South Carolina's Scout website Gamecock Pride is citing an unofficial source confirming that Will
Muschamp will be hired as the Gamecocks new defensive coordinator.
It's been well documented here at OSG Sports what a miserable season the Florida Gators are experiencing.
Today's game at Gainesville against South Carolina with UF alum Steve Spurrier on the opposite sideline was a clear definition of without bad luck the Gators would have no luck at all.
In the fourth quarter with the Gators up 17-10 all Florida kicker Francisco Valez had to do is split the uprights on a 32 yard field goal and the game would have been put on ice. Except it wasn't.
Brison Williams blocked the kick giving the Gamecocks life.
With a minute and a half left in the game Florida was punting only it was blocked too.
Carlton Heard's big play on special teams led to South Carolina's tying touchdown and forced overtime.
In the overtime the Gamecocks prevailed with Dylan Thompson's four yard touchdown run and it's a 23-20 win for South Carolina.
You just get the feeling that Gator fans are numb to all of this.
That or just waiting to be put of their misery. At least Will Muschamp's head on a pike.
This was a pretty good game. Georgia vs. South Carolina in Columbia a place where the strange often happens and Saturday's game was no exception.
After a 1hr 15min delay because of storms in the area, both teams came out swinging and never stopped.
The Gamecocks rode 3 TD passes by Quarterback Dylan Thompson and 93 yards on the ground by Brandon Wilds and held on for a 38-35 win over the Bulldogs.
The game, which featured 850yds of offense went back and forth and ultimately came down to two plays.
One: Georgia kicker Marshall Morgan, who earlier in the game hit his 19th straight field goal to break an SEC record, proceeded to miss a relative chip shot late in the 4th quarter. Although Georgia had a golden opportunity to win outright when Damian Swann intercepted Thompson and returned the ball down to the 4 yard line.
But UGA Quarterback Huston Mason was called for grounding and two plays later, Morgan was forced to try the Field Goal.
Two: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier decided to go for it on 4th and inches, with the ball at midfield and just under two minutes left in the game. Thompson converted, but based on the spot of the ball and measurement, if he did, it was by millimeters.
The Gamecocks ran out the clock and celebrated. But what is cracking us up is the reaction of the Georgia fans who are screaming "Fire Mark Richt, fire Mike Bobo, we suck". Remember, just two weeks ago before beating Clemson, you had no idea whether your team would be great or not. Stop whining!
New Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill not only had Aggie fans forgetting about Johnny Manziel, Hill wipe out Johnny Football from the Aggie record books too.
Hill broke Manziel's school single game passing record throwing for 511 yards as Texas A&M routed South Carolina 52-28 breaking the Gamecocks 18 game home win streak.
Do we start the Kenny Hill Heisman Trophy campaign now? Please no Kenny Football references.
It was obvious the Texas A&M played with a chip on their shoulder trying to prove that their will be no drop off after Manziel moved on to the NFL.
“You know, basically, nobody gave us a chance to even be close in this game,”Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “All I heard last week was [we’re] two-touchdown [underdogs] and if we could keep it close it would be great.”
“I think what we did tonight showed that really, we’re not a one-trick pony,”Sumlin said. “You know, we are not anywhere near where we want to be – [but] we’re not going anywhere, anytime soon.”
The Aggies put up 680 yards on South Carolina's offense.
"We got manhandled," South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said. "We got clobbered tonight."
The head ball coach was humbled by the Aggies performance at Columbia.
"That team is so much better than us, it wasn't funny," Spurrier said.
South Carolina fans were a little shell shocked too as this string of sound bites from WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina shows.
wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |
As a post script to Kenny Hill's 511 yards passing he becomes the sixth SEC quarterback to surpass 500 yards. Here's the list:
Eric Zeier - Georgia
Jared Lorenzen - Kentucky
Rohan Davey - LSU
Peyton Manning - Tennessee
Tyler Wilson - Arkansas
Kenny Hill - Texas A&M
South Carolina head men's basketball coach Frank Martin has been known to be a little intense on the sidelines...
