Well, you can pretty much forget about the Chik-fil-A Bowl now.
Arkansas extends its lead to 17, using up a lot of clock in the process. That pretty much ices this game, meaning South Carolina can get ready to return home a 6-4 team.
The Chik-fil-A folks apparently want an eight-win team, and unless the Gamecocks stun No. 1 Florida next week, they won’t do that. And the way their defense played today, don’t count on the stunner.
Well look, the defense didn’t play that bad in the first half. But it wore down in the second half, the injuries and resulting depth problems catching up. And Cliff Matthews won’t be back next week.
The offense looked good at times – especially on the first play of the second half. But the offensive line broke down in the second half, and a couple badly-timed errors were made – the Garcia pick and the high snap by Garrett Anderson.
I’ve got to head downstairs for interviews so this will stand as my last in-game blog. I’ll check in later with comments from Steve Spurrier and others.
Fire Spurrier 4:12 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Hopefully you will report that Steve Spurrier was fired after the game.
bash01 4:13 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
When will our players get the attitude that they would rather cut off their balls with a razor blade than lose a football game?
Greg dampier 4:14 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
We have some of the worst, dumbest, stupid, lame and pathetic fans in the world.
Get a grip, cheer on the team and shut up.
achand5121 4:16 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
well, I was optimistic that we would win at least one during this stretch but not so sure now. Hey remember the old gamecock mantra…. wait till next year
Fire Spurrier 4:16 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Wait till next year. I hear that will be the year. No wait, our line will be too young. Maybe the year after that.
kurtis 4:18 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Fire, I think we both can agree that we would like to see this program turn the page. It feels we take one step foward but two steps back.
kurtis 4:21 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
My team to cheer for the rest of the season is Alabama.
kurtis 4:23 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Yes, I don’t think we will make it to bowl again this season to be honest.
Upstategcock 4:24 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Fire Steve Spurrier. From this day forward I want all of my Gamecock Club money to go to basketball or any sport besides football. I will not pay for steve spurrier to take university money to pretend like he is coaching. I just can’t understand how we can always be outcoached. FIRE SPURRIER NOW!
Bubba 4:30 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
This is Carolina football! Win a few moral victories, kick a few cream puffs and go into the Spurrier shuffle with a string of consecutive losses in the last half of the season! I do not know why this bothers anyone, they have been doing it for 112 years!
Kurtis 4:34 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
WHy does it bother people? Spurrier came in with lofty expectations for the fans. Obviously, this is looking like a distant dream right now for USC to make it to the SEC championship. O-Line plays worse than most Subdivision teams. Offensive play calling looks like High School play. Defense is has been shakey against the run for the last 3 or 4 years. Anybody would like to add anything else, feel free.
michaelJ 4:34 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
That has to be one of the worst coached teams in college football.
The Quad 4:39 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Another loss because of sloppy play, and a total lack of a commitment to play every down at 110% (other than a few notable players). Coaching sloppy, players sloppy, we give up on some plays, at the we don’t even rush the plays to score and give up like we gave up against Alabama. Bama-gave the game away, Tenn-gave the game away and we did it again today. Interception, safety, can;t score and settle for a field goal, missed extra point, penalties. If I was a coach and I was about to play USC here is my game plan: don’t do anything as these guys beat themselves. Just stand back and watch them screw up. We have played 1 game this year with fire and a commitment to play with 110% effort and that was Georgia. I wasn’t happy about the loss, but I walked away thinking this team has some guts, some fire and a desire to win. This starts at the top, and the coaches need to accept they are not doing the job. These mistakes and lack of interests in playing with a burning desire to destroy the other team need to stop otherwise I say we boycott the game next week. Have a true blackout and no one show up to let them know this is not acceptable. You want to play for USC, you want to coach here, you better bring your A game on every down or go somewhere else. Norwood, Garcia, Brown, Miles and a few others but the rest are a joke. What kind of man likes losing? Where is the anger? Where is the fire?
Leo Nola 4:40 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
well, we definitely don’t, er, won’t, deserve a bowl game, but 6-6 gets you one in this era of rewarding mediocrity as an excuse to make a few almighty $$. kohler toilet bowl here we come…..hooray….wait ’til next year!!
Tom 4:41 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
S. Spurious is an absolute disgrace, on the sideline, for someone in his position. He is certifiable, as a maniac.
Whateva 4:49 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Whoever says fire Spurrier is an idiot. If you fire him you can say goodbye to all the top 10 recruiting classes of the past few years. Not saying he’s been the coach he was at Florida but no one else could do much better with. Our position players are as good as most in the country but they can’t do anything without a line to help. As the old saying goes “you can’t win the kentucky derby with a jack%&@ and thats what are O-line is right now. Can anyone tell me why every team we play is right on our receivers backs when we complete underneath passes but our secondary prefers to give receivers a 10 yard cushion unerneath EVERY TIME! I love being a carolina fan
Curtis 4:55 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
This team doesn’t deserve a bowl bid…but we’ll get one anyway because there are so many stinking bowls. We’ll probably head back to Memphis and get hammered by Houston.
