South Carolina tops Georgia in SEC Opener

Melvin Ingram had never scored a touchdown in his career as a Gamecock.

Saturday, he found the end zone two different times.

The No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0) (1-0) defeated the Georgia Bulldogs (0-2) (0-1) 45-42 in a classic SEC thriller in Athens, Ga.

After Carolina punted on their first two possessions, Georgia was able to draw first blood against the Gamecocks.

Freshman RB Isiah Crowell, who finished his SEC debut with 16 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown, busted off 15 and 28 yard gains in consecutive runs to start the Bulldog drive.  Two Richard Samuels runs and an incomplete pass later, the Georgia offense was forced to settle for a 37-yard FG from PK Blair Walsh to make it 3-0.

Carolina's 3rd drive ended abruptly after an ill-advised throw for 5th-year senior QB Stephen Garcia was intercepted by UGA defensive standout Bacarri Rambo, leaving the Bulldogs with great field position, and an opportunity to widen their lead.

Again, Isiah Crowell would lead Georgia into Gamecock territory where the drive would eventually stall and Walsh connected on a 39-yard kick to increase the lead to 6-0.

After another Carolina punt, the Bulldogs moved the ball back into field goal range for Walsh, where he missed a 33-yard kick that could have put Georgia up 9-0.

The Gamecocks were able to get on the board after the two teams traded punts once again.

Stephen Garcia hit Junior wide-out Alshon Jeffery on a 34-yard touchdown connection after a broken play forced Garcia to roll out, putting the Gamecocks up 7-6.

"It was just a scramble play," said Jeffery about the Gamecocks' first score.  "When the quarterback rolls out, coach Spurrier just tells up 'go deep'."

Georgia answered back with a big play of their own when QB Aaron Murray hooked up with a wide-open Rantavious Wooten to put the Bulldogs back on top 13-7.

Melvin Ingram then made his entrance.

After the Gamecocks stalled yet again, they lined up to punt from their own 32-yard line.  The snap went directly to Ingram who rumbled 68-yards to pay dirt to put the Gamecocks on top 14-13, where the lead would hold until halftime.

"We had it in the playbook all year," Ingram said. "We called it a couple times earlier in the game but it wasn't on so we didn't run it. This is another stepping stone. We're trying to get better every week."

The Bulldogs climbed back on top 20-14 when Isiah Crowell caught a 23-yard pass and later a 17-yard pass from Aaron Murray for a touchdown.

Carolina was able to use a couple big defensive plays to turn the momentum in their favor.  On the Bulldogs' next possession, Isiah Crowell fumbled at the South Carolina 39-yard line where CB Stephon Gilmore picked it up and weaved his way 56 yards inside the Georgia 10 to the 5-yard line.  Two plays later, Garcia scrambled into the end zone to make it 21-20 Carolina.

On the next possession, Antonio Allen picked off Aaron Murray and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to widen the gap to 28-20.  Allen has scored a defensive touchdown in his last three games (at Clemson, vs. ECU, at Georgia).

Aaron Murray connected with Michael Bennett for a touchdown and then tied the game with a two-point conversion pass to Tavarres King, but a Jay Wooten 49-yard FG put the Gamecocks up 31-28.

Georgia continued to answer back, this time with Crowell's 15-yard touchdown to give the 'Dogs a 35-31 advantage, but Marcus Lattimore, who finished the game with 27 carries for 176 yards, scored his only touchdown with 3:28 left to give Carolina the lead for good.

Freshman defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney put the proverbial "nail in the coffin" when he sacked Aaron Murray and knocked the ball loose giving Melvin Ingram the opportunity to scoop and score his second touchdown of the afternoon.

A late Aaron Murray touchdown pass to King made the score 45-42 where it would become final.

The now No. 11 South Carolina Gamecocks will face the option attack of the Navy Midshipmen this Saturday in USC's 2011 home opener at 6 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

The Post & Cocky Predictions: Week 2

It's Week 2 of the 2011 college football season and the Post & Cocky Predictions are back at it again.  This week we feature special guest predictor Patrick Mace! Let us know what you think!

