SB Nation - Cliff Matthews

All-SEC Ballot: Draft

Gamecock Man — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:08 -0000

The SEC Power Poll is hosting an All-SEC poll. Here is a draft that reflects my first impressions--let me know what you think, and we may revise a bit if necessary.

Offense

QB: Ryan Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks)

RB: Mark Ingram (Alabama Crimson Tide)

RB: Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss Rebels)

OG: Mike Johnson (Alabama Crimson Tide)

OG: Mike Pouncey (Florida Gators)

OT: Ciron Black (LSU Tigers)

OT: John Jerry (Ole Miss Rebels)

C: Maurkice Pouncey (Florida Gators)

TE: Aaron Hernandez (Florida Gators)

WR: A.J. Green (Georgia Bulldogs)

WR: Shay Hodge (Ole Miss Rebels)

Defense

DE: Cliff Matthews (South Carolina Gamecocks)

DE: Antonio Coleman (Auburn Tigers)

DT: Terrence Cody (Alabama Crimson Tide)

DT: Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas Razorbacks)

LB: Eric Norwood (South Carolina Gamecocks)

LB: Rolando McClain (Alabama Crimson Tide)

LB: Rennie Curran (Georgia Bulldogs)

CB: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

CB: Patrick Peterson (LSU Tigers)

S: Eric Berry (Tennessee Volunteers)

S: Joe Haden (Florida Gators)

Special Teams

PK: Blair Walsh (Georgia Bulldogs)

P: Drew Butler (Georgia Bulldogs)

RS: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

You've got some explaining to do...

Many of these choices go without questions; nobody, for instance, will disagree with me about Mark Ingram, Rolando McClain, or Eric Berry. However, I do have a few bones to pick with conventional wisdom. Here's how I see such cases:

Ryan Mallett / Tim Tebow

As most people around here know, I'm a pretty big Tebow fan. The guy has had a great career, and although his sanctimonious, humble-but-really-not attitude can get to you sometimes, overall I don't have too many problems with him as a media phenomenon. It is what is. However, while I've been as guilty as anyone when it comes to giving Tebow confidence by inertia, I've come to believe it has to stop somewhere: Mallett was just better this year.

By the way, Ryan, if you're reading this, go to the NFL.

Dexter McCluster / Anthony Dixon

OK. I believe Anthony Dixon had a better year than McCluster at RB. However, I also believe that McCluster was one of the best and most valuable players in the SEC. I'm talking about on a par with Tebow, Ingram, you name it. So, I think we have to get him on the list somewhere. This is where I'm putting him. Unfortunately for him, McCluster was probably never used in the right way enough; this guy really was a minor Reggie-Bush-like talent.

Cliff Matthews / Carlos Dunlap

Dunlap is a jackass that showed his true colors when he signed with Florida instead of Sou...wait, when he drunkenly fell asleep at the wheel before the biggest SECCG ever. He failed his team. Despite his talent, that failure will always make him worse than Matthews in my mind.

Rennie Curran / Brandon Spikes

What can I say? I know it's surprising to see an UGA player on the defensive first team, but I think Curran is a great player. That might have something to do with his success against USC, but whatever. If this guy had a halfway decent DC, he'd be the talk of the nation. Spikes is a great player, but he's also a cog in a machine to some degree.

Well, that's a wrap on this draft. Let me know what you think.

USC Underclassmen with NFL Prospects: Will Anyone Leave Early?

Gamecock Man — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:40 -0000

Last year, our team was decimated by early entrees to the NFL draft, losing three key players: Jared Cook, Captain Munnerlyn, and Emanuel Cook. This year, there's not much talk about the possibility of us taking a big hit due to early entrees. Should we be worried, or are we right to be confident? From where I'm standing, there are four players who could consider leaving early. In order of their status as prospects, those are Weslye Saunders, Chris Culliver, Cliff Matthews, and Clifton Geathers. Let's take a closer look.

Weslye Saunders

Saunders would almost certainly be drafted were he to declare. He is a prototypical NFL tight end: he's huge, is a good blocker, has nearly infallible hands, and is fast for his size. Most league still rely on sets that feature TEs, so Saunders wouldn't have to worry about finding a home for his skills.

The question is where he would go. He would have to compete with a number of highly touted ends, such as Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham and Arizona's Rob Gronkowski. At the very least, I think he would fall behind these two prospects and perhaps slightly further. That would probably mean third round or lower.

If Saunders stays, on the other hand, he could be a first round pick. Most projections I've seen call him the top TE prospect of the 2010 senior class. The difference, of course, between first and third round money is enough to give prospects some incentive to stay another year; a player can easily make up whatever he loses with another year in college by signing a first-round contract that will pay him a few times more than he would receive with a third-round contract.

The coaching staff believes that Saunders is the player most likely to declare. However, Saunders vows to return. Although one couldn't blame him too much for leaving, Saunders would be wise to follow his instincts and come back. Like Sidney Rice and Jared Cook before him, he'd probably be a first-day pick if he declares. However, as would have probably been the case for Sidney and Jared had they returned, if Saunders comes back and has a big year, he could go early first round.

Let's take a look at the other players after the jump.

Chris Culliver

Although he had something of an up and down year, Culliver is still one of the better safeties in the league and made All-SEC second team. Culliver also has the speed and versatility that NFL teams look for in a safety. How would he fare in the draft, though? While Culliver might be taken, my feeling is that he would be making a huge, Emanuel Cook-sized mistake by leaving. At best, Culliver would be a very late-round pick, which would mean the likelihood of trying to gut out a spot on the third team somewhere with no guarantees that he wouldn't eventually just end up on a scout team. That doesn't sound like as much fun as trying to help the Gamecocks win a title, now does it? On the other hand, if Culliver stays, he has a puncher's chance at being a first-day pick and, with a big year, could make it to the first two rounds.

