I feel hollowed out right now

by GwinnettGamecock on Oct 16, 2025 10:29 PM EDT

Yes, this is just sports. The intellectual knowledge of it's place in the grand scheme of things doesn't make this loss hurt any less. I know the sun will rise tomorrow, but I also know I will not enjoy it as much. Many people will say I should not let a football game played by college guys affect me that much. My grandmother, rest her soul, would probably call those people names on her way to church.

I have so many mixed feelings about our QB. Stephen Garcia threw for 382 yards, but he missed Ace Sanders on what should have been a TD and a third down conversion just before their final drive. He also missed two easy passes before the first INT. The pick wasn't necessarily his fault, but if he made either of the plays before that, he's not throwing the ball there, so it was indirectly his fault.

Though the result of the final play was the same as with Shaw at Auburn, the difference is Shaw put the ball in a better spot when he had to try to make a play, while Garcia threw it to the inside shoulder when he could have thrown it away to set up the tying FG.

It sounds reactionary to call for another QB when our starter just passed for 380 yards and is among the top rated passers in the country. I don't know if I can justify it intellectually, but I have a deep seated distrust of our quarterback. I want Stephen Garcia to lead us to Atlanta, but I don't trust that he can lead us past Vanderbilt and Tennessee, and I hate that I feel that way.

Ellis Johnson's gameplan has been a huge disappointment in both losses. There are rumors that a couple of our DB's were battling a gastro-intestinal illness, but that does not excuse the performance. It is easy to notice when an offensive coach calls timid plays, but our defensive coaches have called timid games twice now. It is better to go down firing with a few blitzes than to die a death of a thousand cuts with a soft zone.

We have shown a disposition to blow a couple of coverages every half in zone, but we persist in rushing three or four and dropping back. It is a lot easier to double team Cliff Mathews and anybody else on the line when you know no one else is coming.

There was a lot of talk that it was easy to gameplan for the Alabama offense because they aren't fancy, they just dare you to make plays. It is time to admit that our defense has the same problem, despite possessing at least three NFL corners who one would assume are capable of playing some man coverage.

Spurrier is also confounding. We appeared to be much less balanced after Marcus Lattimore went out, though I will have to review the stats to make sure. If we had tried to continue to run and been unsuccessful, I would not complain. However, we did not. Backs with less talent than Brian Maddox and Kenny Miles have steamrolled the Kentucky run defense this year, and it will happen again before the year is out.

Yes, it sucks that Lattimore went out. I still believe he would have returned to the game if it had been tied at the time, so I blame the staff for a bit of overconfidence there. Regardless, we have other backs on the team. Try to run the ball before putting it in the hands of an obviously less than sharp Garcia.

I just don't know. After the Alabama game, I knew the team was more talented than anyone left on our schedule save Florida, and felt like Florida was (and is) so dysfunctional that they are ripe for the taking. Instead we have not only given a resurgent Georgia room to hope, but we have completely wasted all the positive coverage of the Alabama win, and disheartened a fanbase that was ready to believe this was finally our year.

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Read More: Stephen Garcia (QB - South Carolina), Brian Maddox (RB - South Carolina), Kenny Miles (RB - South Carolina), Ace Sanders (WR - South Carolina), Marcus Lattimore (RB - South Carolina), South Carolina Gamecocks, South Carolina Gamecocks at Kentucky Wildcats, Oct 16, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

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Gwinnett...

The only thing I can say to that is that we’re still good. I stil belive this its the yearl No One said it would be easy.

The horror is here. They don’t call it Balck Magic for nothing.

And we’re going to win out.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 16, 2025 11:33 PM EDT reply actions

Meh. Not bothered by this, actually. Thankfully.

Stop letting Carolina football bother me after The Great Vandy Unpleasantness Of 2007.

And since I don’t feel like writing a whole heck of a lot and a picture’s worth a thousand words, I’ll let my analysis of the game (mainly the 2nd half, but plenty of DERPs in the 1st half, too) be provided via a picture:

Cheers.

by She Blinded Me With Violence on Oct 16, 2025 11:50 PM EDT reply actions

Actually, Shaw did the exact same thing Garcia did.

They both threw it to the inside shoulder when a defender was right there to make the deflection. It looked like a mirror image of Shaw’s play. It’s good to see our guys learn from each other.

As far as Johnson’s defense, they run a lot of that three man rush junk with the zone. It hasn’t only been during the two losses. That’s the primary reason they beat Alabama. Those were coverage sacks on McElroy, for the most part. I hate that tactic too though. It only works if everyone is doing their jobs perfectly. The quarterback can see where the zones are, and he has plenty of time in the pocket to see if one of his guys is going to run into a soft spot. At least with man coverage the QB can’t tell if his guy will be open ‘til the defender makes a false step and gets shaken off. Frankly, McElroy missed some wide open guys in that Alabama game. We got lucky more than anything. I remember one where there was a receiver in the right flat with only a safety between him and the end zone, and the safety was about fifteen yards off of him. I don’t care how much Johnson is respected, I hope he’s let go along with Spurrier. I don’t like his defensive schemes.

