KENTUCKY LEAVES SOUTH CAROLINA’S SEASON IN SHAMBLES
By FITSNEWS || For the second straight weekend, the University of South Carolina football team blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against an unranked opponent it should have beaten – this time surrendering 21 unanswered points in the final eight minutes on Saturday night against Kentucky.
The embarrassing 45-38 road loss to the Wildcats (4-1, 2-1 SEC) leaves head coach Steve Spurrier‘s Gamecocks reeling … with abysmal play-calling and atrocious quarterback play now compounding the team’s well-chronicled defensive struggles (which are likely to cost coordinator Lorenzo Ward his job).
Like it or not South Carolina fans … your “Shamecocks” are back.
Of course Spurrier can’t fire Ward after this debacle … not given the brain-dead play-calling his offense employed in the second half against the Wildcats, who won back-to-back SEC games for the first time in five years (and beat Spurrier for only the second time in 22 attempts).
Despite shredding the Kentucky defense for 283 rushing yards – averaging six yards a carry – Spurrier’s offense inexplicably attempted to throw its way to victory in the fourth quarter.
It didn’t work.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Dylan Thompson – whose well-chronicled struggles throwing the deep ball and telegraphing his passes proved fatal against the Wildcats – tossed a pair of interceptions on the Gamecocks’ final two drives of the game, one of which was returned by Kentucky defensive lineman Alvin Dupree six yards for the deciding touchdown.
Thompson also threw a critical interception late in the first half, ending a drive that could have put South Carolina up 24-14. Instead, the two teams entered their respective locker rooms tied 17-17.
Thompson finished the evening completing 23 of 37 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Why he was called upon to throw the football 37 times? We haven’t the foggiest of notions … especially in light of the way the Gamecock ground game excelled against the Wildcats.
South Carolina’s rushing attack was unstoppable against Kentucky, with junior Mike Davis racking up a career-high 183 yards on 23 carries (including three touchdowns). Junior Shon Carson added 37 yards and a touchdown, while junior Brandon Wilds and freshman David Williams also battered away effectively at the overmatched Wildcat defense.
But South Carolina couldn’t leave well enough alone … inexplicably deciding to stake the outcome of the game on Thompson’s right arm rather than grinding out the win via its stable of big, bruising backs.
The result? A soul-crushing loss that dropped South Carolina to 3-3 (2-3 SEC) on the season – and effectively ending any chance the Gamecocks may have had to reach the SEC championship game.
Last weekend against Missouri – before a similar fourth quarter collapse against the Tigers – it seemed as though South Carolina had shaken off its early-season woes.
But Ward’s defense – which took a step forward against Missouri (at least for the first three-and-a-half quarters) – was gashed by Kentucky for 447 yards.
Operating out of the Wildcat formation, tailback JoJo Kemp ran for a career-high 131 yards on seventeen carries – scoring three touchdowns (including a pair of pay dirt runs late in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 38 apiece). Gassed Gamecock defenders knew exactly what was coming and they still couldn’t stop it. Hell, even when Kemp himself was gassed himself he still ran right through them.
Six weeks ago a loss against Kentucky seemed unimaginable. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 9 in the nation and Spurrier was talking all sorts of trash to his rival coaches – while telling Gamecock fans Thompson was poised for a “big year.”
Now South Carolina fans are struggling to reacquaint themselves with a familiar mediocrity they thought they had finally shed for good …
Mercifully, the Gamecocks have next weekend off before beginning the second half of their season at home on October 18 against in-state rival Furman. After that, they go on the road against No. 5 Auburn.
117 comments
I’m a Spurrier apologist through and through, but God damn what the hell were they thinking?
Heh..it was only “soul crushing” to some of your readers. The rest of us laughed, while watching something we couldn’t believe would happen.
Kentucky..lol
lulz..Kentucky. I think they just scored again
That joke generally only works in blowouts…ours would be more like “I think USC just folded like a cheap suit again…”
Folded like a single Dixie plate at a church picnic, overloaded with macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, brown rice, string bean casserole, creamed corn,rolls etc…
Damn that sounds pretty delish. Can Liz do a review article on it?
