Post-Spring Previews: Arkansas Razorbacks at South Carolina Gamecocks
by Gamecock Man on Jul 28, 2010 4:22 PM EDT
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After hopefully executing in a home win against the Tennessee Volunteers, the Gamecocks will renew what has become something of a minor rivalry against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Although the two programs had never played each other since joining the SEC and are separated geographically by over 900 miles, the Gamecocks have been squaring off against the Hogs each year since 1992. The series has been fairly close, with the Hogs leading 11 games to our 7 and the games often being quite exciting. This year should hold to form, as both teams come into 2010 with high hopes that they could have one of their best years in recent memory.
The Hogs, in particular, are getting lots of love from the prognosticators. With Ryan Mallett and a slew of other talent returning to play in Bobby Petrino's high-flying offense, there's a good chance that this could be one of the most high-scoring teams in the country. That combined with a favorable schedule that sees the Hogs get some of their toughest Western Division opponents at home has the Arkansas faithful hoping for they can supplant Alabama as the West's representative in the SEC Championship Game. Some skeptics are wondering, though, if Arkansas is going to be this year's Ole Miss, an overhyped team that ends up being good but fails to compete for the conference crown.
Offense: You probably know the story about Arkansas's offense. You may even remember that they ran hog-wild over us late last fall. The Hogs are going into reputed offensive mind Petrino's third year, and they've improved each year under his tutelage. (Check this out for an informative but somewhat dated run-down on Petrino's "power-spread" philosophy; Petrino is expected to make use of the pistol this year to spice up his running game.) The Hogs also return most of their key players from a year ago, including Mallett, Greg Childs, and D.J. Williams. By all accounts, this should be one of the country's best offenses.
Defense: Defensively, Arkansas is a bit more of a question mark. The Hogs return seven starters, including some talented players on the front. However, the secondary was a huge liability last year and doesn't appear to be poised to do much better this year. (Many of you may remember that we were moving the ball with ease against these guys last year until whoever was calling plays apparently decided that going deep to Alshon Jeffery was the only play we were going to run.) Depth is also going to be a major issue here, as it has been for the last couple of seasons. Don't expect the Hogs to be great on this side of the ball.
Tuesday News and Notes: Recruiting Updates and More
by Gamecock Man on Jul 27, 2010 10:00 PM EDT
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Recruiting: First look at USC opens lineman’s eyes | GoGamecocks. Good rundown of what's going on with some of the prospects we're after. As I've said before here, don't worry too much about how few really huge prospects we've landed so far--plenty are still on the board and some of them are major USC leans.
Is Congress too busy to honor Gamecocks? | GoGamecocks
Full speed ahead for Gamecocks' LeCorn | GoGamecocks
Tennessee Titans sue Lane Kiffin, Southern Cal | tennessean.com | The Tennessean
Monday News and Notes: SEC Previews
by Gamecock Man on Jul 26, 2010 12:55 PM EDT
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Hi, folks. The following is the news for today. It's the summer doldrums, so there's not a lot going on. Expect my Arkansas preview some time this week.
Gamecocks' annual breakthrough hopes begin (and end) up front - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports. Dr. Saturday, never much of a Gamecocks partisan, provides an incisive, if somewhat familiar, explanation for Carolina's inability to break through. His answer? It's not the skills positions, it's the offensive line.
SEC forecast: Tide-Gator chalk still carries the day - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports. Dr. Saturday picks Carolina to finish third in the East behind Florida and Georgia. For the most part his predictions are pretty safe and, well, predictable. Still has some good analysis, though.
Ranking the SEC, from Bama to Vandy (and Georgia No. 4) | Jeff Schultz. AJC writer Jeff Schultz picks Carolina to finish fifth overall in the conference. I'd probably be happy with that (that would likely mean eight or nine wins), but I can't buy most of his reasoning. You have to raise at an eyebrow at the line about us not being able to recruit skills position players. The problem has been that we ONLY have top skills position players. Moreover, Schultz's whiff is a bit of a credibility problem--the problem we have is very common for mid-tier teams, as there really are plenty of good high-school skills position players. However, there aren't as many top-flight trench players, and the good ones almost all go to the top programs. Schultz should know that.
Sunday Afternoon Clippings
by Gamecock Man on Jul 25, 2010 6:18 PM EDT
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Commentary: Plenty of blame in agent controversy | GoGamecocks
Morris: Garcia primed for breakout season | GoGamecocks
GamecockCentral.com - BLOG: Positive Vibes Everywhere On Garcia
Turkey for Downey | Quotes by Emerson
Auburn: A Primer on the Gus Malzahn Offense - Shakin The Southland. The guys at SBN's Clemson blog put this together. If you're into the finer points of the game, check this (and their other columns of this nature) out. You'll be smarter for it. As much as I prefer to begrudge Clemson fans any respect, these guys have a great blog.
Gamecocks Pick Up Two Commitments
by Gamecock Man on Jul 24, 2010 11:26 AM EDT
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UPDATE: USC picked up another commitment, this time from OT Mike Matulis. Matulis had offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, South Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia and a number of mid-tier programs.
USC picked up two commitments this weekend: OT Kaleb Broome and DE Lorenzo Mauldin. Check out the stories at the following links:
Gamecocks pick up OL commitment | GoGamecocks
Georgia DE commits to USC | GoGamecocks
Mauldin (240 / 6'4) picked Carolina over Kentucky, Troy, Samford, Marshall, Middle Tennessee and South Alabama, while Broome chose us over East Carolina and also had interest from Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Washington State.
Both of these guys look like solid prospects, but some Carolina fans will probably be grumbling that we continue to fail to pick up commitments from the big-name recruits. I would advise a little patience here. We're on the leaders list for a number of nationally recognized recruits, and most of those guys are going to wait until late in the game to make their decisions. I think a lot of these guys--like Javedeon Clowney and Brandon Shell--are going to be Gamecocks, and when we get them on board, this class should shoot up into the top 20. It'll be a lot like 2008-09 in that sense, when we got big commitments in the end game that helped us to form one of the SEC's best classes.
Friday News and Notes: USC at SEC Media Days Roundup
by Gamecock Man on Jul 23, 2010 10:08 AM EDT
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[Videos] Spurrier, players at SEC media days | GoGamecocks. I'm still a little miffed that Spurrier brought Shaq Wilson to Media Days instead of Stephen Garcia. That, more than anything he said about Garcia, seems like a vote of no-confidence to me. This isn't to say I don't like Shaq; I think he's ready for a big year. I just kind of thought Garcia would be given the keys to a leadership role this year. The other two choices--Patrick DiMarco and Cliff Matthews--did make sense to me. DiMarco has long been considered a team leader and Matthews is the team's defensive star.
Some highlights from the interviews:
-Spurrier jabs at Jevan Snead.
-Spurrier says one of his keys to longevity is that his interest in golf gives him a release valve. Urban, take notes.
-Spurrier says that the most important thing for Garcia is that he learn to avoid sacks. He points to sacks as what have killed our running game. No mystery here: sacks both equal negative rushing yards and create long-yardage situations in which you usually choose to throw the ball.
-Matthews has gained more weight--he's up to 270 after entering college at 230. This guy is ready for the NFL, methinks.
-Matthews talked a lot about the level of participation during summer workouts and how the team has put down a new level of commitment.
-Matthews seemed really nervous up there. He lost his train of thought a couple of times. It was kind of endearing.
-When asked if he was going to match Eric Norwood, Shaq said, "I can't be Eric Norwood. I'm Shaq Wilson." I liked that. This guy seems ready to go.
-DiMarco seemed like the most poised of the trio. You can see why he takes well to the leadership role.
-DiMarco thinks the running game will be better with Shawn Elliott's input. He also praised Marcus Lattimore.
-All the players mentioned in response to promptings by the reporters that they want to get a taste of what the baseball team enjoyed. Nice.
Same Old Spurrier? Not the Same. And Probably Not Too Old. - Team Speed Kills. You have to agree that Spurrier sounds a little bedraggled.
Team supports Saunders | GoGamecocks. This is good, but I'm still pretty suspicious. As someone said to me recently, college students don't typically have the money to party in South Beach.
Spurrier optimistic at SEC Media Days | GoGamecocks
DiMarco praises Lattimore | GoGamecocks. I'm beginning to think more and more that we're going to see Lattimore early. The guy is good and he's gotten out there as early as possible to get ready for the season. With Alshon Jeffery last year, Jeffery got out there late and didn't start contributing very much until the middle of the season. I don't think that's going to be the case for Lattimore.
Spurrier: Garcia and Shaw Will Both Play
by Gamecock Man on Jul 22, 2010 1:00 PM EDT
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This should get a bit of mileage on the message boards:
"We'll definitely have two quarterbacks coming to the ballpark ready to play," Spurrier said.
He noted Shaw's athletic abilities and also said the team needs a solid option should Garcia get injured.
"Stephen is our starter right now," he said. "He'll be our starter unless someone beats him out."