Even if Carolina wins the division, which I don’t think they will, this is the worst way to win it. They’ll probably have more losses than any East winner in SEC history. It’ll be more of a joke than an honor, just one more point of laughter for the world in our clown college’s football history.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 7:57 AM EDT reply actions

LMAO

winning an SEC division championship is never a laughter my friend. I dont care how “down” the SEC is on any given year, its still the toughest conference in the nation. Earning a trip to Atlanta never has been, and never will be, a “point of laughter”.

by Gamecockrock on Oct 17, 2025 8:04 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

Dont care how we get to Atlanta, just that we get there.

Fans had been circling the UK-USC date since before the season started. The Cats were due and they wouldnt be denied. That’s why they won. But I think many of us were worried about this game in July and August.

Every step forward at USC will be incremental. We’ll never be a program like LSU, Bama or UF where a great coach needs merely to ring the bell and every 5 star recruit descends. We are getting better - dramatically better, but we have to build slowly.

UK hasn’t been standing still either, however. Brooks built a very dangerous club. It will still be dangerous under Joker until we see what kind of players and system he brings in; we may end up trading games with them. They have a legit shot at 5-3 in the SEC and if that happens Joker may well be SEC coach of the year.

For us, we still have tons to play for. A winning SEC record. A winning record against the west. Revenge against Arkansas. Revenge against UT. Playing for the East on 11.4. (since UF owns the tirebreaker with UK, we’re still in the driver’s seat). Beating Clemson at Death Valley. Possible 10-2 or 9-3 finish. A very prominent New Year’s day bowl or the Chik-fil-A Peach - which in my estimation has grown tremendously in prominence. That is a good season, my friends.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Oct 17, 2025 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

I think we have different ideas of what an incremental improvement is.

The SEC is way down, and our team is the best it’s ever been. Spurrier has already won seven regular season games lots of times at Carolina with way worse teams, and against tougher SEC competition. So, what is an incremental improvement? Nine wins? Ten? I said ten before the season started, and I’m sticking with that. You can define it your own way. I also think they should make the championship game competitive, since they have a past tendency to really blow in the post season.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I'll just say we shouldn't have lost that game.

We were more talented than that Kentucky team, way more. That was evident in the first quarter. We lost that game ‘cause our team did the same thing they’ve done since I can remember, they choked and played down to their competition. That’s not an incremental improvement as far as I’m concerned. That’s the same old junk.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 8:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Listen, I share your frustration

but 9 and 10 wins is more than incremental at Carolina. It’s revolutionary. We’ve never played the Citrus or the modern Chik Fil A Peach. We’ve been stuck in 2nd tier bowl games forever.

We have a good but not great team. It’s young. It relies over much on two all-starts (Alshon and Marcus). It has inconsistent QB play. It’s secondary is not as good as we thought it could be, despite having DeVonte Holloman and Stephon Gilmore in the unit. It ain’t the same old by any stretch of the imagination …

It lost a SEC road game - that’s all. The East stil belongs to anyone. We have a couple of amazing in state recruits (Clowney, Shell) who seem really high on us. Let’s keep positive perspective. Just my .02.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Oct 17, 2025 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions

Maybe to you.

It’s hardly worth it to me. Besides, the championship game is a road game, which means we’ll get whooped. So, we’ll probably break the record for most losses by an East winner, and then get blown out in the championship game. I think the only ones who wouldn’t be laughing would be Carolina fans. Even some of them have to find the whole thing hilarious. It’s hard to be surprised after all this college has done in it’s joke of a football history.

We really need to win out, or at most lose one more game, and then put on a good showing in the championship game to make this respectable. Otherwise, I’d just consider it more of the same from Spurrier and this school.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 8:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Take a Deep Breath

Was this hugely disappointing, yes. But there is still a chance to run the table. It is not like any team has been head and shoulders above us. We haven’t been whooped anywhere. 4 turnovers has been the problem and spotty defense.

Is it disappointting and hard to swallow absolutely. But you have wait the whole season before saying there has been no imrpovement yet. I mean we did beat #1 by 14 pints and we lost Lattimore in the 2nd half. Plus Gilmore had a game to forget.

Don’t get too high nor too low. More football to be played and we still control our future.

by SCPhillyFan on Oct 17, 2025 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm more concerned about Garcia than anyone.

He’s really the key to the whole season. The quarterback is the most important position, and he cannot keep having these ups and downs.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions

If there is one area where Spurrier

is rightly criticized, it’s not delivering a smart, good QB to Carolina. Missing out on really highly rated prospects like Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley has put us in this hole. Steven’s as good as its going to get this year. Hopefully we’ll see more Connor Shaw, but Shaw won’t be your day-to-day starter until next year at the earliest … assuming Steven doesnt beat him out again.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Oct 17, 2025 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions

This one hurts but

it’s not nearly the disaster of 2001 or 2007.

Sure, we’re humbled. Sure we’ll get razzed in the media. We may even lose ground with a couple of recruits that we’d dazzled at the Bama game.

