SB Nation - Brian Maddox

Reviewing Clemson at South Carolina: How We Won and What It Means

Gamecock Man — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:57:04 -0000

More photos » by Brett Flashnick - AP

23 days ago: South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, right, is tripped up by Clemson cornerback Crezdon Butler, left, after a 39-yard reception from Stephon Gilmore, during the first half of their NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, at Williams-Brice Stadium, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

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Well, maybe this really is a New Carolina. The Gamecocks turned in a nearly flawless performance against our hated rivals, whipping Clemson by a score of 34-17. This was a truly dominant outing by Carolina; Clemson moved the ball very little until they managed a score late in the game against our prevent defense, and even then we hit them right back with a late Weslye Saunders touchdown that had more to do with pride than any actual influence on the outcome of the game. The box score says it all. We outgained the Tigers by over 100 yards, we had seven more first downs, we averaged much more yardage per play; the list could go on. It was a great afternoon to be a Gamecock.

This win gives this team some momentum going into the offseason and recruiting stretch. The Peach Bowl is now a possibility. I suspect Chick-fil-A will go with UGA in the end, but I still have my hopes. Even if we don't get Atlanta, though, Nashville, the Music City Bowl, and a likely matchup with UNC will serve as a fine consolation prize. This win will also undoubtedly pay off on the recruiting trail. We've always had to struggle against the fact that Clemson has owned us in this series while trying to make our case to the local high school talent. This year, though, Spurrier will have a case for us.

All in all, the win was a huge one for Spurrier in general. The fanbase is now reenergized and onboard with Spurrier. If Spurrier takes us to a strong finish, recruits well, and convinces our star juniors to stick around, there will be a lot to be excited about next year. The mood surrounding the program right now is just a lot different than last year. It's been a trying year at times, but overall, I think it was something of a success.

A few more thoughts on the game after the jump.

Spurrier clearly understood the gravity of this game, as he came in ready to throw the kitchen sink at the Tigers. We saw trick plays, the Wildcat, and a general tendency to go for the jugular. Well done, coach. The TD to Saunders at the end of the game was a huge statement.
There's really nothing that can't be said about Stephon Gilmore right now. What a performance.
Same goes for Spencer Lanning, one of this game's unsung heros.
Apparently, we can run the ball. The endgame actually played out much like what I feared the Tigers might do to us: we stuck to the run, punched Clemson in the nose as their defensive interior tired, and walked away with the victory. Gameballs go to our offensive line, which played its best game in years, and Kenny Miles and Brian Maddox, who both played well.
The defense was simply dominant. Clemson really didn't move the ball at all until the game was mostly out of their reach in the fourth quarter. It was very clear that they weren't ready for such a speedy defense.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this game over the course of the week. For now, let's just enjoy it. This was a quality performance.

Q&A With Garnet and Black Attack

FIGUREFOUR — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:31:08 -0000

We have worked together this week with Garnet and Black Attack to show the other side of the coin going into Saturday's game in Columbia. We tried to keep it civil and get Cockfan's perspective on the SC football team and strategies going into the final regular season game for both teams. Our responses to their questions can be seen here.

How do you guys see Garcia's progression at QB? How is it that Alshon Jeffery has made such an advance at WR ahead of others?

Garcia has progressed nicely this season. The biggest goals for Garcia after last season were to gain a better grasp of the offense, to learn to protect the ball better, and to learn that he can't rely on his feet to make plays in the college game. He's succeeded in each case. He understands the playbook, has thrown few interceptions (a welcome change after four years of Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley), and gets happy feet less than he used to. He's really come a long way, and I believe he's in position to break our single-season yardage record if he puts up big numbers against the Tigers and our bowl opponent.

As far as Alshon goes, I think his emergence is partially due to the fact that he's just a great talent. He wasn't very present early on in the year because he didn't know the offense very well, but once he had learned his position, he was ready to go out and contribute. Spurrier always said he was a talent, a guy who could make big catches whenever he's in position to do so. That turned out to be true. The only other guy that might rival him in talent and athletic ability is Tori Gurley, but Gurley is a converted defensive back and still needs some work on fundamentals, I think. Moe Brown is also a talented receiver but is more of a speed threat and clearly not the all-around monster Alshon is.

What is the problem with the offensive line? Why has there been so little progress in the running game considering the attention to it in the offseason?

As far as the running game goes, I think there's been more progress than you might see. We actually have a moderately competent running game now. Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles both average over 5 ypc, and Brian Maddox played well against Florida after a slow start to his season. So, we have solid but not great numbers, which is certainly better than what we had a year ago. The problem is that we fail to commit to the run at times, especially in the second half of games. We at times seem to totally abandon it. I'm putting that on the coaching staff rather than player execution.

The offensive line, in general, is better than in years past. Again, it's not great, but it's improved. Frankly, I think the biggest improvement is in run blocking, and that's the one we're taking least advantage of. Pass protection might be a little better than last year, but it's still quite suspect, as the sacks numbers suggest. The line is also penalty prone, which has killed just as many drives this year as the sacks.

The continued problems, hopefully, will be addressed in the offseason. I think we all had great expectations that Eric Wolford could come in and completely change the character of our line, but we're seeing now that perhaps it takes time for a line to learn a new scheme. Wolford promised that we'd see more zone blocking, but we really haven't seen much of that at all until recently, so perhaps Wolford just needs time to institute these and other changes that he hopes to use to get us to the next level.

Teams have had success over the past few years running the ball against SC, particularly between the tackles. Is this just a depth problem, scheme issue, or a defensive technique issue? Would the Gamecocks consider utilizing Norwood more inside or dropping a safety into the box if Clemson begins running the ball effectively?

I think it's a combination of all the factors you mention. Depth at tackle has been an issue for us in years past and continues to be this year. We came into the year with a good two-deep at tackle, but a season-ending injury to Travian Robertson and a nagging injury to Nathan Pepper have cut into our depth. We're still OK at the position, as Pepper, Ladi Ajiboye, and Melvin Ingram are all solid players, but we clearly begin to tire out at the end of games against teams that pound us; see our game against Alabama.