TBg forgot to include the potato salad, deviled eggs, and fancy little pimento cheese and/or chicken salad sammiches that someone’s great aunt had quartered and cut the crust off of. All attempting to balance with one hand a and a few fingertips from the hand holding the Solo cup of sinfully sweet tea, as well as napkins and plastic utensils.
There. TBG has already written half of Liz’s article.
” . . .fried chicken, brown rice, string bean casserole, . . . .”
Do we eat brown rice down South?
Do we eat brown rice down South?
TBG, Southron as it gets, weighs in on white VS brown rice; while simultaneously referencing “Jose” Brown from the greatest baseball movie of all time, Long Gone:
[smacks lips]
Makes no difference…TBG eats ’em both.
” . . .TBG eats ’em both.”
So do I. Just wanted to make sure I was not going to be labeled a communist or something for admitting it . . . .
*just between us*
TBG likes red rice and yellow rice, also.
You COMPLETELY missed the baked beans. I’m not sure what to think of you.
You COMPLETELY missed the baked beans. I’m not sure what to think of you.
Let’s just agree that it was for the common good.
Relevant Blazing Saddles clip.
Fueling My Dreams Eating Beans and Greens
21 points in 8 mins. ouch
he who laughs in early Oct. at another team will be crying by Nov. about his own team.
Now Darkness, the tables have turned.
Enjoy your trip to Clemson this year.
Three words: good riddance Dylan
Dylan is still in the top 6 of SEC quarterbacks by the numbers. What do you suggest? Mitch hasn’t bought in to the program and Orth is a walkon. Dylan is all we have right now. Fire Ward!
Great, a QB coach and no QB’s? WTF
That’s what I’m hearing on the Gamecock boards, that Mitch isn’t on the same page as Spurrier and if Dylan goes down they would be better off running the wildcat every down.
Kensucky still sucks, Clemsuck still needs to fear the six-pack and we will rebuild. College football is all kinda fucked up this year. Right now I think I’ll pull for Arizona to win it all. Go Wildcats of the west.
Worst. Defense. Evar.
Fear a “6-pack”…yeah..ok. lulz.
You better hope the only QB left available in the stadium ( fuck, at 46 and 2 Clemson degrees I still have 4 years of eligibility) Cole Stoudt is the only one left.
“Kenshcky still sucks,” that’s funny, they still beat your ass! Bhahahaha
Do you think those that won think it “is all kinda fucked up this year”? I doubt it.
You forgot about being unable to spell SUCK without USC.
That was bad. The decision to stop running the ball, and the almost comical inability of the defense to tackle the QB, made for quite a debacle.
I went from defending SOS in the 3rd quarter with a buddy to wanting the entire staff gone by the end of the 4th. It’s time; the game has passed SOS by.
Half the team that play next weekend will get beat but not the Gamecocks.
Don’t know….If Open Date can keep it close until late in the fourth quarter, Sakerlina’s defense might fold like a rusty five year old beach chaise longue.
What the line in Vegas on USCe vs. Open Date ?
What the line in Vegas on USCe vs. Open Date ?
It’s holding steady at 0.0 points.
Over/under 0.0 points.
A few comments from the USC party where I watched this evening’s debacle:
1. We should go ahead and forfeit the rest of our SEC games and only practice to beat Clemson again from here on out (to make sure we don’t lose any players to injury).
2. Bench poor Thompson now and start working on some of next year’s guys….
3. Try to get the SC School for the Deaf and Blind on this year’s schedule as a substitution for Auburn.
4. Don’t fire Lorenzo Ward…shoot him in the leg and quietly replace him while he’s out on sick leave.
5. Watch the spread on the Furman game; there may be money to be made there if the line has the Gamecocks winning by more than a touchdown or so…
Although I am a longtime USC vet (undergrad and grad) I was laughing by the end of the game. You almost had to. It’s just football, for crying out loud. I was watching grown, professional, successful men throw shit around and scream like freakin’ ISIS was in the back yard beheading a neighbor or something. This season is shot- all we can hope for now is the sixth win over Clemson, and maybe we’ll beat Furman…
Your season was over last week; yesterday just put the period on that sentence.
