SB Nation - South Carolina Gamecocks

Saturday News and Notes: Chris Culliver Likely Staying in School, TSK and STS Decade Retrospectives

Gamecock Man — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:00:21 -0000

Happy Saturday before Christmas. Here's a bit of news and select writing to tide you over:

Chris Culliver expects to return. Says Culliver:

"I don’t think I am going to the NFL," Culliver said. "You don’t get that experience of playing another college football season back. That is what I really want to do. I want to come back next year and, hopefully, have fun."

I like the positive sound of this. I'm looking forward to seeing in a couple of weeks how much better mentally this team is than it was a year ago.

Shakin the Southland begins a look back at the biggest Clemson games of the decade, starting with The Brawl. I expect you'll probably see more Carolina games in this retrospective, although probably not the three you'd prefer to see.

Team Speed Kills looks back at the SEC over the past decade. If you haven't been following this series, you should start. This has been a banner decade for the SEC, and there are sure to be plenty of interesting stories to reminisce about.

Friday News and Notes: Papa John's Bowl, Lady Gamecocks Dominating the ACC

Gamecock Man — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:29:56 -0000

I'm going to be traveling over the next week and a half or so, so posting may be sporadic. I'll be around from time to time, though.

Here's the news for today:

A UConn site takes a look at Stephen Garcia. And they mostly have good things to say about him, aside from pointing out how many sacks he takes.

Also on the subject of Garcia... Steve Spurrier muses on Garcia last year at the Outback Bowl and Garcia now. As you might expect, Garcia now comes out ahead. It's really pretty startling how much progress he's made since then. It's also pretty startling that we're soon going to be calling him a "seasoned veteran." Who would have thought that day would come a couple of springs back?

Lady Gamecocks Beat Wake Forest. That makes two victories over ACC clubs this week for Dawn Staley's team. Music to my ears. This really appears to be a program that's on its way up the ladder. La'Keisha Sutton led the Gamecocks with 18 points.

7-5 > 89-27: Lane Kiffin's Plan Apparently Involves Robbing Tennessee Volunteers Fans of Math Skills and Manners

T Kyle King — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:19:02 -0000

Last October, when the Georgia Bulldogs lost to the Tennessee Volunteers, I was strongly critical of the Red and Black for their poor performance against a team of questionable quality. This drew quite a bit of criticism from Big Orange fans who apparently missed my point, which I thought would have been made quite clear by the apportionment of my word count to particular subjects, but time passed, I gave the Vols their due (albeit only their due and no more), and the storm blew over . . . or so I thought.

Earlier today, I received the following e-mail from a member of the Vol faithful, whose name I have omitted but who confirms the correctness of the axiom "a fish rots from the head down" by being buttholier-than-thou:

Dear, Mr. King, I went back and read your article on the complete and utter ass whipping we gave your team in October. In case you don't remember, it was 45-19 and the renaissance of Jonathan Crompton began that day. If you will, let's revisit some gems from that article...

"the Vols are a terrible football team. Simply stated, they suck."

"They aren’t going to beat anyone all year who’s any good."

"They aren't going to look competent offensively against anyone that's the least bit decent."

And, my personal favorite, "They aren't going to a bowl game."

Wow, as the season has drawn to a close, you couldn't have been more wrong.

Lane Kiffin proved you so wrong. He proved he could coach, and made you look foolish.

Not only did we destroy Georgia, we beat South Carolina, Kentucky, and almost beat Alabama.

Your theory of Kiffin not being able to coach his own talent was proven wrong when he coached up much worse talent than he was given to start with.

To add insult to injury, he has made Georgia his playground by taking commitments from several key Georgia natives including Jawuan James who Richt and Co. wanted badly.

We started 3 walk-ons, two on the the OL, and had a 1,200 yard rusher, with two walk-ons. Run that through your head. Your team's OL is too soft to even have one 1,000 yard rusher. Also, your team is one of the most penalized in the conference, if not the most. Meanwhile, Tennessee is one of the least penalized in the conference. But, hey, at least Mark Richt is a good guy.

