Tag: Gamecocks

Should South Carolina really have celebrated their nail biting win over Jacksonville State?

By Clark Kinney

Last Saturday, the Gamecocks of South Carolina payed the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State a reported $1.3 million to come play them at Williams Brice Stadium. Now, normally when big SEC schools pay much smaller D1 schools to play them, they usually smoke them and send the home with a check, but Saturday was not the case.

It was a very close game and was tied 28-28 after 3 quarters. With around 2-3 minutes left in the game, Jacksonville State only down by 3 and was threatening to score. However, a bad decision from the Jax State quarterback led to a pick-six and sealed the win for South Carolina, 38-28.

In the press conference after the game, South Carolina head coach said, “we are going to celebrate the heck out of this game.” This statement by Beamer did not seem to excite many fans. The fans believe South Carolina did not play very well at all and could have lost the game to Jacksonville State who they believe South Carolina should have smoked. I do see where these fans are coming from but they just need to realize that South Carolina is simply not very good at football this year. I think Beamer did a good job on implying that no matter the opponent, we fought and found a way to win and that should be celebrated because celebrations do not happen that often this year and that is just the way it is and we are trying to do better. I also like the positivity from Beamer and I’m sure the players do too because I have played for positive and negative coaches and I always like the positive ones more and so do their players.

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.