Wednesday News and Notes: White Noise from Athens, Scheduling Woes in Tuscaloosa, and More

by Gamecock Man on Apr 28, 2025 10:57 PM EDT in News

My apologies for again delaying the draft analysis, but with student papers to read and a dissertation prospectus to hand in by the end of the semester, I hope you'll forgive me for running behind. Here are some quick links to tide you over for now.

Get the Picture Slams the 'Cocks. Is it just me, or are these guys--and not just the Senator, but all of 'Dawg Nation--becomingly increasingly obsessed with us? Hmm. I wonder why that might be? Oh, yeah, right. It's because they're finally realizing that they're a lot closer to us than their supposed "rivals" in Gainesville. Suffering repeated 30-point beatdowns to said "rival" and repeated nailbiters and upsets against your supposed "inferior" will do that to you.

I'll go ahead and go on record and predict a win against them this year. It won't lead to a Division Title, but it'll still be sweet. More on that soon.

SEC Schedule Unlikely to Be Changed for Alabama. The SEC wants to help the poor Tide, but they're unwilling to force anyone to change their schedule. That means nothing will happen.

Shakin the Southland Covers the Tigers' Baseball Meltdown. Strange that after all the excellent Clemson teams we've beaten over the last few years, what's become an excellent Carolina team failed to win a series against what's become one of the worst Clemson has fielded in some time.

Tweet Comment 23 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Read More: south carolina baseball, South Carolina Gamecocks, Georgia Bulldogs, Florida Gators

Comments

I dunno,

last year’s Clemson baseball team was pretty darn bad.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Apr 28, 2025 11:27 PM EDT reply actions

I think you mean 2008.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 28, 2025 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah yes.

I’ve been confusing Clemson’s 2008 and 2009 seasons all year for some reason.

I have my own thoughts on the noise from Athens that I’ll get around to sharing after my final tomorrow, perhaps.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Apr 28, 2025 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions

You may have missed the tiff I got into with T. Kyle King earlier this week.

I was probably a little out of hand, but I stand by my statements that he’s unnecessarily condescending to us just about every time he gets a chance to be and, at any rate, it certainly goes to show that the ’Dawg crowd is getting touchy on the subject of the Gamecocks. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 28, 2025 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions

They know..

that they aren’t ahead of us anymore and it drives them nuts.

by Charlestowne on Apr 29, 2025 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

That's probably going a little too far...

The records don’t lie; they still beat us more often than not. But their problem is that they think their program is on a level with those of Florida and Alabama, but it’s really a lot closer to ours these days. And yeah, that drives them nuts.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 29, 2025 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Take a look at the comments at that link...

There’s someone talking about how they’re going to slaughter us this year, because they need to put a whipping on us in Columbia to shut us up. What on earth makes them think that’s going to happen? These guys can’t do that to us in Athens. Heck, they can’t do that to Kentucky in Athens. They’re quickly becoming a fanbase in denial.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 29, 2025 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions

I did miss that, in fact.

The condescending remark goes without saying, but that just seems to be his MO regarding any opponent of the Bulldawgs. I’m starting to think that’s just his writing style. Except, of course, for Clemson.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Apr 29, 2025 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, he has a real love affair with the UGA-Clemson rivalry.

He must have come up in the 80s. UGA-Clemson was one of the biggest series in football then.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 29, 2025 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Gamecock Man, I apologize for my reaction to your comment

Gamecock Man and The Feathered Warrior, I regret the impression of me I evidently have given both of you. It is not my intention to be condescending, unnecessarily or otherwise, to South Carolina or to any other rival of the Bulldogs’.

Because this view of me apparently is not confined to Gamecock fans, it evidently is not just you. I try to be respectful, dignified, and classy within the confines of partisanship, but, apparently, I step over the line with increasing frequency. I will try to do better.

I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to what I am sure will be yet another down-to-the-wire contest in a series chock full of them next September.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Apr 30, 2025 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Aw, shucks, Kyle.

I appreciate the sentiment. You run a great blog over yonder, and there is good reason why it is so highly regarded around the interwebs. While I may disagree with your point of view regarding the Gamecocks more often than not, it’s not like you’ve ever popped up over here talking trash and deliberately trying to piss people off (to my knowledge, anyway). You’re welcome to run your blog how you see fit, and you certainly don’t owe us any apologies for your point of view.

