South Carolina Football 2011: "Pick Six" Things We Learned from USC vs. Georgia

What we have here between the Gamecocks and Bulldogs now is a real rivalry.  In Gamecock Nation, where hope has always sprung eternal, it has always been a rivalry.  But when you hold a 46-15-2 lead in the series (before today!) you can forgive the Georgia people for seeing the “rivalry” in all this, as Bulldog Nation has preferred to direct their attention to Tennessee and Florida. 

On the heels of Saturday’s 45-42 win by the Gamecocks, this rivalry again sets the course for what will happen for both teams in the Eastern Division.  For Gamecock fans, let’s take a look at what we learned on Saturday.

1.       Gamecocks still start slow in the first quarter.

This week, Carolina could not get its offense going early and fell down 6-0 to Georgia on two early field goals.  Last week against East Carolina, it was turnovers that hurt Carolina.  This week, Georgia mostly outplayed Carolina and the ‘Dogs defense stuffed the Gamecocks early.  If the first game is opening-game jitters in the first quarter, do two games indicate a “slow start” pattern?  We’ll see.

2.       The defense is giving up 39.1 points per game so far – be concerned.

Georgia ran up 42 points, 23 first downs, 248 yards passing and 188 yards rushing.  Georgia routinely gashed Carolina’s vaunted defensive line on the ground.  Georgia Quarterback Aaron Murray was 13-of-29 for 248 yards and four touchdowns.  Carolina starts a four-game home stand this Saturday and, as of this writing, all incoming opponents are undefeated. 

The triple-option offense that Navy runs has always given Carolina defensive fits.  Vanderbilt just knocked off defending Big East champ UConn and is trying to make noise under new coach James Franklin.  Auburn beat Mississippi State on a game-ending goal line stand and looks like they won’t give up the West Division, or their defense of the national championship without a fight.  Kentucky just beat perennial Mid-American challenger Central Michigan —and the Wildcats took the Gamecocks down last year. 

Playing at home at Williams-Brice will help.  But the Gamecock All-Star defenders need to step up to the task sooner rather than later.

3.        Offensively, the Gamecocks are scoring at a 50.1 per game clip – be happy.

Some of this production was special teams and defense against Georgia.  Defensive lineman Melvin Ingram ran 68 yards on a fake punt to score and scooped up a fumble from five yards and took that in.  Antonio Allen brought an interception 25 yards to paydirt.  If your defense has a big-play “offensive” component to it, that is a good thing.  It gives Garcia, Lattimore, Jeffery and Co. more freedom to do things offensively.

Wherever the points come from, Coach Steve Spurrier hasn’t had offensive production and tools like this since his 2001 Florida team.  Can it last?

4.       The special teams will be productive in 2011.

Spurrier promised in the preseason that the Gamecocks would score on special teams this year, something they had not done since Spurrier has been at USC (2005).  Ace Sanders brought a punt return for a score last week against East Carolina. Ingram took a 68-yard scamper to paydirt on a fake punt against Georgia.  They will do it sometime later this year when it really is going to matter.

5.       The Gamecock stars are for real and their numbers are growing.

You know about Jeffery and Lattimore on offense and the emerging Clowney on defense.   Other quarterbacks may have better statistics, but no one more has more heart or will be more significant to his team this year than Stephen Garcia. 

Want to know what else Melvin Ingram can do?  Read this piece by award-winning columnist Ron Morris in The State (Sunday, September 11, 2011)

http://www.thestate.com/2011/09/11/1966517/teammates-coaches-flip-over-ingrams.html

Senior kicker Jay Wooten was perfect on field goals and extra points.  Punter Joey Scribner-Howard averaged about 45 yards on six punts. 

This just scratches the surface of the weapons Spurrier has on this team.   In my years of following this team as a fan and a reporter, it is no stretch to say the Gamecocks have never been this loaded.

6.       Dealing with the weight of great expectations.

To some degree, a version of this statement is likely No. 6 of my “Pick Six” columns this year.  There are three things in this football program that have never existed at this level: All-Conference and All-American level talent, conference championship expectations and national dreams and a head coach who can still deliver the goods.

There have been expectations here before — a few Joe Morrison teams in the 1980s, a couple of Lou Holtz’s Outback Bowl teams in the early 2000s.  But those expectations could not be sustained any longer than a year or two.

The Gamecocks have won their first two games with big plays and a healthy dose of good fortune.  Gamecock fans ought to be happy with that.  But everyone needs to understand that the road ahead gets much more difficult.