Tag: SEC

South Carolina Gamecocks vs Texas Longhorns Basketball game

By: Knox Buxton

On Saturday South Carolina played against Texas in an SEC matchup. South Carolina went into the game 0-13 in conference play and 10-16 overall. I thought South Carolina was going to get killed by Texas because of the way their season has gone so far. To be honest, the only reason I went to the game was to see Texas’s freshman star, Tre Johnson. Tre Johnson is a projected top 10 pick in this year’s NBA draft and the latest mock draft has him going at 6th overall. It is also always fun to watch Collin Murray-Boyles play for South Carolina and he is also a projected lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft. Murray-Boyles is projected to go at 13th in the latest 2025 NBA mock draft. Carolina got hot to start the game and came out and got a lead on Texas. Texas could not get anything going on offense because South Carolina was playing great defense to start the game. Jahmarii Thomas started off gaurding Tre Johnson and was doing a really good job on him. Texas’s offense runs through Tre Johnson so since they couldn’t get him going, it was looking good for South Carolina. Collin Murray-Boyles got off to a hot start for Carolina as he had a couple and one’s and altered texas’s shots at the rim. Carolina stayed hot and went into halftime up 40-22. Johnson had 9 points at the half and it seemed like no one else could score the ball for the longhorns. To start the second half it was more of the same, Carolina went up by twenty and the game seemed like it was just about over. With just under 10 minutes left in the game Texas started force feeding Tre Johnson and he got hot. To go along with johnson scoring the ball at will, Texas broke out a press which seemed to work on Carolina for a little while. It looked like Texas was about to make a comeback with around five minutes left to play but then South Carolina pulled away and won the game 84-69. I enjoyed watching South Carolina get their first win in conference play and seeing Collin Murray-Boyles go for 22 points and 10 rebounds. It was also fun to watch Tre Johnson score the ball at will and seeing Texas’s whole offense run through him. Johnson finished with 29 points and hit some tough shots. That game looked to me like Carolina’s best all around game in SEC play because they played hard defense and were scoring the ball better than they usually do. Even though this season has been pretty painful to watch for Carolina, I enjoyed watching them surprise Texas.

Who Will Win the CFP?

By: Henry Jones

This year, with the introduction of the twelve team playoffs, the race to the beloved National Championship is more exciting than ever. The favorites to win right now are Oregon and Ohio State. They each have a sixteen percent chance to win. While this isn’t very high, it adds a sense of suspense between the race. Other teams like Clemson, Arizona State, and SMU are seen as dark horses to make a run. This new playoff format is almost comparable to College Basketball during March Madness. Meaning that any team has a chance to upset anybody because all of these teams have very strong teams. A team I am looking forward to making it all the way to the chip are the Boise State Broncos. With their stud running back, Ashton Jeanty, and their strong fanbase I believe they have a chance to go all the way. The only doubt I have is whenever they go against an extremely strong defense such as Oregon or Georgia. Each team has a very elite run defense and it will be interesting to see how Boise State’s run heavy offense performs against us. Another thing that may prove to be a problem is their quarterback. Maddox Madsen is a very mid level quarterback who piggybacks off of Jeanty all season long. Another matchup I will be waiting to watch is Arizona State versus Penn State. Penn State is one of the most overrated teams every year and I will be watching to see how they try to stop Arizona State’s breakout star running back Cam Skatebbo. To end, in my opinion I think that if Carson Beck stays out of the quarterback position and their stud sophomore backup stays in the game, there is no team that will beat a locked in Georgia team.

Why Lanorris Sellers may not be the Gamecocks Best Fit

By: Ford Wilder

To begin, the South Carolina Gamecocks are off to an okay start to the 2024 season.

They are 3-2 and their two losses have come to top fifteen-ranked SEC opponents LSU and Ole Miss. The Gamecocks are looking to at least become bowl-eligible and finish the season off strong. This will be tough though because they have a very tough October slate of games. They will face ranked SEC opponents Alabama, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. To go along with that the Gamecocks defense looks quite strong, and is playing well. The problem is the offense.

The South Carolina offense has been led by Lanorris Sellers thus far who has shown great glimpses of what he can be, but also poor moments setting the offense back. Sellers has been productive on the ground game with 55 carries for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. Where he has struggled though is in the pass game. Through four games he has completed 49 passes of 85 attempts with 555 yards,2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. This combines for a QBR of 43.4 which is 96th in the country. This struggle in the pass game has set the Gamecocks offense back tremendously causing them to only put up 3 points versus Ole Miss. To give Lanorris the benefit of the doubt the receiving core and offensive line have been sort of lackluster but this does not excuse the poor decisions and throws he has made consistently throughout the year. His lack of experience is showing against fast and physical SEC defenses. If this continues it may be time for the Gamecocks to look for a change.