As for my part, I’ll admit that I relish in a heated discussion every now and then, but I try to keep it on this side of civility. I’m of the opinion that a a good (civil) argument is just the beginning of a friendship. I applaud your vow of self-improvement, and I’ll endeavor to do the same. You’re always welcome around here, but I would never want the ‘Dawgs and ’Cocks to get too friendly. After all, we certainly don’t want our rivalry to turn into some kind of unholy love-fest, right?

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on May 1, 2025 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm good with that

I absolutely want the spirit of rivalry to flourish in a good-natured manner; our rivalries are institutional, not personal (except with respect to Auburn; I hate Auburn).

I freely admit that the struggles of Georgia athletics in nearly every sport over the course of the last two years have made me irritable, and I certainly overreacted to Gamecock Man’s comment, which is why I apologized. While I give the Gamecocks some ribbing over South Carolina’s relative lack of historic success in most sports in comparison to Georgia, I’m not trying to be condescending, and I certainly don’t mean to come across that way as a matter of course.

Once again, though, you’re not alone in making observations like the one you offered above, which leads me to believe it’s not something I can dismiss as just you or just a South Carolina view. That bothers me, because I try to be a nice guy, I try to follow Winston Churchill’s dictum of magnanimity in victory and defiance in defeat, and I try to represent my fan base well, yet the consensus seems to be forming in the blogosphere that I’m a jerk a good deal of the time.

(By the way, Gamecock Man is right: my formative years as a fan were in the late ‘70s and ’80s, which were the heyday of the Georgia-Clemson rivalry. If you’d asked me when I was 20 to name the Bulldogs’ major rivals in order, I’d have said: 1. Auburn, 2. Clemson, 3. Florida, and 4. Georgia Tech. When I was growing up, we beat Florida and Georgia Tech all the time, but struggled against the two sets of Tigers. While, obviously, the worm has turned in a couple of those annual series, one for good and the other for ill, I still have trouble shaking the idea that Auburn is a sleeping giant lying in the weeds and Florida is an aberration, even though I know intellectually that this is not the case.)

In any event, thanks for your reply. Represent the East well in Hoover, and beyond.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on May 1, 2025 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for the classy post, Kyle.

I think we can say we’ve shaken hands and made up now.

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

by Gamecock Man on May 2, 2025 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Just want to point out, too...

that the last time I predicted a win over UGA, it came true.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 29, 2025 10:12 AM EDT reply actions

I hope this doesn't start any more trouble...

But you guys finally gaining some ground on Georgia is a lot like us (Arkansas) Arkansas gaining ground on Auburn for relevancy. That’s a big first step for our two programs to finally stop getting treated like second-class SEC citizens, which is the biggest thing our programs have in common.

by dxf04 on Apr 29, 2025 11:19 AM EDT reply actions

True.

A year ago I thought Tennessee would be the program we catch up to first. Back then I was looking for us to move into a solid 3rd place in the SEC. After last year it looked like we could surpass UGA, but after Kiffin left UT in shambles, we have a real opportunity to move into 2nd)!) over the next couple of years. Of course all that hinges on our ability to capitalize this year. I (and I think Gamecock Man, too) truly believe that a lot of our future success will be dependent on our success this year. Gamecock fans are notorious for saying “Wait till next yea,” but I’ve been saying for that 2010 is the proverbial “next year” more than a few years.

By the way, I think Arkansas and USC are a lot alike in many ways, but I definitely have to give Arkansas the edge in the SEC respect column. I mean, you guys have actually been to the SEC championship game.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Apr 29, 2025 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I do agree with that, to an extent.

I’m never going to be one that says that a certain year is an absolute make-or-break year, as there’s always a new year on the horizon. But I do think this is a really pivotal year, at least for the Spurrier regime. If Spurrier can’t at least win eight or nine games in a year when he has lots of returning talent, a veteran QB, and a relatively favorable schedule with several East rivals and Clemson facing transition years, you have to wonder if the recruits are going to begin to give up on him. I think a lot of us—and perhaps the recruits—were willing to give him a pass on last year because the team was so young, but that’s not the case this year.

If that happens, it’ll be only a matter of time until we have a new coach. As far as what happens then, it all depends on the hire. I’m not the type that believes in the idea that we’ll never win if Spurrier can’t win here. We’ve taken it to another level under Holtz and Spurrier, and that should be enough to lure a decent young coach to Columbia. It’ll just be up to Hyman (or whoever the AD is at that point) to make the right hire.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 29, 2025 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree. I was talking sticly in terms of Spurrier's tenure.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Apr 29, 2025 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah. Then we're on the same page, pretty much.

