South Carolina at Auburn Post-Game: Thoughts / Topics for Discussion
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 12:25 AM EDT
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Print1. I'll get the worst part out of the way--that was a heartbreaker. We had every chance to win that game. Auburn practically tried to give it to us at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They fumble in the redzone and we fail to recover on what very well could have been a runback for a TD if we had fielded it cleanly. Then they get a TD waved off on a flag. Then they miss a chipshot FG. And then the rest of the fourth quarter happened and we made their mistakes look trivial in comparison. Completely dejecting.
2. I strongly disagreed with Steve Spurrier's choice to put in Conner Shaw. It's not so much that I didn't think Stephen Garcia deserved it; let's not beat around the bush--Garcia lost that game for us, and it's quickly becoming apparent that he remains the same liability that he's always been. In fact, I think he worries me now just as much as he did late in 2008, which was truly a lowpoint in terms of my confidence in our QB situation.
That said, I don't think it was a good idea to insert young Connor into a pressure-cooker situation like this. I just don't see how you can place the burden of having to dig the team out of an eight-point hole while you're on the road in one of the country's most hostile atmospheres.
That said, if Spurrier wants to start Shaw against Alabama, I'm fine with that. He made some freshman mistakes while he was in, but he looked quite good at some points, and you can't blame him too much for throwing into coverage considering that we had to sell out to score the TD. Shaw is the future. Maybe it's time to give him the reins and see what he can do, because it doesn't look like Garcia is ever going to be any better than he is now, and that's simply not good enough to take us to the promised land.
3. This was one of the worst defensive performances we've seen in quite some time. Granted, a lot of credit goes to the Auburn offense, which has boatloads of talent and is well coached and gameplanned by Malzahn and his crew. However, we have lots of talent and experience on defense and a good coach to boot, and we got used today. We essentially only stopped Auburn once all game. Auburn hurt itself a couple of times with fumbles and penalties, but other than that they had their way, especially in the second half when our defense was sucking wind and they were able to get their run game cranked up. Johnson needs to make some adjustments, quick. He might start by benching Chris Culliver.
4. The season isn't over. This one hurts, but it was a road loss to a good team. It happens. We need to regroup and try to figure out a way to beat Alabama. It can be done and we can still make it to Atlanta.
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Somewhere I've heard this before
Had numerous chances to win, blown opportunities, close loss to a good team.
by R-F on Sep 26, 2025 12:34 AM EDT reply actions
I just don't see where all this optimism is coming from.
We have a chance to win the division, really? Auburn is easily worse than two other teams in the West. We should’ve perhaps not dominated Auburn, but certainly won handily if we were destined to win the division. We got handily beaten ourselves. The score may not reflect it, but that’s what happened.
No way we lose to Auburn and then run the table with Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida, much less the mediocre SEC teams that always give us trouble in their own ways. The title is Florida’s to lose, and I don’t see them losing it. This is looking like a seven or eight win team. Carolina will be lucky to be second in the division. I’d like to hold out a glimmer of hope too, but it’s not there.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Sep 26, 2025 12:41 AM EDT reply actions
The best we can do is not totally embarrass ourselves in whatever no name bowl game we get.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Sep 26, 2025 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions
how about not let one loss
screw you out of your hope. This was ONE game, on the road, against (i dont care if they are the 6th best west team), a damn good Auburn team. We get an extra week to solve whatever happend last night, then we get to play the defending national champions in WB (and they looked pretty bad against Arkansas). We can still lose one game, and still win the SEC East by beating a mediocre UF team.
I dont know how anyone is able to be a gamecock fan if they dont have optimism, and believe anything is possible… unless you are fine with mediocrity.
by Gamecockrock on Sep 26, 2025 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Pardon me, Silver...
But that’s BS. Auburn will be a top 10 team tomorrow, and we lost to them on the road. If you think they suck, you’re wrong. They may not be at the level they were at a few years back, but they’re getting damn close again. They may finish 3rd in the West, but if they do, it’s because there are four teams in the West that could win the East. If you think the East is out of reach at this point you’re just wrong. Losing to Ole Miss, a worse team than Auburn, at home in 2008 didn’t stop Florida. The Gators by all accounts should have lost to an average Arkansas team last year if not for help from the zebras. It happens. We just have to pick ourselves up and start winning some games. Will we? I don’t know. But I’m not going to let one loss ruin the entire season.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
If you can't be optimistic,
there is literally NO reason to be a fan of Gamecock football. This is not a team one follows to bask in reflected glory.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I thought it was a good hard fought game.