Week 1 Results
1. Joseph (4-2)
T2. Ryan (3-3)
T2. Jeremy (3-3)

                                               Joe               Ryan               Jeremy           Pat

Mizzou at Arizona St.          ASU               ASU                  ASU             ASU


Miss St. at Auburn              MSU              MSU                 MSU             MSU


Cincinnati at Tennessee     Tenn             Tenn                  Tenn            Cincy


Notre Dame at Michigan     Mich              ND                    Mich             Mich


South Carolina at UGA      UGA              USC                  USC              USC

South Carolina at Georgia Preview

Click Here for The Post & Cocky Preview Show: South Carolina at Georgia

It seems like just yesterday that freshman phenom Marcus Lattimore was bursting onto the SEC scene with 37 carries for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the Gamecocks 17-6 win over Georgia last September.

Now, with both #12 South Carolina (1-0) and Georgia (0-1) eying the SEC Eastern Division Crown once again, the 'Dogs will look for revenge this Saturday "between the hedges" in Athens.

South Carolina and Georgia will kickoff their annual border showdown at 4:30 pm ET on ESPN and ESPN3.com.

South Carolina started off the season with a controversy at the quarterback position.  Both 5th year senior Stephen Garcia and sophomore Connor Shaw had played well throughout the preseason and had competed vigorously for the right to lead the defending SEC East Champions into their most anticipated season ever.  Spurrier eventually decided to let both quarterbacks show what they had to offer against ECU, but gave the starting edge to Shaw.

"Both of them have done well but Connor has very much, statistically and everything else, played a little bit better than Stephen has," Spurrier said on his call-in radio show last week.

Well, what a difference a week makes.

After an atrocious first quarter and a half for the Gamecocks, Shaw and South Carolina found themselves in a 17-0 hole against ECU.  

When Garcia entered the game in the 2nd quarter, things turned around for Carolina.

The 5th year senior led his team back from an early deficit to eventually win the game 56-37, with the help of two rushing touchdowns and one more through the air.  After his performance in the season opener, it was clear who the leader of this team was.

"I don't know if this was my best game as a Gamecock, but we needed this win, for sure," Garcia said after the victory, "especially for us to come back and win after that first quarter."

With Garcia under center this Saturday, the Gamecocks will be looking to take an early edge on the SEC East race in a place they have not won since 2007, when Blake Mitchell led the Gamecocks to a 16-12 win over Matthew Stafford and the Bulldogs.

Georgia will be trying to bounce back after a tough loss to begin the season to #5 Boise State in a so-called "neutral site" game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

After climbing out to an early 7-0 lead on a Brandon Boykin 80 yard touchdown run, the Bulldogs lost the momentum and never regained it.  Led by starting QB Kellen Moore, Boise State scored at least one touchdown in every quarter, and defeated Georgia 35-21.

For Georgia to be successful against South Carolina they will need to put last week behind them.  A tough loss to begin the year can either fire up a team or demoralize them.  It will be interesting to see how the 'Dogs respond after being beaten in their own territory.

They will also need to find a way to establish the running game.  Brandon Boykin's one carry for an 80 yard touchdown was enough to make him the leading rusher in week one for Georgia.  The Bulldogs need to get freshman RB Isiah Crowell involved early and try to open up the Carolina secondary, who looked vulnerable in week one against ECU.

Lastly, Georgia needs to stop South Carolina's running game and force the game into Garcia's hands.  Last year, Lattimore ran the show for Carolina and won the game single-handedly  as Georgia could not find a way to stop him.  If Georgia can make Garcia try to win this game, they will have a good chance to come out on top.

On South Carolina's end of the playbook, they will need to make sure that Georgia's crowd does not have a reason to get fired up early.  Carolina will need to score quickly and take the crowd noise out of the game so that the energy of Sanford Stadium does not interfere with what the Gamecocks need to do to win this crucial match-up.

Carolina will also need to create some turnovers on defense.  When ECU was able to move the ball up and down the field early in the game last weekend, Carolina's defense looked winded and did not look as if they could keep up.  When the defense started forcing some fumbles later on in the game, including one by Antonio Allen that was returned for a touchdown, the momentum shifted quickly to their side.  If the Gamecocks can create those turnover opportunities, they should have control of this game.

The Ole Ball Coach will want to make sure he has plenty of Marcus Lattimore in the gameplan.  Even last week against ECU, when it seemed like the plan was to choose a quarterback rather than try to win the game, Lattimore remained steady and dependable.  He finished the game with 23 carries for over 100 yards and three touchdowns.  If the Gamecocks can keep him involved and use him successfully throughout the game, they should find themselves on the winning end when the clock hits 0:00.

