Orange On My Mind
posted by David Cloninger, 11/07/2009 10:33:00 PM
Shouldn’t you know that much by now?”
---------------------------------- KENLEY YOUNG
Steve Spurrier didn’t need the media to make him feel bad this time.
His team did it for him.
South Carolina’s third annual end-of-season swoon kept rolling on Saturday as the Gamecocks bumbled away another chance to inject some good feelings back into the program. Missed tackles handed Arkansas 10 first-half points, an end-zone interception got the Razorbacks in position for seven more and a bad snap gave them a safety.
The total was a 33-16 loss, USC’s second straight. And with Florida up next, the chances for the streak to become three and thus cement yet another losing record among the last four games are extremely high.
Spurrier and his players were each adamant among the wreckage of Saturday that things must change, must improve. They each said they were going to do whatever it would take to make sure it does change, and that is admirable to hear.
And here is the approach to make sure it happens.
I say violate every coaching axiom known to man and look past the next opponent. The Gamecocks have three weeks left in this season, three weeks to diagnose, plan and exploit every weakness of the only opponent left that matters – Clemson.
Let’s be honest here – USC could show up next week, play the most perfect ballgame it has ever played and lose by 30 to Florida. The Gators are gunning for a national championship and will win next week – if the Gamecocks are more than a mere speedbump in that path, I’ll eat my hat.
The team’s approach to the Tigers over the past 10 years has been deplorable. Lou Holtz and Spurrier have each said that they must focus on winning the SEC championship before any rivalry game, and I have agreed. If USC had Atlanta after Clemson, I’d be the first in line to say that the Tigers didn’t matter because the biggest catch in the lake was still lurking in the reeds.
That approach, as it has been every year, is null and void. It was clinched last week when Florida claimed the SEC East title. The only way the Gators won’t be going to the championship game is if they get disqualified for not hitting a high-enough C as part of Tim Tebow’s backing choir.
Problem is, the necessary focus for Clemson has still not come into place. The Gamecocks have often lost to inferior Tiger teams, for no other reason than they seemed to think everything would be OK since there was a bowl game to look forward to.
And that makes Clemson this year doubly important. One, it’s the most winnable game left in USC’s season. Two, it is a chance to start taking steps to reverse the Gamecocks’ sorry history in the rivalry.
Beat Clemson, and all of the meltdown sniping that is going on right now disappears.
Those excuses in the past – save it for the SEC championship – have never resulted in the proper approach to Clemson. While the Tigers always have beating USC in the back of their minds (and have done it so often that beating the Gamecocks is no longer a bragging point), USC has always been content to save it until the week before the rivalry game.
It has not changed this year. Over the past few weeks, as it became apparent USC was first close to being eliminated from title contention and then got eliminated, I talked to several players and Spurrier about Clemson. Each of them said basically the same thing – they would worry about Clemson when Clemson week came.
Steve Spurrier: "Certainly, a goal of every Carolina team is to beat Clemson each year, no matter what the record is. That's always one of our goals around here."
Ladi Ajiboye: “Clemson is right around the corner, you know how a season flies by. Since it’s a rivalry game, we lost it last year, but we got something to prove. We’ve got a bunch of stuff to prove, period. This is one of the games we have to prove ourselves.”
Moe Brown: “Personally, me, it’s important, just because I want to leave out on a win, especially against Clemson. Every Clemson game is important. It’s arguably the biggest game we’ve got every year, just because of the rivalry. But we’re not going to kick ourselves out until we’re actually kicked out of it. That Clemson game is big, it’s big this year. We’ve been focused on making sure everybody understands that. We want to make sure we do win that game.”
Lemuel Jeanpierre: “Me personally, I try to buy into what coach Spurrier has taught us where every week is the most important week. I pay attention to that stuff but I won’t stop focusing on that Clemson game until Clemson week, because a lot of stuff can happen until that. It’s always important. I’ve embraced it. I understand it. I really understand how intense that rivalry is.”
Nathan Pepper: “Oh, it’s important. Especially for me. But we’ve got a lot of games before then.”
These were all before Saturday. I am hoping that the opinions have changed for all – as in at least keeping Clemson, through a motivational saying or a picture of last year’s scoreboard at the end of the game or whatever – is beginning to creep into some heads.
I was watching a DVD of the 1992 USC-Clemson game recently. After every play, EVERY play, the Gamecocks are jumping around, clapping each other on the shoulder pads, smiling and exulting.
And they won that day.
I want to see that emotion again. I want to see some hatred put back in this rivalry, on USC’s side. I want to see the Gamecocks stop being a mere annoyance to the Tigers and become a threat.
A win this year won’t erase Clemson’s commanding lead in the series. I could father a child today and that kid would be out of college by the time USC tied the series, even if the Gamecocks won every year.
But it would be a small step, one that could have another step in front of it instead of two steps back. And it would claim something that is in short supply around Columbia lately – a good feeling about USC football.
I know there are a lot that disagree with me. USC is not in the ACC any more, so any ACC game, even a rivalry game, should not matter. I agree with them, to the point where the Gamecocks are no longer eligible for the SEC title.
After that, stare at videos of Clemson beating USC (there are plenty), pipe “Tiger Rag” in the weight room, make the players wear orange jerseys until they want to puke.
Get something to be proud of back in this program, before it is too far gone to matter.
You want a “New Carolina?” Start by doing something none of the old ones have ever done.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
“There’s no other way that this can go,
Shouldn’t you know that much by now?”
---------------------------------- KENLEY YOUNG
Steve Spurrier didn’t need the media to make him feel bad this time.
His team did it for him.
South Carolina’s third annual end-of-season swoon kept rolling on Saturday as the Gamecocks bumbled away another chance to inject some good feelings back into the program. Missed tackles handed Arkansas 10 first-half points, an end-zone interception got the Razorbacks in position for seven more and a bad snap gave them a safety.
The total was a 33-16 loss, USC’s second straight. And with Florida up next, the chances for the streak to become three and thus cement yet another losing record among the last four games are extremely high.
Spurrier and his players were each adamant among the wreckage of Saturday that things must change, must improve. They each said they were going to do whatever it would take to make sure it does change, and that is admirable to hear.
And here is the approach to make sure it happens.
I say violate every coaching axiom known to man and look past the next opponent. The Gamecocks have three weeks left in this season, three weeks to diagnose, plan and exploit every weakness of the only opponent left that matters – Clemson.
Let’s be honest here – USC could show up next week, play the most perfect ballgame it has ever played and lose by 30 to Florida. The Gators are gunning for a national championship and will win next week – if the Gamecocks are more than a mere speedbump in that path, I’ll eat my hat.
The team’s approach to the Tigers over the past 10 years has been deplorable. Lou Holtz and Spurrier have each said that they must focus on winning the SEC championship before any rivalry game, and I have agreed. If USC had Atlanta after Clemson, I’d be the first in line to say that the Tigers didn’t matter because the biggest catch in the lake was still lurking in the reeds.
That approach, as it has been every year, is null and void. It was clinched last week when Florida claimed the SEC East title. The only way the Gators won’t be going to the championship game is if they get disqualified for not hitting a high-enough C as part of Tim Tebow’s backing choir.
Problem is, the necessary focus for Clemson has still not come into place. The Gamecocks have often lost to inferior Tiger teams, for no other reason than they seemed to think everything would be OK since there was a bowl game to look forward to.
And that makes Clemson this year doubly important. One, it’s the most winnable game left in USC’s season. Two, it is a chance to start taking steps to reverse the Gamecocks’ sorry history in the rivalry.
Beat Clemson, and all of the meltdown sniping that is going on right now disappears.
Those excuses in the past – save it for the SEC championship – have never resulted in the proper approach to Clemson. While the Tigers always have beating USC in the back of their minds (and have done it so often that beating the Gamecocks is no longer a bragging point), USC has always been content to save it until the week before the rivalry game.
It has not changed this year. Over the past few weeks, as it became apparent USC was first close to being eliminated from title contention and then got eliminated, I talked to several players and Spurrier about Clemson. Each of them said basically the same thing – they would worry about Clemson when Clemson week came.
Steve Spurrier: "Certainly, a goal of every Carolina team is to beat Clemson each year, no matter what the record is. That's always one of our goals around here."
Ladi Ajiboye: “Clemson is right around the corner, you know how a season flies by. Since it’s a rivalry game, we lost it last year, but we got something to prove. We’ve got a bunch of stuff to prove, period. This is one of the games we have to prove ourselves.”
Moe Brown: “Personally, me, it’s important, just because I want to leave out on a win, especially against Clemson. Every Clemson game is important. It’s arguably the biggest game we’ve got every year, just because of the rivalry. But we’re not going to kick ourselves out until we’re actually kicked out of it. That Clemson game is big, it’s big this year. We’ve been focused on making sure everybody understands that. We want to make sure we do win that game.”
Lemuel Jeanpierre: “Me personally, I try to buy into what coach Spurrier has taught us where every week is the most important week. I pay attention to that stuff but I won’t stop focusing on that Clemson game until Clemson week, because a lot of stuff can happen until that. It’s always important. I’ve embraced it. I understand it. I really understand how intense that rivalry is.”
Nathan Pepper: “Oh, it’s important. Especially for me. But we’ve got a lot of games before then.”
These were all before Saturday. I am hoping that the opinions have changed for all – as in at least keeping Clemson, through a motivational saying or a picture of last year’s scoreboard at the end of the game or whatever – is beginning to creep into some heads.
I was watching a DVD of the 1992 USC-Clemson game recently. After every play, EVERY play, the Gamecocks are jumping around, clapping each other on the shoulder pads, smiling and exulting.
And they won that day.
I want to see that emotion again. I want to see some hatred put back in this rivalry, on USC’s side. I want to see the Gamecocks stop being a mere annoyance to the Tigers and become a threat.
A win this year won’t erase Clemson’s commanding lead in the series. I could father a child today and that kid would be out of college by the time USC tied the series, even if the Gamecocks won every year.
But it would be a small step, one that could have another step in front of it instead of two steps back. And it would claim something that is in short supply around Columbia lately – a good feeling about USC football.
I know there are a lot that disagree with me. USC is not in the ACC any more, so any ACC game, even a rivalry game, should not matter. I agree with them, to the point where the Gamecocks are no longer eligible for the SEC title.
After that, stare at videos of Clemson beating USC (there are plenty), pipe “Tiger Rag” in the weight room, make the players wear orange jerseys until they want to puke.
Get something to be proud of back in this program, before it is too far gone to matter.
You want a “New Carolina?” Start by doing something none of the old ones have ever done.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
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 @.