Obviously I am little more please because the team I was rooting for won, but I don’t you guys should get down just yet. You’ve got some serious play makers and Florida has shown that it can be vulnerable. I wouldn’t give up hope on that front at all. Pus it’d be nice for there to be a shakeup in the East anyhow. Spurrier is a good coach and he’s got more talent to work with than he has in awhile. That Conner Shaw looked pretty sharp tonight. Especially after taking some pretty big hits and still making throws. Had me nervous for sure.
Just don’t get too down, I know I am an AU fan that is saying that, but it happens to every team and every fan eventually. And it will happen to me and to Auburn. USC has a very good football team. Good luck the rest of 2010 (but not if we meet in Atlanta at the end of the year, haha).
BREAKING NEWS: ESPN has several sources reporting that the University of Alabama's 1st string waterboy will be declaring himself eligible in the 2011 NFL draft. He projects as WR with 4.29 speed and a vertical of 12....feet.
by WarEagle86 on Sep 26, 2025 2:13 AM EDT reply actions
Thanks for stopping by.
Cam Newton was every bit as good as advertised. Obviously, this loss stings, but it’s nice to gain some perspective outside of our collective current misery. And as long as ’Bama beats Florida next week we still have a shot in the East. Good luck going forward.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
couldnt disagree more
with #2, first part. Garcia didnt lose that game for us, yea he had 2 fumbles which came on a play he was hit in the backfield, shrugged off a 300pound dlinemen and got clocked as he was gaining yards… the other on a play he was trying to extend on 3rd down.
If any aspect of our team lost this game, it was the defense. IDK what Johnson is doing with that defense, but they are not playing like an SEC defense… constantly playing loose on receivers, putting 10-15 yards in between them and their receiver they should be covering giving up freebie first downs. I understand hes trying to have a “bend but dont break” defense, and im all for that, but when you got a QB that can pass it, hand it off, or take off with it and pick up a first down so easily, its just PLAIN STUPID.
People need to seriously get off Garcia’s back, he played his best game as a gamecock last night… if you show me a QB that never fumbled the ball, ill show you a Tebow. So just quit with using Garcia as the chopping block for frustrated losses, I think if not for him, this game was a blowout, as our running game was just not working.
by Gamecockrock on Sep 26, 2025 8:42 AM EDT reply actions
That's fair enough about the defense. I'll retract my statement and say Johnson dropped the ball there.
But let’s not try to excuse Garcia. We’ve been doing that every time he screwed up for the past two years. I don’t know what it is about this guy, but Carolina fans love him no matter how much he screws up. Good QBs not only make the throws that he made last night; they also protect the ball and don’t cough it up in key situations. When you say that Garcia fumbles like any other QB, you act like he doesn’t fumble any more than other QBs. But he does, and we know it. The first fumble I’ll give him a pass for. He didn’t have any blocking and got rocked. But the the second one? He had an open receiver downfield and, for some reason, held onto the ball as the pocket was collapsing. We could have taken the lead on that play if Garcia hadn’t hesitated. It’s the same old stuff that he’s always done,.and I’m beginning to think he’s never going to stop doing it. And we’ll never really break through if that’s the best we can hope for from our QB. You can’t win big SEC games when you turn the ball over that much.
As far as the defense goes, you’re right. I don’t know what Johnson and his guys were thinking. It’s really kindof shocking when you think about it. Auburn had almost 500 total yards, and I’m not sure if they threw a pass down field the entire second half. They essentially ran the same three plays every down, and still got 6-7 yards per play. They did exactly what everyone expected them to do, over and over and over again, but Johnson made no adjustments and just kept letting them do it. He needs to go back to the drawing board, and quick.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I should say...
That I really don’t mean to be so hard on Garcia. He has his moments, he’s a tough kid, and he really wants to help us win games. I get that, and I appreciate that from him. But there’s just something missing with him, and I wonder if Shaw has that “it” factor. Despite the INTs, you can only be impressed with how he came in there and took Auburn to the wire like that.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
I realize hes not perfect
but whens the last time we had a truly great QB, Garcia is easily the best QB since Taneyhill we have had. The only thing I have a problem with people blaming Garcia, is that when have we been an offensive minded team? the 80’s? maybe.
We have been known to win games close by playing good defense and holding teams under 21 points alot of the time. When you take your first road game and have an SEC shootout like that the blame in my opinion, goes to the defense, the unit that we have counted on to win us games for the last 4-5 years. Aside from this season, Im sure any Carolina fan would admit, they would feel overly confident with our chances of winning games if we put up 27 or more points.