There’s Spurrier’s first losing season.
How long until baseball starts?
FEDUP 4:55 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Can’t we join the ACC – maybe the Big East? Experience some success instead of being the constant doormat. There won’t be any SEC championship for the Gamecocks – ever – because it is the same team year after year after year. Mistakes that make us look foolish constantly. Spurrier’s teams made the same mistakes at FL, but they had the playmakers to overcome. Maybe that’s Spurrier’s new plan that he talked about last week – get better playmakers because he and his coaches can’t coach out the mistakes. Hmmm
gizmondo 4:57 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Another late season string of losses. Definitely a lack of depth on defense & the inability of our offense to at least make 1st downs. Late in the 3rd quarter our D was GASSED. How many times are we going to see the fade to Jeffereys? I have yet to see it work. There is an upside. Many of the players who are on the field most of the time are freshmen or sophomores, who will only get better. when coach Wolford gets another year with the o-line players we have & is able to recruit his own guys, the offense will definitely improve. It says a lot about the quality of the o-line talent when a walk-on sees significant playing.time.
Brian 5:02 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Gamecocks don’t deserve a bowl but will get one anyway.
Of course, they’ll probably lose it and give Spurrier his first losing season since he was at Duke.
The “New Carolina” looks a lot like the old one.
Browndog 5:06 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
I am a UGA fan and this Gamecock team is playing light years ahead of the Bulldogs! Your team has had a rash of injuries but still puts a better product on the field than UGA. It is all about top recruits and SC is beginning to get more and more game changing players. I think the future is definitely brighter for SC than UGA.
LarryLoco 5:19 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Let me be the 1st to call for the firing of Ellis Johnson!! Our defense is so weak it’s ridiculous!! Do we blitz ever? Our defense starts moving backwards at the snap of the ball. It’s embarassing. I’m tired of being part of everyone else’s highlight reel!!
Steve Jr 5:30 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
FEDUP, careful about wanting to get back in the ACC. We would be either the fourt h or fifth best team on our best day. Since 1950 we are 17-24-2 against DUKE!
beachpoag 5:31 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Spurrier, you’re 5 YEARS LATE FOR YOUR TEE TIME!!
Michael C. 5:36 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
I hope spurrier gets his Augusta National membership soon so that he will leave like holtz did
michaelJ 5:39 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
whateva, What good is recruiting good? players if you can’t coach them. I really like Spurrier but I’ll say it again, that is not a well coached team. Anyone who saw the game and knows football would realize that. The delay of game penalties, the poor use of timeouts, the snapping of the ball JUST before the play clock runs out so frequently epitomize a badly coached team. We audible on 3 and 6, barely beat the play clock and run it into the line for a 1 yard game. Could the original play have been any worse. Anyone can have a bad coaching day but it happens all too often.
Jeff 5:53 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
whateva, Only thing spurrier has done at SC has made the athletic dept money because of the name. Well nobody is scared of the name anymore. I guess .500 season is okay at vanderbilt which seems that they are 2-3 against the name. It is a let down to everybody that we have the most unmotivated and uninspired football team in the country. i have held season tickets for 17yrs probaly only missed maybe 10 home games in that period, and im not giving another dime until they hire a coach that doesnt get a discount on coffe at Hardees on sunday. We need a Bill Cowher or John Grudden fire on our sidline. Lets pay for that instead of for .500 seasons. Until we start paying big money nobody will stay or coach in Columbia.
USC95 6:27 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Greg, get off the fans. The problem is the fans are too loyal. We sold out this stadium at 0 and 22. The team has never been motivated regardless of the coach (small exception with Morrison) performs with mediocrity and we keep sending in the money. It is time the fans demanded some return. We have to stop just talking about it on blogs and show the team and the University that money comes with winning not the other way around. And yes, I am one of the idiot fans that keep paying for my season tickets every year no matter how we do or what the price is for them. Shame on me!
Sam Forest 9:38 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
I agree with michaelJ wholeheartedly!!! Why do we always come to the line of scrimmage with 13 seconds left and snap it with <3 seconds left? Our biggest problem is not coaching, it is our offensive line. Coming from an ex-collegiate O-Lineman, our offensive line does not have any cohesion week to week. Instead of sending 4 wide receivers out, we should keep a FB in to assist with blocking, also!! Unfortunately, we are going to have to wait until next year for improvement!!
BW 10:42 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink
Every year…..every year I tell myself not to get excited. Every year we get on our begining of the season little roll and every year I break form and start believing that we have a shot at the East. But of coarse…..After 6 wins, we just fall apart. Why do we turn the ball over so much? Why do we run a draw or dive play on 3rd and 7? Why don’t we line up Alshon and Gurley on separate post. Have Saunders run out for a 7 or 8 yard post route with Miles/Jiles coming out the from right for the last option underneath which is usually good for 4 or 5 yards and on occasion could be broke for 20+. I just don’t understand it. We can’t we get the breaks. Why can’t we blow someone out 56 to 3? We can’t we just play good football consistantly? Should be plenty of Florida tickets for sale…………