Why did Miami run the ball with 34 seconds left in the game when the opposing team had no timeouts?

By: Clark Kinney

If you haven’t already heard, Miami lost to Georgia Tech this past Saturday. It was an awful loss though, not because they played particularly bad, but rather because of an awful coaching decision made by the Miami staff that ultimately cost them the win. The undefeated Miami Hurricanes were winning and looking to improve to 5-0 on the season up 20-17 with 34 seconds left in the game, only needing to take a knee. However, the coaches decided to run the ball and the running back fumbled, giving Georgia Tech the ball with 26 seconds left and no timeouts. Four quick plays later, Georgia Tech scored and won the game. 

Miami had opted not to kneel the ball in every one of their first four games this year and they had won all four, but those games were not one score games like the Georgia Tech game. Miami’s head coach is Mario Cristobal, and he takes full ownership in the play call and loss. Perhaps the craziest part about all of this is that the exact same thing had happened to Coach Cristobal before. Coach Cristobal was the head coach at Oregon in 2018 when they were winning by 3 against Stanford with the ball, chose not to kneel to secure the win, ran a play, fumbled, Stanford tied the game, and then Oregon lost in overtime.

Why would you not just take a knee and secure the win? I simply do not know. Did they not have Victory Formation in the playbook? I don’t know either. What I do know is that Georgia Tech is not very good, and Miami will likely now not have a chance in making the College Football Playoff. On ESPN’s “First Take” earlier I heard one of the people say not only will they not have a chance to make the College Football Playoff, but that play call also cost the school millions of dollars because of the money that comes from winning and being a College Football Playoff contender.

 If I were Miami’s athletic director, I was seriously consider firing Coach Cristobal. I would, at least have him on a short leash and tell him if you lose 2-3 more you are done. He should be undefeated right know, and that is the only reason I would most likely not fire him immediately.

In Search of the Next Best Book

by Adam Pelletier and Addison Thornton

Stephen King’s “Billy Summers” is a personal favorite of mine. This book is full of suspenseful, thrilling, and graphic scenes, and is very entertaining to read. It goes through many different emotions and King somehow still fits plenty of humor throughout the entire book as well. 

This book describes the life of a man named Billy Summers, who works as a hired assassin/killer, and is on his last job before he plans to retire. The job seemed awfully shady to him, but he decided to accept it anyways. The job, of course, does not go exactly as planned, leading to Billy’s mission getting more and more complicated. 

“Billy Summers” is one of King’s more recent novels, being released in 2021, and is personally one of his best novels that I have read. It was very easy for me to get into this book, as it’s more appealing to me than others. I would heavily recommend this book to anyone who is interested in crime, thrillers, suspense, or all of them combined.

Other books I would recommend by Stephen King:

  • The Institute
  • Joyland
  • Later
  • The Colorado Kid
    • The Langoliers
    • Thinner

Daughter of Sparta is an incredible novel by Claire Heywood. The novel is full of turmoil, war, love, and sorrow. The story switches point of views from the two daughters of Tyndareus, Helen and Clytemnestra. The famous tale of the Trojan War reimagined through the eyes of the two most important women of the war. 

The story begins with the sisters as kids and goes through their lives as princesses in ancient Greece. Eventually they are married off to King Agamemnon, ruler of Mycenae, and King Menelaus, ruler of Sparta. The marriages soon go sour, which leads Helen to make a world changing decision. 

Daughters of Sparta is a beautiful retelling of this timeless tale and takes a more feminist side of the story. The novel will definitely cause tears and a range of emotion, so fair warning to those who don’t want to read an emotional novel. I would highly recommend this novel to fans of mythological fiction and war.

Other books about or involving the Trojan War: 

  • A Thousand Ships- Natalie Haynes
  • Clytemnestra- Costanza Casati
  • The Song of Achilles- Madeline Miller
  • The Silence of the Girls- Pat Barker
  • Elektra- Jennifer Saint

For more book reviews, visit their website link below

https://addisonthornton.wixsite.com/digital-media-book-b

How good is DJ Uiagalelei?

by Clark Kinney

First of all, I am a Clemson fan and I may be a little bias. DJ Uiagalelei was the number one pro-style quarterback in his class coming out of high school, topping C.J. Stroud at number two who ended up being the number two overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He should be good right?