Dont get me wrong, I am not one of those guys who is in love affairs with the starter, but I have a tough time allowing myself to say Garcia screwed us out of a win when he had his best game of his career, he has had nothing but criticism since the Papa Johns Bowl… and it worked off the field, but obviously when he plays as good as he did last night for 3 quarters he needs to get praise; seems pretty obvious his mind becomes “lazy” when hes playing at a somewhat high level and not getting any praise for it. Im all for allowing Shaw to play, he looked damn good moving the ball on the last 2 drives, and had Jeffery been able to grab that one last catch, we could be celebrating a win… i have no problem with a 2 QB offense.
by Gamecockrock on Sep 26, 2025 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
This is all true.
27 points should have been enough to win us this game. Shaw looked good…until he threw those interceptions to end both of his drives. And didn’t he have another ball that was also an interception if not the penalty that negated it? Let’s not go crazy. Shaw should get in around the second series of each game, but Garcia played well last night.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
True...
but Shaw was put in a situation where he had to throw down field and take risks. I thought he looked good considering the situation.
I’m hearing now that Garcia may have been suffering from minor concussion-like symptoms from the first fumble. I wonder if that had anything to do with the way things played out.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
If Garcia did have concussion-like symptons
that makes the decision to put in Shaw a little less head-scratching. The more I think about it, the more I think Shaw never should have seen the field in the 4th quarter. Hindsight being what it is and all.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
INT negated by penalty is completely irrelevant when
the penalty is the only reason the INT occurred in the first place. On the play, he was hit as he released the ball, and the guy that hit him was the same guy that jumped offside and thus got to the quarterback around the edge.
Sometimes teams are lucky and have bad plays canceled by penalties unconnected with the play. This was not one of those times.
"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard
by GwinnettGamecock on Sep 26, 2025 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
No, I don't think it totally exonerates him.
In the context of that game, and that play, yes. But it was still a situation where Shaw couldn’t feel the pressure coming and ended up throwing up a wobbly lame-duck pass. I understand what you’re saying - the Auburn guy jumped the line and if he hadn’t done that Shaw probably wouldn’t have thrown that lame duck - but Shaw still failed to use his peripherals and feel the pressure. A quarterback should be aware of his surroundings even if a guy jumps off sides. After all they don’t always call it. These are the kinds of growing pains we’ll have to sit throw if Shaw becomes “The Guy.”
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions
to be fair
the only INT Shaw actually threw was his first one, he just completely missed the LB dropping back… the 2nd one that nearly got the tieing TD was a rather good pass, just well defended as the DB jarred it out of Jeffery’s hands before he could secure it, and another DB made a great play in grabbing it prior to hitting the ground.
And the INT on the offsides… cant count that one, as the player who jumped was the one who hit him and made the pass a lousy pop up.
by Gamecockrock on Sep 26, 2025 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions
The pass that Jeffery didn't quite haul in was perfectly thrown...
Jeffery just couldn’t hang on when he got popped.
Shaw did throw that one into coverage though. I haven’t seen the replays, but I wonder if someone else was open on that play. Shaw may have been so keyed in on trying to give Jeffery a chance to make a play that he didn’t check his other receivers.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Someone earlier...
commented that the pass to Jeffery wasn’t perfect. It was off his inside shoulder as opposed to his outside shoulder. I don’t know if this is true or not since I was too disgusted to sit around and wait for the replay. Still, if it was off his inside shoulder, that’s a mistake that allows the defender to get in there and make a play. It’s not just that Alshon couldn’t hold onto the ball. And let’s not forget that Shaw made the decision to throw to what appeared to be a triple-covered Alshon. Not perfect.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
To be fair,
Shaw didn’t take Auburn to the wire. Garcia took Auburn to the wire, clipped the wire, and then Spurrier made Shaw hold the two pieces of wire. Shaw had a couple of good plays that showed potential, but on the whole Garcia had a much better game. Our offensive line was putrid.
And let’s not forget the myriad holding penalties that never seemed to get called against Auburn. Like it matters, though. We’re going to have to be good enough to over come bad officiating. That’s just a fact.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
There was definitely some questionable officiating...
But, as you suggest, you just have to deal with that in the SEC. The refs are awful and oftentimes give the home / favored team the breaks. Nothing last night was too egregious, so I’m not too upset about it.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I saw multiple occaisions where Auburn linemen
bear-hugged our defensive linemen…from behind.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Sep 26, 2025 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I was upset about it
Auburn went from a hlaf dozen holding calls to zero in a single week. At least ACC refs are merely incompetent rather than biased homers. If they called holding and flat out dirty play by the OL, we have a much better night on defense. As I mentioned elsewhere, even Culliver’s 15 yarder was a targeted response to an Auburn O-lineman who had been playing to the echo of the whistle all night. Culliver was just wearing the wrong colored jersey.
"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard
by GwinnettGamecock on Sep 26, 2025 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Sadly, this is the state of SEC officiating.