It has gotten him into trouble and it has gotten him a reputation as a hothead- and a lot worse terms...
He did this Tuesday night in his team's 26-point loss to Florida
Athletics Director Ray Tanner, in a statement, said:
"The one-game suspension is a result of inappropriate verbal communication as it relates to the well-being of our student-athletes."
The HQ would like to know how many times Tanner used inappropriate verbal communications when he coached the baseball team in Columbia, but we'll digress...
Here's Martin's comments on what went down...
Martin will not accompany the team to Starkville for the season finale against Miss State. Associate head coach Matt Figger will serve as the acting coach as South Carolina is 11-19, 4-13 in the SEC.
This is the part of the College Football Bowl season where you can start paying attention.
Though to look at a couple of these games, paying attention and attending appear to be two different teams.
We start in Jacksonville in front of a crowd of tens, where Nebraska wins the Gator Bowl title over the University of Georgia 24-19 in a truly uninspiring game that featured the Huskers scoring on a 99-yard passing TD from Tommy Armstrong Jr to a streaking Quincy Enunwa.
The Bulldogs continually sputtered in the Red Zone, dropping a couple of late 4th down passes that could have given them the opportunity to salvage a disappointing season.
Your highlights from ESPN:
We move down state to the dreary confines of Citrus Bowl stadium in Orlando, where South Carolina gets the win over Wisconsin 34-24.
The game was a back and forth affair featuring 4 turnovers by the Badgers and two by the Gamecocks. QB Jaybo Shaw of South Carolina was the hero, throwing for 3 TD's, 300+ yards and running for another score.
Perhaps the biggest highlights of the day came afterwards. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier took the opportunity to praise his team congratulate them for winning their 3rd straight bowl game and the championship of South Carolina. (Dabo Swinny pun).
And then star Defensive End Jadaveon Clowney made it official, announcing he'd be taking his services to the NFL this upcoming season.
Here's one of Jaybo's TD runs, we are still searching for the Spurrier post-game comments: (thanks ESPN)
And then our minor bowl game tour of Florida ends in Tampa where LSU held off Iowa in the Outback Steakhouse Bowl in front of a crowd that got better access than the people covering the game.
The game featured LSU tailback Jeremy Hill running for 216 yards and 2 TD's and ended only after a bizarre sequence of laterals that the Hawkeye's eventually ended up fumbling. The Tigers could only manage 82 yards passing, while the Hawkeye's were only able to run for 76 total.
We are still awaiting the arrival of full game highlights....
South Carolina quarterback Conner Shaw wasn't suppose to play against Missouri. A sprained left knee was causing Shaw to watch the game from the sidelines. Shaw and the Head Ball Coach didn't like what they were seeing. The Gamecocks committed three turnovers, gave up the ball on down twice and missed a field goal. Mid-way through the third quarter Missouri was up 17-0 and Tiger fans were thinking about a trip to Atlanta and the SEC Championship Game on early December. The Gamecocks' season was on life support. Enter Conner Shaw. "I went over and asked him if he could play and he said sure." South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said. "I said we had to make the move now. Dylan was just a little off here and there. I thought he had a few guys open and he zinged them out, but he threw some good balls. It just wasn't his night and Connor gave us a little sharpness in there." It turned out to be perhaps and season defining move by the Head Ball Coach. Shaw relieved Dylan Thompson and led the Gamecocks to a pair of touchdowns and a field goal force overtime. Then on the overtime Shaw led South Carolina to a touchdown and a field goal and that was enough. Missouri kicker Andrew Baggatt missed a 24 yard field goal off the left upright and South Carolina escaped Columbia, Missouri with their season saved for the time being.
