College Football Bowl Preview: 10 Reasons To Watch South Carolina vs. FSU
With the BCS bowl games just around the corner, the college bowl schedule has been packed with games on New Years Eve.
Today you have South Florida v Clemson, Notre Dame v Miami, Georgia vs Central Florida and, to cap it all off, South Carolina vs Florida State.
These are all great games, but by the time Georgia vs Central Florida is over, you might be ready to call it quits.
Well, I'm here to prevent you from doing so, because taking that path would lead you away from what promises to be a very very good bowl game.
So, in an effort to entice you into sitting through a fourth football game on New Years Eve instead of, say, pre-gaming the New Years party you are undoubtedly headed to tonight, here are 10 reasons why you should watch the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Florida State Seminoles go at it in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
1. Marcus Lattimore
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Watching individual performances is always a great reason to watch football games in general, and what better player to watch than true freshman Marcus Lattimore.
I remember watching Lattimore for the first time at the beginning of this season and being amazed. This is a kid who clearly has a lot of talent and it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up being a star in the NFL as well as for Florida State.
As it stands, Lattimore has been dominant this year. Averaging 4.8 yards per carry, Lattimore has piled up 1,198 yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games.
Sit. Watch. Enjoy.
2. Christian Ponder
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There was a time when people thought that Christian Ponder would end up being ranked up with Andrew Luck, Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett in the 2011 NFL Draft.
So much for that.
Ponder is still considered a second or third round selection, but he is far from the first round.
The bad part of this situation is also the best part, though. Doesn't it seem likely that, in an effort to improve his draft stock, Ponder will do his best to play the game of his life?
Yeah, I'm excited to see that too.
3. Stephen Garcia
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Stephen Garcia had a rough going of it in the SEC Championship game, but he can still be counted on to put together some great games.
Garcia extends plays well with his feet and makes great throws, which has led him to a career-high 65.1% completion rating this year, as well as a quarterback rating of 154.14.
In a duel of good quarterbacks, Garcia is not to be overlooked in favor of Ponder.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
4. Brandon Jenkins
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Brandon Jenkins is currently No. 4 in FBS play in sacks with 13 on the season.
Whether or not South Carolina can keep him from getting pressure on Stephen Garcia could very well be a big difference maker in this game.
Look for Jenkins to be in on a couple of good plays in the backfield.
5. Florida State's Defensive Pressure
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As an extension of the last slide, this one is worth mentioning.
The Seminoles are constantly hungry for the quarterback. So much so, in fact, that they average roughly 3.5 sacks per game.
Dear God almighty.
Florida State will get in the backfield during this one, that much is a certainty.
How often? Well, you'll have to watch to find out.
6. Jimbo Fisher's First Bowl Game
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It's a strange feeling to see Florida State heading into a bowl game without the famous Bobby Bowden behind the wheel.
First year coach Jimbo Fisher has done a great job in keeping Florida State a great program, and a win against South Carolina today would really help solidify himself as a great choice by Florida State.
In any case, though, it will be interesting to see how he handles his first bowl game as the head coach at FSU. If it is anything like his performance in the regular season, it should be a fun game.
7. Steve Spurrier's Rivalry With Florida State
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Before there was Tim Tebow, before there was Urban Meyer, there was Steve Spurrier.
As the head coach of the Florida Gators, Spurrier was the driving force behind the fierce 1990s rivalry between Florida and Florida State, and the feelings have probably carried over to South Carolina.
Obviously in-state bragging rights aren't on the line, nor are national championships or BCS bowl wins, but pride is definitely a factor here, and Steve Spurrier will not be going quietly into the night against his former rivals.
8. Neutral Ground
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Swap out Georgia Tech and UVA for South Carolina and Florida State, and you have our game.
Most of the bowl games aren't played on the home turf of one of the teams, but not many are played on a site like Grant Field, which seems to be about as neutral of a site as can be.
FSU may be a bit further, but, considering the game is in Atlanta, fans from both teams will be able to roll out to the game, and neither team should really be affected by the travel.
9. Stephen Garcia to Alshon Jeffery Connection
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These two have been connecting well all season, and how well they keep that up tonight is a big determining factor.
Florida State will be keeping the heat up on Stephen Garcia, so big plays might be difficult to come by, but expect the ball to end up in the hands of Alshon Jeffery, as it has 79 times before (well, that's just this season. We could stretch that number to 125).
10. The Redemption Factor
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This is Steve Spurrier, watching his team fall apart during the SEC Championship game against Auburn.
No team wants to finish the season like that.
South Carolina is really going to want this win, if only to prove that they are not the team that got beaten up badly by Cam Newton and the rest of the Auburn Tigers.
Florida State is no exception from this either.
The Seminoles simply could not slow down Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game and ended up walking away and licking their wounds with a 44-33 loss.
Both of these teams are really going to want to play their hearts out and end the season on a high note after losing BCS bowl game opportunities.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