Also, Kiffin turned the worst SEC quarterback in the last fifteen years into a guy who might get drafted. Yes, Crompton might get drafted. Not only that, we will miss him more than we will Eric Berry next year. Run that through your head for a second.

So, now that Georgia is the 3rd best team in the SEC, and possibly 4th (Would take USCe over Georgia everyday), what do you have to say 'bout Lane Kiffin?

Is he still a clown who won't win with the talent he's recruiting?

Don't even bring up the NCAA allegations because you are stupid if you think we'll actually get penalized.

So, the Lane Train keeps on rollin', and Georgia, well....I don't know what you would call Georgia's program. Slow motion, maybe? Stuck in mud? I don't know, I know Bud Foster played Mark Richt like a fiddle to get more money, and Kirby Smart turned down the job.

You'll have graduate assistants possibly calling plays in your bowl game, but hey, Mark Richt is a good man. Who cares about a football coach, right?

P.S. I wonder if Marlon Brown regrets his decision?

Frankly, I was a bit at a loss to know how to respond to that bilious screed, partly because I am a big believer in the idea of being magnanimous in victory and defiant in defeat, and partly because there is some serious cognitive dissonance going on there.

I mean, maybe we didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher because we had, y’know, three running backs splitting time in the backfield? Just a thought. As for the gentleman’s willingness to take the South Carolina Gamecocks "over Georgia everyday," that choice would have served him well only on fourteen of the 62 days on which the Classic City Canines and the Palmetto State Poultry actually have met on the gridiron, including just one of the most recent eight. I’m not sure that even the most rabid South Carolina partisan would claim the ‘Dawgs were fourth in the Eastern Division behind the ‘Cocks, inasmuch as the two teams finished with identical overall records, Georgia had a better conference record, the Red and Black won the head-to-head meeting, and (arguably) the Big Chickens’ best win was over the Clemson Tigers, a team that lost twice to the Bulldogs’ most accomplished victim, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Methinks my not-so-humble correspondent is getting a tad too much of his corn from a jar.

In the end, I sent back the following reply, from which my correspondent’s name once again has been omitted:

Dear ______,

Congratulations on the rich full life that leaves you feeling compelled to revisit two-month old blog posts in order to mine the nuggets which are conducive to your point but which were ancillary to mine. As ought to have been clear, the point of my posting was to criticize Georgia, not Tennessee, and the subsequent firings of three coaches indicate the correctness of my position.

However, I congratulate you on the rousing success of going 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. I am glad to know that some fans are pleased with their teams, as I am dejected over going 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. I guess that is the sort of perspective one gains from having won an SEC championship---two, as a matter of fact---in the 21st century.

I applaud your dedication to your belief that Lane Kiffin is a good coach and Mark Richt is a bad one despite the fact that Lane Kiffin's best season produced results identical to Mark Richt's worst one. Personally, I have always been constrained by reality, and I therefore am willing to change my views when given evidence upon the basis of which to do so. For instance, I routinely have recognized Tennessee fans as the classiest among the Bulldogs' annual rivals. Now that I have heard from you, I will know better than to repeat that mistaken sentiment.

We'll look forward to seeing you in Athens next October 9. Happy holidays!

T. Kyle King

I don’t know about you, but I was a bit more in the Christmas spirit after that exchange, for it reminded me that there is something worse than being 7-5 and knowing that means you’re not good; you could be 7-5, mistakenly believe that means you’re good, and be a jerk about it. The first step in the direction of getting better is admitting there’s a problem. The second step is not being a jackass while in the process of taking the subsequent requisite steps toward improvement.

Obviously, I was mistaken when stating that Tennessee was not going to a bowl game; the Volunteers are headed for the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and they deserved to receive a bid to the Outback Bowl. I do not know that I was particularly wrong about Jonathan Crompton, who ranked ninth in the league in pass efficiency rating in a year in which the SEC quarterback class was not strong, and I am far from fearful about the future prospects for an aerial attack coordinated by anyone named Kippy.

I stand by the position that a team didn’t beat anyone good when that team’s victims were Western Kentucky (0-12 in the Sun Belt), Ohio (9-4 in the MAC), Georgia (7-5), South Carolina (7-5), Memphis (2-10 in Conference USA), Vanderbilt (2-10), and Kentucky (7-5), because I think beating someone good involves defeating at least one BCS conference opponent with a winning percentage over .583, but your mileage may vary. If the guy who wrote to me is made upbeat by a record that has me declaring the doom of all that is right and good, who am I to tell him he shouldn’t be willing to settle for the mediocrity for which I will not stand? To each his own, I suppose.

Go ‘Dawgs!

SEC Power Poll All-SEC Team Ballot

The Ghost of Jay Cutler — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:56:05 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2009, file photo, Alabama running back Mark Ingram (22) runs past Mississippi defenders for a second quarter 36- yard touchdown run during an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss. Ingram won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Browse more photos »

No frills or arguments here, just the ballot. It's pretty straightforward and will be compiled amongst the other blogs ballots to reach an SEC blogosphere All-SEC squad. Comment and criticize our selections, please.

QB - Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

HB - Mark Ingram, Alabama

HB - Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss

FB - Tim Tebow (lololololololol), Florida

WR - Shay Hodge, Ole Miss

WR - AJ Green, Georgia

TE - Colin Peek, Alabama

OL - Ciron Black, LSU

OL - Michael Johnson, Alabama

OL - Mike Pouncey, Florida

OL - James Carpenter, Alabama

OL - Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

DE - Carlos Dunlap, Florida

DE - Antonio Coleman, Auburn

DT - Terrence Cody, Alabama

DT - Jerrell Powe, Ole Miss (why the hell not?)

LB - Eric Norwood, South Carolina

LB - Rolando McClain, Alabama

LB - Brandon Spikes, Florida

S - Eric Berry, Tennessee

S - Chad Jones, LSU

CB - Joe Haden, Florida

CB - Patrick Peterson, LSU

K - Leigh Tiffin, Alabama

P - Drew Butler, Georgia

RET - Javier Arenas, Alabama

Richmond at South Carolina: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:15:53 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

13 days ago: South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn watches his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Clemson, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Clemson defeated South carolina 72-61. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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The Court 'Cocks just finished up a convincing 76-60 victory over a solid Richmond team. The Spiders played tough and led at the half, but we completely took over in the second half on the strength of improved shooting and toughness on the boards. Devan Downey led the way for us with 18 points, while Justin Harper led the Spiders with 15.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

This was a solid win. Richmond is a talented, experience team that is projected to dance this year. They currently have nice wins over Mississippi State and Missouri. Dominating them like we did in the second half without two of our starters was impressive. If we can continue to play at this level, I have no doubt that we can win most of our remaining games before Dominique Archie returns, at which point we'll be ready to handle the SEC.
We're definitely a second half team. That's not surprising, as our up-tempo style is designed to yield dividends as the opponent tires late in the game.
We dominated the boards in this game, and that's part of what made the difference. We took a full 11 more FGA than Richmond, mostly due to all of our offensive boards. The big performers here were Sam Muldrow, Jhondre Jefferson, and Austin Steed. Jefferson, in particular, played quite well; his continued development is important for us as we stare down possibly being without Mike Holmes for the rest of the year.
Ramon Galloway is really playing well. This guy is the surprise of the season so far for me. I knew he was good, but he's beginning to make me think he might be a star in the making. Along with Lakeem Jackson and Jefferson, he's got me thinking that this year's freshman class is going to be better than expected.
Evaldas Baniulus, on the other hand, is not playing well. He's cold as ice from the field right now, and since he's always been a defensive liability, he's really not worth much to us for the time being. Hopefully he'll get it together and start shooting like he did last year.

Well, that's a wrap on this one. Next up is a road game at Wofford. The Terriers are a decent team this year, so hopefully we'll be ready for them. Go 'Cocks.

Could Big Ten Expansion Force the SEC to Bring In a New School?

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:15:09 -0000

Big Ten expansion talk is all the rage, even here in SEC country, and, while the Notre Dame Fighting Irish remain atop the list despite being obviously unattainable and the Pittsburgh Panthers make the most sense, much attention is being paid to the apparently interested Missouri Tigers, with respect to whom Big Ten aficionados not only have an idea, they have a plan.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that happens. Short of the Golden Domers climbing down from their high horse (which isn’t going to happen now that the arrival of Brian Kelly has ensured Notre Dame’s inevitable return to ~~relevance~~ ~~competence~~ dominance), conference expansion is a zero-sum game; if the Big Ten increases from eleven teams to twelve by poaching Mizzou, the Big 12 decreases from twelve teams to eleven. The Big 12 is going to need a new team.