Adjacently, this is where Robby Ashford comes into play. Ashford transferred to USC this year after playing at Auburn the previous years. Ashford has SEC starting experience under the Tigers and showed his great dual threat capabilities there where he rushed for 710 yards and 7 touchdowns at Auburn in 2022 and also threw for 9 touchdowns. Ashford has started one game this season for the Gamecocks this year against Akromn after Sellers suffered an ankle sprain against LSU. Akron may not be the greatest opponent but Ashford used this opportunity and showed out. He completed 15 of 21 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for an additional 133 rushing yards and a touchdown. This performance showed many that Ashford may be an option looking ahead for the Gamecocks.

Furthermore, Sellers is considered to be the future of USC as he is just a sophomore compared to Ashford being a senior. This may be true and all but if the Gamecocks want to win right now in the SEC; I believe they should consider starting Ashford due to his experience, and the capabilities he has shown thus far.

Does Alabama have a real chance to beat Georgia in the SEC championship this week?

by: Clark Kinney

It seems year in and year out Alabama always seems to wiggle themselves into the playoff picture no matter the team they have and this year is no different. Despite some early quarterback questions and a loss to Texas in the second game of their season, Bama is coming hot into the SEC championship vs. Georgia. Georgia is the back to back national champions and are undefeated so far this season but some believe they are not as good as they have been. This is looking like it could be a very good matchup. 

Jalen Milroe, the Alabama quarterback, has been looking very good in his past few games. Some people have questioned his pocket presence and arm talent, but he has shined throwing and running as of late. Milroe can flatout fly and has been running all over SEC defenses week in and week out. Alabama complements an extremely athletic quarterback with a crazy receiving core featuring Ja’Corey Brooks, Jermaine Burton, and Kobe Prentice to name a few. Bama also has a very good defense and have held opponents to just about 313 yards of offense per game which is very good considering their tough SEC schedule filled with high powered offenses. 

On the other hand, the Georgia Bulldogs are just flat out good. As mentioned before, Georgia is unbeaten so far this season and have only lost one game in the past 3 years. However, Georgia lost almost all of their starting defensive players to the draft along with their starting quarterback, Stetson Bennet IV. Despite the losses, the Dawgs have looked good and have had some key wins over solid opponents including a 30-21 victory over 9th ranked Missouri, a 38-10 victory over Tennessee, and a crushing 52-17 victory over 11th ranked Mississippi. Their offense is good with Alabama transfer Carson Beck at quarterback and almost a guaranteed future first round pick Brock Bowers at tight end. Along with everything else, their defense is good too allowing an average of just 294 yards of offense per game which tops Alabama’s defense. 

Even though Georgia is very, very good and have been for a while now, I just think it is so hard to bet against Alabama even though they are likely the underdogs. Also, Alabama’s coach Nick Saban is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Georgia’s coach Kirby Smart is a former assistant coach of Saban and Saban has a whopping 28-3 record against his former assistants. So, do I think Alabama has a real chance to beat Georgia in the SEC championship this week? Yes, and I think they will beat them. 

Texas A&M kicks off 2023 Coaching Carousel.

by: Jones DesChamps

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, another college football coach is out of a job. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M’s head ball coach, has been let go.. Although his buyout is over 77 million dollars, Texas A&M buried their wallet and decided to let their fraudulent coach walk. Jimbo, who has recruited at the highest level, has not produced the lopsided records that his university was hoping for. Due to his underwhelming performances, Texas A&M decided to explore their other options. However the question still remains; who does this prestigious university look to hire next? 

The first realistic candidate for this high-paying job would be Dan Lanning. Simply put, Texas A&M is a better coaching job than Oregon is. Yes, Lanning has over-achieved at Oregon, but his efforts would be more fruitful at the higher level of SEC football. The timing would be difficult in the landing of this highly valuable coach, but if time is money then A&M has plenty of time to offer. Lanning is only in his second year at Oregon, but his success should grant him an offer at this job. 

Secondly, sticking to their guns, Texas A&M should look after a veteran coach. That coach could be Mike Elko. Clearly, football is not the top priority at Duke University. Elko, if he were offered, would certainly jump on the bandwagon to take over the job with the Aggies. Elko, who has little to no recruiting impact, could completely change this irrelevant reputation if put in the right situation. Not to mention, the Blue Devil’s head coach made his claim to fame as the defensive coordinator at A&M. His history with this university may prove vital in landing this job. 

Lastly, but certainly not least, would be the most interesting candidate, Lane Kiffin. No one controls Coach Kiffin. Every offseason, Kiffin is rumored to leave his position at Ole Miss and nowhere would be a better fit than Texas A&M. A&M is just a higher paying, more prestigious job than he has. His success as a Rebel has earned himself respect and recognition as one of the most explosive and high powered coaches in the country, and that’s exactly what the Aggies need. Kiffin would be the perfect coach to break through the barriers using A&M’s resources, so if the Aggies send an offer his way, do not be surprised to see this off-the-wall coach accept this offer. 

Obviously, there are plenty of worthy candidates for this job, but who will the Aggies offer? Will it be one of these possible options, or will the Aggies find someone different? Only time will tell.

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.