“God is great, man,” Shaw said. “I wasn’t even supposed to be playing this game. Give all the glory up top.” Shaw finished the night 20-of-29 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. “It was a game I thought we were dead," Spurrier said. “It just worked out tonight. That’s all you can say, it was meant to be.” "I thought it was a very courageous effort on his part". Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said. South Carolina is back in the race for the SEC Championship. It was a stunning loss for Missouri. "Our guys are certainly frustrated and disappointed, and they should be." Pinkel said. "They are competitors and we will have to bounce back from this."
Anybody still want to argue that the SEC is the best conference in college football?
Saturday's game action proved one thing--They're not.
Pretty much every "name" program in the conference lost. And not for the 1st time this season.
We start in Vanderbilt where the limping Georgia Bulldogs continue their tumble down the polls. And ironically, the Dawgs were up 13 going into the 4th quarter in Nashville.
But that's when the wheels fell off.
A fumbled punt, a botched punt snap and a solid performance by Vandy's backup QB Patton Robbinette was all it took for that lead to evaporate and Vanderbilt to get the their 1st win over a ranked team since the 2008 season, 31-27.
Your highlights from CBS Sports:
The craziness continued just 3 hours East in Knoxville when Tennessee knocked off media darling South Carolina when Michael Palardy drilled a 19-yard field goal at the buzzer giving the Vols a 23-21 win.
The Gamecocks didn't exactly help themselves with 3 turnovers and 9 penalties. This despite a big game by star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
But Tennessee stayed close, and a circus catch by freshman WR Marquez North was enough to put Palardy in position to give his team their 1st win over a ranked team since 2009.
Your highlights from our friends at ESPN:
And while that was happening, Missouri took full control of the SEC East by dominating an outmanned Florida team in Columbia, Missouri.
QB Maty Mauk stepped in for the injured James Franklin and threw for 295 yards and a TD, Henry Joseph ran for 136 and a score and the Tigers defense sacked beleaguered Gator QB Tyler Murphy 6 times and was in his face pretty much the entire game.
The 36-17 win will get Missouri a place in the Top 10 and a now 2 game lead over their closest competition in the SEC East.
Your Highlights again from our friends at ESPN:
And finally Auburn continues in run towards regaining relevance by taking down Johnny Football and Texas A&M in College Station early Saturday evening.
Auburn QB Nick Marshall threw for 236 and 2 TD's and ran for 100 yards and two more to lead the Tigers to a crazy 45-41 win.
The Tigers were winless in the SEC in 2012 and arguably one of college football's worst teams. The change this season under new coach Gus Mazlahn is nothing short of miraculous.
No, there wasn't a lot of defense played in this game, Manziel threw for 434 yards and 4 TD's and his WR Mike Evans caught 11 passes for 237 yards and a couple of scores. But when Manziel went down with a shoulder injury, the Aggies defense couldn't stop Auburn. Manziel would return, but had a hard time throwing.
The loss pretty much eliminated the Aggies from SEC West or any national title contention.
Your highlights from CBS Sports (There are a lot of them):
It was the theme of the day (early on, anyway) in the Ess-E-Cee where teams got skeered and still won...
Example Number One: Sakerlina was on the road and had to deal with this injury while playing in one of the more obnoxious environments around- the on-campus stadium at UCF...
The HQ covered Davis in high school at Stephenson High in suburban Atlanta... the kid can flat out run...
And UCF made a lot of people happy with their back door cover...
Example Number Two: The HQ never thought we would ever hear the voice of the Volunteers, Bob Kessling, ever talk about the Volunteers "surviving" a game against South Alabama (of all teams), but that did happen...
Vols only win by 7...
At home...
Against South Alabama...
The HQ would write that line again, but we don't know if we would believe it if we wrote it ourselves...
What is the world coming to...???
And, then, the 3:30 game...
Aaron Murray throws for four scores and may be the best one-loss team in 'Murica right now having gone 2-1 in the top ten with the early part of their schedule in a 44-41 win...
Evidence below that tied the game at 14...