Despite the talk in the air about Culliver declaring, I just don't see it. After seeing what happened to his backfield buddies last year, Culliver has to know that he'd be taking an unwise risk by leaving. I say Culliver stays, works on his tackling mechanics, and comes back poised for big things in 2010.

Cliff Matthews

Big Cliff had another great year in 2009 being a game changer off the end. However, Matthews is smallish for an NFL end, so like Eric Norwood, Matthews faces the challenge of making NFL scouts believe that he has a place in a league that can be quite dogmatic in its understanding of what players at certain positions should look like. With a big year, Matthews could make that case in 2010, but I doubt he would be drafted this year. That combined with Matthews clear dedication to the team makes me think there's little chance of Matthews even considering leaving.

Clifton Geathers

Geathers is something of a wildcard here. He has yet to make a huge name for himself around the country, so many might be surprised to hear his name mentioned in regards to the draft. However, I suspect more NFL scouts know about Geathers than you might think. At 6-7 / 281 and with the speed to blow by blockers, Geathers has the potential to an unblockable sack, pass deflection, and punt blocking machine when he fulfills his potential. Gamecocks fans have seen hints of this ability, particularly late this year, but Geathers has yet to put it all together for an extended period of time. That won't stop agents from getting in his ear, though.

That said, I seriously doubt Geathers would be drafted if he were to declare, and I would imagine he's intelligent enough to know that. Geathers will stay, and if he works hard, you could see him skyrocket to the top of the charts for the 2010 draft.

Did Alshon Jeffrey or Stephon Gilmore Get Jobbed for SEC Freshman of the Year?

Gamecock Man — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:36:06 -0000

As you've probably heard, Warren Norman of Vanderbilt won AP SEC Freshman of the Year. (Complete team here; Eric Norwood, Chris Culliver, and Cliff Matthews were also honored. Also check out the coaches' picks.) This has come as a surprise to many Gamecocks fans, who would have liked to see our own Alshon Jeffrey or Stephon Gilmore honored. Did we get jobbed?

I would say no to any conspiracy theories, but I do think Alshon and Stephon have arguments. Norman got the award based on his all-around effective play. As I'm sure you remember, Norman contributes in many ways, being both Vandy's leading rusher and one of the conference's top return men. He rushed for over 700 yards and returned over 1000 with seven total TDs, one of which came against us. His profile features a solid blend of downhill speed and moves. All in all, a very impressive season for a freshman.

By comparison, Alshon and Stephon had statistically underwhelming debuts. Jeffrey probably has the best argument of the two, He caught for over 700 yards and six touchdowns, not too terribly far from the numbers that Sidney Rice put up back in 2005. Stephon was our best cover corner over the course of the year, but his stastics were underwhelming. It's difficult for a defensive player to win an award like this without a wealth of gamebreaking plays, and unfortunately keeping the quarterback from throwing to one side of the field doesn't mean as much to the voters as sacks and interceptions. All in all, neither had the statistical year that Norman had. One of course wonders what would have been the case, say, had Alshon been ready to play earlier in the year or if Steve Spurrier had used Stephon in the Wildcat before the Clemson game, but we can only speculate about these possibilities.

However, the fact remains that Vanderbilt went 2-10 overall and 0-8 in conference this year. Despite his efforts, Warren couldn't keep his team from having what was a horrible year, even by Vandy standards. Indeed, the fact that a true freshman was asked to do so much for this team tells you a lot about how bad they were. On the other hand, Alshon and Stephon both helped us win games. Alshon almost single-handedly won the Kentucky game for us, caught the winning TD against Vandy, and had many other memorable moments. Stephon was a key player for our defense all year, and his play in the Clemson game will go down as part of the lore of the rivalry. Should these factors have played into the AP voters' thinking? Perhaps.

All in all, though, I can see why they picked Norman. The guy had a truly phenomenal year and deserves any accolades he receives. I believe, though, that in a couple of years, Alshon and Stephon will be remembered as two of the very best players to come out of the class of 2009, not Norman. The wins they bring to Columbia will be an acceptable consolation to us.

South Carolina Thoughts...Moving Forward to Georgia Tech

FIGUREFOUR — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:48:57 -0000

Clemson Tigers

Well, maybe it is not that bad, but the tremors from the bomb SC dropped on us yesterday are still resonating throughout the Palmetto State. I had to take a 24 hour moratorium on writing this item to allow the dust to settle and to avoid penning an article that would be too emotional and ultimately detrimental for anyone reading. So, objectively, I will review the items that we were watching yesterday and add additional details as necessary. The positive thing that we as Clemson fans have going for us is a trip to Tampa and a good opportunity for another game in Miami.

Did the Tigers appear distracted and overlook the Gamecocks? It appeared as though this team was a little too confident coming into this contest. While historical records certainly favor the Tigers (as we constantly point out and joke about here), this is 2009 and what happened in the past will not win you football games today. While I think the coaching staff was aware that this was a big game and that South Carolina would not roll over in the same fashion they did last season, the players were not serious enough about this football game. Hopefully this is a real eye-opener for this team and for the staff. Nobody's crowning their asses yet, as an Atlantic Division title--while nice--doesn't mean much if Clemson cannot take care of business. The coaching staff will need to use this game as a reminder to future teams that all games are important and any team can win on any given day. While distraction/overconfidence may have played a role in CU's loss, it certainly was not the sole reason for the outcome of yesterday's football game.

