Real Talk

Baseball opening series: USC vs. Duquesne

2010-02-25T05:57:00.001-08:00

The opening series for South Carolina Baseball was impressive and promising for the rest of the season. The pitching was maybe the most encouraging as it has been a problem recently with the Gamecocks. The starting pitching was great, with the best part being the return and dominant performance of Sam Dyson who had surgery on his arm during the off season. He was on a limited pitch count but consistently threw the ball in upper 90s and even reached 100 mph on his fastball a few times. For this series many were wondering how the Gamecocks would fare without starters from last year, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Nick Eibert, out. Jeffery Jones and Christain Walker were very impressive hitting the ball, showing the depth and talent this team possesses. The fielding was nearly infallible, commiting only one error to my knowledge throughout the weekend. We were able to sweep this opening series, preparing us for the rematch of last year's super regionals against East Carolna in which the Pirates defeated the Gamecocks. I believe in this team more than any of the past couple of years due to the great starting pitching and the immense depth and talent of the bullpen. We always have offensive power, and this year that looks to continue. This weekend vs. East Carolina will be a better measuring stick to see how we stack up against one of the better teams in the nation.

Basketball as of 2/24/10

2010-02-25T05:44:00.001-08:00

South Carolina Basketball started our with a lot of promise this season with returning starters and possible NBA players Dominique Archie and Devan Downey. These two players gave the Gamecocks, who returned many of the players from a team that tied for first in the SEC East last year, a realistic shot at competing for the SEC crown. While the season has not turned out as well as we of Gamecock Nation would hope, I am still reasonably satisfied with the team's performance through all of the adversity they have gone through. Losing arguably the most versatile player on the team in Dominique Archie against Miami in the beginnig of the season and later followed by the loss of fellow starter Mike Holmes essentially crushed the Gamecocks hope of returning to the position we were in last year. Despite this, we were able to pull off the biggest upset in our history, beating the #1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats in a thrilling game at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC earlier this year. That game was the most incredible athletic event I have attended since the Super Regionals against Miami at Sarge Frye field some time ago and it probably even topped that. The arena was louder than I have ever heard it and the atmosphere in the Student Section, the garnet army, was amazing. Although we haven't followed that game with the success we would hope for, realistically we have to take what we can get after losing two starters. Hopefully we can pull out a few of the remaining games this season and make a postseason appearance. Regardless I will still be cheering my Gamecocks on and hoping for the best.

Fooball Conclusion

2010-02-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

The Football season, although it didn't end as well as we would have wanted, left me satisfied and looking forward to next year. This feeling is much different than the feeling I experienced after the 2008-2009 season. The main reason for this is due to the fact that we beat Clemsn and playd competitively with Florida. The earlier games of the year, mainly the defeat of the then #4 ranked Ole Miss Rebels, were a great experience, but nothing comes close to me as beating Clemson. I would love to be able to compete for an SEC championship, but since we had no chance I was thrilled by the Gamecocks performance against Clemson. That game was complete domination, excluding the opening Kick-off redo. The bowl game was a big disappointment but in all reality it didn't bother me that much. I can't explain why this happened but for some reason I just wasn't too excited about this game. With the big recruiting class that we were able to bring in for this next year, with some very talented players that could help us, I really believe we are getting closer to our goal of being a realistic contender in the SEC EAst. This year is as good as year as any with Florida, Tennessee and Georgia all having question marks on how they will perform. Most likely they will all be fine, but due to what each of these teams lost and is trying to replace I really believe that the SEC East is up for grabs this year, and hopefully we can be in the mix.