((HT: SECDN/SEC on CBS))
It's a safe play that none of the television stations in Columbia, South Carolina will go into any depth in this story...
On two separate occasions over the last two seasons, the Old Ball Coach has told the assembled media that he won't be answering questions from them- just because... and anything that Spurrier says in his press conferences, currently, has no value other than taking up oxygen...
But the "because" is, according to Romenesko, that The State columnist Ron Morris was negative (in 2011)
Spurrier ranted about it...
((HT: Student Gamecock Television))
And that Morris was suspected of planting questions with fellow reporters so THEY could ask Spurrier questions that he had after an incident in 2012 where Spurrier was criticized by Morris for starting Connor Shaw against UAB...
Six days later, Morris was on Bill King's show on SiriusXM College Sports Nation...
Here was OBC's response with Todd Ellis...
He won't have to worry about it anymore...
Morris has been told by his newspaper that he is not to write any more stories on USC...
From Romenesko:
The State publisher Henry Haitz III wasn’t a Morris fan, though; he wanted his columnist fired, I’m told. Executive editor Mark Lett talked him out of it, though, according to sources. There were no legitimate grounds for dismissal, the publisher was told.
Lett “has basically protected Ron’s job,” says one of Morris’s friends. “He’s had the guts to stand up to the publisher” when Haitz wanted Morris pink-slipped. “This is not a Mark Lett problem; if anything he’s been a protector.”
Morris kept his job, but he was told he could no longer attend Spurrier’s press conferences. He was also ordered by the publisher to write an apology column. That ran last Sept. 26.
The HQ can't say that we're shocked about a high-profile, heavy-handed coach like Spurrier being the pit boss in a college town being able to wield his vocal sword in a manner like this...
But, it also says a lot about the business as it currently exists...
Big business means you have to protect your relationships, and if that means that you divert a long-time, well-respected columnist for the sake of driving content...
Then, so be it...
And "The State" has put its line in the sand...
THURSDAY UPDATE: Unless Haitz backs off entirely...
Please know this today: Ron Morris and other columnists at The State are free to pursue topics and stories as guided by their curiosity, their news judgment, their obligation to readers and our standards for quality journalism. No subject or individual is off limits for examination.
Relationships can be difficult between news makers and journalists, especially those who write analysis, commentary and opinion. You all understand why. Around here, much has been said and written about Spurrier and Ron — in blogs, on the web, on talk shows and in other publications. . As with any relationship, it sometimes helps to step back and allow conditions to cool. In recent months, we asked Ron to draw upon his considerable sports knowledge and experience to produce highly readable, relevant columns and enterprise features.The work has been outstanding and has given sports fans much to enjoy and to think about. During this time, we asked Ron to focus first on coverage other than the USC football program.
Moving forward, all topics — including USC football — are in play. As always, this is a newspaper committed to accuracy, fairness and holding accountable the news makers and institutions that serve our community and our state.
Aaron Murray threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, and the 11th-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 6 South Carolina 41-30 in Athens for the early edge in the Ess-E-Cee East.
The defense made sure it stood up, stuffing Mike Davis on fourth & goal from inside the 1 mid way through the fourth. The Bulldog offense ran out the clock from there...
Here's the highlights...
((HT: SEC Digital Network))
In addition, two South Carolina coaches got into it on the sidelines in the third quarter for an unknown reason...
Kirk Botkin and Deke Adams got into it...
Frustated after and three and out, obviously...
Here's the tussle...
And Mark Richt's job is safe for another week...
Huzzah...
Forget about Jadeveon Clowney, all eyes will be on North Carolina's offensive tackle James Hurst who will be matched up on Clowney. "Obviously it's the biggest match-up in my college career." Hurst said. "I do think about it all the time. Everytime I do a football activity it's related to that match-up." Hurst is one of the best offensive lineman in the ACC and is on the pre-season Outland and Lombardi trophy watch lists. Thursday night he's going up against a freak of nature.