Maybe it’s just the traditionalist in me, but it seems to me that there can be only one choice for Big 12 expansion should Missouri bolt for browner pastures. The Arkansas Razorbacks have a longstanding rivalry with the Texas Longhorns, currently have a series going with the Texas A&M Aggies, and have deep Southwest Conference roots. Turnabout is fair play, so a Big Ten that includes Missouri could mean a Southeastern Conference sans Arkansas.

If the first domino falls, the line could topple all the way to the SEC’s doorstep, raising the question . . . where would the SEC turn if it had to replace the Hogs? The options, it would seem, are these, in no particular order:

Louisville Cardinals: U. of L. shares an in-state rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats and just hired longtime SEC defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. The ‘Ville would bolster the league’s basketball reputation but the Cardinals have been only intermittently good at football. Still, as a current member of an automatic BCS-qualifying conference, Louisville would have to get a look, although it’s too bad the Cards would be brought in to replace Arkansas, because a series between Bobby "Pignocchio" Petrino’s current and former schools would be fun to watch.

South Florida Bulls: I’m not saying they deserve it, but any number of SEC coaches would love another annual opportunity to travel to the recruiting hotbed of the Sunshine State. Tampa is an attractive market and USF has been consistently respectable (albeit no more than that) since making the jump to the Big East. You’d have to think the Florida Gators would scream and howl at having to add an in-state conference rival to their existing slate, though. This brings us to . . .

Florida St. Seminoles: Let’s not mince words here. If you were an SEC football fan in 1991, you thought Bobby Bowden ducked the SEC in order to pad FSU’s schedule with ACC games. It’s time to atone for that gutless decision now that the Jimbo Fisher era is underway. This would make great sense for the Gators, whose season-ender against the ‘Noles would count as a conference game, although it likely would increase the pressure on the Saurians to schedule the Miami Hurricanes more frequently. Regular trips to Tallahassee by the Georgia Bulldogs would please the conspiracy theorists among the Red and Black fan base, who would wonder regularly whether Mark Richt would just stay put once he got back to his old stomping grounds. While we’re on the subject of in-state out-of-conference rivals, I suppose I should mention . . .

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: I would be 100 per cent opposed to this idea, but you’d have to admit it makes sense. The Engineers played in the SEC for many years and were a part of some of the league’s great rivalries at one time. The Ramblin’ Wreck left the conference at the tail end of the Bobby Dodd era and had their efforts to rejoin the league rebuffed, so both sides might be lukewarm on a reconciliation. After both of this year’s ACC division champions fell to middling SEC East outfits that came into their battles for local bragging rights sporting 6-5 ledgers, it’s doubtful whether the Orange Bowl-bound Golden Tornado would want to trade a shot at a big-money bowl in the soft ACC for a lower spot in the league pecking order. In theory, Georgia Tech could enjoy home town advantage in an SEC championship game, but, honestly, that’s not much of a risk.

Clemson Tigers: Admittedly, I’m biased, but this option makes the most sense to me. The Country Gentlemen are comfortably within the SEC’s geographic footprint and share longstanding rivalries with the ‘Dawgs and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Fort Hill Felines also share a common heritage with several other SEC schools which would make league games intriguing: Walter Riggs and John Heisman established strong ties between Clemson and the Auburn Tigers; the Alabama Crimson Tide have produced numerous coaches for the Orange and Purple, including Frank Howard, Danny Ford, and current skipper Dabo Swinney; Charley Pell landed both Clemson and Florida on probation; the LSU Tigers could host the Country Gentlemen in Death Valley before traveling to face them in Death Valley. Culturally, the Tiger faithful are a much more comfortable fit with the rabid fans of the Southeastern Conference than with the Big Ten wannabes of the Atlantic Coast Conference and an SEC association certainly wouldn’t hurt the proud Clemson baseball program. Should we be willing to trade the Razorbacks for the Tigers? Ken Hatfield certainly was, and he was an Arkansas alum.