Scheme is also an issue. We typically run a 4-2-5 that places extra speed on the field in the form of the Spur position, which is basically a roving safety. This scheme is designed to defend the pass and particularly the spread option, as the greater speed on the field makes us less vulnerable to fast runners in space. On the other hand, the lack of a third linebacker in most of our schemes means that we're a little softer inside, as teams like Alabama and Tennessee have been able to expose.

Finally, I think technique is an issue this year. This wasn't a problem last year, but this year's team doesn't tackle very well.

As far as how to solve this problem, we haven't seen the coaches move Norwood to the middle, which has been a fairly constant topic for discussion among fans. I'm not sure if I think this is a good idea or not; Norwood would be a better run stopper than the diminutive Shaq Wilson, but he's also a monster on the outside, often taking two blockers and still getting his share of sacks. It would change our defensive dynamic significantly to move him. At any rate, the coaches don't seem to be into the idea.

One idea that I'd like to see the coaches explore in the offseason is varying the schemes. The 4-2-5 is great against Florida's spread and, to a lesser degree, offenses like Petrino's air attack and Ole Miss's idiosyncratic offense, which relies on a mix of passing the ball and getting Dexter McCluster on the edge. On the other hand, it doesn't work so well against Alabama, Tennessee, or the downhill running attack Florida has adopted at times this year. I would like to see us explore moving to a 4-3 more often against those teams, at least if we can find the personnel to do so.

SC has had a few big name defensive coordinators over the past few years. What are your thoughts about Ellis Johnson compared to Charley Strong?

I think both are great coordinators, clearly. Both have had great defenses at Carolina despite not having the benefits of the kind of talent an LSU or a Florida can have. I will say that in some ways what Strong did is more impressive, in that Johnson has had the benefit of more talent to work with. One of the amazing things about those Lou Holtz Outback Bowl teams is that they really weren't as talented as our teams now are. That staff really got the most out of those guys. Johnson, though, is still doing a great job.

You can also count me as part of the group that would love to see us explore Strong as a possible head coach when Spurrier hits the road.

SC utilizes three RB's extensively. Can you describe each back's style and rank them based on your perception of play this season?

That's right; we run with three backs--actually four if you include Bryce Sherman--and each have different styles. Kenny Miles has gotten most of the playing time this year. He's a good all-around back that runs hard downfield and combines moderate speed with the ability to break tackles. Jarvis Giles is more of a speedster, a guy who I'd like to see us get the ball to in space more often. Sherman is a dimunitive burner in the mold of LSU's Trindon Holliday; you'll only see us use him in gadget plays and packages that are specially designed to get him the ball in space. Brian Maddox is more of a power back and is the likely starter this weekend. He's also a good blocker and receiver, which is one reason that Spurrier continues to play him despite the fact that he doesn't seem to run the ball as well as the other two.

I don't like to rank the backs because each is different. I do, though, think we could utilize them better. I think we should, for the most part, use Maddox and Miles, Maddox in short-yardage and obvious passing situations and Miles in all other situations. Giles I think we should use as a utility player at this point, as is already the case for Sherman. Basically, I think we should rotate the group more often rather than trying to settle on one or the other, which is what we've been doing.

SC had a good deal of success early but has struggled late. What positives from early on do the Gamecocks need to get back to? What mistakes does this team need to shore up? Can these issues be corrected?

I think, first of all, that we need to get back to not turning the ball over. We were a very low-turnover team early in the season, and while Garcia certainly isn't reincarnating Blake Mitchell now, he isn't protecting the ball quite as well as he did early in the year. That hurt us against Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida. If we can get back to not turning the ball over against Clemson, our defense will be able to keep us in the game until the end. I do think we can succeed here, but it won't be easy against Clemson's pass rush.

I'd also like to see us do some of the things I've alluded to in the above answers. This offense has had trouble scoring touchdowns all year, and I think getting back to the running game and short passing game might help us do better there. Our basic MO at this point is to move the ball well on our side of the field by running our basic offense and then to go straight for the jugular as soon as we get to the opponents 35 or so. Predictably, this tends to result in incomplete passes, interceptions, and sacks that take us out of field goal range. Now, I'm not averse to throwing deep for the score. However, when you do it all the time, opponents know it's coming, and they have a safety play smart on the deep throw and blitz all their big fellas. The results are predictable. I'd like to see us get back to just trying to move the ball into the redzone and go for more high-percentage scores.

I have always been intrigued by the magic trick before the Gamecocks enter the field. Does anyone other than Cocky know how this is executed? Trap door? Magic dust?

Sorry, but there are some things about the Gamecocks that we just don't like to share with Clemson people. This is one of them.

Reviewing Florida at South Carolina: What It Means and Other Thoughts

Gamecock Man — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:50:33 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

about 1 month ago: South Carolina's Weslye Saunders (88) makes a catch for a touchdown as Florida's Joe Haden (5) defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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My apologies for being absent for the past couple of days. I made it down to Columbia for the game, so between spending time with old friends and traveling all day yesterday, I haven't had time this weekend to maintain the blog.

As you know, the game itself was exciting. There were some incredible high points, and I'm willing to give the coaches and team some credit for the way they played. A couple of years ago we folded in a similar situation against the Gators in Columbia, and we didn't do that this weekend against a better Gators team. We played them as well as anyone other than Arkansas has this year, and that gives me some hope that this team is going to fight for a win against the Tigers and in their bowl game.

At the end of the day, though, a loss is a loss, and they all add up to a subpar season. We're finishing 3-5 in the SEC. The best possible bowl scenario is the Peach Bowl, and that's only if we beat the Tigers and get some help from some of the other SEC teams in the crowded middle. A more likely bowl destination is probably Nashville or Memphis, and Shreveport or Birmingham aren't out of the realm of possibilities if we can't beat Clemson. That's all incredibly disappointing to me. I really thought this team was capable of doing bigger things, and while I'm willing to give this young group until next year before I really pass judgment on them, I think we should have rightly expected at least eight wins this year, especially after the fast start.

A few more thoughts on the game after the jump.