Prediction:

#12 South Carolina 27  Georgia 21

Garcia Ignites Offense in Carolina's Win Over ECU

The 12th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0, 0-0) beat the East Carolina Pirates (0-1) Saturday night, 56-37, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Things did not start off smoothly however for Carolina.

Sophomore QB Connor Shaw made his first career start and began the game with a decent drive.  The Gamecocks gained four first downs in their first drive, including a 4th down conversion, and looked like they were ready to take control of the game early, but a 3rd down fumble by Shaw turned things around for ECU.

After the Pirates and Gamecocks traded punts on the next three possessions, a Marcus Lattimore fumble set up ECU's first score.

QB Dominique Davis, who finished with 260 yards four touchdowns and one interception, led the Pirates five plays 43 yards to give ECU a 7-0 lead, which they wouldn't surrender again until the 3rd quarter.

ECU added to their lead early in the 2nd when Davis hit Lance Lewis for a 19 yard score.  Then made it 17-0 on a Michael Barbour 24 yard FG.

QB Stephen Garcia, after being reinstated for the 5th time in his career at South Carolina, entered the game in the beginning of the 2nd quarter and turned things around for the Gamecocks.

Garcia led the Gamecocks 59 yards in five plays on his first drive of the game, which ended with his 32 yard TD run, making it 17-7.

From that point on, the Gamecocks never looked back.

Garcia finished the game 7-15 for 110 yards, one passing and two rushing touchdowns.

"I don't know if this was my best game as a Gamecock, but we needed this win, for sure," Garcia said after the game, "especially for us to come back and win after that first quarter."

His performance didn't earn him any praise from Head Coach Steve Spurrier.

"I said, 'Wait a minute. When he throws for about 300 yards and brings us down the field scoring at the end of the game,'" Spurrier said. "He played well. But hopefully, he'll have a big, big game."

South Carolina dominated ECU 42-13 in the 2nd half to end the game with a 19-point victory, making Steve Spurrier 42-0 against teams outside the BCS automatic qualifying conferences.

RB Marcus Lattimore finished the game with 23 carries for a quiet 113 yards and three touchdowns.

The Gamecocks will square off against the Georgia Bulldogs (0-1, 0-0) this Saturday in Athens, GA.  This will open Carolina's SEC schedule and could very well decide the SEC Eastern Division champion.  The game will be televised nationally on ESPN and will kickoff at 4:30 ET.

Post & Cocky Predictions: Week 1

The Post & Cocky Predictions are back, featuring our new Football Forecaster, Joseph Finnerty! Let us know what you think!


                                                                    Ryan                   Jeremy            Joseph

#14 TCU at Baylor                                     TCU                      TCU                 Baylor

BYU at Ole Miss                                         BYU                     BYU                    BYU

#5 Boise State vs. #19 Georgia               Boise                    Boise                Georgia

#4 LSU vs. #3 Oregon                             Oregon                Oregon                 LSU

Miami at Maryland                                 Maryland             Maryland              Maryland

ECU vs. #12 USC (-21)                          USC (-21)           USC (-21)             USC (-21)

South Carolina vs. ECU Preview

Click Here for the Post & Cocky Preview Show: ECU vs. South Carolina

The time has finally arrived.

The 12th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks will kickoff one of the most anticipated seasons in school history Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte against the East Carolina Pirates.

The quarterback competition of fall camp has yet to be decided and Head Coach Steve Spurrier has decided to play both Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw in the first game.

"We plan on playing both quarterbacks in the game," said Spurrier at his first weekly press conference of the 2011 season.  "Everyone wants to know who'll start. We'll announce that later in the week. It's not a big deal who'll start."

Spurrier also commented on how well Shaw has competed this preseason and how his scrimmages have looked better than Garcia's.

"Connor's had a very good preseason. His scrimmages have been better than Stephen's. Stephen had a good practice (Monday) night. They're both improved. Competing against each other has made both of them better. We'll see how the season plays out. Sometimes I'll hear coaches say (a player has) won the competition so he's our quarterback for the year. I don't know how you can do that. If you have two pretty close, if one is struggling, I don't know how you'll tell the other he doesn't have a chance."

South Carolina's offense will feature a plethora of talent, whether it is Garcia or Shaw at QB.

Sophomore RB Marcus Lattimore, after rushing for nearly 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns in his freshman campaign, has found himself at the center of some Heisman Trophy discussions this off-season.   If he can stay healthy, the Gamecocks have a chance to do some great things this year.