If it were up to me, the Big Ten would add Missouri, the Big 12 would add Arkansas, the SEC would add Clemson, and the ACC would . . . actually, I don’t care what the ACC does. I say let’s ship the Hogs back to their old stomping grounds, move the Tennessee Volunteers over from the SEC East to the SEC West (where the Vols properly belong, given their natural rivalries with Alabama and Auburn), add Clemson to the SEC East, and have at it.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Sprints Didn't Place Anyone on the AP All-American Team // 12.16.09

cocknfire — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:25:12 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Highest rated Heisman winner in history and All-American.

Browse more photos »

AP announces its All-American Team
Alabama has six members of the first team -- RB Mark Ingram, G Michael Johnson, K Leigh Tiffin, DT Terrence Cody, LB Rolando McClain and CB Javier Arenas. That's a record; no word on whether Alabama will claim that as another national championship.

Florida placed TE Aaron Hernandez and CB Joe Haden on the first team. Other SEC names: South Carolina LB Eric Norwood, Tennessee S Eric Berry and Georgia P Drew Bulter.

Georgia fans will probably disagree with me on place-kicking, at least, but I don't see any really obvious omissions there.

Ingram was most-watched Heisman winner ever
This is impressive considering the paucity of cable television in Alabama outside of Huntsville. (I kid.)

And your idea would improve that -- how exactly?
Charles Barkley still wants Turner Gill to coach Auburn.

"Look at the other coaches in the SEC," Barkley said. "Nick Saban. Urban Meyer. Les Miles. Steve Spurrier. Houston Nutt. Mark Richt. Those names pop in your mind before Gene Chizik.

"Let’s not kid ourselves. As far as name recognition, Auburn is at a decided disadvantage. Not just in the state. In the SEC."

And Turner Gill would have fixed that? I think Gill would have done a fine job at Auburn, maybe just as good as or better than Chizik. But his name ID wasn't exactly going through the roof before last year, and part of that came from being considered for the Auburn job. He was the head coach at Buffalo, for crying out loud. Sir Charles added later that "if the article insinuates in any way that I don't think Chizik did a good job, it's B.S."

Independence Bowl is sold out
Because Georgia has bought all its tickets. The university, not the fan base.

It's official
Youngstown State tabs South Carolina offensive line coach Eric Wolford and has an interesting take on his resume.

Wolford has a tremendous background working with some of the most reputable names in college football. As an assistant, he has coached for Steve Spurrier (South Carolina), Ron Zook (Illinois), Mike Stoops (Arizona), Darrell Dickey (North Texas), Dana Dimel (Houston), Jim Leavitt (South Florida) and Bill Snyder (Kansas State).

Ron Zook and Dana Dimel! How did Youngstown State get so lucky?

I'm guessing he didn't provide a recommendation
Steve Spurrier doesn't sound very happy about Wolford's decision -- and we all know that hiding his feelings isn't what you would call one of the Head Ball Coach's strengths.

"If it's a good decision, time will tell. I didn't think it was the right decision for him right now," Spurrier said. "But we all have choices to make, and that's what he wanted to do. He wanted to go back to his hometown and be a head coach." ...

Spurrier said he had a stack of applicants interested in becoming the Gamecocks' third line coach in as many years. ...

Spurrier downplayed the effect Wolford's departure would have on recruiting.

"I hope it doesn't hurt at all," he said. "We lost our last three games last year and it didn't hurt us."

Well.

If the Gamecocks ever find an offense with Spurrier at the helm, it will be interesting if they try to get Youngstown State for a guarantee game. Not that he would ever run up the score or anything.

Why Billy Gonzales left Florida
It wasn't because he knew about the party that led to Carlos Dunlap sitting asleep in his car at a green light.

"That's absolutely not true," Meyer said. "In fact, that's the first I've heard of that one. Billy left because he was passed up last year for the offensive coordinator's job (which went to Steve Addazio). It was about the title."

That confirms what we thought all along. That said, there are plenty of Florida fans who are ready to leave the team because Steve Addazio was named coordinator. (HT: EDSBS)

Tim Tebow is not impressed by your nickname for him
You know, Tearbow.

"Never heard of it before,'' he said. "Is that what they're saying? Well, good for them.''

He'll remember your criticism next year when he's making millions of dollars as a quarterback or an H-back.

Independence Bowl is sold out
Because Georgia has bought all its tickets. The university, not the fan base.

Next year's schedule in for more shuffling
In part to help Alabama lower the number of games it will play against teams coming off of a bye week, because the Tide clearly needs the help to have a fair shot.

If it's like the baseball Veterans Committee, he's doomed
Erk Russell's nomination for the College Football Hall of Fame goes to the Veterans Committee. This group is hopefully more receptive than the baseball version, which essentially has decided that no one outside of its own membership should ever enter the hall unless they're dead and no one remembers them anyway.

NCAA considering new concussion rules
Good.

Is the Mountain West on course to becoming part of the BCS?
It's looking good. Others have pointed out that even if the MWC is a bit short at the end of the four-year cycle, it could always add Boise State with a view of getting an auto-bid for the league and giving the Broncos a better chance of getting in.

It's Pittsburgh
I agree with Brian that if anything comes of the Big Ten's soul-searching about whether it should add a twelfth member -- will they then at least call themselves the Big Eleven? -- the newest team in the conference will be Pitt. It's a fit academically, culturally and geographically. The other prominently mentioned candidate -- Missouri -- would face enormous pressure from the Big XII not to leave because that would force them to go find a new member to keep their championship game, not to mention the fact that despite what the Big Ten faithful might think, the move wouldn't really benefit Mizzou at all.

But don't tell that to these guys
They seem very passionate about the idea.

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.

Coaching Carousel 2009: Offensive Line Candidates

Gamecock Man — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:50:01 -0000

We still haven't heard official word that Eric Wolford is leaving, but I expect we'll get that tomorrow or Wednesday. There is a little talk this evening about Coach Spurrier trying to talk Wolford into staying and making him a counteroffer, so we can keep our fingers crossed that he might stay. However, I don't like our chances; it just seems that there's too much going against us on this one.

If Wolford does indeed leave, it'll be time to think more about who our next line coach will be. In addition to Robbie Caldwell, who I mentioned yesterday, I'm hearing three other names that seem reasonable to me: Mississippi State's J. B. Grimes, Syracuse's Greg Adkins, and South Alabama's Mitch Rodrigue. This is all very preliminary at this point, especially considering that Wolford to YSU isn't official yet, but it's fun to wonder about, and since we don't have much else to talk about right now, let's take a closer look at these guys.

J. B. Grimes

Grimes last coached the line for Sylvester Croom's Mississippi State Bulldogs. Now, before you say "Wait a damn minute, didn't their offenses suck?", you should know that State was known for having a physical, effective line during Grimes's tenure. This line paved the way for many solid rushing seasons under Croom's watch; unfortunately, though, State tended to lack any semblance of a passing game during these years, leading to overall bad offenses. Prior to coaching for Croom, Grimes had solid tenures coaching for more successful programs at Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Texas A & M.

The positives on Grimes are that he is a solid tutor of fundamentals and toughness. His State lines were known for playing hard and smart, and Grimes got the most out of a relatively untalented group. The negatives on Grimes are that he's a bit older than what I think we'd like. Grimes is supposedly a decent recruiter, but it's no mystery that what the recruits like about Wolford is that he's young and personable in addition to being a great, intense coach. Now, I'm sure Grimes is personable, as well, but there's something about youth that goes a long way in empathizing with high school guys. I'm not sure if Grimes still has that.

Greg Adkins

Adkins is currently the line coach at Syracuse, where his offense has had a pretty average year. However, what Adkins is known for is his tenure as Phil Fulmer's line coach at Tennessee, a position he held for six years. Adkins also coached at Georgia. Adkins helped coach many fine offenses at these schools and has placed many a great lineman in the NFL. He can be excused for the bad year at the 'Cuse.

Adkins is certainly known for being a good coach, but he's most famous for his recruiting prowess. He was a major player in Fulmer's recruiting machine at Tennessee, which means that he has the recruiting acumen to help us bring in players that can help compete and that he has pipelines to SEC prep talent.