South Carolina will win this battle. Ole Miss at Vanderbilt This game should be appointment TV for your Thursday night. Ole Miss and Vandy are two teams who a eager to have a seat at the big boy table within the SEC. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze will try to run as many plays as possible on offense and gas the Commodore defense. You can bet Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin will be in the ear of an SEC official making sure the Rebel offense doesn't have an advantage. "When the ball is snapped I want everyone set." Franklin said. "We went back and looked at (film of game vs) Ole Miss last year and there were probably 10 to 12 plays we they snapped the ball their offense wasn't set. The officials had a hard time keeping up with the pace to get into position to do that." "So as long as everyone is playing by the same rules and this isn't Canadian football where people are running toward the line of scrimmage when they snap the football, I'm good with that." Franklin would be good with a loss and that's what should happen. Ole Miss will get it done in Music City. USC at Hawaii
Southern Cal quarterbacks Max Wittek and Cody Kessler will play against Hawaii. This should be a Trojan blowout. Utah State at Utah If your looking for a Thursday night upset this might be the one. Last year Utah State won in Logan. "Utah State is a very good opponent." Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "They have most everyone back. They have a new head coach and a lot of the same assistant staff. We expect that they are going to be every bit as good as last year and we have a big challenge ahead of us." Those of us in the OSG HQ are calling and upset. Utah State makes it two in a row over the Utes.
Because we just like to share such things when we come upon them.
This one actually isn't too bad, it's a hip-hop video done by a local guy in Columbia trying to hype the South Carolina Gamecocks.
And as far as videos go, it's fairly well produced and edited. It features quite a few people and places around Columbia, along with multiple players and former star RB Marcus Lattimore.
The Gamecocks again will be very good in a very competitive SEC, this perhaps may serve as some extra motivation.
The head ball coach did say it when reporters gathered around Steve Spurrier Monday night.
You heard right, Jadeveon Clowney might miss South Carolina's season opener against North Carolina because of a bruised shoulder. You can just see the frustration on Steve Spurrier's face. Perhaps the head ball coach will remind Clowney and the other players the difference between being hurt and injured. The game is scheduled to be televised by ESPN. You wonder if an four-letter executive is on the "bat phone" with South Carolina's athletic administration begging, pleading that Clowney can suit up. Who else would the 4 - letter zone in on to sell that game.
And the Ess-E-Cee gets one of its first Martin Post-Game Meltdowns...
This is what happens after an 18-point blowout Thursday to LSU (behind Johnny O'Bryant and his 30 points) The Tigers crushed the Gamecocks at home 64-46. It was the most points scored by a LSU player since Tasmin Mitchell had 38 against Auburn in 2010. O'Bryant reached double figure points and rebounds for the seventh time in the last eight games.
The loss gave Martin a five-game losing streak- the longest of his coaching career- at any level and any job which includes stops at Kansas State and three high school coaching gigs in Miami at North Miami High, Miami Senior, and Booker T. Washington High...
All of that leads us to his first high-decibel maneuver off the floor...
The printed, short version:
“The desire to play is not there. I’ve always taken pride to get guys to do what I ask me to do. That’s not happening right now. I shouldn’t coach basketball again if this is how my team is going to look.”
“If this was the NBA, we would fine them and take their money,” Martin said. “We would release them and say, ‘Good luck ever finding another job.’ It is not the NBA. We’re in education. Somehow, some way we have to reach them. But it is embarrassing.
“I’ve been telling our team for team weeks that there is a word that if it is not in your vocabulary – whatever you do in life – if the word ‘pride’ is not in your vocabulary, you have no chance of ever sniffing success. I’m a lot of things, but I’ve got pride. … I have never been so embarrassed. I shouldn’t coach basketball ever again if this is how my team plays.”
South Carolina's Scout website Gamecock Pride is citing an unofficial source confirming that Will 