WR Alshon Jeffery has been mentioned as one of the best wide-outs in the nation.  The junior from St. Matthews, SC caught 88 balls last year for over 1,500 yards and 9 touchdowns, going over 100 yards in eight of Carolina's 14 contests last season.  He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated's "2011 College Football Preview" and is looking forward to a great season.  He is a virtual mismatch for every defender and is projected as a top 10 pick in next year's NFL Draft.

South Carolina has also seen talent from outside the football program join the effort.

Point-guard turned wide receiver Bruce Ellington had an impressive fall camp and is contending to be the starting kick return specialist.  He will also be a factor in the receiving department.  His speed and versatility give the Gamecocks another weapon on an already potent offensive attack.

Freshman RB Shon Carson has impressed the coaches enough to be a legitimate factor in the running game despite contending against Junior RB Kenny Miles and starting RB Marcus Lattimore.  Carson is one of those guys that just has pure speed and that can't be coached.  If Carson gets loose, look out, he has dangerous breakaway speed.

On defense, the Gamecocks have re-tooled a secondary that was hit with a few injuries last year and is looking to bounce back from a tough season.

Stephon Gilmore will be the focal point of the secondary.  He is the best CB in the conference and can lock down opposing receivers who pose problems for most defenses.  His speed and ability to break quickly on the ball gives him a big edge over opposing quarterbacks and makes him a threat on defense.  If he can stay healthy this season, Gilmore could be a game changer for Carolina this season.

The big story of the off season for the Gamecocks was the signing of No. 1 overall recruit Jadeveon Clowney.  Clowney brings the potential for an immediate impact on an already solid defensive line.  Coach Ellis Johnson has mentioned the six-foot six-inch freshman as one of the best he's ever coached.  With Devin Taylor, Melvin Ingram and Travian Robertson, this will be a defensive line that reeks havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

ECU had a sub par year last season after losing Head Coach Skip Holtz in 2009.  They return an offense that finished at 26th in total offense with the help of QB Dominique Davis, who threw for over 3,600 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Their problems, however, came on the defensive side of the ball.  The Pirates ranked 118th in the nation last year in total defense, allowing over 43 points per game to opposing offenses.

If ECU wants a chance to beat South Carolina, the Pirates will have to play the game of their lives.  ECU is a scrappy team, but the Gamecocks have enough power to dominate this game with their backups.  Dominique Davis will have to avoid a pass rush that is sure to disrupt his rhythm and the Pirates defense will have to find a way to stop Lattimore and Jeffery all night, to give ECU a shot.

Line:
South Carolina -21

Prediction:
#12 South Carolina 45  East Carolina 17

South Carolina lands at No. 12 in Coaches' top 25

The 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks opened their fall camp in front of a large crowd of about 1,500 to 2,000 at the Bluff Road Proving Grounds on Wednesday night.

Thursday morning, the preseason coaches' poll labeled them as the 12th best football team in the country.

The Gamecocks have had one of the most hyped off-seasons in the history of the South Carolina football program after a strong 9-5 (5-3) season last year that landed them in Atlanta playing for their first ever SEC Championship. Unfortunately, South Carolina was unable to fulfill the dream season, losing 56-17 to Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and the eventual national champion Auburn Tigers.

The back to back losses to end last year has left Carolina even hungrier to get back to, and surpass, the successes they achieved last season.

After landing the top prospect in the country in Jadeveon Clowney, having several impact players returning, WR Alshon Jeffery, RB Marcus Lattimore, CB Stephon Gilmore and seeing new players Bruce Ellington, Shamier Jeffery and DeAngelo Smith join the squad, the Gamecocks have the potential to build on a good season last year.

"I thought it was a pretty nice practice," said Spurrier after Wednesday night's practice. "All the coaches were really noticing the difference in our team speed. I think our speed has really improved with the addition of a lot of players, as well as the conditioning work of Coach Fitz and the strength coaches this summer. We have a fast team. Hopefully we'll have a team that can really play well."

 The SEC was well represented in the top 25, as usual, as seven other conference foes landed in the coaches' top 25.

2. Alabama
4. LSU
14. Arkansas
19. Auburn
20. Mississippi State
22. Georgia
23. Florida

The Gamecocks will open their 2011 campaign in Charlotte against the ECU Pirates at Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 3.  Carolina will open their conference schedule against No. 22 Georgia in Athens, Sept. 10.