Special teams played a role in Saturday's football game, as predicted. Clemson and C. J. Spiller did a nice job taking advantage of an opening kickoff penalty by the Gamecocks. Spiller was able to return his 7th kickoff for a touchdown and set a new NCAA career record in this category. Clemson was able to convert all PAT attempts as well as its sole FG attempt on the afternoon. CU (Da'Quan Bowers) blocked a South Carolina FG and was the benefactor of a huge mental error on the Gamecocks, as the Cocks partially blocked a punt then touched the ball, giving Clemson a gift first down on a Michael Wade--I believe--recovery and denying SC great field position. Unfortunately, Clemson committed a big roughing the kicker penalty (Ricky Sapp, I believe, while engaged with a SC blocker, roughed up the punter), continuing a SC drive after the defense held them to a 3 and out effort. Overall, I think we are all happy with this effort.

The running game was critical in this affair. SC came out and did something that they have not done all year--find a running game and stick with it. USC churned out 223 yard on the ground, with Freshman Kenny Miles leading this effort with 17 carries for 114 yards. I really did not expect SouthCarolina to be able to come out and stick it to our defense in such a fashion. Carolina has not done this all year and has really struggle with their run blocking. The rushing success out of the Wildcat formation and on designed QB keepers was more expected, as such items have hurt Clemson previously this season (Virginia, Georgia Tech, and TCU all come to mind). Clemson and offensive coordinator Billy Napier produced 48 yards on 19 carries. Apparently Billy doesn't have the address to this blog, because we have consistently professed how to beat South Carolina's defense--RUN THE BALL BETWEEN THE TACKLES. Clemson instead attempted reverses and everything but lining up and attacking this team right up the gut. Clemson did not even try to commit to the inside running game, and probably ran more reverses and such than simple ISO and inside trap plays. This was a facet of Napier's playcalling that I was really disappointed with, and cannot accept any excuses for not feeding Spiller/Ellington/Harper the rock inside more (other than Harper's fumble and the poor play of our offensive line, which we will get to later on). Championship coaches identify opponent's weaknesses and hammer them. Carolina has been poor in the middle of their defense for years. Clemson's rushing strategy was simply not acceptable. Clemson's inability to rush the ball negated the effectiveness of play action (which Clemson has successfully utilized over the last portion of this season) as the game progressed.

Turnovers, in a nutshell, killed the Tigers. Harper's early fumble, in my opinion, was the turning point of the football game. Up 7 and driving after forcing a Steven Garcia INT, Clemson had a chance to really get it going inside Gamecock territory. Instead, Jamie Harper puts the ball on the ground and a complete momentum shift occurred. South Carolina has given up several times this season (Tennessee and Arkansas immediately come to mind), and goiing up 14-0 early in the game would have been deflating for this team. Instead, SouthCarolina comes out and drives right down the field, with Stephon Gilmore leading the charge out of the Wildcat formation. His completion to fellow Freshman Alshon Jeffery was impressive. This drive was very well planned, as SOS did a good job here of changing the pace while still capturing the big play we were used to seeing out the the Old Ball Coach while at Florida. Not to digress too far, but this was set up by a key Clemson turnover. On the flip side, Clemson benefited from one interception and the a gift from the blocked punt, neither of which turned into points for the Tigers. Clemson had many opportunities to take the ball from Carolina, but were unable to simply fall on the football when USC put it on the ground. Losing the turnover battle and not making the most of SC's mistakes is probably the telling tale of this football game.

Offensive line play, simply stated, was terrible for Clemson. Clifton Geathers and Cliff Matthews each had big games against the Tigers' tackles. Shaq Wilson and Eric Norwood were harassing Kyle Parker all afternoon with designed blitzes. This was the most disappointing portion of this football game. Clemson looked as inept against SC as it did earlier in the year when everyone we played whipped out OL. This time, however, all members of the OLgot embarrassed. Kyle Parker had no protection all afternoon and was constantly running for his life. We have discussed here what we think the main problem with this line is (and where it all started). I would strongly suggest reading both of these articles by Dr. B (2008 and 2009 Editions, linked immediately following this sentence), as I will not get too far into this today (I fully expect this issue to be a hot topic over the course of the next few weeks/months. 2008 Edition and 2009 Edition. South Carolina, on the other hand, whipped us up front and ran the ball well (see above). Because they could run the ball, they did not have to throw the ball (and pass protect) against a really good CU pass defense.

Clemson did a poor job defensively. The defense looked winded to me late. Clemson had some botched gap assignments and missed a few tackles. Carolina had over 36 min of total offense, tiring the Clemson defense. Clemson got pushed around up front and were unable to force as many three and out drives as we have seen all season long. Once again, SC'sability to dominate up front, control the ball with their rushing game, and capitalize on drives (with touchdowns) kept the Clemson defense on the field and getting pushed around. This is the first time all year that I can remember this D-Line getting out-muscled.

Overall, South Carolina simply wanted it more. They came out and took it to us in the trenches. SOS and Ellis Johnson had pretty good gameplans on both sides of the football, and the Gamecocks executed pretty well. Carolina was the benefactor of a couple big breaks and bounces of the football (Clemson cannot recover two fumbles, SC field goal banks through the uprights, etc...). Fortunately, as mentioned earlier in the week, this game means nothing (other than the fact that I get to hear trash talk all year from my Cockfan coworkers and others), as Clemson can redeem itself and capture an Orange Bowl invitation by defeating Georgia Tech Saturday night in Tampa.