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

by Gamecock Man on Apr 29, 2025 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't get where this perception of Gamecock fans comes from.

I’m not sure I’ve ever met a Gamecock fan that truly thinks we’re going to win the SEC. The most I’ve ever heard anyone say, myself included, is that we have a good chance at winning the SEC.

Is there anything more reliable in the world of college football than South Carolina fans’ preseason confidence that their school is headed to the SECCG? Oh sure, the reasons for optimism change, but the final destination is always a lock.

None of the Gamecock blogs I’ve visited have ever claimed that we’re a “lock” for any championship. I think this is a bit of UGA fans projects their feelings on us. Just because we’re hopeful doesn’t mean we’re delusional. What would you have us do, throw in the towel and give up on football forever? Is there not something noble in striving to achieve a goal that requires hard work and dedication? Not only do I not understand this point of view, I don’t understand the personality that could prescribe t this point of view.

I would come back with the obvious set of rejoinders here (Carolina’s issues at linebacker, offensive line and running back come to mind, as well as the Spurrier-Garcia relationship), but I won’t because it’s already been carefully considered and discarded by the author.

Oh good lord. South Carolina is as talented as Georgia? You’ve got to be kidding me. A.J. Green (with no e), a veteran offensive line, the best running backs in the conference other than Alabama…but sure, the cocks are just as talented.

Our issues at running back? Surely the authors here can’t be serious. Running back is probably the least of our worries, depth-wise. Let’s break down our depth for a moment. We return a top 10 (I think) defense whose only major loses are Eric Norwood (big) and Darian Stewart (less so). We’re extremely talented at defensive back with Gilmore (5 star) Whitlock (5 star) and Holloman (4 star) all returning after good first seasons seeing playing time. Our offensive line has been crap for a long time. Given. You know who else had a crap O-line last year? UGA. Maybe they get some experienced players back from injury this year. Go ahead and give them a slim O-line advantage. Receiver? UGA has AJ Green and a bunch of other guys who drop a lot of passes. We have Alshon, Tori Gurley, an increasingly impressive DL Moore, and an Improved Dion Lecorn.

Don’t forget our (current) #1 QB was #3 in the country in his year, and I’m sure Garcia wasn’t that highly rated. Similarly, we have Brandon Smith, Vance Cuff and Bacari Rambo. I’ll take those three anyday over the current crop of DBs on the Gamecock team.

Don’t forget that highly rated QB is still a freshman looking for his first college snap. Don’t forget that Garcia was the #2 dual threat QB in his class. Also don’t forget that rankings don’t mean anything (see: Garcia, Steven).

We need to beat them down. Come Sept. 11, I’ll take a 1-point victory, but we need to send 80,000 of their fans a 3 hour reminder that they are not in our league and it might flip that series into a sleeper for a few years.

Ah, say it and thy will be done. We’re not in you’re league? That’s wrong both figuratively and literally. We’re so in you’re league that we play you close every year. We’re more in you’re league than you are in Florida’s, buddy. Scratch that. I’m not your buddy.

Now’s this one is a gem:

Do they still have Garcia on the team?

Granted, it does feel like Garcia has been here forever. Imagine how it will feel next year.

Now here’s a Dawg fan I can respect. At least he knows his history:

And the review of the game will be:
Tight game, close score and you can take your pick from:

1. Cocks found a way to screw up a late scoring chance
2. Dawgs made a play to prevent a late SC score and seal the game

I love how he just assumes that our D is going to be terrible and the same as last year
Yet there is no talk about Garcia blowing for most of the season and Spurrier hating his QB play

I love how you assume your defense will improve from putrid to ass-kicker instead of a more realistic putrid to merely-below average. Garcia blowing for most of the season? Get your head out of 2008, my friend. Garcia even-keeled last season. He was second in the SEC in passing, by the way.

All of this is to say that, yes, USC is as talented as UGA. We may not be as deep as UGA, but as the Head Ball coach, himself said, you can only play 11 at a time. We’re well within your league, currently, Dawgs fans. Yeah we lost to Vanderbilt twice within the last 5 years. That’s a WHOPPING 1 whole times more than UGA in that span. We’ve also never lost to Kentucky during that time to your 2 times. How many times have you beaten Florida in that span? Once? Oh yeah, us too. Odd, that.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Apr 29, 2025 8:09 PM EDT reply actions