While these statements will undoubtedly divide Gamecocks fans, I'm a little inclined to say that it will be blown out of proportion. Spurrier reiterated that Garcia is the starter and will continue to be the starter unless someone beats him out, and he indicated that one of his main reasons for wanting to play Shaw was to have an option prepared should Garcia get hurt. Nothing about this suggested to me that Spurrier was expressing a lack of confidence in Garcia; indeed, he didn't go as far in that direction as he had in the past, indicating that maybe Garcia really is moving in the right direction.
Thursday News and Notes: SEC Media Days, Agentocalypse, and More
by Gamecock Man on Jul 22, 2010 9:38 AM EDT
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1 comment
Morris: NCAA is headed for big trouble | GoGamecocks. I'll have to admit that I generally agree with this. I'm not sure I'm ready to say we should begin paying players--it just feels like something will be lost once that happens, and I'm not just talking about a level playing field--but you have to admit that Morris is right to call it ironic when someone raking in as much money as Nick Saban is complaining about agents offering small gifts to the atheletes Saban is making bank on.
Team Speed Kills - SEC Coverage. If you're not already following TSK, this is the place to go for SEC Media Days coverage.
Saban wants focus on this season, not last | GoGamecocks
Pouncey denies allegations he took money at UF | GoGamecocks
Slive: Agent rules might be part of problem | GoGamecocks
USC makes final cut with Leonard | GoGamecocks. I forgot to link this the other day. This is BIG news for Darrin Horn. Leonard is the kind of player USC has needed for some time now to break into the elite, so let's hope the final push works out.
QB Parker confirms he is returning to Clemson | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC. I guess he wants to know if it feels as bad to lose to the Gamecocks in Death Valley as it does to lose to them in Columbia and Omaha. In all seriousness, I wish Parker well, other than when he plays us. He's giving up a bit of cash to enjoy another year of football. That's cool, I think.
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Gamecocks Football Schedule
| Southern Miss. | Thu 09/02 | 7:30 PM EDT |
Georgia
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Sat 09/11 | 12:00 PM EDT |
| Furman | Sat 09/18 | 7:00 PM EDT |
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@
Auburn
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Sat 09/25 | TBA |
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Alabama
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Sat 10/09 | TBA |
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@
Kentucky
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Sat 10/16 | TBA |
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@
Vanderbilt
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Sat 10/23 | TBA |
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Tennessee
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Sat 10/30 | TBA |
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Arkansas
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Sat 11/06 | TBA |
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@
Florida
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Sat 11/13 | TBA |
| Troy | Sat 11/20 | TBA |
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@
Clemson
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Sat 11/27 | TBA |
Southeastern Conference Standings
(updated 1.8.2010 at 2:57 AM EST)
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Florida Gators
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8 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
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Georgia Bulldogs
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4 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
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Tennessee Volunteers
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4 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
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Kentucky Wildcats
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3 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
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South Carolina Gamecocks
|
3 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
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Vanderbilt Commodores
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0 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Alabama Crimson Tide
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8 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
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LSU Tigers
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5 | 3 | 9 | 4 |
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Mississippi Rebels
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4 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
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Arkansas Razorbacks
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3 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
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Auburn Tigers
|
3 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
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Mississippi St. Bulldogs
|
3 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
Gamecocks Basketball Schedule
Last 5 Games
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@
Alabama
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Thu 03/11 | L 63 - 68 |
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@
Vanderbilt
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Sat 03/06 | W 77 - 73 |
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Alabama
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Wed 03/03 | L 70 - 79 |
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Mississippi St.
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Sat 02/27 | L 63 - 76 |
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@
Kentucky
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Thu 02/25 | L 61 - 82 |
Southeastern Conference Standings
(updated 3.30.2010 at 9:25 PM EDT)
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Kentucky Wildcats
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14 | 2 | 35 | 3 |
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Vanderbilt Commodores
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12 | 4 | 24 | 9 |
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Tennessee Volunteers
|
11 | 5 | 28 | 9 |
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Florida Gators
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9 | 7 | 21 | 13 |
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South Carolina Gamecocks
|
6 | 10 | 15 | 16 |
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Georgia Bulldogs
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5 | 11 | 14 | 17 |
| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Mississippi Rebels
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9 | 7 | 24 | 11 |
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Mississippi St. Bulldogs
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9 | 7 | 24 | 12 |
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Arkansas Razorbacks
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7 | 9 | 14 | 18 |
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Alabama Crimson Tide
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6 | 10 | 17 | 15 |
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Auburn Tigers
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6 | 10 | 15 | 17 |
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LSU Tigers
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2 | 14 | 11 | 20 |
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