There were a few positives Satruday. C. J. Spiller was able to set an NCAA record with his game-opening kickoff return for a TD. Unfortunately, Spiller was able to contribute little after that, as his run for the Heisman took a significant hit against the Gamecocks. Michael Palmer had 8 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. This was the first 100 yard passing game since 1970, and only the second in school history, per the Greenville News. Palmer and Allen have combined this season to break many of the TE records set by Pittsburgh Steelers legend Bennie Cunningham in the 1970's. This game should be a real eye-opener and give the coaches plenty to harp on until next September.

On to Tampa. The Tigers will do battle with The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the honor of representing the ACC in this year's Orange Bowl. You all remember Clemson's first Thursday night game against Tech earlier in the season. Tech, like Clemson, comes into this contest following a stinging loss to its in-state rival (I feel for them, cause I absolutely hate Georgia). Clemson cannot afford to commit the stupid mistakes it made against Tech earlier in the year, particularly on special teams. We both think that Clemson has an excellent chance to win this weekend, especially after watching Georgia run all over GT. The Willie Martinez-led defense was able to hold GT to 340 total yards and just over 200 on the ground. If Willie can be effective against this potent offense, there is no reason Clemson shouldn't have a good change at slowing them down. We will get into more game analysis and keys to this contest as the game gets closer. Here are some of our opinions and overviews of the first contest against Tech. These are good reads and are good homework/holdover materials until we release some new material later in the week.

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/09/gt-preview_10.html

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/09/what-to-look-for-against-gt.html

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/09/impressions-before-looking-at-film30-27.html

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/09/clemson-falls-to-gt-30-27.html

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/09/defensive-breakdowns-against-gt.html

Here are some notes on basic strategies and palys GT will use on Saturday:

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/06/gt-defensing-flexbone-basics.html

http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/07/gt-defending-run-shoot.html

http://mgoblog.com/diaries/spread-run-game-nuances

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.

Previewing Florida at South Carolina: Three Keys, What This Game Means, and Prediction

Gamecock Man — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:23:45 -0000

More photos » by Beth Hall - AP

about 1 month ago: South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia throws a pass during an NCAA college football game against Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)

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Will a miracle happen this weekend? Can an injury-depleted, slumping South Carolina team upset the mighty Florida Gators? Here are my thoughts on the game.

Three Keys

1. Score Points

In the last four games, we've scored 6, 14, 13, and 16 points in each game. That should worry you going into this game, in which we're taking on one of the best defenses in the country. Florida isn't N.C. State, and there's no way we're going to win this one by a 7-3 or a 14-10 margin. The Gators will likely score at least in the low-20s, and that's if our defense plays well and we don't give up any points off turnovers. That means we're going to have to score around 10 points ahead of our average over the past few games to get the win.

On the bright side, the Gamecocks have actually moved the ball quite well lately, having gained about 1500 yards over the past three games. The problem is that we've had numerous drives stall out around around the opponent's 40, as well as a few trips to the goal line that haven't resulted in TDs. At this point, this kind of behavior has become a trend, so it's reasonable to doubt whether we can change it now. You have to think, though, that a few key changes by the offensive staff could make a difference.

2. Stop the Run

Florida is going to show us all sorts of rushing looks. Option plays, HB dives, QB draws. The Gators have one of the best rushing offenses in the country. We haven't done much to stop the run over the past couple of weeks, and things might be even grimmer this week if Cliff Matthews and Devin Taylor are both out. Whoever gets the starts, we're going to have to really step it up in this regard this week if we're going to keep Florida from piling it on late.

3. Turnovers

While we certainly can't afford to commit any turnovers ourselves, what I'm really pointing to here is that our defense needs to create some turnovers. Our offense, Tennessee game aside, isn't turnover prone itself, and I have faith in their ability to continue to protect the ball against Florida. I don't have faith in our defense's ability to force them, though. So far this year, we haven't been able to do that very often. In fact, we haven't forced a turnover in the last three games. That has to change this week. Scoring points off turnovers is the classic recipe for an upset, and I see that as being one of the keys to tipping the scale in our favor.

If it sounds like I'm repeating myself with these keys this week, I am. These have been our bugaboos for the past several weeks, and finding a way to improve in these areas is what we're going to have to do to get our season on track.

What This Game Means

Well, obviously, a win in this game would be a season-saver. And I don't think it's out of the realm of possbilities. Unlike last year's version of the Gators, this year's team seems beatable, even if they're still undefeated. They've had a few close games and have generally looked about as vulnerable as an undefeated team can look. On the other hand, this year's Gamecocks appears to have all the tools in place to have a great offense, other than perhaps an offensive line. It hasn't all come together yet, but if it did Saturday, I think we could win. On the other hand, a loss isn't necessarily the end of the world. We'll still be able to salvage the season with a win over Clemson and a good bowl showing. We have to, though, keep this one respectable. A bad loss would be disastrous for this team's psyche, and the fan's would likely give up on this team.

Prediction

As said, I don't think a win is out of the question here. If we maximize our scoring opportunities and play over our heads defensively and force a couple of key turnovers, we should be right there with the Gators. Moreover, this game is at home. If the game is close late, the W-B will be rocking, and that will certainly play to our favor. However, the thought of us playing the perfect game at this point in the year, after we've had a lot of evidence indicating this team's failures, seems unlikely. Moreover, the Gators are a great team, not the kind of team you finally put it all together against. I think we're going to see a good performance out of our guys this week, but I think that, in the end, Florida will prevail. Let's say 31-24.

Chris Culliver Out for Arkansas Game

Gamecock Man — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:21:11 -0000

Chris Culliver has been benched for the Arkansas game due to a combination of being injured (shoulder) and an unspecified disciplinary issue. Per The State:

Culliver, the Gamecocks’ third-leading tackler, had a couple of glaring missed tackles in a 31-13 loss to Tennessee. Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said Culliver re-injured his surgically-repaired left shoulder in pregame warmups, but indicated he could play.