Despite the turnovers, Stephen Garcia played a quality game. He had Gators in his face more or less all afternoon, yet he still managed to make some great throws and runs. Florida doesn't give you much, but he still managed to take a little bit. I can't wait to see what he looks like next year.
I was also incredibly impressed by our running game. Whatever you want to say about our offensive line's inability to protect Garcia, you have to admit that Eric Wolford has made a difference for the running game. Now if only we could commit to it, like, you know, when it's 3rd and 2 and you can tie it with a field goal.
Our defense also played well. I was especially impressed by Clifton Geathers, who was in the backfield all night. If he can play like that again in two weeks when we have Cliff Matthews back on the field, we can make things frightening for Kyle Parker.
The defense's few hiccups, though, made a major difference. We really whiffed on Riley Cooper's long touchdown.
Florida's defense is unbelievably good. Despite getting some truly breathtaking play at times from Stephen Garcia as well as a surprisingly good from Brian Maddox, the Gators still held us to 14 points and around 250 yards. Moreover, they made the plays when it mattered. The interception at the beginning of the fourth was the big one, obviously, but the multiple sacks on our last couple of drives were also huge for making sure we didn't find a way back into the game.
I sure am glad that we managed to stop Florida on their final drive. Trying to score in that situation was uncalled for on Urban's part, but I guess I wouldn't have expected anything less from Corch.

Jarvis Giles Not Making Trip to Tuscaloosa

Gamecock Man — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:34:31 -0000

Per The State:

USC freshman tailback Jarvis Giles is suspended for the Alabama game for an undisclosed violation of team and university policy, media relations director Steve Fink said Friday.

Fink said Giles would not make the trip to Tuscaloosa, but did not know whether the suspension extended beyond Saturday’s game.

Giles is the Gamecocks’ second-leading rusher with 245 yards on 42 carries.

This isn't ideal for tomorrow, but it's not the end of the world, either. Giles may be the team's second-leading rusher, but most of his yards have come against the weaker portion of our schedule. Kenny Miles and Brian Maddox are most of the snaps against the real competition, and I expect that would have been the case against 'Bama tomorrow regardless of whether Giles was on the field. However, Giles is an important part of this team going forward, so let's hope he gets his act together.

Week Seven Previewing: #2 Alabama vs #22 South Carolina

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

Beating up on Colonel Reb was certainly nice, but as the proverbial saying goes there is no rest for the weary, and that saying rings particularly true for teams competing in the SEC. After beating Ole Miss 22-3 in Oxford, Alabama returns to the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium this week for its fourth conference game in as many weeks as South Carolina and the Ol' Ball Coach head to Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks come into this game with a solid 5-1 record and a top-25 ranking, so as is usually the case, the Tide will need to play well in order to insure that it emerges victorious. Let's take a closer look at the match-ups:

Alabama Offense v. South Carolina Defense

The strength of this South Carolina team, as has been the case with nearly all of Steve Spurrier's teams in Columbia, is on the defensive side of the ball, with a defense led by a couple of coaches with strong Alabama ties: Lorenzo Ward ('Bama alum) and Ellis Johnson (two stints, and a national title ring, as an assistant at 'Bama). The Gamecocks are a bit of a different animal defensively in terms of schemes, and as much as possible they try to operate out of a base 4-2-5 set. Whether you've noticed or not, South Carolina has really been an NFL factory the past several years for talent in the defensive backfield, and in many ways the 4-2-5 is just a way of playing to their strengths and getting their best players on the field.

Individually, the standout of the South Carolina defense is clearly linebacker Eric Norwood. At 6'1 and 250+ pounds, Norwood will likely be a star on Sunday one day, and with injuries continuing to plague Greg Hardy, Norwood is probably the best pass rusher in the conference these days. Nevertheless, don't paint him as a Rahim Alem-esque one-trick pony who can only rush the passer, just look at his overall stat line on the year... 38 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks for a loss of 42 yards, 5 QB hurries, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 2 blocked kicks. Bottom line, the kid can do it all. He can rush the passer, he can play the run, he can play the pass, and he can make an impact on special teams. He is nothing short of a defensive coordinator's dream, plain and simple.

Aside from Norwood, the starting eleven on this team was very good. And I say was because injuries have really hit this unit hard. As I mentioned earlier, they had a great starting eleven, but quality depth was never on their side, and the injury bug has only made things worse. Defensive tackle Travian Robertson tore his ACL earlier in the year, and middle linebacker Rodney Paulk also went down for the year with a knee injury. For a unit with very little proven, quality depth, both injuries hit hard, and making matters worse starting cornerback Akeem Auguste was recently suspended for violating team / university rules, and will not play in this game.

So, we really don't know exactly what to make of the South Carolina defense right now. There are definitely a lot of good players on the defensive side of the ball, that we do know. Aside from Norwood, defensive end Cliff Matthews is a fine player, and Shaq Wilson and Chris Culliver are both very good players in their own right. Moreover, they do have some young guys contributing early, particularly cornerback Stephon Gilmore, a player Saban himself recruited very hard to come to Alabama. The rest of the starters are generally pretty solid at worst, so it's a decent group in that respect.

On the other hand, though, again, injuries have hit this group hard and the depth really just is not there, so in many ways this does have the look of a vulnerable group. The loss of Robertson and Paulk have really hurt the run defense, and it has looked pretty ugly in the past couple of weeks. South Carolina State ran for 170 yards against them, and Kentucky went over 200 yards, both of which is pretty bad news when you set off to head to Tuscaloosa.

In many ways, the defensive backfield, again, has led the Gamecock attack. It's a young group, but they have generally been able to get the job done to date. But, of course, looking at the schedule, you really do have to question the strength of their six opponents to date. North Carolina State, Florida Atlantic, and South Carolina State all have anemic passing attacks, and the Georgia offense with Joe Cox hasn't exactly lit up the scoreboard in Athens. Likewise, Kentucky many have the worst quarterback play of any team in the SEC, and the Gamecocks got to play for more than a quarter against the back-up. Taking Jevan Snead to the woodshed was certainly a good performance, but then again pretty much every good defense that has faced the Rebels have done that (Alabama included), so who really knows how much that says? And, of course, the suspension of Auguste will do nothing to help the Gamecocks on this front.

For Alabama, the Tide really just has to work its way out of the miniature funk it fell into last weekend in Oxford. We know this unit can be extremely good, but Greg McElroy has to be a lot more disciplined in his progressions this week, and frankly the offensive play-calling needs to improve, not to mention red zone execution in general. Fortunately, though, we have been running the ball very well as of late, and we've still got a ton of talent just about everywhere offensively. We don't necessarily need a breakout game here, but an improvement over Ole Miss would be good news.

All in all, I think you have to be cautiously optimistic here for the Tide, so long as you can do a decent job of blocking Norwood and Matthews in pass protection sets. South Carolina certainly has a solid defense -- and honestly a very good one if they could stay healthy -- but again injuries and suspensions have really made there lack of quality depth an issue, and while you still probably aren't going to be running up and down the field against these guys, if we execute better than we did last week against Ole Miss, I do believe it's reasonable to think that we will have some degree of success. If nothing else, we ought to be able to wear these guys down over the course of four quarters and take advantage of their lack of depth.

Alabama Defense v. South Carolina Offense

Perhaps the biggest piece of good news for the Gamecocks this year has been the emergence of quarterback Stephen Garcia. The highly-touted Florida product struggled immensely his first couple of years in Columbia -- about all he did of positive note was to win the Six Beer Challenge -- but he has really turned the corner in 2009. He hasn't gotten all of the publicity that has gone to 'Bama signal caller Greg McElroy, but if you look at Garcia's stat line -- 61% completion rate, over 7.0 yards per attempt, and a 3-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio -- he has played at a level very comparable to McElroy. Furthermore, Garcia is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback, and at 6'2 and approximately 225 pounds, he can be a load to bring down in the open field. After a very ugly start against North Carolina State, the South Carolina offense has actually performed pretty well (arguably as well as it has since Spurrier arrived), and clearly Garcia's progression as a player are the foundation of that improvement.

Admittedly, though, Garcia does have plenty of help at the skill positions, where the Gamecocks have more than their fair share of big, physical playmakers. True freshman Alshon Jeffery is making nice progress on his degree in gas pumping, and while he may not be having quite the kind of year Julio Jones and A.J. Green had last year, he's very close. He has "NFL" written all over him even at 19 years old. Furthermore, Tori Gurley is an incredibly difficult match-up for any cornerback, coming in at around 6'5 and 225 pounds, and Jason Barnes is another big target. And while Moe Brown is the smallest of the group, he's a fine player in his own right, and he's probably the best of the bunch right now. Making matters even better for the Gamecocks, tight end Weslye Saunders comes in at 6'5 and 280 pounds, and he can be a difference-maker in his own right. Bottom line, Garcia has clearly made a lot of progress this season in his own right, but by the same token he's got a lot of great players to throw the football to as well. For a defensive coordinator, this is a group good enough to keep you up late at night.

The weakness of this offense, as has always been the case under Spurrier, is up front on the offensive line. It's not so much that this unit has played poorly, per se, as much as it is that this group just doesn't have a lot of good players anyway, and injuries have hurt considerably. Left tackle Jarriel King is probably the best player they have, and he's not really a standout in his own right. The rest of the line has pretty much been a patchwork job. Hutch Eckerson is starting at right tackle now after the flu and some other injuries caught up with Quintin Richardson, and he has really struggled with edge rushers. Starting left guard Terrence Campbell is going to miss a lot of time with an injury, and that has caused a lot of re-shuffling in its own right. Alabama native Heath Batchelor saw some time there, but he left the program a couple of days ago, and redshirt freshman T.J. Johnson has been forced to play. There has even been talk that true freshman Nick Allison -- who has redshirted to date -- may have to play against the Tide. And making matters even worse, center Garrett Anderson missed the Kentucky game with a back injury, and while he may be back in some capacity against the Tide, he likely won't be 100% and will rotate time with Lemuel Jeanpierre. Bottom line, South Carolina just isn't a very good unit up front. They play hard, seemingly, but they don't have very much talent and injuries have just killed them to date.

The running game for the Gamecocks will be a three-headed monster with carries being split between Kenny Miles, Jarvis Giles, and Brian Maddox. Miles and Giles are scat-back type players, and Maddox is a bruising runner who came into the year as a starter. Maddox really struggled early, though, and gave way to the youngsters Miles and Giles, both of which sport pretty impressive yards per carry average. With his 100-yard performance last weekend against Kentucky, look for Miles to get the bulk of the work against the Tide. On the other hand, though, you can make some legitimate questions about just how good these backs are. The line is obviously in shambles, and while the raw production from Miles and Giles looks impressive on paper, it should be noted that most of that yardage was racked up against the likes of Florida Atlantic and South Carolina State. Giles, for example, may be averaging 5.8 yards per carry, but if you take away those two cupcakes, he's suddenly averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry against the rest of the schedule, and largely the same critique (to a lesser extent) can be made against Miles.

Defensively, we all know that the Tide has the look of an elite unit, and really the only big question mark to date for the 'Bama defense is exactly what happens this week with the return of Jerrell Harris. Obviously we'll all have to tune in to find out for sure, but I imagine we'll see a lot of both Harris and Nico Johnson on Saturday, and we'll have some package specific roles for both players. Who "starts" is really a moot point, and both will likely be breaking a sweat come Saturday night.

Regardless of which of those two players ultimately gets the starting nod, the real key for Alabama on Saturday will be dominating this game at the line of scrimmage. Even with all of the other issues notwithstanding, South Carolina has a small offensive line -- the five starters average right at 300 pounds -- and we need to take full advantage of those weaknesses. Our defensive line needs to get after Garcia and dominate these guys in the running game. If we can do that, we're probably in good shape here. On the other hand, though, if Garcia gets comfortable in the pocket, look for South Carolina to have more than their fair share of success. I don't care how good the Alabama defense supposedly is, we're going to have a lot of issues defending their skill position players if Garcia gets time to throw the football. As is usually the case, look for this match-up to be decided in the trenches.

Putting It All Together

All in all, 'Bama comes into this game as approximately 18-point favorites, and it's not overly difficult to see why Vegas is so bullish on the Tide. We look very good right now, we have more top-end talent and better depth throughout the roster, and while South Carolina's 5-1 record may look nice on paper, who have they really played? Their five wins, to date, consists of a Division 1-AA team, a non-BCS team, a bottom of the barrel ACC team, Kentucky, and a victory at home over Ole Miss, plus a loss to a Georgia team that looks to finish up 6-6 at best. Look at their schedule to date... how many ranked teams do you see? Zero. So there are plenty of reasons for 'Bama fans to feel good going into this game.

