Not Giving Up on New Carolina
posted by David Cloninger, 11/01/2009 06:50:00 PM
--------- AUDIOSLAVE
As morose expressions dotted the landscape after Saturday’s 31-13 upset and upsetting loss at Tennessee, two of South Carolina’s players got to the postgame and spoke of optimism.
Quietly and deliberately, Stephen Garcia and Moe Brown said they would not let the end of 2009 end like 2007 and 2008. They each said they were taking it upon themselves, beginning on Monday, to re-teach the value of playing aggressively but solidly in the Gamecocks’ last three games.
They weren’t putting on their happy faces and saying soothing words, promising everything would be OK in the manner of a Depression-era politician. They also weren’t glaring holes in the walls, offering cursory answers with pinched scowls as their fingers flexed for another chair to throw.
“We’re going to step up the tempo in practice,” Garcia flatly said. “We’re going to start getting on guys and we’ve just got to pick up the tempo and that’s what it’s going to take to beat Arkansas.”
“This ain’t going to end our season,” Brown vowed, leaving his trademark wide smile in the locker room. “It’s New Carolina. This might have been a step back, but we’re going to take two steps forward.”
Whether or not it happens (i.e., the New Carolina actually living up to its name instead of regressing to the late-season messes of the past two years), it was at least refreshing to hear players say it.
Look, college football players are under no obligation to offer anything to the media. They know that as soon as they jot their names on a letter-of-intent, that gives scribes a free license to discover every fact about their lives, quiz them on it and expect glib, snazzy answers.
So for these two to say that, especially after their coach and other officials request them to shy away from saying anything the slightest bit controversial, I had no choice but to believe them.
It’s good to hear, especially from the same program that gave us Blake Mitchell, who smiled maybe once every year and answered everything with the same deadpan “Got to get better.” That was the majority answer from the team as the Gamecocks frittered a fine 2007 into a bowl-less disaster.
Last season was the same way. Chris Smelley and Jared Cook and Mike Davis and Emanuel Cook each gave the originality-shredding stock answers after each of the three losses to end 2008. “Just couldn’t get it done,” each said in turn, as my eardrums cringed and my fingers tried to retract themselves into my hands so they wouldn’t have to type that bit of literary brilliance.
Considering my usual cynical nature (I still swear that flu shots are a mind-controlling vaccine cooked up by the government) and the effects of covering USC football for the better part of my life, of course I was skeptical about the whole “New Carolina” thing. I’ve heard that before (“Count on Me” comes to mind).
But when two upperclassmen like Brown and Garcia, who were around for each of the last two horror stories, say what they said and seem to mean it, even I have to let my guard down.
Now, nothing has been proven. The Gamecocks could play their three best games of the season and still lose to their next three opponents, simply because of the talent and momentum each has. “New Carolina” could become as passé as “Spiller for Heisman.”
But at least the hope that it won’t still seems to be alive in the most important place – the players’ hearts. It’s been a question of where the heart has been, even since halftime of that USC-North Carolina game two years ago, so much that Cory Boyd openly questioned it on the field after the game.
Perhaps it’s found its way back. It may have taken a full season and half of another, but who could complain if it has?
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“Go and save yourself.”
--------- AUDIOSLAVE
As morose expressions dotted the landscape after Saturday’s 31-13 upset and upsetting loss at Tennessee, two of South Carolina’s players got to the postgame and spoke of optimism.
Quietly and deliberately, Stephen Garcia and Moe Brown said they would not let the end of 2009 end like 2007 and 2008. They each said they were taking it upon themselves, beginning on Monday, to re-teach the value of playing aggressively but solidly in the Gamecocks’ last three games.
They weren’t putting on their happy faces and saying soothing words, promising everything would be OK in the manner of a Depression-era politician. They also weren’t glaring holes in the walls, offering cursory answers with pinched scowls as their fingers flexed for another chair to throw.
“We’re going to step up the tempo in practice,” Garcia flatly said. “We’re going to start getting on guys and we’ve just got to pick up the tempo and that’s what it’s going to take to beat Arkansas.”
“This ain’t going to end our season,” Brown vowed, leaving his trademark wide smile in the locker room. “It’s New Carolina. This might have been a step back, but we’re going to take two steps forward.”
Whether or not it happens (i.e., the New Carolina actually living up to its name instead of regressing to the late-season messes of the past two years), it was at least refreshing to hear players say it.
Look, college football players are under no obligation to offer anything to the media. They know that as soon as they jot their names on a letter-of-intent, that gives scribes a free license to discover every fact about their lives, quiz them on it and expect glib, snazzy answers.
So for these two to say that, especially after their coach and other officials request them to shy away from saying anything the slightest bit controversial, I had no choice but to believe them.
It’s good to hear, especially from the same program that gave us Blake Mitchell, who smiled maybe once every year and answered everything with the same deadpan “Got to get better.” That was the majority answer from the team as the Gamecocks frittered a fine 2007 into a bowl-less disaster.
Last season was the same way. Chris Smelley and Jared Cook and Mike Davis and Emanuel Cook each gave the originality-shredding stock answers after each of the three losses to end 2008. “Just couldn’t get it done,” each said in turn, as my eardrums cringed and my fingers tried to retract themselves into my hands so they wouldn’t have to type that bit of literary brilliance.
Considering my usual cynical nature (I still swear that flu shots are a mind-controlling vaccine cooked up by the government) and the effects of covering USC football for the better part of my life, of course I was skeptical about the whole “New Carolina” thing. I’ve heard that before (“Count on Me” comes to mind).
But when two upperclassmen like Brown and Garcia, who were around for each of the last two horror stories, say what they said and seem to mean it, even I have to let my guard down.
Now, nothing has been proven. The Gamecocks could play their three best games of the season and still lose to their next three opponents, simply because of the talent and momentum each has. “New Carolina” could become as passé as “Spiller for Heisman.”
But at least the hope that it won’t still seems to be alive in the most important place – the players’ hearts. It’s been a question of where the heart has been, even since halftime of that USC-North Carolina game two years ago, so much that Cory Boyd openly questioned it on the field after the game.
Perhaps it’s found its way back. It may have taken a full season and half of another, but who could complain if it has?
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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 @.