Were I Lorenzo Ward, I’d be putting the house up for sale today. The market has softened a bit and it might take a while to sell.
Nah, I’m a realist; it was only “very probably over” last week. This week is what “OVER” looks like. You’re right about ol’ Lorenzo, though, I’m afraid. I hate that, but that’s the way it goes…
FITS says it’s Spurrier and the offense losing all these games. Are you rejecting the teachings of the MoRon-ordained Master?
It’s Obama’s fault. There feel better, GrandTango?
Mike has it dialed in. Where is commenter WHY?, when the media said SC would be 1st in the east, I said no way, they lost too much talent on both sides the ball. Why? said I was full of crap and there only loss would be to Auburn, the douchebag was dead wrong. I like the Gamecocks but you have to evaluate the talent loss and recruits coming in, some of the most talented recruits did not even qualify to get into school. Plus, look at the SEC teams on the rise after this weekend, all returning QB’s. I say the Gamecocks are probably 5-7, maybe 6-6. You have to stop a run up the middle.
You got it- facts are pesky things, as people say. Watching our defense stumble around on KY’s little delay runs up the middle was about the saddest spectacle in the SEC yesterday. Kemp was taking the snap, for crying out loud, and they still looked shocked when he scampered by…
We’re hurting for talent on O and D, and (although unlike most I am hesitant to second-guess a guy who’s made millions of dollars coaching football), one has to wonder who thought telling Thompson to continue throwing the ball was fantastic idea.
SC has lost Marcus, Melvin, Stephon, DJ, Ace, Alshon…..All kinds of heart-and-soul talent…and won 11 the next year. It’s crap to say you knew this year would be different, based on talent losses. Davis was back, Busta, Dylan had played well and the O-line was supposed to be dope. Wilds, Shaq make the offense very talented…
It’s the Dumb@$$ coaches on D, caught with their pants down…and clueless on how to coach. It’s Spurrier’s fault in that he let (trusted) Lo’ run the D.
I just don’t buy that excuse, after the fact.
It’s the Dumb@$$ coaches on D, caught with their pants down…
G A Mangus was an offensive coach!
Same coaches that coached last season, different players on the field up front and in the secondary, the coaches are the same, the players changed.
Yeah, as long as the defensive coaches had players recruited by competent coaches, they could at least slip by. And that’s what they did because of so much talent. But they have failed in recruiting, too. Thanks for pointing that out.
It’s the idiot that shields ADULT coaches form accountability for failure. The players are literally kids. To blame them is ignorant. But I see the stupid doing it all the time.
You bought it six weeks ago.
“Bench poor Thompson now and start working on some of next year’s guys….”
Rumor has it that Kentucky (or “Kin-Fucky” as they are known in some circles) put some KY Lubricant on the ball when it was handed over to USC for offense . . .
“This season is shot- all we can hope for now is the sixth win over Clemson, and maybe we’ll beat Furman…”
Wonder if the number 21 is going to appear on this website this afternoon?
“Grown professional,successful men throwing shit around……..”
Not surprised a bit – but what do you expect from grown,professional successful men from the great state of South Carolina?
I’ve got better things to do on Saturdays & Sundays than hang around with SUPPOSEDLY grown,professional, successful men throwing shit around over a damn ball game. Once it gets past high school football it is ALL about the money and nothing else.
Since the mid 1960’s college and professional football has become the bread and circus for the United States.
well said Mike and BTW im still throwing shit this AM here in Aiken County.
And I’m going to ride my “motorsikle” and stop for a beer and hamburger for lunch
won’t be throwing a thing except directing a cold MIller to my lips to wash an Ike’s special down my gullet!!!!!
Now you done gone and flung a cravin’ on me. Haven’t been to Ike’s in a while.
Ward should have been gone after game 2.
I watched some of the offensive blocking, looks like Thompson was throwing under pressure all night. Hard to be accurate when the hounds are upon you. Not saying he doesn’t need improvement, just an observation. (I know, Capt. O)
Yeah, there isn’t much hope for the rest of the season. “Rebuilding” is going to be the operative word for a while.