But on the other hand, in reality, life in the SEC is just never easy, and the gap between the really good SEC teams and the middle of the road SEC teams is always relatively small. Regardless of how you break it down, truth be told, SEC teams are always a lot more similar than they are different, and that applies this week as well to the Gamecocks. South Carolina may have a lot going against them in this game, but they've still got a lot of fine players in their own right and they are far from a pushover. And, hell, right now they can probably stake as legitimate of a claim to the #3 spot in the SEC as anyone else.

And rest assured, these guys will come out ready to fight. Steve Spurrier has been poor-mouthing his team all week, all but completely writing off this game to the media as a guaranteed loss. Don't buy that garbage for one second. Spurrier loathes 'Bama with every fiber of his being, and hell will freeze over before he concedes us anything. We may take his Gamecocks behind the woodshed and he may need Tommy Johns surgery after throwing that visor all night, but we'll have to earn every bit of it. He's looking to show that he's making progress at South Carolina, and he and his team will fight 'til they drop on Saturday night.

For 'Bama, it's really the same story that it is every week. You never get a week off in the SEC... one challenge is simply replaced by yet another challenge, and regardless of who you play, you're going to have to come out and play good football if you want to win, and if you do that you're probably going to get beat. For all of the advantages that 'Bama has on paper over the Gamecocks, that's still the ultimate scenario we are facing this week.

Hope for the best.

UK @ South Carolina: Breaking Down the Gamecocks and Other Stuff

Ken Howlett — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:02:11 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

"I want to beat Spurrier just one time before I retire!"

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The Kentucky Wildcats enter today's 12:30 EST titanic tilt with the South Carolina Gamecocks on the precipice ,,, looking down at the rocks below. Mind you, it isn't an unexpected precipice. Two months ago we all had the road map in the form of the game schedule, so UK sitting at 2-2, staring at two tough road games (isn't that redundant?), should not come as a surprise. The mystery, the unknown, however, is how Kentucky will respond.

Certainly, the Wildcats' play last Saturday against Alabama was a marked improvement over the effort put forth in Lexington versus Florida -- Kentucky ran the ball very well, considering the defense they were facing, and UK's defense held the Tide to nearly 150 yards less than their per game average -- But now, on the road, in front of a famously hostile crowd, will the 'Cats continue on an upward arc?

The answer to that, my friends, lies in the "turnover" category. If Kentucky plays as well as they did against Alabama last Saturday -- with a big caveat -- minus the turnovers (as well as excessive penalties), then they will have a legitimate chance to win today's ballgame, BUT, if UK is in the negative in turnover margin, if they continue to give up possession, they'll go down faster than a sluggish stock market. You can bet your Visor on that.

It's really just that simple -- Kentucky has the talent to win today's game, but talent doesn't trump turnovers.

For more on the game, South Carolina's personnel, and UK in the SEC rankings, make the jump with me.

South Carolina Vitals

Points Per Game: USC - 27.2, Opp's - 16.8

Rush Yards Per Game: USC - 157.4, Opp's - 114.2

Average Per Rush: USC - 4.5, Opp's - 3.2

Pass Yards Per Game: USC - 214.8, Opp's - 150.2

Yards Per Completion: USC - 11.1, Opp's - 10.0

Total Offense: USC - 372.2, Opp's - 264.4

KO Return Avg.: USC - 21.2, Opp's - 26.2

Punt Return Avg.: USC - 7.9, Opp's - 15.8

Turnover Margin: USC - +4

3rd Down Conversion: USC - 38.0%, Opp's - 37.0%

Sacks By: USC - 14, Opp's - 12

Red Zone TD%: USC - 46% (12-26), Opp's - 55% (6-11)

Kentucky and South Carolina SEC Rankings (Keep in mind UK is coming off back-to-back games against two of the three best teams in the country)

Scoring: UK - 25.0 (11), USC - 27.2 (t8)

Scoring Defense: UK - 26.5 (10), USC - 16.8 (6)

Total Offense: UK - 328.5 (11), USC - 372.2 (8)

Total Defense: UK - 353.2 (10), USC - 264.4 (3)

Rush Offense: UK - 158.0 (8), USC - 157.4 (9)

Rush Defense: UK - 190.2 (12), USC - 114.2 (3)

Pass Offense: UK - 170.5 (11), USC - 214.8 (6)

Pass Defense: UK - 163.0 (6), USC - 150.2 (3)

Kickoff Return: UK - 28.3 (3), USC - 21.2 (10)

Punt Return: UK - 10.7 (4), USC - 7.9 (7)

Sacks By: UK - 8 (t8), USC - 14 (2)

Sacks Against: UK - 5 (t3), USC - 12 (10)

3rd Down Conversion: UK - 41.4 (5), USC - 38.0 (8)

Opp. Third Down Conversion: UK - 38.7 (11), USC - 36.8 (8)

Penalty Yards: UK - 65.5 (9), USC - 63.4 (8)

Turnover Margin: UK - -4 (10), USC - +4 (5)

Red Zone Scores: UK - 9-11 (8), USC - 20-26 (11)

Red Zone Defense: UK - 13-17 (5), USC - 9-11 (6)

Wildcats in the SEC Rankings

Junior running back Derrick Locke is No. 2 in the league in punt return average at 10.8 yards per return, and No. 2 in the SEC in kickoff returns, averaging 33.9 yards per return. Locke is No. 1 in the SEC in all purpose yardage (rushing, receiving and returns) with a 173.2 yards per game average. UK's middle linebacker Micah Johnson is No. 5 in the conference in tackles with 35 (8.8 tpg).

South Carolina Offensive Personnel

Stephen Garcia -- 6'2", 219 lb sophomore quarterback: Garcia is 93-155 (60.0%) through the air, good for 1.035 yards and six touchdowns. He's tossed only two interceptions. He's also ran for 142 positive yards on 36 rushes, and two touchdowns. Last year versus UK, Garcia replaced starter Chris Smelley in the fourth quarter, and threw for 169 yards and one touchdown on 10-14 (71.4%) accuracy in the Gamecocks come-from-behind 24-17 victory.

