backwards.

     

  • No response this time

    semerson 7:45 pm on November 14, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    South Carolina got off the mat twice before. It doesn’t look like it’s going to this time.

    Florida leads 24-14 and has the ball at its 46, and USC probably needs a game-changing play. Otherwise, well, you know.

    The long interception return, when USC was poised to at least tie the game, is looming as the crushing blow that affected the outcome of this game. The energy of the Gamecock players and fans seem to be sapped.

    What the offense needed to do there was respond with a long drive. Problem is, when it was your offense that caused the problem in the first place, that’s asking a lot to come back so quickly.

    Even good field position didn’t help. USC started with the ball at its own 40 after the kickoff out of bounds. But two sacks pushed them back into a fourth-and-23.

    Look, there’s still 11 minutes left, so you can’t close the book on this one. Far from it.

    But this is No. 1 Florida, not Florida International. The margin for error in a game like this is very small, and USC may have reached it.

     

    • agmayer 8:19 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Good Play was called….no need to ZIp that in there like that….a soft pass and that’s a first down at least…and your calling him a genius. Poor execution….but that’s not the worst part…….Sandstorm all but stopped…….The stupid GATOR CHOMP was allowed to go on and on and on? WTC???? and 2 time out left on the scoreboard??? No reason to burn those and try to regroup I reckon….. only trailed by 10 to the #1 team in the nation……don’t understand the extreme deflation…..I swear I don’t.

  • Intercepted Garcia leads to dejected Spurrier

    semerson 7:36 pm on November 14, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    The first play of the fourth quarter may have turned everything around. In a bad way for South Carolina.

    A tipped pass and interception was returned 54 yards by Florida defensive end Justin Trattou, the 265-pounder lumbering with his blockers.

    A few plays later, Florida capitalized, and it’s now ahead 24-14.

    Up until that pick, USC had yet to commit the game-changing mistake. It did fumble it over at midfield, but survived that second-quarter mistake.

    This time …

    The few seconds after the play were telling:

    Stephen Garcia looked longingly downfield, then was met on the sideline by Steve Spurrier. The two exchanged a few words, then Spurrier gave Garcia over to quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus, presumably to take over the good-cop routine.

    Then Spurrier bent over at the 36, his head in his hand, remaining in that position for about 15 seconds. Then he stood up and picked up his play sheet.

    Spurrier knew the implications. Instead of at least a field goal try, meaning a tie game or a shot at the lead, Florida now has a two-score lead – and the momentum back.

    What a turn.

     

    • USCVietnamWarVet 7:55 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      What a heartbreak – an opportunity to beat #1 Florida goes down the drain. If there ever was a snake bit team – it is USC. I do NOT fault the effort being given by our players. And Florida being #1? – over rated!

  • Where has this been?

    semerson 7:25 pm on November 14, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Watching this offense right now, driving inside the 30, you can’t help but play a little what-if.

    We’ve been watching Steve Spurrier every so often, trying to see how active he is in the play-calling – and he looks active. He’s had the play sheet all game, and has obviously been sending in the play. We’re not down there to hear for sure, but it sure seems like Spurrier was true to his word that he’d be doing the play-calling.

    Judging by the results, he should’ve been doing this all year.

    And judging by Weslye Saunders’ performance, he should’ve been a more active part of the offense this season. It’s still hard to see why he disappeared for that long of a stretch of games.

    Brian Maddox is having a solid game too, but the way Kenny Miles played in some games, there can’t be much fault there.

    What definitely hasn’t changed is the performance of Stephen Garcia, who just made a nifty move for the first down, converting a fourth-and-1 try. If South Carolina ends up winning this game – and this game is now clearly in doubt – that becomes one of the game’s key plays.

     

  • More defensive prowess

    semerson 7:16 pm on November 14, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    The South Carolina defense just keeps coming up big.

    Tim Tebow, facing a fourth-and-1 from the USC 29, is stopped at the line, with Eric Norwood getting the most penetration.

    The fans are chanting “USC” as the Gamecock offense gets ready to take the field.

    It was a huge stand for the defense, which prevented Florida from getting ANY first down despite starting at the USC 38. And this after Florida got a huge play to flip the field again.

    The Gators’ Brandon James returned a punt 49 yards, going to the Gamecock 37. Urban Meyer coaches special teams for Florida, just a sign of how much of a premium he puts on it. You can see that.