This game won’t get the kind of attention the officiating got last year because neither team is a high-profile program. It makes me fear what we might be up against when ’Bama comes to town, though.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I guarantee
these fans who have lost all hope from this loss, will be on here talking all kinda greatness about the team if we beat Bama. That is the problem with fans sometimes, they look at 1 game rather than the whole picture.
by Gamecockrock on Sep 26, 2025 10:38 AM EDT reply actions
Damn
Tough loss. I was pulling for you guys. I really hate Gene Chizik.
A Voice From Kinnick - A Hawkeye Blog
by mikjones24 on Sep 26, 2025 12:17 PM EDT reply actions
How can you hate Gene Chizik?
Seriously…is it just that he coaches for Auburn?
by kngry7 on Sep 26, 2025 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I will go out on a limb here and say that it has nothing to do with Auburn
What team does the poster pull for? Where was Chizik before Auburn? I’ll let you connect the dots.
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by FIGUREFOUR on Sep 26, 2025 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
What he said.
A Voice From Kinnick - A Hawkeye Blog
by mikjones24 on Sep 26, 2025 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Like many of you...
…I would be fine with Shaw playing if Garcia had shown concussion symptoms. But in his own words, Spurrier said that while Garcia was a bit “woozy,” he was mostly just frustrated from the turnovers.
In my opinion, this is unacceptable. Spurrier wonders why he’s never had a good QB here? It’s because he destroys their confidence, never allows them to come back from mistakes, and artificially creates controversy when there’s no need for it. Do we really need to repeat 2008 to know that a QB tandem is an absolutely terrible idea?
I like Shaw a lot and have been very impressed with him so far, freshman mistakes notwithstanding. Garcia can be a dumbass and has had his struggles in the past. But you just have to feel bad for him now — he’s never been given a fair shake. And you have to feel bad for Shaw, too, because Spurrier looks ready to nuke his development and lose more games this season. I’m really not trying to be dramatic here, but I’m just sick of this coming up, over and over again.
(Oh, and none of this is an excuse for how badly the defense played last night. Never thought I’d be saying this, but I actually trust our offense more right now, QB controversies and all.)
by RumblinFish on Sep 26, 2025 12:59 PM EDT reply actions
Serious question for you about the QB's
If Garcia had played the final two possessions and failed to lead us to any points, would you be ready to see Shaw? I’m just curious. Everyone has a point where they say, ’That’s it. I’m done with ____.’
For me, that point came when Garcia made the same type of bad decision fueled TO’s he has made since his FR year on consecutive drives. He still lowers his head to take on defenders, and he still fumbles occasionally as a direct result. He still has trouble making good decisions against a pass rush, and he still occasionally takes killer sacks as a result. Both of those are things I am confident the coaches have spent literally hours working on with him, and both are things you would be disappointed to see from a first year starter at QB, but which are completely unacceptable in a third year starter.
When I called my father at halftime, he said, ‘I still worry every time Garcia drops back there, because you never know when he’s going to do something dumb.’ This was after the guy had turned in a terrific first half. If many of his teammates are not privately (one would hope) thinking the same thing by now, I would be absolutely shocked.
"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard
by GwinnettGamecock on Sep 26, 2025 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree that Garcia's 'style' of running is a problem.
I like that Garcia is a tough runner and tries to scrap for extra yards, but I think he needs to focus MUCH less on that and more on sliding and protecting the ball. Even if he didn’t fumble on those particular hits, it’s just dangerous for him to lead with his head like that. I understand what you’re saying; it’s frustrating to see these mistakes from someone who has been in the program for four years.
That said, I still believe Garcia would have given us the best chance to win the game. The TOs were terrible, but until then, he had played one of the best games in his career. If we had a more seasoned backup, then maybe benching him would have made some degree of sense. But putting in a true freshman on the road in his first SEC game? In a high pressure situation, no less? Credit to Shaw for showing some poise, but Spurrier pretty much set him up to fail there.
by RumblinFish on Sep 26, 2025 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
The thing about Garcia's running style...
that gets me is that he doesn’t know when to scrap and when not to. He does that every single time he runs the ball. It’s great and thrilling when he does it and we make a big play in a crucial situation. No one complained when he jumped the Kentucky defender last year. We needed those couple of extra yards. But the first fumble this time was him lowering his shoulder and taking a hit when we didn’t need the extra yard. It was first down, the extra yards weren’t going to lead to a first down, we had a lead and needed to keep the defense off the field, etc.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Sep 26, 2025 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Shaw didn't fail, he just didn't win the game
It’s not the same thing. If he had come in and been buried by the rush, or panicked and missed WR’s all over the field, that would have been a failure.
"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard
by GwinnettGamecock on Sep 26, 2025 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
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