Garcia is a highly mobile, strong-armed quarterback who is playing much better than most prognosticators predicted. The Gamecocks offensive line, though, hasn't been diligent in protecting Garcia -- He's been sacked 12 times in only four games, an area UK must take advantage of, because if Garcia is given time, he'll pick apart UK's secondary.

At the beginning of the season I thought UK would have the better of the two quarterbacks going in this game, but I've since changed my mind. If Garcia is efficient with his passes, and troubles the UK defense as much as other mobile quarterbacks, then SC will be half-way home to yet another victory over Kentucky.

Jarvis Giles -- 5'11", 183 lb freshman running back: Giles leads the Gamecocks with 39 rushes, resulting in 231 yards gained (5.9 yards per carry), and one touchdown. He also has four catches for 24 yards (6.0 yards per reception). Giles was the No. 22 player in Florida last season, as rated by Rivals. He was the No. 21 running back prospect in the country according to Scout.

Kenny Miles -- 5'9", 183 lb redshirt freshman running back: Miles has rushed 28 times for 168 yards (6.0 ypc), and one touchdown. He's snagged three passes for 15 yards (5.0 ypr). Coming out of high school, Miles was rated the No. 33 running back in the nation by Rivals.

Brian Maddox -- 5'11", 224 lb junior running back: The elder statesman among the Gamecocks' backs, Maddox leads the team in carries with 52, good for 162 yards (3.1 ypc) and three touchdowns. He's also caught seven passes for 50 yards (7.1 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Moe Brown -- 6'0", 183 lb senior wide receiver: Brown leads the team with 18 catches, 283 receiving yards (15.7 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Tori Gurley -- 6'5", 227 lb redshirt freshman wide receiver: Gurley has accounted for 17 receptions for 244 yards (14.4 ypr), and one touchdown.

Jason Barnes -- 6'4", 199 lb sophomore wide receiver: This season Barnes has eight catches for 102 yards (12.8 ypr). Last year versus UK, Barnes had four catches for 88 yards (22.0 ypr) -- all in the fourth quarter -- of the Gamecock comeback win.

Alshon Jeffery -- 6'3", 217 lb freshman wide receiver: Jeffery has five catches for 61 yards (12.2 ypr), and one touchdown. Two years ago, the highly sought after receiver was rated the No. 99 pass catcher in the Rivals top-100, and the No. 13 receiver prospect in the country. He was the No. 74 rated player in the nation by PrepStar.

Patrick DiMarco -- 6'0", 243 lb junior fullback: Although a fullback, DiMarco is third on the team with 11 receptions for 70 yards (6.4 ypr), and one touchdown.

* South Carolina starting tight end Weslye Saunders will not play in today's game. Saunders has caught 14 passes for 156 yards (11.1 ypr) this year. Last season versus UK, Saunders made the game-winning catch. His most likely replacement at the tight end spot this afternoon is 6'3", 231 lb redshirt freshman Mike Triglia.

South Carolina Defensive Personnel

Eric Norwood -- 6'1", 252 lb senior linebacker: Norwood, a two-time First Team All-SEC selection leads South Carolina with 30 tackles (19 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss (leads the SEC) and six sacks (leads the SEC). He's also recorded two interceptions and five quarterback hurries. For his outstanding career, Norwood has executed 204 tackles, 49.5 tackles for loss, and 28 sacks (he's the active SEC leader in tackles for loss and sacks).

Stay away from this guy, if at all possible. Norwood is extremely quick to the ball, and the passer. Although UK has done a good job of protecting Mike Hartline, Norwood could prove to be the difference in the game, especially considering UK is without senior right tackle Justin Jefferies.

Perhaps more important for UK than protecting the quarterback, is ensuring the running game is at full steam But once again, Norwood is capable of slowing down the run, which would spell doom for the 'Cats on this day.

Chris Culliver -- 6'0", 190 lb junior free safety: Culliver has 29 tackles (18 solo), .5 tackles for loss, and five pass breakups. Last year versus UK, Culliver recorded the first two interceptions of his career. His last interception sealing the game for Carolina.

Stay away from this guy, if at all possible. Just another reason to run, run, run.

Shaq Wilson -- 5'11", 210 lb sophomore linebacker: Wilson has accounted or 28 tackles (14 solo), and one pass breakup.

Wilson was projected as a back-up to Norwood at the beginning of the season, but his aggressive, hard-hitting style has elevated him to starter's reps.

Darian Stewart -- 5'11", 216 lb senior strong safety: Stewart, who plays a mixture of safety and linebacker, has made 25 tackles (16 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. He recorded seven tackles against UK in 2008.

Cliff Matthews -- 6'4", 249 lb junior defensive end: Matthews has recorded 20 tackles, (17 solo), six tackles for loss (second on the team), four sacks (also, second on the team), and one pass breakup.

Devin Taylor -- 6'7", 232 lb redshirt freshman defensive end: Taylor has made 16 tackles (8 solo), one sack and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Stephon Gilmore -- 6'1", 188 lb freshman corner back: The Parade All-America has recorded 19 tackles (10 solo), two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and two pass breakups.

South Carolina Special Teams Personnel

Placekicker and Punter, Spencer Lanning -- Lanning is 10-11 on his field goal attempts, but his longest make is only 41 yards. He averages a solid 41.9 yards per punt.

Kicker, Adam Yates -- Yates handles the kickoffs: On 28 kickoffs, he's had only one touchback.

Punt Returner, Akeem Auguste -- He's returned six punts for 17 yards (2.8 yards per return).

Punt Returner, Stephon Gilmore -- Gilmore has returned two punts for 42 yards (21.0 ypr).

Kickoff Returner, Chris Culliver -- He's returned 13 kicks for 279 yards (21.5 ypr).

Kickoff Returner, Bryce Sherman -- Four returned kicks for 106 yards (26.5 ypr).

UK Injuries

As most know by now, the Wildcats' two starting corner backs, senior Trevard Lindley and junior Paul Warford, are both injured and will not play today. Replacing the two will be sophomore Randall Burden (four games played; 13 tackles and two pass breakups) and true freshman Netavious Neloms (four games played; seven tackles).

Also missing from action for UK will be "protector designate" of Hartline's grill, senior right tackle, Justin Jefferies. He'll be replaced by junior Brad Durham.

