Last Saturday night did not turn out the way Gamecock nation had hoped. Arkansas soundly beat USC in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams) of the game. Despite all the obstacles that South Carolina had to overcome last weekend in Fayetteville, the Gamecocks only trailed by two points (30-28) after an early fourth quarter Connor Shaw touchdown run. The Gamecocks managed only 207 total yards of offense but did manufacture 28 points with the aid of a defensive touchdown when DE Devin Taylor intercepted a Tyler Wilson pass attempt and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. Winning at Arkansas was going to be a challenge even before Carolina lost Lattimore, Nunn and Garcia on offense, but there are still realistic goals on the table for this team with three games remaining on the schedule. Yes, the Gamecocks fumbled away their control to repeat as the SEC East Division champions in Fayetteville but all is not lost if Carolina can beat Florida on Saturday at high noon. Here are five keys to the game if South Carolina is to emerge victorious at the cockpit.
The Earlier the Better: The SEC did South Carolina a major favor by giving the Gamecocks the earliest kickoff time slot on Saturday. By not playing after Georgia on Saturday, the Gamecocks can be totally focused on UF rather than scoreboard watching the Georgia/Auburn game. Basically if USC beats Florida then all of the pressure shifts to UGA, who plays the 3:30 CBS game right after the completion of the USC/UF game. I think the Gamecocks were granted a major mental edge when selected for the Noon CBS kickoff slot. Hypothetically, if ESPN had picked South Carolina for a night game and the Gamecocks sat around in their hotel rooms all afternoon and watched UGA beat Auburn, then I would anticipate a dejected USC squad taking the field against the Gators. Now the preseason goal of repeating as SEC East Division champion is still attainable for this team, and wouldn’t it be poetic if South Carolina beats Florida, then Auburn upsets Georgia and South Carolina fans get to revel in a division championship inside the cockpit finally!
This Isn’t Your Toddler’s Gators: Remember the days of Florida with either Spurrier or Urban Meyer at the helm coming to the cockpit and putting a beat down on the Gamecocks? Well this year’s version of the Florida Gators is a shell of the team that won the National Championship in 2009. The Gators are down to less than 70 scholarship players. Yes, Florida has excellent frontline talent (22 starters), but when the Gators have to sub personnel on either side of the ball there is inexperience and a drop-off in talent. There is no Tim Tebow at quarterback. There is no Brandon Spikes at middle linebacker and there is no Percy Harvin at wide receiver. Florida is a 5-4 football team that has not beaten a team with a winning record yet. The Gators started the season 4-0 (beat FAU, UAB, Tennessee & Kentucky), then lost four straight games (Alabama, LSU, Auburn & Georgia) and then last week held off a feisty Vanderbilt squad 26-21, after holding the Commodores scoreless in the first half. Florida scores a little less than two-thirds (149 points) of its 234 total points scored in the first half, so if South Carolina can stymie the Gators offense in the first 30 minutes of the ballgame, then I like USC’s chances to wear down a very thin Florida Gators roster in the second half. USC matches up a whole lot better personnel-wise with Florida than Arkansas!
Negate the Sunshine Speed: The South Carolina defense must be aware of where #28 RB Chris Rainey & #5 RB Jeff Demps line-up every single play. UF likes to get these two speedsters out on the edges against slower linebackers and safeties in one-on-one coverage. Antonio Allen and the USC linebackers will have to spy Rainey and Demps, as Florida will try and sneak these two running backs out into passing routes and get single coverage on USC defenders that benefit the Gators. It would assist Ellis Johnson’s defense if the Gamecocks punish Demps & Rainey every chance the Gamecocks “D” gets.
Avoid Special Teams Meltdown: USC Special Teams Coach John Butler must emphasize discipline when covering kick-offs and punts this Saturday. If USC is to beat Florida then the Gamecocks cannot give up a cheap special team touchdown, i.e. Arkansas’ Dennis Johnson’s 98-yard kick-off return last week. Florida has some of the most dangerous kick/punt returners in college football. The Gators have returned a kickoff and punt for TDs this season so far. If USC has to pooch kick its kickoffs then I implore this strategy. If the USC punter has to kick the ball out of bounds that is fine. I would rather take my chances with our defense versus Florida’s offense on a short field then commit a mental mistake that leads to a quick score by a UF kickoff/punt returner. Discipline and fundamentals on special teams cannot be underestimated this week, if Carolina is to secure its first-ever sixth win in the SEC Conference.
Protect the Football: During South Carolina’s three-game road swing, the Gamecocks committed seven turnovers. USC managed to win two out of three away from the cockpit even though the Gamecocks were sloppy at times in protecting the football, especially at Arkansas last week when USC committed four turnovers. One of the turnovers came at a crucial time with Carolina trailing Arkansas by two points, driving towards midfield when freshman RB Brandon Wilds and sophomore QB Connor Shaw ran into each other during a hand-off exchange and the Razorbacks recovered, subsequently ending a USC rally. In South Carolina’s two losses, the Gamecocks have committed eight turnovers (five fumbles & three interceptions). If South Carolina can minimize its turnovers to less than two, then, IMHO, the Gamecocks improve their home field advantage.
Spurspective’s Prediction: An old-fashioned defensive game, just the way SOS drew it up, USC 21-17.
My next blog will be tonight when I’ll post a little recruiting information on visitors to the USC/UF game this weekend.
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