But losing to Arkansas in 01 and Vandy in 07 was much worse. The reason why? Florida, Tennessee and CU loomed a heckuva lot taller than they do today - that was a murderer’s row where you can play your heart out and still lose. Notwithstanding this loss, we’re better than all of them.

Keep your chins up. Go Cocks.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Oct 17, 2025 8:37 AM EDT reply actions

Talk about hollow

I was at a wedding, following the game on my phone. As soon as we lost, my girlfriend and I sighed…and some friend of hers (I think a Georgia fan) goes “What happened?” and we told her they lost. And she goes “YAY!!!” and raises her arms in celebration. No worse feeling than your enemy rubbing salt in your freshest of wounds.

If she had been a he, probably would have created a scene. Instead I just walked over to the bar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends." - Tom Waits

by Gamecock'n'Balls on Oct 17, 2025 10:13 AM EDT reply actions

I did some research for anyone who gives a flying fudge.

I discovered the worst record of the SEC East winners since the divisions were created. That prestigious honor goes to the very first East winner, the 1992 Florida team. They had an 8-3 regular season record (72.73 winning percentage), and a 9-4 record (69.23 winning percentage) after their SEC Championship Game and bowl appearances. Both winning percentages are the worst in their individual categories of regular and total records.

To do worse than them, we’d have to only win 8 games during the regular season, and 9 games total. That would put our percentages below theirs. There weren’t 12 regular season games ’til 2002. So, I feel a little better now, provided of course we actually win the division.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

It is hard to conceive how USC could blow such a game in the manner they did!

Can 1 player going out make such an impact on the whole team? NO! It was the whole mindset of the team going into the 3rd quarter (including the coaches)!

by Larry L. (Sr.) on Oct 17, 2025 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

+ a billion times a million raised to the 1.4582 power

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Its a little bit of a bunch to the gut of moral but, it really shouldn’t have been the “off” switch on both sides of the ball. I still can’t figure out why we didn’t use Kenny Miles instead of Maddox. Miles has outplayed Maddox since he got to USC. Maddox really hasn’t done anything since coming to USC, so why not use Miles?

by Carolina Cock-n-Fire on Oct 18, 2025 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions

OMGOSH OMGOSH OMGOSH!!

This just in, Spurrier said on the Steve Spurrier Show today that they should’ve thrown the ball more in the second half. What the flying poop??

They only rushed five times in the whole second half as it was after Lattimore went out early on! One was a reverse to Sanders, and two were scrambles by Garcia. Maddox only rushed twice after Lattimore was injured, and one was for a first down on a four yard gain. Guess what they did after that, threw three straight times and punted.

Spurrier, leave now … just leave. Back away from USC slowly, and let me see those hands. Good grief …

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 11:42 AM EDT reply actions

Absolutely ridiculous.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 17, 2025 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I almost lost it and threw up on my tv when I heard that.

At first, I thought he just misspoke and meant they should’ve run the ball more in the second half, but then he specifically said they should’ve thrown more ‘cause they were having a hard time getting back to the line of scrimmage running it. I guess Maddox getting no gain on one of his two rushes in the second half put the scare into Spurrier. I couldn’t believe it … It takes an unprepared person to make such glaring mistakes when he has a whole week to plan, but it takes an incompetent person to not even be able to recognize what mistakes he made after the fact. I’m sure Spurrier is a smart guy, and a nice person, and I feel for him ’cause he will take a lot of heat, but that was crazy.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll give Spurrier a mild amount of credit.

He did say they played too much zone on defense, and he needs to sit down with the defensive coaches and reevaluate their third down strategies.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Oct 17, 2025 11:45 AM EDT reply actions

He needs to reevaluate himself. Running a RB that was moved to FB instead of the main rusher from last year. Can someone please tell me why? Not taking the safe route when your offense hadn’t put together a successful drive in the entire second half? I’m not saying we should get rid of Spurrier just yet, but he needs a wake up call. Spurrer, YOU DON"T HAVE FLORIDA ANYMORE! YOU HAVE LIMIT RISKS HERE, NOT INCREASE THEM!

by Carolina Cock-n-Fire on Oct 18, 2025 9:27 AM EDT reply actions

Why is a Maddox a FB? Or why did Maddox get the ball?

best answer to question 1 … he’s a senior and a gamer and good pass blocker?

best answer to question 2 …. see answer to question 1 plus he had a great game against Bama? Like everyone, though, I wonder why Kenny didnt play. I’ve been calling for number 31 since the UGA game. I thought we’d be platooning them down people’s throats.

RE not taking the safe route … i think you answer your own question when you note that the “offense hadn’t put together a successful drive in the entire second half”. Exactly. Steven looked like he had a hot hand and the D was gassed and beat down. Guess its pointless to argue, because hindsight is 20/20, but I’d be screaming if SOS didnt call a shot at the endzone with 11 seconds leff.. Plenty of good reasons to try and win out. UK made a great play to end the game. Sort of sums it up.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Oct 18, 2025 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions