tigers looking to enter the draft?

From: Elliott
So some tigers have submitted paperwork to the NFL advisory committee. Hmm. While it is not unusual for a team's juniors to inquire of their status, I thought clemmons did not have the correct forms or their fax was always broken in January. Their guys almost never leave early. clempsen consistently returns their top talent for their senior season, while the Fighting Gamecocks lose guys who are not projected to be drafted. No surprise that Daquan Bowers is looking. He is a lock to bolt. Juniors Andre Branch (DE), Brandon Thompson (DT), Antoine McClain (G), and Jamie Harper (RB), along with redshirt sophomore Dwayne Allen (TE) did as well. Thompson and Branch are leaning towards returning, and Dabo better hope they do. The tiger defensive line was stout the last few seasons. With Bowers gone and DT Jarvis Jenkins graduating, Thompson will be expected to anchor the line in 2011. Expect Dabo the salesman to come out in full force here. Jamie Harper arrived at clemmons with a 3 year plan and says he will leave if he gets a 3rd round grade or higher. That is about as likely as likely as the Gamecocks winning a big game with Brad Dodson in the stands. Harper will be lucky to get a 4-7 round grade, and it will be in his best interest to return for 2011. However, what he will do is anyone's guess. Allen entered the season as the best receiving threat for the tigers and was quiet for most of the year. He has all the physical tools and may leave because he is frustrated, but if he does you can insert his name into the first season storyline for former Gamecock Clifton Geathers.

Brad Dodson

From: Matthew
Who is this you say? Based on past experience, Brad has a direct role in determining the success of the Gamecock football squad. Dodson went to the university during the end of the ugly Brad Scott era (1-10)and was there through the 0-11 campaign. He suffered through many losses, never missing a big game. Yes, he was in the stands in Birmingham for the debacle last season. What changed? In case you were in a coma, the Gamecocks are SEC East champs this year. What you didn't know is that Brad moved to New Orleans and did not attend a single game. Oh, except one. He did make it back for the SEC Championship. How'd that go? Good news Gamecock fans, we have confirmed that Dodson will not be in attendance for the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Friday. Thank heavens. Somebody quit giving him tickets!

Chick-fil-A Bowl

The impending contest with the Seminoles in Atlanta is one of the best match-ups of the bowl season. If you watched the Hawaii Bowl last night, you have no life. Bowl practice provides quality time with the younger guys and opportunities to correct flaws that have plagued a team all season. Here are some areas that if the Fighting Gamecock sqaud improves, they will be tough to beat.
1) Return game. There is no question that the coverage teams took a huge step forward from 2009. The return games on the other hand were abysmal. Hopefully, the coaches took opportunity to try some new return men and most importantly some new blocking schemes. We'd love to see Ace Sanders on kickoff return and Stephon Gilmore back on punt return. Yes Gilmore's gaffes contributed heavily to the Kentucky loss, but he was close to breaking a few prior to that dreadful game.
2) Stopping the long pass. Coach Ward hopefully spent the entire practice sessions working on not biting on the double move.
3) Speaking of coverage, how about the linebackers guarding the Tight End? In order to run a Cover 2, the MLB must be able to drop in coverage over the middle. Our linebackers seem to forget the TE exists sometimes, although Dwayne Allen was covered up the entire clemmons game. Getting those boys to cover someone seems like a pretty good idea.

Weekly Thoughts

From: Benjamin
So Maryland doesn't balk a bit when Vandy goes after their "coach in waiting." Next, it is reported that Ralph Friedgen will be bought out for $2 million. Hmm, while this is not a lot of money for an SEC school, for Maryland, that is a hefty chunck of change. Why o why? Orangebloods.com, who seems to know everything about everyone, is now reporting that former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach will get the job. Sucks to be you clempsen. Not only is the best coach out there no longer on the market, but he is now coaching one of your divisional conference foes, ouch!

Vandy hires James Franklin. Yep, that about sums up our feelings on that one.

Florida grabbing Will Muschamp is the best case scenario for the Gamecocks. They had the potential to go get an experienced big time head coach. Muschamp, could become the best coach in Florida history. He could. He also coulg bomb. A big time program should be able to secure a proven winner. Settling for a could be is the best the SEC East could hope for.

Ohio State drubs us in basketball. Lots to say about that later, but did I see the stat correctly? We are 319th in the nation in free throw shooting. Come on, there are only 336 teams! I never imagined our free throws could get any worse than when Eddie Fogler was coach. But, Dave Odom saw that through. Just when you thought that our % couldn't get any poorer, we put forth an effort like this. Wow, 319th!

Baseball on TV

From: Cole
Excited about the new SEC baseball game of the week next season on ESPN. Games will be on Thursdays with the defending National Champions kicking off the programing April 7 at 7:30 with the series opener at Tennessee. The remainder of the games are:

Apr 14 - 7:30 p.m.Tennessee at Alabama
Apr 21 - 7:30 p.m.Ole Miss at Auburn
Apr 28 - 7:30 p.m.Kentucky at LSU
May 5 - 7:30 p.m.Florida at Arkansas
May 12 - 7:30 p.m.Mississippi State at Ole Miss
May 19 - 7:30 p.m.Vanderbilt at Georgia
 
The Gamecocks open the season February 18 with a three game series at home vs Santa Clara. The following week they host Southern Illinois. Baseball season ticket renewals are due today.

Award Season

From: Leon
Congratulations to Alshon Jeffery on earning a slot as a finalist for the Biletnikoff award, which is given to the nation's top WR. Jeffery was overlooked in the preseason in favor of Alabama's Julio Jones and UGA's A.J. Green, but outperformed them all season. With Garcia returning at QB, there is no reason for Alshon not to plan for a return trip to the awards ceremony next fall.

Speaking of awards, Marcus Lattimore is racking them up. CBS National Freshman of the Year! Think about it: South Carolina will have the preseason first team All-SEC WR (Jeffery), RB (Lattimore), and QB (Garcia) in 2011. I know some are still not on the Garcia bandwagon, but who returns a stronger QB? UGA's Aaron Murray and Mississippi State's Chris Relf are the closest, but the margin between the two of them and Garcia is great. Tennessee's Tyler Bray, Vandy's Larry Smith,  the LSU duo, and the Florida trio are the next wave. Auburn (Newton), Alabama (McElroy), Ole Miss (Masoli), Arkansas (Mallett), and  Kentucky (Hartline) all break in new signal callers in 2011. Only Arkansas gave the backup quality minutes in 2010, and he looked great in limited time. Having the best players in the conference at these three key offensive positions will hopefully serve the Gamecocks well next year.

Initial Urban Meyer thoughts

From: Cole
Coach Meyer sure looked run down at the end of the season, but the announcement of his retirement today caught us off guard. How will this effect the Gamecocks and Tigers in the years to come?

First off is recruiting. Both in-state teams recruit the Sunshine State heavily. Meyer is a master recruiter and the new Florida head man will most likely be a step backward. Remember the infamous Shariff Floyd dream? The Pennsylvania DL was set to become a Gamecock until Coach Meyer dreamed of coaching Floyd to national titles in a gator uniform. How's that working out for you Shariff?

On the field. While the Gators struggled this season, their unlimited financial resources should enable the program to nab a coach who will maintain the high level of play Coach Meyer's teams put forth. No big change here.

The interesting factor will be if Mississippi State head coach, Dan Mullen, gets the job. Mullen, the former offensive coordinator at Florida under Meyer, has revived the Bulldog program in his two seasons as head man. They rotate on the Gamecock schedule the next two years. Thus, while a Mullen hire may be a long-term headache as Florida is an east opponent, it will help in the short-term by weakening the Bulldogs. With the talent the Gamecocks return and they almost 100% chance that Florida will get a good coach anyway, it should be good for the Gamecocks to see Mullen in Gainesville.

Here are  Florida's 2011 commitments with their rivals.com grades.
Mike Blakely 4 stars RB Bradenton, FL
Clay Burton 3 stars LB Venice, FL
Kyle Christy 2 stars K Brownsburg, IN
Jeff Driskel 4 stars QB Oviedo, FL
Chase Hounshell 3 stars OL Kirtland, OH
Chris Johnson 3 stars DB Ocala, FL
Tommy Jordan 3 stars OL Ridgefield, CT
Hunter Joyer 3 stars RB Tampa, FL
A.C. Leonard 4 stars TE Jacksonville, FL
Javares McRoy 4 stars WR Lakeland, FL
Louchiez Purifoy 4 stars ATH Pensacola, FL
De'Ante Saunders 3 stars DB Deland, FL
Ryan Shazier 4 stars LB Plantation, FL
Valdez Showers 3 stars DB Madison Heights, MI
Ja'Juan Story 4 stars WR Brooksville, FL
Trip Thurman 4 stars OL Dover, DE
Nick Waisome 4 stars DB Groveland, FL

Braves making minor moves

From: Benjamin
Nice to see the Bravos making some minor adjustments to the roster.
-Trading for right handed reliever, Scott Linebrink. The former Astro was with the White Sox last season and is the last year of his contract.
-Resigning Eric Hinske to a 1 year deal with a club option for a 2nd.
-Nontendering Matt Diaz.

clemmons 2010

From: Elliott
It is the eve of our first SEC Championship Game appearance. The excitement is overwhelming! However, after a week of reflection on the clempsen contest and amusement at some of their fan's reaction, some thoughts on the tiger squad for next season:

1, count that 1 scholarship QB who is not a true freshman. Ouch! Tajh Boyd does have a strong arm, but his completion % has hovered around 50% in most of his appearances. That is not recipe for success. We have seen that movie before. It is called the career of Dondrial Pinkins. Most of the reasonable tiger fans I know wish Boyd had played the entire Wake Forest game to get some kind of experience. Nope! clemmons would be wise to go to spread offense, with DeAndre Hopkins and the 3 other big time WRs they have coming in next year. This would get their best athletes on the field and decrease the "football knowledge" a QB needs to run the system. But, and it is a huge but, this puts their only QB at risk of injury by putting him in postion to take more hits. Something they can ill afford to do with their one QB. He is also prone to take a big hit, look at the big pops the Gamecock D put on him in one half. Boyd also came to clemmons because he did not want to run a spread. Tough decisions await.

The defense should continue to be good, but will not be as dominant as it was last season. It just isn't possible. DE Daquan Bowers, DT Jarvis Jenkins, S DeAndre McDaniel, and CB Marcus Gilcrest will be replaced by quality athletes. There is no way they will be able to equal their level of talent and experience that will be lost. Those are four very good players who had good years. The offense will simply have to score more points.

Can you say 3peat?

Conference Bowl tie-ins

From: Austin
The bowl tie-ins changed this season. Here are the updates.

SEC
1-BCS National Championship
2- Sugar Bowl
3-Capital One Bowl vs Big 10
4-Cotton Bowl SEC West vs Big 12
4A-Outback Bowl SEC East vs Big 10
5-Chick Fil-A Bowl vs ACC 2
6-Gator Bowl vs Big 10
7-Music City Bowl vs ACC
8-Liberty Bowl vs Conf USA
9-Compass Bowl vs Big East-this bowl is Jan 8. Hate these.

ACC
1-Orange Bowl
2-Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl vs SEC 5
3-Champs Sports Bowl vs Big East or ND
4-Sun Bowl vs Pac-10
5-Meineke Car Care Bowl vs Big East
6-Music City Bowl vs SEC 7
7-Indepence Bowl vs Mountain West
8-Military Bowl vs Conf USA
9-Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl vs WAC

Hot Seat Update

From: Benjamin

Well the Randy Shannon firing caught us a bit of guard, but a loss to South Florida is a death sentence at Miami. Indiana just tanked in the later part of the season.

1) Paul Wulff-Washington State: 2-9 on the year. Bring back Ryan Leaf!
2) Rich Rodriguez-Michigan: Does anyone play D at Michigan anymore?
3) Mike Locksley-New Mexico: 1-11 on the year
4) Neil Callaway-UAB: 4-8 in his 4th year.
5) Mark Richt-Beat his rival to eke out a bowl bid
6) Dennis Erickson: Arizona State-5-6 is not good enough
7) Butch Davis: UNC-Would only be on off the field issues
8) Houston Nutt: Ole Miss-The Rebs usually are extremely impatient
9) Dave Wannstedt-Pitt: Rumblings are stirring
10) Dabo Swinney-clemmons: Can't fire him since they are still paying Tommy
11) Ron Zook-Illinois: His 2nd bowl game saves the day

Off the list:
Les Miles: The Bayou Bengal fans still don't like him, but he wins.
Ralph Friedgen: Maryland rose from the ash heap to have a fine year

Open Jobs:
Colorado
Minnesota
Miami-Greg Schiano may take a closer look this time.
Indiana
Vanderbilt-Hot after Gus Malzahn

Finally, the Cocks have come back to clempson!

From: Cole
If there is any question as to what The People's Champs are gonna do to the tigers this Saturday in Memorial Stadium, then here ya go...

The People's Elbow

Matchups

From: Austin
Here are some key matchups that will decide the victor this weekend.
1) USC's interior linemen of Garrett Chisolm, T.J. Johnson, and Rokevious Watkins against the clemmon's defensive tackles, Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thompson. All of the hype is on stud DE Daquan Bowers, but the real matchup will be on the interior. clempson's tackles are solid. The South Carolina offensive staff will not let the success of the rushing attack hinge on whether their average tackles can block the nation's best DE. Coach Spurrier loves the draw and will likely run up the middle to avoid Bowers and utilize his 3 best linemen. If Chisolm and Watkins can handle the DTs, then Johnson will be freed to block the middle linebacker. This will lead to a big day for Lattimore.

2) clemsen's All-Everything Safety, DeAndre McDaniel, versus South Carolina QB Steven Garcia and Biletnikoff finalist WR, Alshon Jeffery. McDaniel is an interception machine. Expect the tigers to roll McDaniel over the top of Jeffery for the double team. Should Garcia still choose to throw Jeffery's way, he must put the ball where Alshon can make a play on it. Spurrier may counter by going to 4 wide and forcing single coverage or linebacker coverage on the 4th WR. If that is Ace Sanders, look out. Tori Gurley, D.L. Moore, or Sanders needs to have a big day to free up Alshon. clempson does not have a DB who can match up one on one with Jeffery. He abused one of the top CBs in the country in the Florida game before we went primarily to the rush.

3) Marcus Lattimore against the tiger linebackers. If Jeffery is double covered, expect a heavy dose of #21, with Jeffery running the safety off deep. This would force clemmons DC Kevin Steele to remove the double team to aid in run support. However, the focus here should be on the pass. Against Kentucky, the wheel route to Lattimore was working to perfection. Expect Spurrier to have Jeffery run the safeties to the middle and Lattimore to attack the slower tiger LBs down the sidelines. Garcia must hit this pass.

4) Kyle Parker versus the Gamecock secondary on the deep ball. clempson will be able to move the ball with short and intermediate passes. They have all year. Their problem is scoring in the red zone. The formula to score on South Carolina is play action and go deep. For clemmons to win, Billy Napier should dial up a large number of play action deep routes. The problem for the tigers is that they cannot seem to catch these.

5) Dwayne Allen against the SC pass coverage. TE Allen is arguably the tigers best receiver, and the Gamecocks have a bad habit of forgetting to cover the TE. They simply cannot expect to win if they let Allen run free down the field.

Go Cocks!

Attn: clemmons

From: Everyone
7 pm ESPN2. The tidal wave is rolling through.

Prospect Update: Akia Booker

From: Leon
Booker is a sophomore WR from Byrnes and has become their primary receiving threat thanks to multiple injuries at his position and his high talent level. He has very good speed and is an above average route runner for a sophomore. Against Dutch Fork, Booker was able to get open frequently on sharp out routes. He also had a long TD on a double move. He has good hands and is reasonably elusive. Booker will be highly recruited in a few years. Unlike many Byrnes receivers who may have gaudy stats thanks to their system, Booker has the speed to play Division 1.

Thursday thoughts

From: Elliott
I got to watch my first Dabo Swinney press conference this week. No one here is cheering for him to do poorly as a person, we just all agree that the tiger team is headed in the downward direction with Swinney at the helm. What goes through your mind when watching the coach speak to the media is "Stop talking!" The intentions are good and his motives are genuine, but he just keeps going and going like the energizer bunny. The more he tries to make a point, the more incompetent he sounds. Dabo would be much better served by providing very short and to the point answers.

The Troy game is about momentum. The Gamecocks should be riding a wave of it after the drubbing they gave the Gators last week in The Swamp. Now, they need to translate this into 4 quarters of quality football. It is senior day. Get up early so Maddox can get a lot of carries and Lattimore can rest. Past teams would play it half-heartedly and pull away in the fourth quarter. This is not the team of the past. A resounding victory at Williams Brice will only add to the wave of momentum and may be too much for clemmons to overcome the following week. Two more complete victories will allow the team to enter Atlanta on an emotional high.

Dan Uggla goes to Atlanta for Omar Infante and Mike Dunn. While losing a young lefty who can throw 95 is tough, a 30 HR bat from the right side is a huge addition to the lineup. The Braves had no right handed power last season, so this is a big upgrade. Uggla is in the last year of his contract, so he may be a one year lease since he turned down 4 years at 48 million last month. We are concerned about the high strikeout numbers, but Uggla decreased the total by 20 over the last two seasons. 140 strikeouts is still a lot. New hitting coach Larry Parrish will hopefully decrease it further without sacrificing any power. The move also reunites Uggla with former Marlins skipper Fredi Gonalez.

Lots of good playoff high school football tomorrow. Gaffney at Irmo should be a war.

Impact

From: Benjamin
A thorough drubbing of a national power like Florida could become a program shaping victory. No longer will coaches who recruit against us be able to sell prospects that the Gamecocks will never win the east or that we are a second tier school. You can win here and they just proved it! The tide has turned. Add to this the disarray that our rival from the northwest is currently experiencing and we have the opportunity to become the dominant in-state school and a SEC power. Note that I said opportunity. We have to seize the day. Do not underestimate clempson's troubles in this. This is the prime time to cement ourselves among the in-state prospects of tomorrow and make them grow up Fighting Gamecock fans. We all grew tired over the years of hearing that this prospect was not considering USC because they grew up a clemmons fan. You can see how beautifully this can work by looking at the lastest class in Ray Tanner's baseball program. Longtime clemmons fan, Tanner English, signs with Yardcocks despite a clempsen offer. We are dominating in-state recruiting, and it can only get better. Use this victory and those to come to bring in a long line of future gamecocks.

The Braves picked up the club option on Alex Gonzalez and Omar Infante for 2011. Nice move. Kenshin Kawakami was optioned to Double A ball this week. $6.67 million is a lot to pay a minor leaguer, but there is no room for him on the Atlanta club and no major league takers. 3 Japanese teams are interested. Keep up the hope that he can return there to open up some salary.

Game Balls

From: Austin
SEC East Champs Baby! The magnitude of this win for the state of the program for years to come should not be underestimated. But for now, let's enjoy the victory and win the next 3.

Obviously Lattimore and Garcia played spectacularly, but who else had a big time performance?
1) Brandon Davis-Who's he you say? Davis is a walk-on DB who wears #23 and plays on special teams. He was the one flying down the field with the cast on his right hand. Davis landed some huge hits and his energy was infective.
2) T.J. Johnson-The knee had to be bothering him, but the big center from Aynor never let it show as he moved the highly touted Gator DTs out of the way for Marcus all night. Don't discount his impact on the almost complete absence of missed assignments by his linemates, as Johnson made the correct line calls all game. To do this in a hostile venue like The Swamp is extra special.
3) Devin Taylor-You can't coach height is usually a basketball coach's line, but Taylor finally used his 6'7" frame to bat down some passes. Taylor's size and pass rush helped keep John Brantley out of rhythm.
4) Patrick Dimarco-Dimarco is the best blocking fullback the SEC has seen since UGA's Brandon Southerland.
5) Coach Ellis Johnson-Finally, an aggressive pass rush scheme! It worked so well that Clary's all over the state will be screaming, "I told you so" all week. Great job with the mental mindset of the D. After the Arkansas debacle, they could have folded up shop, but Johnson made sure the opposite occurred. They were confident, passionate, technically sound, and inspired.

Beat Troy!

Prospect Update: Quinshad Davis

From: Leon
In the 2012 recruiting class, Gaffney WR Quinshad Davis undoubtedly rank as one of the top 2 prospects in the state of South Carolina. Lexington's Shaq Roland will be the other. Davis is a very polished WR who runs sharp, crisp routes. His play most closely resembles UGA WR AJ Green's, but Davis is a few inches shorter and has more speed.  The Gaffney junior plays strong when the ball is in the air and has the ability to dominate a game. Keep in mind that he is only a junior, and therefore may grow another inch or two. We'd have loved to have seen him matched up on future gamecock and current Spartanburg Viking CB Ronnie Martin, but Martin was held out last week with a concussion. You can see Davis in action next Friday as the #5 Gaffney Indians travel to W.C. Hawkins field to battle #4 seed Irmo in what should be a whale of a game.

Red Zone Offense

From: Benjamin

During the first half of the year, the South Carolina Red Zone offense was one the the top in the country, with most every red zone trip resulting in a touchdown. What has led the the downfall in recent weeks? Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians, which in our case is known as Community play calling. Some will defend this, but there is no covering up the downturn that began when Coach Spurrier began to share the duties with Coach Mangus and Coach Elliott. Keep the offense in a rhythm by having one and only one chief play caller. That person should be Coach Spurrier. They should not let the poor offensive production that resulted after Marcus Lattimore was injured at Kentucky cost us any more games because prior to that time, the offense was rolling. Get back to what was working now!

Red Zone offense will also be the dictating factor in the clempson game at FSU. The tigers are great between the 20s, but have stunk in the red zone. The FSU D is stout in the red zone in their 6 victories (3 TDs) and porous in their 3 defeats (11 TDs). Who wins this battle will win the game.

3rd down

From: Cole
Stat of the day. In the Gamecock victories this season, the D is forcing a 36% conversion percentage on third down. In the defeats, the number rises to 55%. While this stat is not the most important in a game, it carries added value for our defense due to the lack of turnovers they create. A team that gives up a higher % of 3rd down conversions must end drives by creating turnovers. Our inability to do so puts increased importance on 3rd down stops. It is the only way we seem to get off of the field. In the upcoming games, watch the 3rd down conversion percentage and it will likely tell how the game will turn out.

Coach Tanner signs what is going to be a top 5, maybe top 1-2 class. Nice to be on the good side of the rich get richer. Getting Tanner English to switch from Coastal could be big. English is a big time OF.

Despite being handed a win by a horrific performance from NC State, clempson is still looking for an identity. The offense looked like the Bad News Bears last Saturday. The defense was stout as usual. The tigers may catch a break as FSU QB, Christian Ponder, is injured again. He seems to be allergic to playing clemmons. Offensive coaching changes are likely on the horizon.

All Points Bulletin

From: Elliott
We are putting an APB out for our defense. Unlike my uncle, I watched the Arkansas game on TV. It was simply jaw dropping how many passes the Hogs completed when there was no Gamecock defender on the television screen. To quote Lou Holtz, "you could have thrown a grenade and only killed one person." What the heck is going on? Walk on Marty Markett was the only one even near the WR. I threw up on the dog when we continuously lined up 10-15 yards off the slot receiver on 3rd and 5.
New plan.....
1) No complicated schemes. Pick 3 or 4 and stick with em.
2) Man up. Press man coverage and challenge the WR. No more lining up 10 yards off.
3) Drop the LBs back in coverage more. This puts more pressure on the dline, but hey we need all the help we can get.
4) Guard the TE. I know this is a entirely new concept, but I think we should give it a try.

A Cold Day at the Brice

From: Cole
It is gonna be a chilly one at Williams Brice tomorrow evening, with temperatures expected to be in the 30s for the majority of the second half. While this could cool the enthusiasm from the warm blooded gamecock fans, a shootout and a chance for a share of the school's first SEC East crown will hopefully energize the masses. With a win, the university will secure a share of the title no matter the outcome of the Florida. A loss to the Gators would result in Florida going to Atlanta, but there would be a trophy in the case in Columbia. Make no mistake, this is a huge game! The team has to want it, but the fans need to want it as well. Stay loud!

All indications are that the game will be a shootout. The Hogs averaged 538 yards offensive over their last three games, all against good competition. To slow the Petrino led offense the gamecocks must control the time of possession. Some ways to do this are: 1) A heavy dose of Marcus Lattimore. Controlling the ball on methodical drives that result in touchdowns, not field goals. 2) Keeping the energy level high to eliminate momentum swings and quick possessions that result in a punt. All offenses undergo a period during a game in which the drive stalls. To prevent several of them occurring in a row, the staff may go to the Gilmore package or insert the two minute offense for a series. 3) Intercepting Ryan Mallett. While Devin Taylor's pick six was a welcome change of pace last week, our secondary's cup of turnovers is as empty as the cheering section at the extend Dabo's contract rally. Have they intercepted a pass since Gilmore's against Furman? Ryan Mallett, not Cam Newton is number one in the conference in individual total offense. He has thrown 7 interceptions to 18 TDs on the season. Someone in the secondary needs to have the game of his life!
4) Keep up the heat! When I saw this stat, I almost had the big one. The gamecock D leads the SEC and is 2nd in the nation with 30 sacks. Yes, I said thirty. Devin Taylor has 6.5, Melvin Ingram 6.0, and Cliff Matthews 3.5 on the year. Wow, when was the last time you could say that? Keeping the Hog offense in 3rd and long with pressure may compel the strong armed Mallett to force a throw. The question is...Can we pick it?

Notes on Arkansas:
-New #1 WR, Joe Adams, leads the SEC and is fourth in the nation with 18.1 yards per catch. He will be a little hobbled with an ankle injury.
-The Hog D is second in the conference in averaging 3.0 sacks per game. DE Jake Bequette leads the team with 5.0 on the season.
-TE DJ Williams is the NCAA active leader in receptions by a TE. We cannot lose him in the middle of the field like we did with Luke Stocker last week, especially in the red zone.
-The Hogs do not have a rusher in the top 10 in the conference. While ranking second in the conference in total offense, they are 11th in rushing at 127 yards per game.
-The SEC's number one passing offense goes against the worst passing defense. Ouch!

Go Cocks! There it is! Take it!

Play Boyd now or later?

From: Austin
What to do with Tajh Boyd is the burning question facing the clemsen coaching staff over the next few weeks. With arguably the toughest portion of the schedule remaining, the 4-4 tigers face a tough dilemma in possible playing time for the redshirt freshman. The overriding issue will be that Boyd will be the only returning QB on the roster next season. The only one! Both Kyle Parker (baseball) and Michael Wade (graduation) will not return for the 2011 campaign. Chester's Tony McNeil and the guy who just decommitted from Wyoming will join the group in the summer. So, what do they do with Boyd, now that they sit at 4-4?

The play Boyd crowd will say that the hopes of an ACC championship are lost, and so the tigers need to look ahead and prepare their future QB with hopes of limiting losses in the upcoming seasons. He was less than stellar in spring and fall practice. The time played against real competition will season him for his role as the starter. That is about the only argument for this side. Then the question would be---How much do you play him?

The 2010 edition of the tigers are not showing the ability to put up a lot of points. When Boyd plays, the chance of the drive producing points will be lower. Should this contribute to a loss, the effects could be far reaching. clempson needs to win 2 of its next four games to squeak into a bowl. If they fail to qualify, Boyd would miss out on a month of valuable practice time. Also, if he plays and stinks it up, then commits may decide to play elsewhere rather than play on a subpar team. He may show improvement, but most recruits will not decide to play for clemmons to play with Tajh Boyd.

Then, there is the Kyle Parker effect. Obviously, Parker is not the QB the tiger faithful felt he was when CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford are not in the offense. Parker is not bad, but he is not the high NFL draft pick that Coach Swinney led him to believehe was. Should Dabo feel obligated to play Parker because he gave up so much money to return to clempson for 2010? I most likely would if I were he. Whether Dabo inflated Parker's self worth or possessed unrealistic expectations for his team that were projected onto his QB, Parker bought a bill of goods. What to do? What to do? To beat NC State, the offense will need to score more than 3 points.

Braves staff complete

From: Matthew
Fredi Gonzalez completed his first staff as the new skipper of the Braves when he hired former Detroit Tiger manager, Larry Parrish, as the hitting coach this week. Parrish replaces Terry Pendleton, who moves into the first base coaching role. Parrish served as Detroit's bench from 1997-1998, as manager form 1998-1999, and as a scout. He has managed the Toledo minor league team since 2003.

Pendleton was often criticized during the last few seasons and Parrish will likely be a step in the right direction. He will undoubtedly play a key role in the development of young hitters Jason Heyward and Freddi Freeman. How easily he can aid the young Braves in breaking out of a slump and translating their huge potential into power numbers will be a key factor in whether the Braves return to the postseason in 2011.

Nice to play average and win by 2 touchdowns

From: Cole
Bummer losing Chris Culliver for the rest of the year due to a torn pectoral muscle. Culliver is certainly not performing as well as he envisioned for his senior campaign, but this is most unfortunate. For those like myself who have dreams of Razorback touchdown passes dancing in our heads, the injury bug bite the Hogs the last two weeks as well. Star WR, Greg Childs, injured his ankle a few weeks ago and left the Vandy game in the 4th quarter due to an unspecified injury. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that he pounded the ground in frustration after the injury. Childs did not return to the game. 2nd leading WR, Joe Adams, missed the Vandy game due to an ankle injury sustained against Ole Miss.

A new QB commit who switched from Wyoming is not the way to raise the broken spirits of clempson fans after another lose to a terrible team. How can they continue to play horribly against such poor competition with their talent level? The news of their premier weapon, Andre Ellington, injuring his foot cannot help either. Watch the local bridges closely. Big game at home versus division rival NC State. The clemmons faithful have to get rowdy for another 12 pm game. The ACC is great isn't it?

The Next Level

From: Benjamin
What do the Gamecocks have to do to win their first SEC East crown? For starters, the defense needs to grab some more turnovers. To be minus 6 in turnover margin and sitting atop the east is a bit surprising. The secondary has not dropped as many balls as last season, but they have not had the chance. The soft zone coverage schemes they almost exclusively ran prior to the Vanderbilt game have not placed our backs in position to intercept a pass. Gilmore and company need to make a big play and give the offense the short field.

Broken Record Alert! I realize this is getting redundant, but could we possibly, just maybe get a special teams touchdown this week? 2003 was a long time ago. Seven seasons ago, Chavez Donnings took a punt the distance at home versus Florida. Mathew Thomas took a kick back at Virginia in 2002. That is a lot of missed opportunities to change a game. Minus 4 net punt return yards at Vandy? Wow! We need to seize the day. Wonder when the last time we returned a kick for a TD at home? How many TDs has clemmons put up on special teams since Donnings gave us ours? Probably a lot. To see the impact this can have, watch any Florida game of the past three seasons.The Gamecock special teams need to step it up. Let's see is Coach Spurrier working with the punt return unit all week pays any dividends on Saturday against Tennessee.

The Monkey is off our back

From Austin:
Finally a road win. As good as junior QB Steven Garcia is, he had never won a road game as a starter until last night in Nashville. Now, he had played well on the road and won games in relief, but the monkey was gaining weight after the second half meltdowns in Auburn and Lexington. Now, we can travel to Florida in a few weeks with no added baggage. If Georgia beats the Gators in Jacksonville this Saturday and we take care of Tennessee and Arkansas at home, then the Florida game will only be for pride. The Gamecocks can lock up the east prior to the trip with a little help from the Bulldogs.

I thought for sure we were trying to give Vandy another win based on our first half of play. Bad snaps, penalties, and boneheaded plays killed us. I was planning for another end of the season meltdown caused by whatever happened at halftime versus Kentucky. This would mirror whatever happened in the locker room at the half at North Carolina. We were rocking until then and the season went downhill from there. Ah, but not this time. A stellar second half gets the win and keeps the title hopes alive.

Game balls go to 1) Brian Maddox-best game of his career and he looked relaxed carrying the ball. 2) Ace Sanders-confident on punt returns and running crisp routes. He took off downfield when Garcia scrambled, just like Alshon did, but the ball went to the taller WR. 3) Travian Robertson-in the backfield all night.

Worried about 1) Our DBs. Something has been off. There are too many lapses in coverage and we continue to play too far off on 3rd down. 2) Shotgun snaps-enough said. Not as bad as UF though.
3) Blocked kicks-2 this year. 1 is too many.

Dabo's big day

From: Eilliott
It is sort of amusing to watch the clemmons faithful rant on their team and coaching staff this season. The Georgia Tech game is the fulcrum for a delicate seesaw of emotion. Should the tigers win, all will be well in tigerville again and Dabo will be a genius. Should they lose, Dabo will be a blundering idiot who is unable to manage his superior talent. Why does so much depend on the outcome of one game? Ga Tech's talent level is way down this season. This is the first truly average team on the tiger schedule, so it'll be a true test of the staff's ability to gameplan and motivate. This game is at home and should be a 7 point win at least.

What the heck was that?

From: Leon
Ok, now that I am done throwing up about that Kentucky debacle, all I can think is what was going on? Lattimore wasn't playing defense. Did the secondary have lobotomies at halftime? That was one of the best first halves I have ever seen, only to be followed by one of the worst second halves. Brian Maddox is a good change of pace back when paired with Lattimore, but struggles as a primary. We should have put Kenny Miles in and ran the ball to run out the clock. Garcia seemed to check out mentally. All out a very poor performance. The Arkansas game is now a must win. Kenny Miles needs to take advantage of the opportunity this week and get us a blowout win.

The Braves released Melky Cabrera today. Thank goodness. He was terrible last year. How did he get to the majors and survive so long on the Yankees with such poor hitting form? One of the largest disappointments from 2010 was his defense. Takashi Saito was also released, but this was a planned maneuver since he signed his deal. Wishful thinking places Carl Crawford in left for the Braves for 2011 and beyond.

Happy Trails Bobby Cox

From: Elliott
Happy trails to Bobby Cox and welcome to new manager Fredi Gonzalez. Great hire by the Braves. Pitching coach, Roger McDowell, and bench coach, Eddie Perez, will most likely be retained. Also look for base coaches Brian Snitker and Glenn Hubbard to have a strong chance of staying. A new hitting coach is an almost certainty. The big questions are what will the team do with personnel and contracts. The opening day payroll for 2009 was 83,890,334. This was down for 2008's number of 96,726,166.

Starting Pitching: The rotation appears to be set. Derek Lowe is in year 3 of a 4 year $60 million deal and lived up to expectations last season. Tim Hudson rebounded with a bang and has 2 years left at 9 million a year with a club option for 2013. Jair Jurrjens' contract is up. He has played under three one year deals over the last few seasons at .38, .45, and .48 million dollars. I'd expect agent, Scott Boras, to push for a longer deal and the Braves should jump at the chance as Jurrjens is a quality starter. Ditto for Tommy Hanson who played at $.435 million this year. Now the team may be able to renew these one year deals for a few more years as they are rookie contracts. Mike Minor will likely be the fifth and only left handed starter. This is a quality rotation. Kenshin Kawakami is owed $6.67 million and a decision will have to be made. He would likely choose to go back to Japan, rather than take a demotion to the bullpen.

Bullpen: Billy Wagner retiring frees up $7 million which will not have to be used on a replacement as the likely closer will be stud rookie righty, Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel will have a much cheaper rookie deal.  2009 rookies Jonny Venters and Mike Dunn will form a potent lefty duo for a very cheap price. Venters was lights out this year and Dunn throws 95. Looking good so far. Hard throwing right hander, Kyle Farnsworth, has a $5.25 million club option for 2011. I would pass here, because that is a lot to give a 35 year old, but the argument could be made that he is worth it. Takashi Saito's contract is up and do not expect the Braves to resign the 41 year old righty, freeing up another $3.2 million.  Peter Moylan made $1.15 million last season and was worth every penny. A new contract for the side arming right hander is a priority. Scott Proctor-who knows? Eric O'Flaherty is another cheap, effective lefty at $.44 million for 2010. Is three lefties too many? A additional right handed arm or two will most likely be signed this off-season. The saved dollars here can be used in the outfield.

Catcher: Need anything be said? Brian McCann is the team's best player and is under contract for $6.5 million in 2011, $8.5 in 2012, and there is a club option for $12 for 2013. David Ross is a more than serviceable back up and is under contract for the next two seasons at $1.625 million a year.

Infield: Infield defense has got to improve. 35 year old Derrek Lee was in the final year of a $13 million per year deal and is not expected to be retained as stud 21 year old prospect, Freddie Freeman, is expected to man the first bag next year. Troy Glaus is not likely to return next season, freeing up $1.75 million. 26 year old Martin Prado is coming off of a huge year in 2010 in which he made $.44 million and signing him to long term deal should be one of the first moves they make. Omar Infante has a $2.5 million club option for 2011, and it is a no brainer to keep him. Infante is a strong second basemen, but a weak 3rd bagger. He could easily play SS if the Braves choose not to retain 33 year old Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez has a club option at $2.5 million for 2011. Chipper is owed $13 million per season over the next two years and may be back early on. A new shortstop and/or utility player may be in order here. Brooks Conrad's ($.44 million 2010) defense is too much of a liability and SS Diory Hernandez has not shown the bat to merit playing time. With a good fall, SS Brandon Hicks could hit his way into the lineup, but it is not likely.

Outfield: Can you say new players? Jason Heyward should move into the 3 hole and be one of the cheapest hitters at this slot in the order. Center and left field have to see more production for the team to move forward. Center needs to be maned by a leadoff hitter who can steal some bases. Bobby just did not like to run, but Fredi Gonzalez has never been too shy to give the green light. Left field needs to provide some much needed home runs. Nate McClouth has been a huge bust and is owed $6.5 million next year with a club option for 2012, up from $4.5 this year. Ouch! He will either be an expensive backup, sent to the minors, or play for another team with the Braves eating the meat of his contract. Melky Cabrera had a one year deal for $3.1 million in 2010. 50/50 as to whether is is resigned. Cabrera is a serviceable player, but does not provide enough SBs or HRs at either position to start. Rick Ankiel has a $6 million club option for 2011.Let's see her, ummm no! He would be a quality backup at $1.5 million, maybe. Fan favorite, Matt Diaz, will be 33 next season. He hit .250 with 7 HR in 224 at bats in 2010. Diaz simply does not have enough power to man left field everyday. He earned $2.55 million in a one year deal last season, and may be resigned as a backup. Eric Hinske earned $1 million as a pinch hitter and utility man in 2010, and he was worth it. Yes, he will be 34, but Hinske is a great pinch hitter and can play first if needed. He should be resigned quickly. Jordon Shafer  would be the ideal leadoff man and center fielder, but he hit only .201 with 9 SBs last season at Gwinnett. Some new blood is sorely need in the outfield and let's hope the Braves are aggressive here.

Down goes Bama! Down goes Bama!

From: Benjamin
What an absolutely humongous victory for the Fighting Gamecocks last Saturday! While everyone is talking about Alshon, Garcia, and Lattimore, here are ten other things we observed...
1) Coach Spurrier was finally able to run his passing offense because Garcia was throwing perfect timing passes. The corner route to Tori Gurley on the first drive was the most beautiful pass he has thrown as a Gamecock. Fades and corner routes are a staple in the Spurrier offense and we finally saw them. Oh, and it helped that the oline gave Garcia time to throw. Did you notice how much fun Coach was having on the sidelines? That was the Cock and Fire right there!
2) Everyone saw our lines win the battle of the trenches, but what got into right tackle Hutch Eckerson. To say he has played poorly during his 4 year career would be well, true. He was destroying the Bama DE. I hope he sustains that level of play because he was a machine.
3) Coach Shawn Elliott is worth every penny!
4) Loosening the restrictive shoulder brace on DE Cliff Matthews made a world of difference in his pass rushing ability.
5) All season, our defensive weakness was our linebackers-see Auburn game. Josh Dickerson played out of his mind. 6 tackles in the first half! He was vital to stopping the Wildcat formation. Tony Straughter had a big game as well.
6) Most underrated player----TE/FB Patrick Dimarco. Losing Weslye Saunders was a blessing in disguise for many reasons, not the least of which is getting Dimarco on the field more. He is a bruising blocker and was owning his man the whole game. Watch the block he threw on Lattimore's option TD run into the south endzone. Wow!
7) Anyone wonder now why we scream everytime Garcia comes off the field for a sub?
8) Moving DT Melvin Ingram to DE to add some bulk there was a genius coaching move. Ingram had 2 sacks and was disruptive all night.
9) D.J. Swearinger changing his committment from Tennessee to us was a bigger day than we thought at the time. He is a big time player and had his best game yet!
10) One of the most important improvements from last year's team is the kickoff specialist. The extra hangtime, distance, and ability to locate the kick allowed us to keep the Bama offense on a long field all night.

Enjoy this one Gamecock fans and don't lose focus!

If you're #1, you better not play SC!

From: Austin
Before we get started, can the Braves find anyone to play second besides Conrad? 4 errors in 3 NLDS games is attrocious. His 3 yesterday cost the game. I know there are injuries, but move Diory Hernandez to 3rd and Infante to 2nd please!

The impact of yesterday's game will surely be felt on the recruiting trail. Recall that Coach Saban used the Bama is a big time program and we are not line on Manning's John Fulton last year. Seeing that the Tide has offered so many in-state prospects this year, the win was a huge one that will impact our program for years to come. The first chip to fall was Lake City running back and stud baseball player, Shon Carson. Kudos to recruiters Brad Lawing and Chad Holbrook on this one. Carson plans to play both sports in college, but watch out for the baseball draft here. He is a speed back and should complement Lattimore nicely. So far this season, Carson has rushed for 1300 yards and 20 touchdowns. Wow! Lake City is not 4A, but those are fanstastic numbers.

Pastor Gary's LSU Bayou Bengals returned the favor we gave them earlier in the day, but beating the Florida Gators in the swamp last night to top off a marvelous day. Gator QB, John Brantley, is rumored to be playing with 4 cracked ribs and a hairline fracture in his thumb. We'll see if this impacts him as the Mississippi State Bulldogs travel to Florida next weekend. The Fighting Gamecocks are in sole possession of first place in the SEC east!

Didn't get to see the clemmons game because of ours, but how in the world could they lose to a UNC team missing 6 defensive starters? Parker has got to be thinking, "I came back for this?"  The Dabo grumblings will surely begin. This is what you get when you hire a coach with no head coaching or coordinator experience. He is a nice guy and a welcomed change of pace after 9 years of Tommy "pass the buck" Bowden, but only an average coach. I see a string of wins over very below average opponents in their future, but hey they lost to Maryland last season. Bet there will be lots of empty seats in Death Valley on Saturday. With the way the tiger season has gone so far, it will probably rain.

What we have to do to win

From: Elliott
Ok, we give the Fighting Gamecocks little if any chance to pull off the victory this weekend, as Alabama is just dominant. However, we do have a puncher's chance, as Buster Douglas showed against the unbeatable Mike Tyson. A wise coach once told me that the key to winning was to just score more points than they do. If we are gonna spring the upset we must have most if not all of the following come to fruition....

1) We must play out of our mind and the Tide must be flat. Could the hype and subsequent drubbing of the Florida Gators last week positively impact the game for us? We can only hope.
2) This is beginning to sound like a broken record, but a special teams TD must occur. Our best chance would be to block a punt, but that would require us to force a 4th down. If Gilmore or (please anyone but Culliver) returns a punt or kickoff, Williams Brice may explode.
3) Star WR Julio Jones has a sore knee. In order to slow (stopping them is impossible) the Bama rushing attack, there must be 8 plus men in the box, forcing the Tide offense to beat us through the air. If they do, shake their hand and say good game. Don't lose by letting them beat you with their strength.
4) Gilmore and company must stay home on play action.
5) Some running game must show up to keep our defense off the field. Don't just line up and run right at them, but be creative. It doesn't need to be loaded with misdirection like Florida attempted, but a variety of plays to gain positive yards. Coach Spurrier is a master of matchups and creativity is needed. Ace Sanders on the end around, option, and lots of the
6) Gilmore package. Can this show up again please!
7) Good gracious, no more missed extra points.

Where were you?

From: Leon
So the Braves limp into the postseason in Bobby Cox's last season. Hey, they have a punchers chance. The over/under for runs scored in the Giants series is what....6? They drew the one team who has an offense that is worse than theirs. The Braves bats are in hibernation and have been since Chipper hurt his knee. Losing Prado just made the offense that more inept. The best thing to hope for is that the Reds upset the Phillies because their is no chance to beat Roy Halladay 3 times in a 7 game series. Luckily, Tim Lincecum was more beatable this season, but he is still a stud. Matt Cain will be tough in game two, so the Braves have their work cut out for them. I'd start Hudson in game 2 and save Tommy Hanson's first playoff start for Game 3 at home. Derek Lowe goes in Game 1, and he has a lifetime era of around 2 at AT&T Park. A magical run could happen, but it is not likely. It wasn't likely either in 1991. Do you remember where you were when Bream slid home? I do.

Hot Seat Update

From: Cole

1) Paul Wulff-Washington State: Keeps the top spot. They stink.
2) Butch Davis-Even wins may not save him. John Blake was dirty.
3) Tim Brewster-Minnesota: Almost beat Northwestern
4) Les Miles-He's 5-0 you say? Did you see that clock management in the Tennessee game?
5) Mark Richt-Hate this one, but 1-4 is 1-4
6) Dan Hawkins-Colorado: He is lucky Caleb King fumbled.
7) Ron Zook-Illinois: Poor clock management strikes again versus Ohio State
8) Ralph Friedgen-Maryland: Lucky to beat Duke
9) Mike Locksley-New Mexico: Suprised he made it through last season

The end of the LSU game was a comedy of errors. I will give Tennessee a break on their 13 men on the field. They have a new coach and LSU was mass subing, which created some confusion. If it persists, then Dooley will be in trouble. But what on earth was Coach Les Miles thinking? On the 1 yard line with 30 seconds to go and 3rd down. Think "Taneyhill up to the line. Taneyhill gonna give it to Bennett." Run it up the gut twice. He had his jumbo team in the game and had no timeouts. Nope, massive subs that cost 20 plus seconds and led to an errant snap. Poor game management has been a criticism of Miles before, but that was ridiculous. LSU looks like our teams under Coach Holtz-good everything and horrific QB play. Bayou Bengal fans can tolerate a team struggling due to poor QB play, but not such inept coaching. The QB play is not likely to get better soon, as their prize freshman left fall camp to sign a baseball contract.

CBS has chosen to take its 2nd six day window for Oct 16th. The possible game times are 3:30 on CBS, 6 pm on ESPN 2, or 7 pm on ESPNU. The games they are looking at are the Fighting Gamecocks at Kentucky, Ole Miss at Bama, Arkansas at Auburn, and Mississippi State at Florida. One would believe they are holding out to see if we win this week because the Auburn game is by far the best matchup of the week. I would expect us to be the ESPNU game if all goes as expected.

Chicken Little

From: Benjamin
Good gracious did Alabama kick the fool out of Florida last night. With our struggles against physical teams, I hope we do not get embarrassed on CBS again. It will probably take a special teams touchdown for us to win and it could happen. Hey, I could walk outside and bump into a hippo or the Braves could hit in the postseason. All theoretically possible, but highly unlikely. I remind you: no punt returns for a TD since 2003 and no kickoff returns for a TD since 2002. Sad.

I am often amazed at the South Carolina fanbase's "sky is falling" attitude. However, it has been stronger than usual after the Auburn loss. Our good friend, Clayon McCathern, gave some good insight into this that is worth sharing. It is most likely due to the fact that we finally get to go the year with a clempsen victory under our belts and don't have to listen to any lip from their fans. The fact that they played so well and should have won added to our 2nd half collapse, equals losing to clemmons in our minds. At least some minds, that thankfully do not belong to us.  The Auburn loss was one game. clempson lost too. It doesn't mean they will beat us this year. We still beat clemmons handily that last time we met. Keep your heads high Gamecock Nation!

Weekend #5

From: Austin
The Cole Train was right on yesterday with his critiques. Coach Lorenzo Ward noted that DB Chris Culliver would be benched should he get another personal foul. Coach Ellis Johnson stated that LB Shaq Wilson's hamstring was doing very poorly and they'd have to strongly consider a medical redshirt. We now have to ask why he played so much versus Auburn. Can we put Akeem Auguste back at cornerback now!

Garcia gets benched for 2 fumbles. Texas A&M's QB Jarrod Johnson had 5 TDs and 5 turnovers last night versus Oklahoma State, the last of which led to a game winning field goal for the Cowboys. On one of the fumbles, Johnson ran a bootleg right and just dropped the ball. State promptly picked it up and returned it for a TD. 5 turnovers in one game, wow!

Yahoo reported that former UNC coach, John Blake, received money from sports agent Gary Wichard's person bank via wire transfer. Big shocker here as everyone knew Blake was dirty. What took the NCAA so long?

Very important game for UGA and head coach Mark Richt at Colorado this weekend. UGA's 1-3 start has Richt on the hotseat. A lot of their poor performance has to do with missing stud WR A.J. Green. Richt is a stand up christian man and you can take it to the bank that his program is not dirty. There are many UGA fans who are obnoxious and arrogant and we enjoy beating them, but we hope UGA throttles the Buffaloes this weekend and Richt gets to keep his job.

Who knows what to expect in the Miami at clemmons game Saturday. Best guess is that it will be a close one. Miami wins if QB Jacory Harris doesn't do his best Jarrod Johnson impression again. If he contines to turn the ball over, watch out for the tiggers to get the W.

TNA wrestler Jeff Jarrett was a guest on Open Mike Daily yesterday. Ryan notes that he is one of the friendliest, down to earth guys he has met. Look for another big interview with a big star in the next few weeks.

Auburn Thoughts

From: Cole
Ok, I have given myself some time to digest the performances and arrived at several conclusions:
1) Our linebackers this season are not only small, but slow. Shaq Wilson is obviously still bothered by the hamstring injury because he was at least a step or 2 slower when he chased Newton on the long runs. Rodney Paulk is not as fast as he was prior to injuring his knee against N.C.State last year. He may have regained his straight ahead speed, but not all of his agility. We will need to play much better here to stop the Bama rushing attack.
2) clempsen showed us the blueprint on how to contain Newton the week before. Both of their defensive ends rushed through the tackles and not around them. Yes, this makes a sack less likely, but it does not allow the rusher to be shoved out of the way and give Newton a free lane to blow by our linebackers. Did we do this? Nope, we continually rushed to the outside, were moved out of the way and gave him all the space he needed.
3) Newton is by no means a great passer. To beat Auburn, you have to take away the run. I would have expected us to put 8 or 9 in the box and lean on Gilmore and whoever is at the other corner to hold serve. If we give up a long pass, then bummer. Better to get beat that way by making them attack our strength, then to get gashed on the run again. This would also have prevented our D from getting so tired.
4) Can Chris Culliver go a game without a personal foul penalty? Is he the 2nd coming of Carlos Thomas? Put him back at safety because his footwork is not up to par for a CB.
5) I have no earthly idea how someone who knows as much about football as Coach Spurrier does, could pull Garcia for Shaw in that situation. On the road at night at the end of the 4th quarter on a drive to tie the game? Garcia had not thrown a pick all night. Yes, he should have protected the ball better, but come on! Get the oline to block someone. Shaw will be great, but he stares his WR down like most freshmen do. Garcia would not have thrown that last pass to Jeffery in triple coverage. Hope his 2 INTs do not affect his mindset for the rest of the season.
6) Missed extra points kill ya. See UGA last season.

South Pointe at Spartanburg

From: Elliott
What a game Friday night at Wofford as South Pointe travelled to take on Spartanburg on ESPN2. Ryan called the game for radio and got to shoot the bull with ESPN's recruiting expert Tom Luginbill. I have not seen a high school game with so many bone crushing hits well,.....ever. On Spartanburg's 91 yard interception return, the Clary call went like this- "to the 50, the 40, the 30 GO GO GO Touchdown!" Awesome call that was closely followed by the call of the blocked field goal by the Vikings with 2 minutes to go. Former Spartanburg Viking, Auburn Tiger, Carolina Panther, St. Louis Ram, and Washington Redskin, Stephen Davis, joined Ryan and Uncle Matt in the press box for the 3rd quarter. Davis is a super nice guy. He spoke about Marcus Lattimore calling and asking his advice about where to go to school. Davis told him to follow his heart. Hated to see the Vikes lose in OT by trying to go for 2. Tough way to lose an unbelievable game. Jadeveon Clowney is for real. To say he is fast would be an understatement. Gerald Dixon had a big game, but he was blocked by a RB most of the night, not Maryland right tackle commit Stephen Grommer.

RIP "The Best"

From: Everyone

Kenny was the greatest. One thing that no one is speaking of is how unusual it is for black men to kill themselves. White people, sure. Less than 1% of all suicide victims are black. Lawsuits have been brought against police departments by families on the sole basis of black people do not suicide. We are choosing to believe it was an accident. Prayers for his family and teammates.

Whew! Oh, wait a minute. Shoot!

From: Elliott
Growing up in South Carolina, I have often heard clemmons fans poke fun at the Gamecock faithful for moral victories. Therefore, I have a hard time not chuckling a little as they count the Auburn game as one. Oh my how the mighty have fallen! Well, not really, but they were big shots in their own minds. Gotta be a heart breaker to tie the game and have it called back because your long snapper moved the ball twice. Leave it to clempsen to find interesting ways to lose. I'll give credit to Ryan, as he texted me as soon as it happened and said "the center moved the ball." He also has been preaching on the radio 1) the tiger WRs are weak-illustrated by Jaron Brown dropping the game winning TD. A good WR would have caught it. 2) Andre Ellington is a big time RB-he had 140 yards rushing and 3) Jamie Harper is overrated as a runner, but a quality pass catcher-he was very ineffective running the ball, but his diving catch for a TD was one of the plays of the year.

Kevin Steele had a good strategy of having his ends contain rush to keep Cam Newton in the pocket. Newton is very dangerous outside the pocket, but not as much as a pocket passer. The long TD pass was on a blown coverage by the clemmons secondary.  The Auburn oline didn't play particularly well and lost their Right Tackle for the season. Daquan Bowers was in on a lot of big plays, but most were when Auburn forgot to block him. How do you forget to block the DE? DT Jarvis Jenkins was the one having the big game. Hope Ladi and Travian will follow suit for us.

Kyle Parker feels beat up. Ah Shucks. Attention! This is what happens when you play big boy football. Auburn isn't even Florida or Alabama. He usually goes out an plays Maryland or UVA and can feel great the next day.

Army beating North Texas by 3 TDs had to hurt the strength of schedule. That great UNT running back we have heard so much about helped UNT get 0 points. Oh and PC lost again. What is that 17 in a row?

UGA fans are screaming about Mark Richt. He is a victim of his own success. Teams with freshman QBs in the SEC usually do poorly. However, Richt has had some excellent seasons with them in the past, so it is expected again. Big time coaching move to gather the troops after the 3rd quarter and they responded with some big points. UGA had the ball to win the game and called a poor play on 3rd and 4 which resulted in a sack because all the WRs ran 20 yard routes. Travelling to Mississippi State without A.J. Green will be tough, but it is still a winnable game. A loss this week and the seat will get red hot.

Southern Miss

From: Matthew

Had to love Southern Miss thumping Kansas last night. How many of you heard from the clemmons folk after we crushed them that Southern Miss was a lousy team. Well, a double digit win over a Big 12 opponent not named Iowa State is huge for them and important for our strength of schedule. Hope the Golden Eagles win 9 games this year.

Lexington had its Octoberfest last night. Why is Octoberfest in September? Who knows? In spite of the confusing months, The Fantastic Shakers were awesome as usual. Any chance to see the South's best shag band should be taken. Here are some pics from when they played Jennifer's birthday bash.

N.C. State and things I want to see

From: Benjamin
Nice to see a team in the ACC show some life last night as the N.C. State Wolfpack put a hurting on Cincinnati. Irmo native Mustafa Greene started at RB at had 84 yds rushing and 1 TD. Greene also caught 5 passes for 54 yards. Russell Wilson was hitting his RBs in the flats all night, but they were catching the ball facing the sidelines. While not the usual direction the RB is looking when catching a swing pass, it was effective all night and Greene looked comfortable doing it. Former oline target of last year, Robert Crisp, was starting at left tackle as a true freshman. Rock Hill's Asa Watson saw some time at tight end. We need N.C.State to be good so they can have a chance to beat clempsen.

Big game tonight as Byrnes battles with Gaffney. In the Rivals High School 100, Dorman is #11, Northwestern #22, and Goose Creek #80. Pretty good for our small state.

Things I want to see against Furman
1) Garcia throw at least one touchdown
2) Lattimore get no more than 6 carries
3) Lots of pt for Quin Smith, Jimmy Legree, and Corey Addison
4) Jarvis Giles break a long run
5) Tori Gurley get 5 catches and actually not get a td called back

Big Boy Football

From: Cole
Let me just start by imploring the Braves to actually score some runs. These last two weeks of offensive ineptitude against the stinking Pirates and Nationals could seal the Braves fate. They missed the Wild Card last year because of their record against these two sorry teams.

clempsen will get introduced to Big Boy Football this week versus Auburn. In spite of the dramatic increase in competition, the tiggers could easily win this game. Why? It's the same reason Boise State can beat anyone and they same reason they shouldn't be in the National Championship talk. Anyone can get up for one big game and win if they have the talent. What separates the great teams is how they play on their down weeks. In the high school league, you get to play Maryland. In the SEC, you have a down week versus Arkansas, you lose.

Thank goodness we can finally stop talking about Weslye Saunders and focus on our 2-0 record. Sure, I'd love to have someone with his skillset, but if he did take multiple visits with agents and report it dishonestly to the NCAA, then he is better served off the team. No distractions!

Arkansas at Georgia is a big game this week. UGA should win, and I would always pull for a class act like Richt over Petrino, but another UGA loss would really help us in the East. Maybe I can convince myself to pull for UGA since Arkansas is ranked one slot ahead of us and Uncle Nathan loves UGA. Tough one to call.

Only going to devote one line to the Panthers. Ugh!

Pulling for Jarvis Giles to break off some big runs this week.

Hot Seat Update

From: Elliott
Two weeks into the season and it's time for the Hot Seat Rankings.

1) Paul Wulff-Washington State: They are just plain terrible                     

2) Tim Brewster-Minnesota: Losing to a Dakota school?                         

3) Dan Hawkins-Colorado: The zen master has been anything but good   

4) Ron Zook-Illinois: Great recruiter, but needs a big time win this year    

5) Ralph Friedgen-Maryland: A win over Morgan State does little for ya    

6) Mike Locksley-New Mexico: Suprised he made it through last season 

7) Butch Davis-UNC: Probably safe, but it could all blow up for the Heels 

8) Les Miles-LSU: Every Bayou Bengal I know is ready for him to go       

Week 2

From: Leon
Big win for Coach Spurrier and crew! Holding UGA to 253 yards total offense, wow! We continue to have a balanced attack with 189 yards on the ground and 165 through the air. How about 9/14 on third down! Gotta get more pass rush the rest of the year.

Hopefully Va Tech going down to James Madison will take away some of the Boise State for National Champion talk. Tech could have its hands full next week with East Carolina. Former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill's Pirates have put up the points in their first two games.

The ACC looks like the High School League again. The four big schools all lost. FSU, Miami, and Ga Tech did go on the road against BCS foes, but they have to so they can up their strength of schedule. Duke, Maryland, and Virginia are dead weight. Good thing clempson drubbed North Springs Elementary to get the conference a win.

Tennessee was gashing #7 Oregon for 10 plus yards a carry in the first quarter and a half last night, which was suprising seeing they have 5 new offensive linemen. But, a young team is prone to mistakes and the Vols made them. Watch for them to stay with folks early in games and fade late due to lack of depth. Tough one versus Florida next week. I doubt the new coach, Derek Dooley, will count a close loss to the Gators as a win like Lane Kiffen did last season.

Vandy's offense looked horrible against a tough LSU D. LSU's offense looked mediocre against an average Vandy D. Les Miles is moving up the hot seat rankings.

Gameday is headed to Auburn for the clempson game next week. Starting RB, Mario Fannin, may be out for Auburn. If that is the case, freshman Michael Dyer would get the start. Future 1st round left tackle. Lee Ziemba, may also be out for a good while with a knee injury. Let's hope Auburn introduces the tiggers from clemmons to big boy football, like the Crimson Tide did a few years back.

UGA game from the West Stands

From: Cole
How about the Fighting Gamecock oline and Coach Shawn Elliott controlling the line against the Bulldogs. 50 plus runs has been unheard of for us in an SEC game. Chisolm and Watkins were excellent at guard, and the entire unit played well together. Ok, there were a few miscues in pass blocking, but what an improvement from the end of last season. Lattimore is a big time back. Man, it sure is nice to get one of those who is not a head case-Summers and Watson.

Play of the game-Ealy's fumble on the two yard line on the hit by Holloman and Gilmore returning it to the 14. Not giving up any points after kicking it out of bounds with under 2 to go in the first half was big as well. LB play was better, but not great. Ace Sanders, all 5" whatever of him, was blocking his heart out for Alshon. Dimarco was blocking like those stud FBs that UGA seems to always have. Nice to have one on our side for a change. We missed Saunders when UGA brought up their LBs and we didn't have a TE to slip behind them over the middle. Notice we stayed in 3 wide with Jason Barnes.

Through two games, the kick coverage and return games have been much better. I thought Gilmore had a TD on one. He gave us great field position on the 50 and not scoring due to the big sack by three Bulldogs could have been a game changer, but the D stood up. Stephon Gilmore is a shut down corner, period.

New UGA QB, Aaron Murray, has a heck of an arm. He missed on some long throws that could have been big plays, but he did everything they asked him too well. True, he had no pressure, but he showed a lot of poise.  Why did they stop running toss sweep to the right? They were gashing us. Missing Green hurt, and may contribute to a loss next week versus Arkansas. UGA's new DC calls a great game and the 3-4 will be tough once he gets personnel to fit the scheme. The UGA oline may be the best we see all year. They shut Cliff Matthews down the entire game until the last 2 drives.

Big win! With Florida looking vunerable, this is the year! Go Cocks!

UGA not going Green

From Austin:
What's up with the Gamecock fans that are disappointed that star WR, AJ Green, is suspended for the game because they want the Gamecocks to beat the Dogs with their full team or it isn't a good win. Look, there will be no asterisk next to the win. All that matters is that we get a W. I don't care if there entire team is out and they have to play the waterboys. A win is a win. Then there is the other side of the pendulum, the guys who now think we are going to destroy UGA. Just because their best player is out, UGA is not going to play dead. This will be a hard fought game. Green not playing allows us not to have to double anyone in the secondary and look more towards the run. Hopefully this will keep them out of 3rd and shorts because we stunk at those against Southern Miss.

If Hutch Eckerson has to play RT, then I am going to blame Weslye Saunders for each sack he gives up. If Saunders hadn't screwed up so bad, then Jarrell King would not be in limbo for living at the Whitney.

South Carolina will win if their linebackers can cover UGA TE Orson Charles. Watch out for UGA's punter because he averaged 48+ yards per punt last season. Punters always seem to have their best game against us-see any Colquitt. We gotta keep good field position and get TDs in the red zone. The offense excelled at this last week.

clempson is often accused of playing the Sisters of the Poor, but this is ridiculous. Who's on deck for next season, Slippery Rock State Teacher's College?

Hey the Braves finally scored against the Pirates. The Pirates cost the Braves the wild card last year and just bit them again.

Big week! Be on the Lookout

From: Benjamin
Well, I met Herbert Lee Davis this weekend. I'll go on record and say that there probably isn't a more friendly former athlete from our university. If only he could teach our guys now to shoot the mid-range jumper half as good as he did, then we'd stand a chance on the hardwood.

Be on the lookout for cramps this weekend. A 12 pm kick with 90 plus degree temperatures and that lovely South Carolina humidity could knock out some athletes in key situations, remember Captain Munnerlyn a few years ago. Our thinned out secondary cannot afford untimely cramps, especially with Chris Culliver possibly out. Is it time to pull out the Lou Holtz pickle juice? Whoever is giving IVs on the sideline better go to bed early Friday night, no hanging out with the Lindsey twins.

I still cannot keep DeAngelo Smith #19 and Demario Bennett #80 straight in my head

Is this the week we get a special teams touchdown? Heck, how about a sack!

Clifton Geathers was cut by the Browns and thankfully picked up by the Dolphins. He goes pro for pennies and Parker turns down millions. I see how this works. I bet Jevon Sneed is feeling like an even bigger dufus after Ole Miss lost to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Nothing like leaving early and not getting drafted. Hey, it is the year of the Gamecock baby!

Tajh Boyd sured looked awesome against the Mean Green. No wonder Kyle Parker felt obligated to turn down millions of dollars. Clempson would win maybe 3 games if Boyd was at the helm.

Look at the offensive line

From: Benjamin
When is the last time that a team made it through an entire SEC season without an offensive line injury? UGA seems to lose half of their line each year. With the recent departures of Nick Allison and Quinton Richardson, the 2010 line is a wee bit thin on personal. Coach Wolford raved about Allison's potential last year. But, it was not to be. He was engaged since high school, and you always have to wonder about guys like that. (see former Brave and current Ranger catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia)

With the word that they will try and redshirt all of the freshmen, the coaching staff announced that they will try and make it through the season with 8 healthy linemen. 3 of the freshmen could play if needed, but what good are true freshmen in the SEC? Here is a breakdown of our current linemen which illustrates there is no depth.

Seniors:
Jarriel King-a servicable tackle who would be best served on the dline, but is taking one for the team due to numbers
Hutch Eckerson-average tackle. Strength has been a major issure here. His technique is not that bad.
Steven Singleton-never has seen the field and likely never will
Garrett Chisolm-walk on LG who is actually one of our better linemen

Juniors:
Ryan Broadhead-lifetime backup who has never played and is currently out for the season due to an ACL injury
Kyle Nunn-decent tackle who improved throughout last season. Hopefully will take the next step this year
Kevious Watkins-guard or tackle who may turn out to be an asset. Should play a lot this year. If he is good, we could take a large step forward.
Terrence Campbell-guard who was awarded a sixth year due to injury. He has a mean streak, but is undersized against most SEC dlinemen.

Sophmores:
T.J. Johnson-does all the coaches ask. Moved to center this year. Has a mean streak and works hard. He was outmaned a lot last year. Needs to be more consistant.

Freshman:
A.J. Cann-can play any position and may be forced into action this year
Corey Robinson-has good size, but is supposed to be a 2-3 year project
Trammell Williams-interior lineman who looked good in camp
Ronald Patrick-probably the real backup center
Cody Gibson-tackle who will for sure reshirt to gain weight

So we have no depth and lose 4 players. A good percentage to hit on is 60% of your oline signees. Most are 50% or less. We have to get positive performances out of 3 or 4 of the freshmen in 2011 or we are in serious trouble. We may be in it this year, unless we stay healthy.

Fired up

From: Elliott
Game week baby! If you can't get fired up for game week, then you gotta check yourself. Here is a video to get you in the right frame of mind...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbe537-Ue-g

Matchup of the game will be Southern Miss's stud WR, DeAndre Brown, versus the Carolina secondary. I would think the Golden Eagles will try to get him matched up on Chris Culliver in lieu of Stephon Gilmore due to Culliver's lack of experience at the corner position.