I'd be interested to know what the disciplinary issue is. There's been speculation that Culliver has his eye on the NFL, and his effort on tackles and unwillingness to take hits on kickoff returns suggests that may be the case. If that's so, Spurrier might just be saying that he's going to play the guys that put in effort. I'm just speculating, though; perhaps we'll hear more as the week progresses.

As far as how this effects us Saturday, it's hard to say. Culliver is obviously a great player, but he hasn't been playing as well as some others lately. Moreover, Akeem Auguste is capable of playing his position, and C. C. Whitlock will be ready to take over for Auguste at corner. In other words, I'm going to hesitantly say that we should be OK, although depth is obviously a concern, especially for late in the game as the starters wear down.

I'm frankly more worried about not having Cliff Matthews in a game where we'll need our pass rush, but there, again, we can hope that Devin Taylor can step up and play well.

Previewing South Carolina at Tennessee: Q & A with NorCalVol of Vols in the Fall

Gamecock Man — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:58:59 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

4 months ago: Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, right, talks with quarterback Jonathan Crompton during football practice Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Knoxville, Tenn. It was Tennessee's first day in pads. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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I got together with NorCalVol of the fine UT blog Vols in the Fall for a little Q & A action. NorCalVol has been, to say the least, generous with his answers. Enjoy. My answers to NorCalVol’s question are forthcoming here. (Note that LOHD has been sleeping with the enemy, as well, so be sure to check out their exchange.)

Q1. Lane Kiffin started his tenure with a bang by netting some notable successes on the recruiting trail, but his season so far has been a mixed bag of painful losses to mediocre teams, near misses against great teams, and a big win against Georgia. How pleased are Vols fans with Kiffin? Or is it too early to say?

NorCalVol: The majority of Vol fans are pleased with Kiffin. I think most are convinced that: (1) he knows what he’s doing; (2) he has surrounded himself with top-quality assistants; (3) he has the players’ loyalty; and (4) he will eventually get us back to being conference champions. But this is a big adjustment period for the Vol Nation; a group that for the most part is a stodgy bunch, wrapped in our warm orange blanket of nostalgia and tradition. We are all trying to get used to his "style" - making our program visible to recruiting prospects via sound-bite comments, promotional videos with shirtless players/pants unbuckled, flights around Atlanta in a helicopter, and other grand-standing techniques. Love him or not, one thing is for sure: he’s a different animal than Phil Fulmer. Personally, I think he’s just what the doctor ordered, not only for Tennessee but for the SEC as well. I know he rubs people the wrong way (just look at some of the Georgia blogs – they still are posting about him!), but he says what’s on his mind - consequences be damned. He is of a generation that is just beginning to move into college head coaching, and I believe we’ll see more like him in the coming years. It’s a new day – the youth of today eventually become the rulers. If you want to clear away all the smoke, just watch his demeanor on the sideline during a game. That is the real Kiffin. And I love it.

My other response, in particular to your remark that this season has been a "mixed bag", has to be presented in the context of the season viewed as a process – from game to game. The opener against Western Kentucky (a 63-7 win) resulted in expectations getting totally out of control. The following game against UCLA was the litmus test. We came up with a dreadful performance, particularly the offense. So, let’s use the UCLA game as the starting point. WKU doesn’t count.

Next was Florida in the Swamp. The defense was nothing short of superb. The offense was the interesting part. Kiffin employed an extremely conservative offensive scheme with the goal to run clock and keep the ball away from Tebow and Co. for as long as possible. It worked if you consider a low-scoring loss by only 10 points a victory (which is where all this "moral victory" stuff started). But the skeptics, in Knoxville and elsewhere, were accusing Kiffin of playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Well, OK. Maybe. But if that is truly what he was doing, it makes sense when you look at the very big picture. Kiffin knows that he needs to keep the orange crazies at bay long enough to allow his philosophies to manifest. Gambling for a win and getting completely blown out would have been a huge mistake. The game plan might just have been a shrewd ploy from a PR point of view.

The Ohio win was marred by a bad special teams play, and even the defense had trouble containing a very mobile QB. But the Vol offense showed more capabilities of a balanced attack even though Crompton continued to struggle. Despite the loss to Auburn the following week, our offense showed a real spark in the fourth quarter – something was happening, and it was good. The talk before the Georgia game was now we would find out if there really had been improvement. After the 45-19 win, it was clear. Even the most severe pessimists were quiet. All facets of our game clicked. And more importantly, the Vol faithful felt like a big family again, for the first time in more than a year. But Bama was going to be a supreme test. I think the vast majority of the Vol faithful rate last Saturday’s game with high marks. The pride is back. The future all of a sudden looks very bright.

So the threads that come out of all this are: (1) Tennessee has played better against the better competition; and (2) the overall performance has improved throughout the season. If it were the opposite, we might have the same 3-4 record, but not many in Vol Land would likely feel good about Kiffin. Instead, the program appears stable, with a very good long-term prognosis. Recruiting looks promising.

In Knoxville it tends to be a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mentality. The near-term prognosis is optimistic. But Kiffin’s lack of significant notches on his belt means his fortunes can still turn on a dime. A big win by USC on Halloween would be a huge setback for the coach and our bowl prospects. I’m optimistic, but I’m also sticking with my pre-season prediction of 6-6. Alternatively, 7-5 looks somewhat possible. The problem for Kiffin is that most of the talk I hear and a lot of what I read is 8-4 is what we "should" achieve. I think that’s ridiculous. But 7-5 will more than satisfy the masses, and likely be viewed as a "success" in the first year of a very young, very bright, but very controversial coach.