Happy Birthdays

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother Jason, his son Jonah, and my nephew Josiah.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Gamecocks!

Previewing S. C. State at South Carolina: Checking in on the Bulldogs' Defense

Gamecock Man — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:57:51 -0000

While their offense is formidable, the Bulldogs' has been downright nasty so far. Here are a few highlights, as well some related thoughts on what we should expect offensively from the Gamecocks.

The Bulldogs are an opportunistic defense at +5 in turnover ratio. Moreover, you can bet they'll take chances against us, as they know turnovers and big plays are their only chance to stay in the game. All that being the case, I'd be impressed with another low-turnover performance. (We're currently in the top 20 in turnover ratio--imagine that.) We can probably win this game easily even if we give up a few turnovers (see 2007), but we do need to continue to play efficient, mistake-free ball to keep team morale high as we head into the meat of our schedule.
The Bulldogs held Bethune-Cookman to 98 yards. All I have to say is: damn. That's a fine performance against any team. I'd be overjoyed if we did that.
With turnovers S. C. State's only real chance at staying in this, you can expect to see us run the ball a lot again. The Bulldogs have been good against the run so far, but their front won't stand a chance against our offensive line. Expect to see us roll up about 300 on the ground. I'm excited to see more Kenny Miles, for one.
At the same time, I don't see the point of all the talk of taking Brian Maddox out of the lineup. Folks, Brian Maddox plays a lot because he can catch the ball and he can block. He may not have the moves or speed of Miles or Jarvis Giles, but he does other things that are very important in Spurrier's offense better than those two. That's why he will and should continue to play. However, I don't necessarily think he should be our short-yardage back, as Miles and Patrick DiMarco have shown just as much or more ability to get tough yards.
The other reason you'll see us run the ball is that I would imagine the coaches want to protect Stephen Garcia. Garcia is apparently on the mend, but we need him at absolute full speed for Kentucky the next week. I would prefer not to see him run the ball much. I would also expect that you'll see Spurrier pull Garcia and play Aramis Hillary a little bit if we're up 4+ touchdowns in the second half. Reid McCollum is apparently still ill, so we may not get to see him yet.
Finally, while i'd like to see Garcia spend most of his time handing off, I would also like to see Spurrier let Garcia throw deep a few more times in this game. That's the one part of his game that appears to still be lacking, and it's important that he gets it down if we're going to deal with man defenses better than we did last week.

Saturday News and Notes: More Musings on Ole Miss-USC and Other News from Around the SEC

Gamecock Man — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:29:17 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

2 months ago: South Carolina's Patrick DiMarco (47) runs for a first down as Mississippi's Jonathan Carnell (51) pursues during the first half of the NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina defeated Mississippi 16-10. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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Dr. Saturday sums up my thoughts on our red-zone issues pretty well. It's not only frustrating that we're not getting it done inside the 20; it's perplexing. We have a mobile quarterback, several huge receivers that should be able to catch the jump ball, and two bruising backs in Brian Maddox and Patrick DiMarco that can both run, catch, and get yards after contact. We would appear to be well-equipped to score TDs on the goal line, yet we aren't doing it. Part of the problem, of course, is that we're killing ourselves with penalties. Not only did we have yet another Tori Gurley TD called back on a penalty Thursday night; we also lost goal line opportunities when penalties pushed us back behind the 10. We also, though, just aren't gunning as aggressively for the end zone as we might be. Spurrier and his crew have this offense working like a machine between the 20s; they need to figure out how to maximize their ability inside the 20, too. If we can start converting more often, this team could transition into a legitimate threat to win the conference.
I said it after the game and I'll say it again: Spencer Lanning deserves a lot of credit for his performance against Ole Miss. The tackle he made on Marshay Green showed a lot of heart and changed the game. And while none of them were long kicks, he continued to get it done kicking field goals. He also had a couple of impressive punts. Great performance.
Also on the topic of special teams, I thought we did a good job with kickoffs against Ole Miss. It wasn't pretty, and I'm not happy that we're content to use gimmick kickoffs to make sure we stop returns around the 30, but, at the same time, anything is better than what we saw against Georgia and Florida Atlantic.
As you probably know, Travian Robertson is out for the year. Robertson was playing well and it's really a shame we lost him. However, with Ladi Ajiboye back, Nathan Pepper likely as close to full speed as he'll ever be by the Kentucky game, and Melvin Ingram playing well, I think we can weather losing Robertson for the time being. If we lost any of those three players, though, we're going to be in big, big trouble.
Some rival fans have represented Stephen Garcia's performance in a bad light. I disagree. True, Garcia wilted a bit late in the game. However, he was obviously playing hurt, and likely just ran out of steam. Until that point, he had played a pretty good game, all the while taking a serious beating from Ole Miss's defensive ends. He deserves credit for playing well as long as he did. Moreover, he deserves credit for not throwing any interceptions. While we need to improve in the red zone to truly take the next step as an offense, we can likely continue to at least be competitive if Garcia and the offense protect the ball, score a reasonable number of points, and let the defense do the real work. Last year, Garcia and Smelley threw so many interceptions that the defense never had the chance to do what they did against Ole Miss. That's not the case this year.
Speaking of interceptions, our secondary needs to learn to catch the ball. They played a great game, but this could have been an epic defensive performance if we could have pulled in the three or four easy interceptions Jevan Snead served up.
I've long thought Houston Nutt is an overrated coach, and this game certainly didn't change my opinion of him. Having 12 men on the field on the last play aside, I'm most perplexed by how little he got the ball in Dexter McCluster's hands. McCluster is obviously that offense's best player, and it showed when McCluster started getting carries late in the game. Where was he through the first three quarters? And why wasn't he getting the ball more on the final drive? Nutt is, and has always been, a great motivator and decent coach that is capable of playing the spoiler role pretty well. However, he's never had much success while in the spotlight, likely because he just can't hack it with the big boys. Ole Miss fans got to see the best of Nutt last year; this year, they may get to see the other side of things.
Alabama and Arkansas are going at it late in the third quarter, and the Tide has shut down what appeared to be a great Arkansas offense. I'm dreading playing the Tide in a few weeks. That's what a top five team really looks like.
Speaking of defense, our "brethren" from the upstate are currently battling TCU right now in Death Valley. The score is 14-10 TCU, but the Tigers are driving. I'm not really sure what to make of this Clemson team, other than that C. J. Spiller is one of the best all-purpose athletes in the country. I'll sure be glad when he's gone next year.