Hope Tori Gurley gets better treatment from the oline this year and can cut down on the number of TDs he gets called back for an oline penalty.

Probably will not see the Gilmore package too much with UGA next week. Also, I'd expect Gilmore will need a break if he has to play more snaps due to a possible C.C. Whitlock suspension. Hope Whitlock and Auguste get to play.

If I have to sit next to "Mr Fake Punt Guy," I may gouge my eyes out, which is ok because I can get my uncle to fix em. Few things are more annoying at a game then having to endure a guy yelling (Fake!) on every punt. Hey man, do us all a favor and can it.

Time for Benjamin's Papa to dust off those same grapes he has been bringing to the tailgate since Brad Scott was coach. Nobody eats that stuff. Give me some chicken biscuts!

If you want to check out our next opponent on Saturday, UGA will be playing the La Lafayette Rajun Cajuns on Peachtree TV at 12. That is Directv channel 651.

Northwestern's Gerald Dixon looked like a big time DT last week vs South Pointe. He moved well and was in on some big plays.

Jason Heyward was on fire last night with four hits, including a 3 run bomb. If he gets hot, the Braves may make a deep run into the postseason.

I rarely pull for the ACC, but may Va Tech wallop Boise State and put an end to that nonsense.

Good stand

From: Austin
Spartanburg's defense held 4 times when Union County had a first a goal at the one down by 8 with minutes to go. Big time play to start off the year and a good win to begin the Clary tenure as the voice of the Vikings. Union County went away from USC commit, Ronnie Martin, all night. On ESPN, what was supposed to be a tight game became a rout when National #2, Plant HS, lost their Alabama commit QB in the first quarter to an ankle injury. #18 Manatee and star RB, Mike Blakely, ran wild. Blakely is down to Auburn, USC and Florida. He is very elusive and has good speed. He would be a nice addition to the Fighting Gamecock backfield. Don't forget to watch Brynes battle Hoover on ESPN tomorrow and South Pointe take on Northwestern on ESPNU.

Ugh, USC committ Brandon Wilds had 7 rushes for 17 yards. I hope most of that is due to poor offensive line play. 2012 target Shaq Roland had 5 tds for the Lexington Wildcats, including a kick return.

Fun Night

From: Elliott
Attention fans of clemmons university! In case you forgot, we won the national championship and beat you twice to do so! Now to other things.

Ryan had an entertaining evening MCing the SOAR fundraiser. This is a special needs school, and he was able to spend the majority of the time with Radio and Coach Jones. Radio notes that they are going to beat Westside and that he likes Bojangles.




















The State newspaper got the message from Coach Spurrier apparently and moved Joe Person off of the USC beat and up to a paper in Charlotte. To say that Person's relationship with the USC staff was strained would be an understatement.

Bobby Bowden claims he was forced out at FSU. In other breaking news, Bojangles makes good chicken.

In the often overlooked but incredibly important special teams battles, Seth Strickland has won the holder job that was vacated when Stephen Flint gave up football. Strickland is a QB so maybe we add a new fake FG this season?

Positive statement of the week from the coaching staff came from Coach Beamer. Anyone who underestimated the impact Ryan Succop had on our defense through field position was reminded of that all year, especially when Spiller took the opening kick back for clemmons. Coach Beamer mentioned that both Jay Wooten and Dutch Fork's Joey Scribner-Howard placed several kicks two to three yards deep into the endzone. This could be huge. Succop was able to get good hang time as well, so we will have to wait and see on this. Watch out for kick placement. Adam Yates's biggest deficit last season was not lack of leg strength, it was putting the ball in the center of the field when his coverage was slanted to one side-see Spiller kick. Better kickoffs will only make our defense that much tougher this year.

The Boot

From: Leon
Official announcement! I am tired of hearing all of Weslye Saunders' nonsense. Skipping team meetings and lying about the reasons is just the last in a long string of transgressions. I will forever be indebted to Saunders for his two tds in the clempson game last year, but enough is enough. Coach Spurrier should give strong consideration to giving him the boot. Here's to hoping that Justice Cunningham turns into the second coming of Jay Novacek in the Southern Miss game. When I have met Justice, I found him to be a well spoken, polite, and considerate young man. This is the kind of player who we should pull hard for.

Anyone else like me who threw up in their mouth when it was announced that Navy was added to the 2011 schedule can at least get some relief in knowing that stud QB Ricky Dobbs will graduate this year. Why am I concerned about this game? Have you seen us play Wofford recently?

Senior Mike Hartline wins the UK QB job. Hartline, who sustained a season ending knee injury at Williams Brice last year, always seems to have an off game against the Cocks. Freshman Morgan Newton looked very sharp when pressed into duty last year against the Norwood led defense. Perhaps, this is good news, or maybe Hartline will circle this as a revenge game.

The 4 Clary Boys

From: Matthew
Sure was nice on my drive in to work yesterday to hear Tommy Moody on the radio talking about the 4 Clary boys who played football for South Carolina. Not too often do you hear about guys who played in the 1930s. Of course the most important being our grandfather, Buford. Also mentioned were Ed, Wilburn, and Earl, "the Galloping Ghost of Gaffney High." It is a big honor to have a kin in the Hall of Captains. Hey, I drink my cherry coke zero every game out of my Earl Clary captain cup.

Couldn't Wait

From: Austin, Cole & Benjamin
OK, we couldn't wait any longer so we attended the Dutch Fork/Irmo game at W.C. Hawkins field last Friday night. While not big fans of week zero of the high school season, we just needed to see some football. Good game all around with Irmo edging out a 28-26 win, thanks to a blocked PAT. New Irmo RB, Dejuan James, has some good speed and will be a nice replacement for Mustafa Greene, who is now with N.C. State. Let's just hope that it is not nearly that humid at Williams Brice for Southern Miss because the game might as well been played in a rain forest. 

South Pointe destroyed the AFC Rangers of North Carolina 51-6. Cannot wait to see them on ESPN this Saturday against Roderick Byers and Northwestern, just hope Pam Ward is not doing the play by play. Thankfully, she has been demoted to the ESPNU game this season, because the SEC gets some 12 pm kickoffs on ESPN2 and listening to her call a game is painful. There is a new lady calling the games this year as Beth Mowins will be on Tuesday or Wednesday nights. Those of us who love to stay up and watch Ohio battle Akron will get to hear her talents. The best thing going for her is that she is not Pam Ward.

Anyone else not buying into the Christian Ponder for Heisman campaign? He has been an average QB in a league with terrible defenses. Yes, he is smart and graduated in 2 1/2 years, but he looked inept against clempson last year. FSU's biggest weakness that last 5 seasons has been their poor offensive line play. They have two of Rivals' top 30 linemen for 2010 in senior guard Rodney Hudson and senior center Ryan McMahon. Maybe a running game and some time to throw the ball may make a difference for Ponder. Hey, it may help Steven Garcia too, for that matter. Good thing we have so many new linemen this year.

Friday thoughts

From: Benjamin
Congrats to Brandon Wilds on becoming the 14th commitment to the 2011 class for USC. Wilds is a bruising RB who will play fullback for the Fighting Gamecocks. This may allow Coach Spurrier to move current freshman FB, Matt Coffee, to linebacker next season in a effort to sure up the depth there. You can see Wilds at home tonight as they welcome South Florence to town at 7:30.

Former USC target, Alfy Hill, was declared academically ineligible after initially gaining aproval from the NCAA Clearinghouse to enroll at Alabama and going through preseason workouts. He has left the team. Hill was a top 100 recruit and was a backup linebacker for the Crimson Tide. The issue was a lack of core courses.Wonder if USC will get involved again if it clears up for next season?

Week Zero of the High School season starts tonight. This means football is here!  You can check out Shamir Jeffery and Calhoun County on Saturday as they travel to Malboro County to face Lateek Townsend and the Bulldogs. Spring Valley kicks off the first game of former USC DC Miles Aldridge's tenure as they travel to Camden. The game of the week would have to be the improved Dutch Fork squad on the road against the always tough Irmo Yellow Jackets.

Big day for the Braves

From: Cole
Jason Heyward lining a rbi single up the middle last night to give the Braves a bottom of the ninth win capped off a huge day for the Bravos. This was the 21st last at bat win for the Braves this year, leading the majors. The big news, however, is that Derrek Lee will be joining the team. Troy Glaus has been wearing down the last 2 months with his sore knees resulting in a low .240s average, and the loss of Chipper left a gaping hole in the middle of the order. Yes, Lee is only hitting .251 with 16 bombs in 109 games. Yes, he has a bulging disc in his back that has hampered him some, but this is a major improvement. There was talk in the last few weeks about waving Glaus and bringing up prize first base prospect Freddie Freeman. Freeman was hitting .312 with 16 home runs when I last checked. The Braves were rightly hesitant to pin so much of the hopes of their stretch run on two guys 21 and under. Lee is an upgrade over Glaus and provides a power right handed bat that was sorely lacking. 2 1/2 up with a month and half left. Go Braves!

Don't let Carl Parker negotiate your next contract

From: Elliott
So ESPN reports yesterday that the 1.4 million dollars that it was reported that Kyle Parker signed for was a bit misleading. It turns out that he will only get $200,000 now, $700,000 in 2012, and the final $500,000 over the next two seasons. You see, the object here was to make more money, not less. At least that it what we thought. Maybe they didn't want to fork out the $20 bucks for a new wallet or didn't want over 2 million dollars? $200,000 minus 42% income tax is $116,000. It is said he is a man of faith, so subtract the 10% tithe and you get $96,000. Gotta pay that high priced agent, but luckily Carl will probably work for cheap.

So, how long till Kyle thinks, " I gave up a guaranteed chance at financial security for the rest of my life for this." At least he can still afford a new boat.