Q2. Kiffin vowed that Jonathan Crompton would be much improved this year. (I should say that I personally believed him, as I stated in the offseason.) As with the Vols season at large, though, Crompton has been up and down. How do you think he'll play against the Gamecocks and down the rest of the stretch?

NorCalVol: I actually see it as steady improvement, little by little, game by game, until the Georgia game that made it look like Jonathan Crompton found the magic chalice filled with liquid enlightenment. That’s the short response. Here are the details.

Last year, Jonathan was underwhelming (and that’s putting it kindly), so you can imagine how the anticipation before this season’s opener was a mixture of wanting to run and hide plus contemplating the devouring of your young. Setting it up for you…

In 2008, Crompton unveiled his wares on national TV (Monday Night Football-NCAA style) at UCLA. He was absolutely dreadful. I was there. It seemed that every pass was either a floating duck or a bullet thrown at the ankles of his receiver. And it got worse to the point that he was benched in favor of Nick Stevens, the proclaimed "Texas Gunslinger." Stevens showed promise but eventually gave the job back to Crompton. The season crashed and burned with near munity from the players and the fans. Exit Fulmer.

Enter Kiffin.

So, the 2009 opening game is at home against (what we know now as) the worst team in the 120-membered Div I FBS. Crompton throws for 5 TDs and nearly 300 yards. He showed the physical talent he has been blessed with. But, the Intelligentsia of Vol Fandom knew better. Some saw it as the instant result of new coaching. Possibly. But UCLA came to town for the second game of the season. During a dreadful 19-15 loss, Crompton became "Crapton" once more and the Wisdom of the Orange Faithful wanted to burn him at the stake and throw his body under a bus. Except for Lane Kiffin, who said that backup Nick Stevens would be seen on the field only if the Vols had a big lead, not if the Vols were way behind. Surely he wasn’t serious, we all thought. He was. Dead serious. Case closed.

Second game was in the Swamp. The game plan for the offense was to keep Crompton on a very short leash and risk giving him an elbow hyperextension from handing the ball off again and again. In other words, impossible to judge improvement. Against Ohio, Jonathan was given a longer leash and showed an ability to throw north-south with some effect, without throwing the game away, and allow the running game to flourish. A spec of improvement, even though his decision-making ability was still sub-standard. Next was Auburn – a big game for us, with their undefeated record coming to town. The poorly thrown balls to open receivers on multiple occasions were tedious to watch. But he showed spark in the second half. Perhaps no overall improvement, but no regression either.

Then Georgia. A metamorphosis from hated worm-like creature to a quarterback versatile enough to throw for 310 yards with a 20-for-27 afternoon. Stunning doesn’t begin to describe it. The question was why. Everybody has an opinion on that game. What we actually witnessed was a completely different offensive scheme. We know Georgia would be sitting on the running game. So, over and over and over, it was take the snap, play action, naked bootleg on a 270-degree turn, rollout (usually to the left), and hit the underneath receiver. Mix in a few Montario Hardesty power runs, and you had Jonathan’s first major accomplishment as a Vol QB My thoughts were this is the result of a coaching staff that knows how to coach young people by believing in what they see on the practice field, and more importantly, how to be patient and find what works for an individual. It wasn’t that Crompton didn’t have the ability. It was perhaps more that he had never been put in a scheme that allowed him to succeed. Not to shamelessly promote my blog, but on October 11, I posted an article on the subject, "Postscript: Tennessee vs Georgia."

Last week at Alabama, Crompton’s numbers weren’t as good as the Georgia game, but his performance was even better. Calm, good decision-making, and a delivery of pinpoint passes to receivers against perhaps the best defense in the land. It’s like we signed a free agent from the NFL or something. It was heartwarming to witness because Jonathan is an intelligent, good kid who nobody wants to see fail, even those who have showered him with boos from all parts of Neyland Stadium.

So, I have no other expectation but to see him play well on Halloween night, even against the third-best pass defense in the nation (more on that for Question 4). And I see no reason why Crompton can’t finish this senior season with an overall performance level that will make him look back on his Tennessee days and be proud of his ability to persevere, and have some measure of success, under intense criticism that bordered on outright meanness.

Continue reading after the jump.

Q3. If you could have one Gamecock on your roster, who would it be?

NorCalVol: Eric Norwood. The idea of having too many great defensive players is a non sequitur. Losing our defensive leader, LB Nick Reveiz, to a season-ending knee injury against Ohio left a big hole for us to fill. Even though Monte Kiffin’s Men haven’t missed a beat since Nick went down, Mr. Norwood would do just dandy. From what I read, he is a success story at USC not only on the field but in the classroom, too. That’s always a good sign, especially for a kid who came from poverty displaying no sign of academic potential.

But, if Norwood isn’t for sale, I’ll take Spencer Lanning. It’s apparent we might need a different place kicker. Fairly or unfairly, it seems that Daniel Lincoln has taken over Jonathan Crompton’s spot as the Vol who instills the least amount of confidence in the faithful.

Cliff Matthews would be a good choice, too.

Q4. Prediction. Who will win this game and how will it go down?

NorCalVol: It’s easy to fall into the weekly trap of saying that this week’s game is a huge game. They are all big – there are only 12 in a season. But, Saturday’s game is a huge game for both schools. USC needs this one to prevent a start to that dreaded late-season slide with bigger fish coming up. Tennessee needs it to keep from falling to 3-5 and putting a bowl bid in some real jeopardy. I see this as a close game, somewhere in the 20’s for both sides, with the Vols getting the W.

When USC played Bama a couple of weeks ago, I noticed the Gamecock defense intent on trying to confuse Tide QB McElroy. Because McElroy reminds me of Crompton (at least the version before the Georgia game), I think South Carolina will try hard to give Crompton something to think about. His track record of good decision-making is only two weeks old. Perhaps USC will even do a lot of stunting, which can be a gamble against a good rushing team.

On the other side, I will look for Garcia to avoid the pocket. Garcia was at his best against Bama when he was moving. To counter, I expect Tennessee to sit in zone coverage to lull Garcia into thinking he could be comfortable in the pocket, then in the second half throw the kitchen sink at him to see if he caves – USC doesn’t rate very well in QB protection stats.

It is no secret that South Carolina’s main weakness is their rushing defense and their main strength is their passing defense. But that doesn’t mean that Tennessee will stay away from the air attack. On the contrary, we will pass with the main objective to loosen up the Gamecock defense in order to pound them on the ground. That’s our strength.

Just put me in the category of conventional football thinking…

Thanks to NorCalVol for participating in this Q & A.

Tennessee Volunteers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks: game preview

Joel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:36:01 -0000

A weekly look at our upcoming opponent's recent history, with animated drive charts and links to SB Nation game pages.

This is a long post full of moving pictures and stats, so I'm putting the conclusions and predictions both at the beginning and at the end.

Conclusions

South Carolina appears to be much better passing the ball than running it, yet they tend to allow their QB to get sacked quite a bit. If the Vols can shut down the running game and pressure the QB without borrowing from the secondary, this could be the game that Berry breaks the interception return yardage record.
Expect an emphasis on the running game for the Vols. The Gamecocks are as good as the Florida Gators at defending the pass, so Jonathan Crompton will need to be on his game, but they're not so good at stopping the run.
Steve Spurrier's team has a solid field goal kicker and a strong defensive line, which sounds a bit too familiar after last week. The Vols must get into the end zone when they have their opportunities.

Predictions

Tennessee 17, South Carolina 16

Schedule and Animated Drive Charts


@ N.C. State Wolfpack	9/3/09	win 7 - 3
@ Georgia Bulldogs	9/12/09	loss 37 - 41
Florida Atlantic Owls	9/19/09	win 38 - 16
Mississippi Rebels	9/24/09	win 16 - 10
S. Carolina St. Bulldogs	10/3/09	win 38 - 14
Kentucky Wildcats	10/10/09	win 28 - 26
@ Alabama Crimson Tide	10/17/09	loss 6 - 20
Vanderbilt Commodores	10/24/09	win 14 - 10

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Well that's encouraging. 7-3 against North Carolina State? No problem!

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Also good is the fact that South Carolina lost to the team we beat 45-19.

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Hmm. Nothing special to see here.

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Lots of offensive futility there in the second half. Hope our coaches are learning something from that.

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Close game against Kentucky? What does that mean? South Carolina not that bad? Kentucky better than we think?

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Wow. A 20-6 loss to Alabama, but two interceptions and two forced fumbles? Watch out for the defense!

[South Carolina-Vanderbilt not available]

National Unit Rankings

Now on to the national rankings.

OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	70	137.25	Nevada	320.14	9	Florida	258.29
Passing Offense	47	229.13	Texas Tech	418.88	2	Arkansas	295.57
Total Offense	67	366.38	Houston	536.57	8	Florida	457.00
Scoring Offense	93	23.00	Texas	41.86	11	Florida	35.29
Passing Efficiency	59	129.46	Boise St.	168.22	7	Florida	156.07
Sacks Allowed	99	2.75	Iowa St.	.50	11	Georgia	.86

Offensive observations. South Carolina's in the bottom half of the NCAA in all offensive categories except passing, and they're only slightly better than average there. They're gaining 366 yards per game, 137 of which are on the ground and 229 of which are through the air. They don't score a ton of points, and they don't do well at all protecting their quarterback from sacks. It could be a good day for Chris Walker and company on the d-line.

DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Defense	70	147.63	Texas	41.29	8	Alabama	64.88
Pass Efficiency Defense	20	103.71	Florida	86.83	6	Florida	86.83
Total Defense	14	288.88	Florida	229.57	4	Florida	229.57
Scoring Defense	21	17.50	Penn St.	8.88	5	Florida	10.14
Pass Defense	3	141.25	Eastern Mich.	124.43	2	Florida	135.00
Sacks	47	2.25	Cincinnati	4.14	5	Mississippi	3.00
Tackles For Loss	54	6.13	Cincinnati	10.43	7	Arkansas	7.57

Defense. The Gamecocks, ranked third in the nation in pass defense, are as good at defending the pass as are the Florida Gators, so Jonathan Crompton better be on his game. They're not so good, however, at keeping opponents from running the ball, ranking only 70th and allowing nearly 148 yards per game on the ground. Putting those two components together, South Carolina ranks 14th in the nation in total defense, not too far behind Tennessee and Alabama.

SPECIAL TEAMS AND TURNOVERS RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Net Punting	80	34.81	Georgia	44.06	7	Georgia	44.06
Punt Returns	62	9.17	East Carolina	20.00	8	Alabama	15.92
Kickoff Returns	54	22.59	Stanford	31.77	10	Arkansas	28.42
Turnover Margin	37	.50	Air Force	2.25	5	Arkansas	1.43

Special teams and Turnovers. Steve Spurrier's team is basically average on special teams. They're a little better than most in turnover margin, but not much.

