Sports

Who’s No. 1!

The University of South Carolina football team pulled off the biggest win in school history on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium – upsetting defending national champion Alabama 35-21. The win was the Gamecocks’ first-ever victory over a top-ranked team – and was easily the biggest win of Steve Spurrier’s six-year stint…

The University of South Carolina football team pulled off the biggest win in school history on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium – upsetting defending national champion Alabama 35-21.

The win was the Gamecocks’ first-ever victory over a top-ranked team – and was easily the biggest win of Steve Spurrier’s six-year stint in Columbia, S.C.

“I think that this game was meant to be,” Spurrier said. “Our guys played their hearts out, a lot of outstanding individual plays and we held on and got a few breaks here and there.”

Alabama got some breaks, too, but the Tide couldn’t take advantage of them – and as a result lost for the first time since the Sugar Bowl after the 2008 season (a nineteen-game streak) and for the first time in the regular season since 2007 (a twenty-nine game streak).

The Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1 SEC) stormed out front early, taking a 21-3 lead over the Tide in the game’s first sixteen minutes. That lead was due in no small part to the stellar play of quarterback Stephen Garcia – who had the game of his career against the best defense in the SEC. In the first half alone, Garcia completed all nine passes he attempted for 94 yards and three touchdowns – two of them to sophomore Alshon Jeffery, the SEC’s leading wide receiver.

Not bad for a quarterback who was yanked from his last start.

Garcia finished the game completing 17 of 20 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted once, but the pick came on a perfectly-thrown ball that Jeffery bobbled.

That was the only turnover USC committed after giving the ball up four times two weeks ago against Auburn.

South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia celebrates the biggest win in school history.

Garcia did it with his legs, too, picking up a critical fourth-down conversion in the first quarter by spinning out of an inside run and breaking down the left sideline for a seven-yard gain and USC”s first fourth-down conversion of the 2010 season. On the very next play, Garcia stood in the pocket and hit Jeffery for a 26-yard touchdown pass and a 14-3 lead. After USC’s defense forced a fumble on Alabama’s next possession, Garcia and Jeffery teamed up for a 15-yard strike that put the Gamecocks up 21-3.

“Stephen Garcia played the best he’s ever played,” Spurrier said. “That was Stephen’s best game by far that he has played here at South Carolina.”

Jeffery hauled in 7 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns – giving him his fifth 100-yard game of the year and putting him at 625 receiving yards for the season.

While Garcia and Jeffery were busy getting it done through the air, South Carolina got another solid game on the ground from true freshman running back Marcus Lattimore.  After being held to a career-low 33 yards two weeks ago against Auburn, Lattimore picked up 94 yards on 23 carries and a pair of touchdowns against ‘Bama. He also caught two passes for 16 yards  – including one for USC’s first score.

Lattimore would have likely gone over 100 yards against the Tide (becoming the first player in more than three years to accomplish that feat) but he missed the majority of the third quarter after falling awkwardly. His backup, senior Brian Maddox, picked up 26 yards on five carries in his stead.

“We had a great game plan coming in,” Lattimore said. “I knew after watching the film that the plays we worked on would work and they did.”

Of course the story of the game wasn’t what South Carolina’s running backs did – it was what Alabama’s running backs didn’t do.

Defending Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson – a.k.a. “The Fast and the Furious” – seemed primed for a career day against the Gamecock defense, which was gashed two weeks ago for 334 rushing yards. In his first three games back from a knee injury, Ingram had rushed for 355 yards and six touchdowns. Richardson, meanwhile, had rushed for 419 yards and four scores.

So … how did the pair fare on Saturday?

Not well at all … Ingram picked up just 41 yards on 11 carries while Richardson was held to only 23 yards on 6 rushing attempts. Neither scored a touchdown, either. That’s a far cry from a year ago in Tuscaloosa when Ingram rushed for a career-high 246 yards – a game that helped stake his claim to Alabama’s first-ever Heisman Trophy award.

In addition to holding Ingram and Richardson in check, South Carolina’s defense registered seven sacks on senior quarterback Greg McElroy – who lost for the first time as a starting quarterback at either the high school or college level.

“People talked about how dominating their (Alabama’s) offensive line was,” said USC defensive lineman Melvin Ingram, who had two of USC’s seven sacks. “We just wanted to accept the challenge and go out and show how dominating we are.”

McElroy finished the game completing 27 of 34 passes for a career-high 315 yards, but he repeatedly struggled to find open men against a smothering Gamecock secondary.

Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) just couldn’t stop the Gamecocks when it counted – and the Tide couldn’t capitalize even when it appeared that the Gamecocks were wearing down and on the verge of giving the game away.

For example, after a touchdown pass from McElroy to wide receiver Julio Jones trimmed the Gamecock lead to 21-9 late in the first half, USC opened the second stanza with a miscue that had many Carolina fans thinking “Chicken Curse” – a reference to the program’s all-too predictable bad luck. On the very first play of the second half, Garcia bobbled a hot snap from center T.J. Johnson and was forced to throw the ball through the end zone for a safety.

“Once I saw the ball bounce I wasn’t sure if there was somebody behind me and I didn’t want to fumble, so I just threw it out the back of the end zone,” Garcia said. “I think I hit the goal post. They said that was my first incompletion of the game, but oh well.”

Alabama scored a field goal eight plays later to make it a 21-14 game – with the momentum having clearly shifted to the defending champs.

But that’s when South Carolina embarked on perhaps the greatest drive in the history of the program – a bruising 15-play, 82-yard masterpiece that took eight minutes off of the clock and ended with a 1-yard Marcus Lattimore touchdown.

That clutch drive – which may have ended the “Chicken Curse” once and for all – put USC ahead 28-14.