    But South Carolina’s defense answered again, holding Florida scoreless for the fifth straight possession.

    After a quick start for the offenses, this is turning into the low-scoring game a lot of people expected – and that favors South Carolina, as long as it lasts.

     

  • USC flips the field

    semerson 7:07 pm on November 14, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    So let’s review: South Carolina had to punt from its own goal-line, meaning by all rights Florida should have started with the ball in great field position. And then all this happened:

    - An illegal block penalty nullified a deep punt return, leaving Florida to start at the USC 49.

    - After the Gators netted one first down, Clifton Geathers recorded a first-down tackle-for-loss. That was followed by a dropped pass by Jeffrey Demps.

    - On third down Cliff Matthews, who a few days ago wasn’t even supposed to be playing in this game, got to Tim Tebow for a short sack back to the 37. USC declined a holding penalty.

    - Rather than punt, Florida tried its second 50-plus field goal of the game. And it missed again.

    So South Carolina, still down 17-14, starts in decent field position at its own 37 – and immediately gets a first-down completion to Weslye Saunders up to midfield.

    You can just feel the momentum turn here, and Gamecock fans start to believe their team can pull it off.

     

    • Jay 7:15 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Have to be impressed by this defense holding their own in this game. Tebow stopped on 4th and 1.

  • A good start to the second half

    semerson 6:53 pm on November 14, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    South Carolina’s defense holds again. The offense won’t get good field position, but hey, the defense held.

    The credit there goes to Clifton Geathers, who notched USC’s first sack of the game. Florida had driven into USC territory, but on first down Geathers nailed Tim Tebow for a nine-yard loss.

    Geathers, a defensive end, stunted, making it look almost like a delayed blitz. It had Tebow verklemped, that’s for sure.

    Two plays later, the coverage forced Tebow into a long incompletion, and then a punt – which Stephon Gilmore fair-caught at his own 6.

    It would’ve been better position if not for the opening kickoff going out of bounds, handing Florida the ball at its own 40. But kicker Adam Yates was still greeted on the sideline with a clap and slap on the helmet by Shane Beamer, who perhaps thought Yates’ attempt – which trickled out of bounds inside the 5 – was close enough to warrant some encouragement.

     

  • First-half stats

    semerson 6:38 pm on November 14, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Reply

    Stephen Garcia isn’t quite equaling Tim Tebow, but he’s hanging in there.

    Garcia: 140 passing yards on 11-for-18 passes and one touchdown. Tebow: 161 passing yards on 9-for-16 passes and one touchdown. Tebow does have 41 rushing yards, while Garcia, counting a sack, has five.

    Brian Maddox leads the Gamecocks with 58 rushing yards on 11 carries, includinga  touchdown. No other back has more than one carry.

    Alshon Jeffery has four catches for 45 yards. Weslye Saunders has three catches for 37 yards, including the touchdown. Jason Barnes and Moe Brown each have two catches.

    Stephon Gilmore is USC’s leading tackler, with six (three solo). Chris Culliver, in his return to the field, is third on the team with three tackles – and a big share of the blame for Florida’s long touchdown pass.

    Team-wise, Florida is outgaining USC 251-206, but time of possession goes to the Gamecocks by more than three minutes.

     

    • liam 6:41 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      First half was good. Would be a great win for Carolina. But talent and experience win out in the second half.

    • liam 7:36 pm on November 14, 2009 Permalink

      Just happened.

  • First-half thoughts

    semerson 6:33 pm on November 14, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    This game had two chances to get away from South Carolina, yet both times it got off the mat.

    The long Tim Tebow-Riley Cooper touchdown pass, less than three minutes in, was answered on the next drive by South Carolina.

    A quarter later, Florida was up 17-7, and a fumble by USC gave the ball to the Gators at midfield. But the Gamecock defense forced a long missed field goal, and the offense drove downfield for a touchdown.

    So going into the locker room Florida has a 17-14 lead, but South Carolina may feel better about itself. If the defense can force Florida’s offense into no score to open the second half, momentum will squarely be on USC’s side.

    The Gamecocks haven’t played well enough to win – but they’ve played well enough. I imagine that if it ended up this way, Gamecock fans would feel OK about things, unlike the past two losses, which saw the team lose by multiple scores to teams that were arguably on their level or inferior.

    If the Gamecocks had played this well the whole way against Tennessee or Arkansas, they would’ve won one of those games.

     

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