Stastical Comparison

Here's how the two teams stack up against each other in each of the key statistical categories in Hooper's wizbang BlogPoll Computerer:

Rank	Team	WL	SOS	PED	RD	3DO	TD	PEO	OPPG	TO	3DD
22		19	36	20	70	55	14	59	21	67	50
32		77	21	14	33	73	10	66	25	56	22

Players to watch for

Category	Player	National Rank	Actual
Rushing	Kenny Miles		51.25
	Jarvis Giles		36.57
Passing Efficiency (Min. 15 Att./Game)	Stephen Garcia	62	128.40
Total Offense	Stephen Garcia	41	236.62
	Kenny Miles		51.25
Receptions Per Game	Moe Brown		3.14
	Alshon Jeffery		3.00
	Tori Gurley		2.62
	Weslye Saunders		2.43
Receiving Yards Per Game	Alshon Jeffery		55.38
	Moe Brown		46.29
	Tori Gurley		39.75
Interceptions	Eric Norwood		.25
Punting (Min. 3.6 Punts/Game)	Spencer Lanning	38	42.31
Punt Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)
Kickoff Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Chris Culliver	54	24.50
Field Goals	Spencer Lanning	T-20	1.50
Scoring	Spencer Lanning	T-77	6.88
	Alshon Jeffery		3.75
	Brian Maddox		3.75
All-Purpose Runners	Chris Culliver		67.38
Sacks	Eric Norwood	T-33	.75
	Cliff Matthews	T-54	.62
	Clifton Geathers		.29
Tackles	Shaq Wilson		7.00
Tackles For Loss	Eric Norwood	T-84	1.06
	Cliff Matthews	T-91	1.00

Observations

Running backs. Heh. Look, they're called Miles and Giles. Neither of them are ranked nationally, and together they're only getting about 88 yards per game.

Quarterbacks. Stephen Garcia is middle-of-the-pack in passing efficiency (not too far above Crompton) and ranks 41st in total offense with 237 yards per game (quite a bit above Crompton's 207).

Receivers/Tight Ends. Garcia appears to spread the ball around well with four different guys getting 2.5 to 3 catches per game and three different guys getting nearly 40 yards per game or better.

Defense. This is where the Gamecocks are very dangerous. Defensive linemen Eric Norwood and Cliff Matthews are both sack and tackle machines who rank nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss. Clifton Geathers adds another .3 sacks and one tackle for loss per contest. The team appears to spend a lot of time in the opponent's backfield wreaking havoc.

Special teams. There doesn't appear to be too much to worry about here except that placekicker Spencer Lanning is tied for 20th in field goals. Hmm. A solid field goal kicker and a defensive line that can move the scrimmage line backwards. That sounds eerily familiar.

Head to Head Comparisons

			Best Comparable	Result Against Best Comparable	Prediction
UT rush v. SC rush defense	168.29	147.63	Ohio (148)	177	180
UT pass v. SC pass defense	217	141.25	Florida (135)	93	130
SC rush v. UT rush defense	113.86	137.25	WKU (152.57)	34	70
SC pass v. UT pass defense	155.86	229.13	Georgia (226.71)	152	150
UT score	28.86	17.5	Alabama (11.38)	10	17
SC score	18.43	23	UCLA (20)	19	20

This is the second week I've done this, I'll explain again. This is not math. It's simply looking at each team's current respective performance in a particular aspect of the game (e.g., Tennessee's rushing game verses its opponent's rushing defense), then looking for the team that we've already played that compares best to this week's opponent's current performance and seeing how we did against that team, and then making a non-mathy but informed prediction about how we might do in that aspect of the game. Example: Tennessee is passing for 217 yards per game against its opponents in 2009. South Carolina is holding its opponents to 141.25 yards per game through the air. The opponent we've already played that is closest in the rankings in pass defense to South Caroline is Florida, against whom we managed only 93 yards through the air. So should we expect no more than 93 yards or so against South Carolina? Not really. We're a much better passing team now than we were then. Still, we're probably not getting our game average of 217. I'm guessing 130.

The prediction then is 310 yards total offense for the Vols and 220 for the Gamecocks. The score here is the weird thing, though, suggesting that we shouldn't expect many more than 17 points for ourselves but that South Carolina could get 20 or so. I'm not really buying that based on our upward trend. Alabama holds its opponents to about 12 points per game, and they held us to 10, so the Vols scoring South Carolina's average of 17 points sounds about right. The Gamecocks are averaging 23 points per game, but the opponents we've played that are closest to them in scoring offense are Ohio and UCLA who basically got their average of about 20 against us. I just don't think those early games are indicative of where this team is now, so I'm going with a score of 17-16, Vols.

Conclusions

South Carolina appears to be much better passing the ball than running it, yet they tend to allow their QB to get sacked quite a bit. If the Vols can shut down the running game and pressure the QB without borrowing from the secondary, this could be the game that Berry breaks the interception return yardage record.
Expect an emphasis on the running game for the Vols. The Gamecocks are as good as the Florida Gators at defending the pass, so Jonathan Crompton will need to be on his game, but they're not so good at stopping the run.
Steve Spurrier's team has a solid field goal kicker and a strong defensive line, which sounds a bit too familiar after last week. The Vols must get into the end zone when they have their opportunities.

Predictions

Tennessee 17, South Carolina 16

Cliff Matthews Says He'll Play Against Vols

Gamecock Man — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:15:49 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

Thought I wasn't playing? Too bad! Come back here!

Browse more photos »

Per The State:

Cliff Matthews knows he scared some people - fans, coaches, teammates - when it took him a while to get up after suffering a shoulder stinger on Saturday.

But the South Carolina junior defensive end was fine then and is fine now.

"I knew right away what it was," Matthews said after Monday's practice. "I just gotta go get some treatment on it and move on."

Great news if he plays. Not having him would be a major hit to our defense's ability to make big plays.