The game still wasn’t over, though, as a missed assignment in USC’s defensive secondary on the very first play of the fourth quarter led to a 51-yard touchdown pass from McElroy to junior wide receiver Darius Hanks.

After getting the ball back off of a USC turnover, the defending national champions once again seemed destined to pull off the comeback – but a dropped pass on a fake field goal attempt proved to be their undoing.

The Gamecocks took possession on their own 26-yard line and proceeded to march 74 yards in 10 plays – another clutch drive capped by a Lattimore touchdown.

“It’s not like we just lost. They beat us,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “They out-executed us. They played better than we played. They played with more intensity. They played physical.”

With the win, South Carolina is the first program in NCAA history to upset three No. 1’s in a single calendar year. Back in January, USC knocked off undefeated and No. 1 Kentucky in men’s basketball, while the baseball team defeated Arizona State this summer en route to its first-ever College World Series championship.

South  Carolina previously lost to No. 1 Maryland in 1955, No. 1 Florida State in 1991, No. 1 Florida (then coached by Steve Spurrier) in 1996 and again to top-ranked Florida a year ago. The highest-ranked team ever defeated by USC prior to Saturday’s game was the 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels, who were ranked third in the nation at the time.

WEB EXTRAS
USC-Alabama Pics
USC-Alabama Stats (.pdf)
USC-Alabama Quotes

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15 comments

countryboy October 9, 2010 at 8:17 pm

And tied for the lead in the SEC East.

May Day October 9, 2010 at 8:38 pm

Go Gamecocks!
1- Ky in Bktball
2- Az St and Natl Champ. in baseball
3- Alabama in fball
4- Mulvaney in Nov.
5- Sheheen in Nov.
6- Pelosi out in Nov. as speaker
7- Dems. need change of britches in Nov.

What a great year.

Alphonse October 9, 2010 at 9:11 pm

F the Chicken Curse!

Jeffy01 October 9, 2010 at 9:56 pm

Whew! Thank goodness we don’t have to play in chapel hill!

snakeMD October 10, 2010 at 1:29 am

Jackie Gleason: “How sweet it is……!”

Jackie October 10, 2010 at 7:06 am

GARCIA FOR GOVERNOR!

SomeGuy October 10, 2010 at 11:43 am

Garcia was on game but this was a rare team effort afforded the South Carolina faithful, so let’s do it again… Bravo Gamecocks, you have made us all so proud!

sunnyvaleboy October 10, 2010 at 12:30 pm

Great game Steve! You are allowed an extra round of 18 this week.

NoName October 10, 2010 at 3:10 pm

Amen on fuck the curse….it ended in Omaha and the Clemson nation is on suicide watch….they worship and whisper about the curse over in Clemson constantly …..always in recruiting ….and the tailgate chatter before that Tiger team lost to a team missing ten good players and no doubt some spirit due violations was that the “curse” would be back and that Clemson would beat up the Tarholes.

Well USC just beat the number one….in the number one conference….decidely…..

The only thing I am waiting for is how the Tigers are going to start bringing up how to replace Dabo…..because if Clemson loses against USC on Thanksgiving….making it two in a row and if USC goes through to some good off season….at the moment Clemson has not won a game…as both opponents are not recognized as actually college football programs….then Clemson folks will look at another long winter of listening to USC fans and they will not put up with that.

Send Spurrier a donation to put a private USC oriented protective detail around Garcia….surely the Clemson agents on the USC University police force and around Columbia will go into overtime to destroy the program that way.

CNSYD October 10, 2010 at 5:30 pm

Jeffy01, what you really should be thankful for is that Navy is not on the schedule. BTW, thanks for beating Bama. Finescum, et al had already annoited Saban as a saint. Most Bama fans, as is true with Notre Dame, have never darkened the doorway of any college classroom much less either of those schools. Can’t wait to hear Finescum’s spin.

Jeffy01 October 11, 2010 at 10:09 am

Finescum is a hack and his opinion is irrelevant. Speaking of irrelevevant whats up with Moo U Offense? Taj Boyd must really really suck.
Bitter Kitty…you love old history. Live in the present bro. By the way Sagarin has Clemtucky ranked at 103 and your strength of schedule at 84! Nice. ACC rocks.
( I know, I know…your team won a national chapionship 30 years ago. I got it. Thats awesome.)
Basball season is right around the corner!

CNSYD October 11, 2010 at 3:33 pm

Jeffy01, you (and other cocks) have not explained to me where than line between past and present is drawn. I would have thought it was a straight line but when cocks draw it there are lots of curves. I have not, however, gotten any cocks to explain to me where the line is in basketball except that they all want to talk about McQuire. Now when it is football they want to ignore Woods, Scott and Holtz.

Jeffy01 October 11, 2010 at 3:39 pm

Weare average-ish in basketball (except when we beat the #1 team). We are a baseball school in the best football conference in the country.
Lets just say the last 12 months is a good definition of “recent history”. We have no need to talk about the past. The present is pretty amazing!!!!

CNSYD October 11, 2010 at 5:29 pm

NoName, you might want to keep an eye on what’s happening at UNC. Austin has been thrown off the team. Two other stars (Quinn and Little) have been ruled permanently ineligible. This is a result of the agent deal. Now how does that affect usc east? Don’t forget your boy was right there with them. Some of this stuff may stick on you. Oh, you say, he has already been dismissed from the team. True, but when the rocks start getting turned over there is no telling what will come to light. Your biggest fear should be of a charge of “lack of institutional control”. Just like the old Watergate question. What did coaches and/or officials know and when did they know it? Also NCAA attorneys love to use the trial lawyer language also. Either you knew or you should have known.

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