FIVE POINTS: vs. S.C. State

1. Return of the Blakecisions. Though I haven't seen any tape of the games, it's pretty much a guarantee that when you throw three interceptions, you made some bad decisions. Or, in your own words: "I just played like crap really." What does this mean? Who knows? We've all seen Blake go out and look like a horrendously bad quarterback, only to rebound and look like a championship QB, then go out and once again look, well, "like crap really."

2. S.C. State beat themselves. Or at least contributed strongly to the defeat. I think they might actually have been called for every infraction in the rule book, but I'll have to check that. Granted, teams that play more talented/"bigger" opponents often draw a lot of flags. But with the Bulldogs down only 17-3 at the half, these penalties mattered more than they should have.

3. Chilling line from The Herald:

The offensive line, after keeping Mitchell mostly protected against Georgia's all-stars, was absolutely abused by S.C. State's smaller, less-recruited scrappers.

Was Georgia just a mirage?

Well, at least the next game isn't against someone who would relish hearing ...

Nevermind.

4. Boyd and Davis are bright spots. After a couple of years when the running game was less than stellar, it's starting to emerge as a higlight of the offense. A more conservative Steve Spurrier? Wouldn't bet on it.

5. And yet, the Gamecocks move up. New polls are out, and both push South Carolina higher. The Garnet and Black are up to No. 12 according to the AP and No. 14 in USA TODAY. Which means, improbably, the Bayou Showdown is now Top 15 material.

OVERALL GRADE: D. The team shouldn't be trying to figure itself out, or having to fix things, the week before it goes to LSU's house to play. Three picks by the starting QB against a DIAAFCSABCETC team are inexcusable. Blown opportunities against a DIAAFCSABCETC team are inexcusable. The Gamecocks win, so they avoid an F.