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The spring game does its best imitation of a hockey game, ending after three periods.
The White team wins, 21-17, in case you cared.
Kevin McCrarey, who does the press box announcing, reveals upon completion that Steve Spurrier improves to 6-0 at USC in spring games.
What did we learn today? Not a heck of a lot much, other than Stephen Garcia and Weslye Saunders are indeed under the gun to have better summers.
We’ve now officially entered the stretch here. Or the dead zone.
Jacob Baker, a walk-on tailback, just capped off a good run with a fumble, which was recovered by another walk-on, Matt O’Brien. (Don’t bother looking up O’Brien in the spring media guide. He doesn’t have a bio.)
It’s still a close game, the Whites having rallied to a 21-17 lead after a good Kenny Miles touchdown run. But the clock is now running after every play, and the starters are almost all on the sidelines with their helmets off.
Baker, incidentally, is still getting his shot. He switched jerseys and went back on the field for the ensuing drive, notching another carry.
We have our first sign of the Wild Cock. Or the Gilmore formation. Or whatever they’re calling it today.
In any case, it didn’t last very long, or go very well.
Stephon Gilmore tried two passes, one an incompletion and the second picked off by Brandan Davis. It was pretty much thrown right at Davis downfield.
Gilmore, much like the other No. 5, hit the ground a few feet before the receiver on his second throw. But it was better than his second pass.
Melvin Ingram, normally a defensive tackle, joined Gilmore in the backfield as the fullback.
The second half begins with Zac Brindise hitting Damario Bennett on a 34-yard touchdown pass. A nice play by Bennett, who stopped near the goal-line to haul it in.
Under normal rules, though, it may not have even gotten off. Devin Taylor nearly got to Brindise, and appeared to slow off, knowing he wasn’t allowed to hit the quarterback. At a minimum, Taylor would have affected the throw, and he may have even sacked him.
Whatever, the White team now whittles the lead to 17-14.
And, in a worrisome sign for those who don’t want a long game, they are NOT running the clock the whole time, as previously announced. Did the clock operator not get the memo, or did Steve Spurrier decide to elongate things?
The quickest spring game in South Carolina history is now ready to begin the second half, following a halftime that barely gave me time to go to the bathroom.
The Garnet leads the White, 17-7, behind Connor Shaw, who probably has fans wondering whether it’s too soon to begin Heisman consideration. (Of course I’m kidding. Stop it.)
They do have a pretty good crowd here, and they’re starting a “Game … Cocks” chant. Strangely, the east end of the stands started filling up near the end of the first quarter, a constant stream of folks coming in at the same time as if dropped off by a caravan of busses.
This half should go relatively quickly, as we have a running clock.
The defense finally has something to hang its hat on.
Zac Brindise, getting his first action of the day, was picked off trying to fit a pass in to Weslye Saunders. It was a bad idea: Quin Smith tipped it, and probably should’ve picked it off, then Stephon Gilmore picked it out of the air and ran it a few yards back.
The most interesting thing may be what happened next: Connor Shaw returned at quarterback. Did Steve Spurrier want Shaw to operate with a short field, or was it just his turn?
In any event, the Shaw-led offense couldn’t get a first down, and Spencer Lanning booted a 39-yard field goal.
Andrew Clifford leads his own touchdown drive, as the offense continues to shine against the injury-depleted defense.
Brian Maddox gets the touchdown, barreling in from 3 yards out. Typical Maddox, who doesn’t do much until the goal-line, then uses his big frame to get in the end zone.
The big play was a 34-yard completion to D.L. Moore, which was nicely done on the part of both quarterback and receiver. Clifford’s pump fake drew in the cornerback, and Moore made a nice stop-and-run to sell it too.
This is becoming the kind of game Steve Spurrier loves, an offensive fest. And it should be, with six projected starters being held out. (Besides the five injured ones, Shaq Wilson also appears to be being held out, just because the team can ill afford for him to get hurt too.)
We have our first play-that-could-never-happen-in-a-real-game.
Andrew Clifford, getting his first snap, heaved a ball downfield seemingly to no one … and then Cedrick Snead came off the bench, catching it at about the 20.
It was the ol’ Scotty Spurrier special, the one the Head Ball Coach usually called for his son. The officials flagged it then, and did so again, obviously. But they weren’t done.
As he entered the end zone, Snead performed a somersault. That quickly drew a few more flags.
Then, to finish it off, Snead heaved the ball into the stands.
That’s about three penalties on the play for Snead. And he loved every minute of it. So did the crowd.
Unlike a few years ago, when Spurrier ordered the defense to decline the flag, this time they accepted it and let Clifford carry on with his drive. Apparently he just wanted to have fun.
Let the record show the fun play happened early in the second quarter, which is pretty early for that kind of thing. Another sign they’re just not taking this game very seriously.
… But it hardly seemed like it. He got the benefit of two pass interference calls, including a questionable one that put the ball at the 2.
Nonetheless, he did hit Justice Cunningham for a 2-yard touchdown, fitting a nice pass in just before Cunningham got hit hard.
Cunningham is having a pretty productive game so far. Weslye Saunders, the starter at tight end, also caught a pass on that drive, as the tight ends keep switching teams and jerseys.
The 70-yard drive took 11 plays, with Garcia going 5-for-7 for 39 yards.
And they’re not running the clock anymore. That might’ve just been a mishap on the clock operator’s part in the first quarter.
I just wrote in my previous post that Patrick DiMarco may not be getting a lot of looks at tight end today.
Well, never mind.
DiMarco did indeed line up at tight end, and did indeed haul in a 14-yard pass from Connor Shaw for the game’s first touchdown.
It was an impressive 80-yard drive led by Shaw, who was 4-for-4 for 59 yards. Bryce Sherman also had a nice run.
Greg 4:20 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink
Body language of the two QBs is really telling thus far.