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.