South Carolina Football 2010: Best... Season... Ever!
With South Carolina coming off of a huge win against Clemson and a first-ever SEC Championship Game in under a week, one has to begin to look at this season as a "best ever".
We all know that it is a season of firsts, but is it the best Gamecock season of all time?
Let's take a look.
Beating The Number One Team In The Country Ain't Easy
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On October 9th, 2010, South Carolina beat then #1 Alabama.
It was South Carolina's biggest game ever, and one that featured a dominating performance by South Carolina's offense.
South Carolina has a chance to do it all over again, against undefeated Auburn in Atlanta.
Dropping Half a Hundred Before The Half Against Troy
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South Carolina put up 56 points in one half against Troy.
While you may say that Troy is a cakewalk, it is still impressive to put that many points up against a team who took Oklahoma State to the wire.
The scoring summary for the half looked like two games worth for an average team.
1st Qrt:
Marcus Lattimore: 17 yard run.
Marcus Lattimore: 8 yard run.
Marcus Lattimore: 5 yard run.
Ace Sanders: 51 yard pass from Stephen Garcia.
2nd Qrt:
Patrick DiMarco: 7 yard pass from Stephen Garcia.
Chris Anderson (Troy): 25 yard pass from Jason Bruce.
Stephen Garcia: 1 yard run.
D.J. Swearinger: 22 yard interception return.
Chaz Sutton: 56 yard interception return.
Half time score: 56-7
Hey, According To Spurrier That Is a Record For Him, Too!
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According to him, he never scored that many points in a half with his high-powered Florida offense!
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Marcus Lattimore: The Man, The Myth, The Record Breaker
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Freshman sensation Marcus Lattimore is the heart of this South Carolina team.
As long as he is around, South Carolina can be in the SEC hunt.
He has set school records for yards rushing as a freshman, and freshman touchdowns.
He is currently second all-time in SEC freshman touchdowns, and needs only one more to tie the record.
He has set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season at South Carolina.
He set a school record for rushes in a game with 40 against Florida.
He tied the school record for rushing touchdowns in a game with three against Troy and Florida.
He is on pace to finish with the third highest rushing total in South Carolina history.
The sky is the limit for this young beast.
Alshon Jeffery Passes Sidney Rice... And He Is Just a Sophomore
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Alshon Jeffery was overshadowed a bit by Marcus Lattimore's stunning season—but only slightly.
He has decimated school records this season.
With recent stars such as Kenny McKinley, Sidney Rice, and Troy Williamson all putting up big numbers, and all-time great Sterling Sharpe among those as well, Jeffery's records are especially stunning.
He destroyed Sidney Rice's season receiving yards record by almost 200 yards.
He is two catches away from breaking Kenny McKinley's receptions record.
He also has the highest yards-per-catch average of any receiver in South Carolina history.
Can you believe he was told that he would be pumping gas after Carolina?
Try The Combo Platter... It's Delicious
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With the two aformentioned superstars, South Carolina has its first combo of a 1,000 yard rusher (Lattimore), and 1,000 yard receiver (Jeffery) in the same season.
Take your pick.
With these two and the improved play of Stephen Garcia, South Carolina's offense is extremely hard to stop.
Stephen Garcia, No Longer The Whipping Boy
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Speaking of Garcia, you can't talk about South Carolina without talking about its embattled quarterback. Ladies and gentlemen, he is a bonafied star.
He is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the conference, ranked 5th in SEC passing efficiency.
He in 4th place in South Carolina season passing yards (looking up at himself at #3).
Garcia has the third highest completion percentage (65.7 percent) in South Carolina history.
He has also moved into third place in the career passing department.
With one more year, he may own every South Carolina passing record.
Guess what?—He deserves it.
Team SEC Stat Leaders In Abundance
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On top of the personal records and school records, South Carolina has never had a season with so many league leading statistics.
South Carolina is currently the number one rushing defense in the SEC, with 93.2 yards allowed per game.
South Carolina has the most interceptions returned for touchdowns in the SEC, and tied with the University of Central Florida in the NCAA's with five.
South Carolina leads the SEC in sacks by, with 39.
South Carolina is currently third in opponents first-downs, only allowing 18 per game.
They are also second in the SEC in third down conversions, converting 49.7 percent of them.
These guys are the second least penalized team in the SEC.
The team is first in the SEC in average time of possession.
South Carolina is second in red-zone defense.
When is the last time South Carolina had a resume like that?
Um—never.
Also Individual Leaders In The SEC
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South Carolina is full of stars that pop up on the SEC individual statistics leaders as well.
Marcus Lattimore is second in the SEC with 101.3 yards rushing per game.
Stephen Garcia is fifth in the SEC in passing yards per game with 220.5. He is also fifth in the SEC in total yards per game with 236.3.
Alshon Jeffery is second in the SEC in receptions per game. He is first in yards per game with 112.6 yards per game—22 yards higher then Julio Jones who is in second.
Marcus Lattimore leads the SEC in scoring per game with 10.4 points per contest (yes, over Cam Newton who is sitting at 9.5).
Spencer Lanning is ninth in scoring per game with 7.7, and is also fifth in the SEC in punting average.
Bryce Sherman is ninth in kick return average with 20.7 per return.
South Carolina has two players in the top five in sacks.
Melvin Ingram has eight sacks on the season, which is third in the SEC. Devin Taylor has seven and a half, good for fourth.
The Beast In The East: Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee Fall To Carolina
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South Carolina has never beaten Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee all in the same season.
Throw Alabama in there, and you really have a great record.
Giving away the Kentucky game after being up 28-7 hurts, because an SEC East sweep would have been so sweet.
Only Gators Come Out Alive...and Gamecocks
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Out of all of those victories, the most symbolic was going into "The Swamp", as Coach Spurrier named it, and knocking off the Gators in a "winner takes all" SEC East battle.
Winning at that stadium has never been done.
Consider that another monkey off the program's back.
South Carolina Now Has an Iron Fist On The State Championship
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For the first time in 40 years, South Carolina has beaten Clemson two years in a row.
With a combined score of 63-24, they have not been close match ups.
The future looks bright for South Carolina in this series.
Could a decade of dominance be in store?
I don't see why not.
SEC East Champions For The First Time
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This is a no brainer.
Winning the SEC East is a huge step in the right direction for South Carolina in the national picture.
Next year, it would not suprise anyone to see this talented team compete for a national title.
Would The SEC Championship Clinch The Teams Best Season Ever?
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Short answer—No.
It has already been clinched.
South Carolina stepped into uncharted territory this season.
Don't expect them to let up ever again.
The illusive "next year" is finally upon us, Gamecock fans and I have a feeling this isn't the end.
There are still goals to be made—
1. Win the SEC Championship.
2. Clinch a BCS game.
3. Win a BCS game.
I feel they are all possible. When has a Gamecock fan ever been able to say that?
Best... season.... EVAH!
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