Of course, maybe without those hostesses... (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Mitch Rodrigue

Rodrigue currently coaches the line at South Alabama, which just finished its inaugural year of football. Why woud we be going after a guy in a position like that? Well, before he went to USA, Rodrigue was a nationally recognized line coach for many years under Jeff Bower at Southern Mississippi, leaving that program when Bower was surprisingly let go last year. Rodrigue was known for loading the All-CUSA team with his linemen and for helping lead prolific offenses during these years.

Rodrigue's pluses, like Adkin's, mainly concern his recruiting prowess. He was known for bringing lots of talent to Hattiesburg during his time at USM. His minuses, though, are probably the other side of that coin. Recruiting for USM and for an SEC school are two different bags, and it would remain to be seen if Rodrigue was up to the task.

Summing Up

If Wolford goes, I would think we have a good chance at landing any of these guys. One thing all have in common is that each is a good coach that is in exile because they lost their old job along with an ousted head coach. That means that each would probably love a chance at the USC job. Each is also familiar with blocking schemes that in various ways would mesh with what Spurrier wants to do here at USC.

If I had my pick, I'd take Adkins. (Well, other than Wolford.) Adkins has had plenty of success as an SEC line coach, having coached in multiple SEC title games and major bowl games. He has a good pedigree: he has coached with offensive genius David Cutcliffe, and he learned to recruit under Philip Fulmer. Well. Maybe that last one isn't such a great thing, but anyways. Adkins looks like a good coach, so I hope we make a strong push for him or Vandy's Robbie Caldwell if Wolford doesn't pan out.

Eric Wolford to Youngstown State

Gamecock Man — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:45:03 -0000

It appears that Eric Wolford will in all likelihood be named the new head coach at Youngstown State over the next couple of days. Multiple reliable outlets are reporting that this is done deal, and since it all makes sense to me, I'm going to choose to believe it. I say thanks to Coach Wolford for his time in Columbia and wish him luck. I would have loved to see him stick around and help us get to the next level, but I can't blame him for wanting a head coaching job close to home.

The two questions we now face are who our next line coach will be and how this will affect recruiting. As far as our next line coach goes, I expect you'll see us make another push for Vanderbilt's Robbie Caldwell. Caldwell--as we know--is one of the best line coaches around. He's a guy that consistently has good lines at Vanderbilt despite having to play with very few athletes that elite SEC schools would ever consider giving scholarships to. Caldwell, though, has close ties to Vandy coach Bobby Johnson. He's rebuffed us before, so we're going to have to do some convincing to get him to Columbia. I hope we make a strong push for him, but if we can't get him, I'm confident that Coach Spurrier will get us a good line coach, just like he did last year.

Recruiting, on the other hand, I'm a little worried about. Coach Wolford has been instrumental in getting verbal commitments from several high-profile prep linemen this year. Our coaching staff now faces the challenge of convincing these guys to stay with their verbals. For those that are truly committed to the program, that shouldn't be a huge problem. For others that had developed bonds with Coach Wolford, though, it might not be so easy. I'm especially worried about the highly touted Eric Mack, who has been a little equivocal about his commitment to us. You can bet opposing coaches will be in Mack's ear as quickly as possible trying to get him to back off his commitment. Hopefully our losing Wolford won't prompt Mack to reopen his recruitment. Marcus Lattimore is also now more of a question mark. My thinking before this was that Lattimore--even if he waited until National Signing Day to make it official--was 100% Gamecock. Now, though, I'm not so sure. Lattimore apparently had a good relationship with Wolford and liked his fit with Wolford's offensive philosophy. The good thing we still have going for us with Lattimore, of course, is that he's a born and bred Carolina guy and has several friends who are also planning on playing ball for us. That might not matter, though, is an elite program gets in his ear and makes a strong case.

In the end, we're going to need to make a good hire quickly, and that new coach is going to have to talk to these players and make them believe that he and Carolina are right for them. If we can do that, we can get out of this unscathed. If we drag our feet on the hire or make a poor choice, things could get ugly in what is a key recruiting year.