Taters will be able to break the streak this year.
Half the team that play next weekend will get beat but not the Gamecocks. You can be thankful they don’t play and speaking of play, it’s just a game.
Um, suppose it’s out of the question to still entertain those conference/national championship fanta___,uh, thoughts?
Erect an 80′ Fathead of your current coach…Fathead karma.
????what? No Clemson article this week! Unbelievable!
????what? No Clemson article this week! Unbelievable!
Clemson 41 (TBG was there!)
NCSU 0
Nothing. NOTHING!!! ZERO!!! NADA!! ZERO!!! ZILCH!!!! BEETCHEZ!
Will can’t find a female writer who graduated from Clemson and can also write about shoes, local bistros and coffee shops?
Nikki?
Betty Bee Holstein will make her debut next week covering ever thing Clempson with feature articles about the Fall foliage blomming in Dabos wifes(cousin) Greenhouse.
Nice little Decade of Success y’all have had there.
It’d be ashamed if something happened to it.
*Half decade
You so called fans should be ashamed of yourselves. These are young men who are trying but you treat them and their coaches like their your personal property.
You all believe the college football world is messed up because you are not winning. Well it’s not and the colllege football world could care less.
You gamecocks have a lot to learn. Stay
If they only could try as hard as Shaq Wilson.
They are being given free education, free room and board, free clothing, free books, they’re well compensated for the amount they produce. If they were employees many would have lost their jobs last night after weeks of being on probation. Bring back student-athletes, at least then they’ll have something to fall back on when their football career is over, being a Sociology or African-American studies dropout/graduate is meaningless in the real world.
The coaches are some of the highest paid employees in the state.
How about a shout out to my Tigers, boy?
Now South Carolina fans are struggling to reacquaint themselves with a familiar mediocrity they thought they had finally shed for good …
Don’t worry Sakerlina fans…it’s like riding a bicycle…
Also, Will, the word you were searching for was “suckitude”, not “mediocrity”.
They lack talent right now not coaching (which has not changed) esp. defensive line and QB.
How many of this predicted top 5 recruiting class decomitted last night? Any recruit who thinks Spurrier will be there for their entire college career is mistaken, Spurrier is there to pad his state retirement at this point. Which explains why his state salary went from $350,000 last year to $1,050,000 this year. Regardless of where the money came from, his SC funded retirement is based on this number. It’s based on the highest 12 quarters, Spurrier is trying to stick around for another 2 years then hit the golf courses where state taxpayers will be funding $200,000+ worth of greens fees rather than $60,000.
dumb comment. If there is one thing that does not needing “padding” right now it’s his retirement.
So if you were in his place you wouldn’t pad your retirement if you could? You’d just say, “I have enough”, you wouldn’t guarantee yourself another $150,000/year for doing nothing but successfully waking up each morning? That would be a “dumb comment”.
What is it you are not getting about “not needing “padding” right now it’s his retirement”? He is 69 and has made millions a year and who-knows-what from endorsements and I am willing to wager he has not squandered it. Any more dumb comments?
What do you not get about money management? If you can make $200k, would you settle for making $60k for the same effort?
The only dumb comments are coming from you.
Some of us do not need to work for money. I do not, he does not. He can and will quit any time he wants. That is what you don’t get dumbass. That is also all my time you get.
“Some of us do not need to work for money”
T-Rav is that you?
What flavor cookie would you like today?
Chocolate cream puff. And the lawn needs mowing so stick around.
Nope, thats where I draw the line. Ill bring you a cookie but I dont mow lawns.
PRO TIP:
You can never be *too* rich.
I doubt you would say that with more limited time at age 69. The dumb comments continue.
You realise that SOS doesn’t really have to “do” anything he doesn’t want to. The worst they can do is fire him. Work is a lot easier when you can come and go as you please and don’t need the money.
They’d stop if you quit posting.
Fools post dumb comments. It is what they do. They will not stop. Another difficult concept for you?
