Rocky Toppled
South Carolina beat Tennessee for only the fourth time ever tonight at Williams-Brice Stadium, a defensive-minded 27-6 win that makes the Gamecocks bowl-eligible for the fourth season in a row.
For the down-and-out Volunteers, the loss could very well be the tipping point for embattled head coach Phillip Fulmer, whose team fell to 3-6 on the year and just 1-5 in Southeastern Conference games.
As has been the case all season, a dominant defensive performance and strong special teams play bailed out head coach Steve Spurrier’s mostly “off-again” offense, as Stoney Woodson picked off an errant Nick Stephens’ pass and raced sixty-eight yards for a defensive touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
The defense also set up another Gamecock touchdown in the second quarter when Captain Munnerlyn returned a fumble 38 yards to the Tennessee four-yard line. On the very next play, USC quarterback Stephen Garcia hit wide receiver Kenny McKinley for a touchdown, part of a 9 for 19, 139-yard passing night for the redshirt freshman that included two touchdowns and one interception.
Garcia was forced from the game with a leg injury in the third quarter, however, and amazingly it wasn’t because he got hit by one of the officials (although the same umpire who popped Garcia in the LSU game was on the field tonight as well).
Instead, the refs found other ways to screw with the Gamecocks – badly botching a ball spot on a Tennessee drive early in the game and failing to call an obvious offsides penalty on the Vols on the same play on which Garcia was injured.
Former starter Chris Smelley stepped in at quarterback for Garcia and struggled to move the offense during the second half. Of course, it was obvious by then that head coach Steve Spurrier was going to play it incredibly safe given his team’s lead and the stellar effort being put forth by coach Ellis Johnson’s SEC-leading defense.
Comments
By Rob W. on November 2nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
I love Spurrier’s quote about what went wrong in the game: “Our biggest problem is blocking and running and throwing and catching on offense.”
By Joseph Reynolds on November 3rd, 2008 at 10:48 am
Please note Spurrier also said we could have scored a lot more points..
but he chose to play very conservative;y. I can assure you that even with the anemic running game and poor offensive line play, we could have run a far better scheme than Davis right..Davis left..davis up the middle and punt..
but why? Spurrier knew we had won the game, so lets leave what little suprise might exist in our running game hidden for a game that it might be needed..
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