In his freshman year at Clemson he did not see much time on the field because we (Clemson) had Trevor Lawrence as a starter; however, when we traveled to Notre Dame for a huge matchup, Trevor Lawrence had Covid and could not play so Dabo gave DJ the start. The tigers lost this game in double overtime but DJ played well with 2 TDs and 439 yards passing. That was pretty much the extent of what we saw from DJ that year.

The next season rolled around and the next great Clemson starting quarterback was ready to go. Dabo was comparing him to Cam Newton with his running capabilities but even a better passer. We fell to Georgia first game of the year 10-3 and DJ had no touchdowns and a pick-six. The rest of the year was mediocre for the Tigers and especially for DJ but I still thought he would eventually be good. 

He started again the next year for Clemson in front of five-star Cade Klubnik but again just was not great but showed signs of being decent. I still thought he had some skill. My thoughts on his skill all changed when I went to the South Carolina vs. Clemson game last year. I had watched him play before in person but not as close as I did then because of where I was seated. I was right behind the Clemson bench where I could easily see all of our quarterbacks warming up. I am not kidding when I say this…he could not throw a spiral. It wasn’t just warmups either, it was the whole game. He would drop back to throw it to a receiver and just throw a duck like it was awful. Also, I am no expert but you would think since he was big he would run hard but no. He would try to juke out linebackers and then get tackled from behind . by a defensive linemen because he is slow and not quick at all. Dude you are not Johnny Manziel. You are 6’4’’ 250+ lbs., just use your size, lower your shoulder, and run them over. 

So, “How good is DJ Uiagalelei?” Not good. He cannot consistently throw a spiral or even use his size to his advantage. If he learns how to do those two things at Oregon State, he probably will be good but I don’t see that happening.

In Search of the Next Book

By: Adam Pelletier and Addison Thornton

Visit Adam and Addison’s website link below to read their latest book reviews based on what they have been reading.

This week they review The Langoliers by Stephen King and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

https://addisonthornton.wixsite.com/my-site-1

Can the Gamecocks turn it around?

By: Jones DesChamps

Will there ever be a point during this season that South Carolina will be over .500? 

Although South Carolina has continually obtained one of the most difficult schedules in college football over the last 3 seasons, South Carolina’s proven passing game and serviceable defense will guarantee their bowl eligibility this season. 

Carrying a 2-3 record into their bye week this week, South Carolina has impressed the nation with their explosive offense. Led by senior quarterback Spencer Rattler, this high powered offense has exploded in the passing game. Xavier Leggette, the star receiver for the Gamecocks, is currently 3rd in the conference in receiving yards and isn’t stopping anytime soon. Discovering a hidden gem in the running game, Dowell Loggains looks to Mario Anderson to light a fire in the ground attack. Not to be forgotten, Luke Doty, who was a highly regarded dual-threat quarterback in high school, has been used in different ways at tight end, as well. This flexible member of the offense has also provided a spark for the guys in garnet. 

Yes, this Carolina team has the weapons to win double digit games, but it all means nothing if they continue to play this arduous schedule… right? Wrong. There is good news for Gamecock fans. Coming off of their bye week, Carolina looks to host  a fraudulent Florida team who is 4-6 in their last 10 SEC games. Later in the season, they approach their easiest stretch of games  as they look to defeat Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M’s disappointing campaign. Following that, they play Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt, 2 notoriously bad football programs. They then host Kentucky and Clemson at Williams-Brice Stadium, a hostile environment for back-to-back rivalry games. 

Clearly, South Carolina and Shane Beamer has a chance to change their losing culture cultivated over the last few seasons. The true question is this: will their difficult schedule wreak havoc on their record once again? I don’t think so. The Gamecocks have something to prove this season, and with their backs against the wall, they will start throwing knockout punches to unexpected teams.

T&Bs Picks-College Football Week 5

In this distinguished series, you get a full view into the insightful minds of Tucker Burnette, Ben Reynolds, and this week’s special guest, Dylan Jones as they highlight the key college football games for each upcoming week. These three genius minds combine their impeccable football knowledge to form their picks for the important games on the gridiron. Each week, the two local games will be talked about, including the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers. Next, this intelligent team will discuss the college football featured game of the week including their strong opinions on the game ahead. Lastly but certainly not least, these analysts pick their “big dogs” for the week, which outlines the unexpected upsets and miracles that will shock the world on the field. This week, the entire crew had some different opinions when it came time to pick the winners of the chosen match ups. Check below to see the record for Tucker, Ben, and the record for the overall guest record before this week’s picks.

Records: Tucker- 7-4

    Ben- 8-3

    Guest- 7-4