Almost Was Plenty Good Enough
posted by David Cloninger, 9/13/2009 01:14:00 AM
Stephen Garcia became South Carolina’s Quarterback.
I don’t mean he became the guy that takes the snap. He became the Quarterback, the guy who looks into 20 eyes in the huddle and says, “Follow me.”
The comeback didn’t happen, obviously. Garcia’s fourth-down pass while under a pass-rush was wide of Weslye Saunders and No. 21 Georgia won 41-37. Garcia was left with a fine game, an even finer rally, but no win.
That proves the point. Looking at past history, especially under coach Steve Spurrier, nobody can be a USC quarterback without having the chance to knock off a high-profile team and coming just short. It’s the fraternity initiation.
“(I was) very comfortable,” Garcia said afterward, the hollows of his eyes looking like two train tunnels. “I had confidence in the O-line. Confidence in the receivers getting open. Sucks pretty bad not to come out with a victory on that.”
A week after Spurrier said USC just couldn’t be a team that threw 50 times per game, Garcia attempted 53 passes. He completed 31 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
He had some still-learning moments. The interception was in the right flat, intended for D.L. Moore camping on the sideline, and Brandon Boykin made it look too, too easy with a leaping grab. Garcia overshot Weslye Saunders and Tori Gurley several times on plays to the end zone, floating passes the two couldn’t bring down.
Ironically, the best thing about Garcia running the Gamecocks’ offense proved to be his downfall. Spurrier liked Garcia because he could move his behind out of trouble, something the statue-esque Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley could never do consistently. On Saturday, there were too many plays to count where the pass-rush came in, Garcia sidestepped and made throws on the run.
Where it went wrong was after he kept getting taken down – in some cases, viciously – Garcia began to throw on the run more and more often. To his credit, he completed several of those passes.
But many times, he was ignoring the open field in front of him.
The last play wrapped it. Facing fourth down, the Gamecocks needed 7 yards for the game-winning touchdown but only 4 for the first down. There was enough time (27 seconds) to get the first and still set up for another few plays.
The rush came in, Garcia slipped out and began to commit before stopping and trying for Saunders. He said he didn’t watch the replay, but was reviewing it in his head.
“I saw (Rennie Curran) come across,” Garcia said. “Thought he was going to make a play. I tried to sidearm it to Wes. Thought we won the game, then I saw his arms come over and knock it down or tip it.”
No one can definitively say Garcia would have gotten the first. Curran thought about it, saying he thought Garcia would have gotten it but it might have been a chain-measure call.
“It’s kind of haunting me right now, the last play,” Garcia said.
If it weren’t for too many special-teams mistakes and too many missed tackles, Garcia may never have been in that position. The redshirt sophomore had two touchdowns called back because of penalties; five other red-zone possessions became field goals.
But he’s still learning. And he took a big step forward on Saturday. The Gamecocks have found themselves a leader, and he’s proven he can wear the mantle.
Now he’s got to keep it going. There can’t be any letdowns in a should-be win next week and there can’t be any of the Mitchell-Smelley get-to-a-point-then-regress mojo.
“We’ve been talking all summer and all camp and everything about a new Carolina,” Garcia said. “That’s just what we’re trying to do. I don’t think I played well enough.”
Not well enough to win, but he played well enough to lead.
And that’s what Spurrier and the Gamecocks have been searching for.
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ATHENS, Ga. – A funny thing happened on the way to The Hedges …
Stephen Garcia became South Carolina’s Quarterback.
I don’t mean he became the guy that takes the snap. He became the Quarterback, the guy who looks into 20 eyes in the huddle and says, “Follow me.”
The comeback didn’t happen, obviously. Garcia’s fourth-down pass while under a pass-rush was wide of Weslye Saunders and No. 21 Georgia won 41-37. Garcia was left with a fine game, an even finer rally, but no win.
That proves the point. Looking at past history, especially under coach Steve Spurrier, nobody can be a USC quarterback without having the chance to knock off a high-profile team and coming just short. It’s the fraternity initiation.
“(I was) very comfortable,” Garcia said afterward, the hollows of his eyes looking like two train tunnels. “I had confidence in the O-line. Confidence in the receivers getting open. Sucks pretty bad not to come out with a victory on that.”
A week after Spurrier said USC just couldn’t be a team that threw 50 times per game, Garcia attempted 53 passes. He completed 31 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
He had some still-learning moments. The interception was in the right flat, intended for D.L. Moore camping on the sideline, and Brandon Boykin made it look too, too easy with a leaping grab. Garcia overshot Weslye Saunders and Tori Gurley several times on plays to the end zone, floating passes the two couldn’t bring down.
Ironically, the best thing about Garcia running the Gamecocks’ offense proved to be his downfall. Spurrier liked Garcia because he could move his behind out of trouble, something the statue-esque Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley could never do consistently. On Saturday, there were too many plays to count where the pass-rush came in, Garcia sidestepped and made throws on the run.
Where it went wrong was after he kept getting taken down – in some cases, viciously – Garcia began to throw on the run more and more often. To his credit, he completed several of those passes.
But many times, he was ignoring the open field in front of him.
The last play wrapped it. Facing fourth down, the Gamecocks needed 7 yards for the game-winning touchdown but only 4 for the first down. There was enough time (27 seconds) to get the first and still set up for another few plays.
The rush came in, Garcia slipped out and began to commit before stopping and trying for Saunders. He said he didn’t watch the replay, but was reviewing it in his head.
“I saw (Rennie Curran) come across,” Garcia said. “Thought he was going to make a play. I tried to sidearm it to Wes. Thought we won the game, then I saw his arms come over and knock it down or tip it.”
No one can definitively say Garcia would have gotten the first. Curran thought about it, saying he thought Garcia would have gotten it but it might have been a chain-measure call.
“It’s kind of haunting me right now, the last play,” Garcia said.
If it weren’t for too many special-teams mistakes and too many missed tackles, Garcia may never have been in that position. The redshirt sophomore had two touchdowns called back because of penalties; five other red-zone possessions became field goals.
But he’s still learning. And he took a big step forward on Saturday. The Gamecocks have found themselves a leader, and he’s proven he can wear the mantle.
Now he’s got to keep it going. There can’t be any letdowns in a should-be win next week and there can’t be any of the Mitchell-Smelley get-to-a-point-then-regress mojo.
“We’ve been talking all summer and all camp and everything about a new Carolina,” Garcia said. “That’s just what we’re trying to do. I don’t think I played well enough.”
Not well enough to win, but he played well enough to lead.
And that’s what Spurrier and the Gamecocks have been searching for.
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David Cloninger. David is a full-time staff writer for GamecockCentral, and covers Gamecock football, men's basketball, baseball and recruiting. He may be reached by email at david(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.