Maybe FITSNEWS should throw down the gauntlet and CHALLENGE the HBC again?
Look for Vinny Sheheen to demand that all “Gamecocks” references be removed from public discourse or you will be fined.
I think it’s pretty obvious, they Clemsoned…….two weeks in a row!
USC needs to hire Nikki Haley to clean this mess up.She is a fixer of problems.
She’ll hire another “rock star” to turn it around….
The game has past Spurrier. At this point he’s only in it for the paycheck… and his two son’s paychecks. If he leaves they’re both unemployed.
I don’t think money is a concern to the Spurrier family.
Then why can’t they find employment anywhere else? Is Jr. good enough to make $300k – $400k, is Scooter good enough at whatever he does to make $60k straight out of school? The only reason either are employed by USC is purely based on their last name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOnWIor17sw
Squishy, if Dabo could hire his relatives would that be OK? Several football coaches have relatives on their staff, this is nothing new.
LMAO….FITS doubling-down on the ignorance…
It’s the offense’s fault? —-REALLY???….Are you trying to play a Dumb@$$…or are you really THAT freakin’ stupid?
If you FITS @$$-kissers really want to know the extent of his incompetence as a though-leader, read this above. FITS is delusional. And it’s all because of his hatred of power, not beholding to him. It’s the same irrational delusion he attacks Haley with. It’s flaws at is base and why FITS fails so much in predicting outcomes.
Go over the SCPSD if you want to see a touch of reality, and accurate analysis. FITS will make you more brain-dead by reading it.
Lol. You tell ’em coach, Rick Perry.
Perry is Gov. of the most PROSPEROUS state in a country that is otherwise in miserable economic shape. You gave us Obama, DUMB-A$$…Need I say any more?
I’ll take what is oil profits for $1,000 Alex.
Give me Keystone Pipeline for the Daily Double, Alex.
I’ll take what is oil profits for $1,000 Alex.
BRANTON!
Git in heyah, boy!
Yeah, but Perry’s not President, is he, Great Seer? Why the fuck should anyone think you know football, much less read more at your blog? You’re one big laugh.
I just supported Perry, and any other Republican against your lord-god Obama. If you don’t think I was right…you are a big FREAKIN Dumb@$$…
As for the mythology you idiots live under, I can’t “speak to” (I know liberal-ese) that.
Short-Term Memeory, Buddy? You predicted WHOM was going to be President?? You can’t remember?? My mind goes in and out sometimes, too…
Show me the link.
I read enough of his crap, here. Why in the heck would I want to subject myself to more of his inaneness.
Please go away & quit shilling for your crappy blog.
Chicken Curse is back at SUC.
Don’t worry.They’re rebuilding,There will be new and better slaves to take their place.
In 36 years of living in Lexington, I never attended a Wildcats game — Stoll Field, Memorial Colosseum, Rupp Arena — but the comments here are sure entertaining.
Y’all ain’t doing to good against “agricultural” schools or those that have feline mascots.
Just sayin……
Texas A&M, Missouri and Kentucky are all Land-grant colleges or universities.
South Carolina also plays Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Clemson. All Land-grant schools.
Better recheck that Georgia thing…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Georgia
Yeah. You’re right. Georgia and Tennessee were founded long before Land-grant legislation was passed. 1785 and 1794 respectively. All the others were less than a decade old or founded after the first legislation was passed in 1862.
Clemson is one of two teams with two loses in the coaches poll at 25th.
Chicken Curse BACK IN DA HOUSE!
“You missed me?”
— CC
UPI poll:
Clemson #25
Looks for Sakerlina in the “Others Receiving Votes” section…
Nope. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.
It looks like ebola guy isn’t going to make it.
Nope. I also don’t believe it’s the last we’ll hear about it in the U.S.
Y’all don’t get all upset. This is simply the world returning to its axis and the planets have realigned. Hope y’all enjoyed your taste of winning and being relevant for a few years. Things will be back to normal in no time. Remember, there is “always next year”.
But….but….but they just gave Spurrier a RAISE!
Who were the dumb asses that ranked this team in the top ten before the start of the season?