South Carolina Prediction

Juco All-American — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:34:26 -0000

More photos » by BRETT FLASHNICK - AP

How effective will Steven Garcia--yes, that Steven Garcia--be against the Rebels tonight?

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This is a game that I have had circled on my schedule for some time now. It's very scary. I must say that I was very happy when South Carolina struggled against NC State. But then came their game against Georgia and my worries were resurrected. A losing team has rarely scared me as much as South Carolina did during that game. Stephen Garcia showed an ability to take what the defense gave him, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt on 53 passing attempts.

Yep. 53 attempts. Anyone who has seen the Rebel secondary for the past eleventy billion years is frightened by that number. In years past, I cringed whenever the opposing team threw a pass, just knowing that it would be completed. Sure, this year our corners and safeties have performed admirably, but two solid games against Memphis and Southeast Louisiana prove nothing significant.

South Carolina's strengths don't stop in the passing game either.

Freshman sensation Jarvis Giles had a breakout game against Florida Atlantic (11 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD). It's difficult to determine if the cause of that breakout game was solely the opponent, since Giles struggled the week before against Georgia, rushing for only 2.3 yards per carry. However, even if his stats may only be a product of playing against a poor run defense, it worries me. Our run defense has struggled, giving up 3.3 yards per carry against two weak opponents. We aren't tackling well, but our players also just don't seem to be in positions to make plays all that often. We need to work on block shedding as much as we do on fundamental tackling. Lastly, I'll say this about South Carolina's running backs: if Steve Spurrier continues to trot out Brian Maddox as a starter, he's doing a disservice to his team. Giles is too big a playmaker to leave on the sidelines early.

Tori Gurley is the Gamecocks' go-to receiver, but I haven't been all that impressed with him. Watching the NC State and Georgia games, I saw Gurley often and remember hearing his name a lot. He certainly made some good grabs, but there were also routine plays on which Gurley failed or just didn't even try. I don't think that there is one significant matchup problem as far as their receivers are concerned (other than height across the board), but Garcia does a good job of spreading the ball around, so we need to make sure that Jeremy McGee and Marcus Temple play hard against slot receivers.

The Gamecok offensive line is the area in which we really need to attack. Our defensive line, while highly touted, has yet to produce the uncanny pass rush that we saw much of last year. Sure, you're not going to get tons of sacks against teams like Memphis or SELA due to their offensive gameplans, but I don't feel like we have been blowing up inferior offensive linemen like we need to. Here's our chance. South Carolina's offensive line is the key. They hired a new offensive line coach to try to get a grip on their problems, and the offensive line has performed admirably at times this season, but if the Rebels win, it's because of this mismatch. If we can get consistent pressure on Stephen Garcia with Kentrell Lockett, Emmanuel Stephens, and Jerrell Powe, we win the game.

On defense, the Gamecocks are banged up a good bit, but they don't appear to have significant injuries keeping players out of the game. Obviously, it's tough to tell how much a lingering "minor" injury will affect performance. We have seen Greg Hardy's career damn near destoryed due to a string of so-called "minor" injuries.

Obviously, everyone is concerned about Eric Norwood, the Gamecocks starting linebacker/defensive end/safety/long snapper, but I think there's another name that we could see surface as a legitimate defensive presence for South Carolina, and that's defensive tackle Travian Robertson. In both South Carolina games I have watched this year, Robertson has stuck out as a player who can collapse the pocket. Sure, he's not incredible yet, but I think that there are certainly sparks of greatness. A defensive tackle who can get pressure on the quarterback is not something that our interior linemen need right now.

South Carolina's secondary is young, but they're very talented. Still, I'm going to have to side with our veteran receivers. Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster can get open against anyone. If Pat-Pat is a real weapon in this game, Jevan's stats could be excellent.

So all that to say that I think the game will be very close.

Rebels by 2.

That's my prediction. What's yours?

Florida Atlantic at South Carolina Post-Game: Topics for Discussion

Gamecock Man — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:45:48 -0000

More photos » by Brett Flashnick - AP

3 months ago: South Carolina tailback Jarvis Giles, right, rushes toward the sidelines, picking up a first down during the first half against Florida Atlantic in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

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1. How worried were you at the half?

Not too worried. We were moving the ball well and it's typical that teams like Florida Atlantic wear out in the second half against BCS teams with greater depth. We should have never let it get so close in the second quarter, but the Owls made some plays. The important thing is that we bounced back.

2. Who should we be giving most of the carries to in our upcoming games?

My vote would have to go to Jarvis Giles, who's beginning to come into his own and will only get better. This guy is going to be a good one for us. I would also like to see Kenny Miles get some more carries, although I'm certainly happy with Brian Maddox's effectiveness in short-yardage situations and receiving out of the backfield.

3. Seriously, what's wrong with the kickoff coverage?

Everything; I'm really starting to miss Ray Rychleski. For one thing, we seem to be trying to pooch it around the 20 but aren't getting enough hang time on it. We also just aren't closing lanes in pursuit. This is definitely something to keep an eye on. Needless to say, starting next week we're going to be dealing with better kick returners and with offenses that will put up more than 16 points if we allow them to start around midfield every time.

4. Are you happy with Stephen Garcia?

Yeah, for the most part. He still isn't quite finding his touch on some of the deep balls. However, you can't complain with 20-27 with no INTs. The guy is literally light years away from the Outback Bowl.

5. Should we be worried that we gave up 300 yards to Florida Atlantic?

I don't think so. The Owls had the ball more than us because we scored quickly on several drives, giving them lots of opportunities to rack up yardage. Moreover, the Owls are a better-than-average team offensively. Don't forget that they picked up similar yardage against Bo Pelini's Nebraska team. Finally, while we gave up some yardage, the defense also toughened up a few times and kept the Owls out of the end zone with tough goal line defense and turnovers. All this despite the fact that the defense had its back against the wall due to the kickoff problems.

6. Despite the first half jitters, doesn't it feel great to handle a team like we did today?

Yes. It's been a long time since we've put up 500+ yards.