South Carolina vs. Alabama

2009-10-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Despite the loss, I am proud of how they team competed with the #1 team in the country. The early interception return for a TD seemed to indicate this was the same old Carolina team that would not only lose in big games but fail to compete in these games for an extended period of time, but this was not to be so. The Gamecocks went up against a superior team, just as the rankings indicate. Although the Gamecocks lost they showed some very promising things that give hope for the future. First Alabama was not able to consistently move the ball on offense. The Carolina defense held up very well, forcing 4 turnovers, but due to the lack of depth and injuries suffered we were not able to maintain the same intensity for the entire game. Alabama had too many playmakers, too much size, and too much depth for the Gamecocks to continue the early success against their offense. This was represented by Alabama being able to run the ball in the second half very effectively. Although the defense wore down the overall statistics were not bad at all. We kept their offense off the field longer than our offense was on the field, we forced more turnovers than we gave up, and we only gave up one offensive touchdown and two field goals. Only allowing their offense to score these three times shows alot, especially when considering this is the best team in the country according to the experts of college football. The total yards of the game were 356 for Alabama and 278 for the Gamecocks which is not too much in favor for Alabama. On Saturday night I was listening to a national sports radio show on the radio and I heard something from the host of the show that irked me. He stated on the game that it was "a dominate defensive performance against a bad offensive team from South Carolina." I replayed that statement over and over in my head and looked at the stats of the game and I could not make sense of this. I mean the total yards were not substantially different between the two teams and the Gamecocks forced twice as many turnovers as Alabama did. Alabama's offense produced one more scoring drive than ours did. This statement by a national sports radio host still bothers me. It shows a lack of knowledge, incite, and study of this game. Alabama proved to have a very effective run game against our defense late in the game, but South Carolina had an effective, although inconsistent, passing game. based on this statement it doesn't seem that a dominate defensive performance against a bad offensive team requires much in the terms of forcing turnovers or stopping the other team for a very low yardage. It could also be said that it was a bad offensive team from Alabama, but of course a national show would never bad mouth a powerhouse like Alabama. I can not understand this statement, which has clearly drawn me away from commenting much on the game itself. South Carolina showed it can and will compete against the best in the country. the best part of it is is that this team will only get better over time as all these young players progress in knowledge and ability of the game. A new Carolina? I say yes, but i will wait for a final conclusion after the final game of the season. I look forward to a solid win against Vanderbilt as the Gamecocks have a lot to prove.

South Carolina vs. Kentucky

2009-10-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Many Gamecock fans wanted and expected a blowout in this game. Although that did not happen a win was still achieved and we were able to observe some very encouraging things for later down the road. Once again I believe we were able to see a New Carolina. The attitude of the team is what moves me most as a Gamecock fan. Many times in the past I have wondered how good the team could be if the attitude of the team was what you would expect, and hopefully I am not wrong in saying I believe it is here this year and for the years to come. The most encouraging aspect I saw in this game was the emergence of a true receiver, Alshon Jeffery. Some of the catches he made were absolutely incredible and caused me to remember the days of Sidney Rice here at USC. Another thing I saw was Stephen Garcia diving recklessly in the air to get a first down the assured the win for the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter. Despite all his off the field troubles in the past it is now evident that this is a player who wants to win. He is strong enough mentally to get over the persecution from the media and fans which goes along well with him being strong enough physically to come back from the rib injury. The running game was also encouraging with Kenny Miles rushing for 100 yards. Going into this week's game with Alabama, the one thing that worries me the most is the defense. This is completely different from the past couple of years where the offense was the problem, but this year the defense has suffered some key injuries on the defensive line. This causes worries for the run stopping ability of the defense, especially going against a very strong offensive line and running game that Alabama possesses. This game for me will show if this truly is a New Carolina. If we can keep it close in this hostile environment against the 2nd ranked team in the nation then we really have turned the corner and the best will be upcoming in the future for this team. Even if we don't keep it close, as long as I see heart from the team I will be proud. Hopefully the upset will happen, and i will be elated if it does, but we need to look at this to see what we are capable of. We have gotten used to seeing the team given up when facing this kind of adversity. I'm hoping for the best. Go Gamecocks!!!

South Carolina vs. SC State

2009-10-07T11:58:00.001-07:00

Although this game was not what everyone would have hoped for, I found it to be very encouraging...at least in the second half. Everything seemed to be going wrong for the Gamecocks in the Second half: we were inept on offense, had a difficult time stopping the Bulldogs from moving the ball, and the game was out on TV. Listening to the first half on the radio, I had a very difficult time being optimistic about this season. I mean it was SC State we were playing and we couldn't do anything against them. SC State does have some very talented players but as a whole they do not and shouldn't have been able to play toe to toe with the Gamecocks. The same thing happened against Florida Atlantic this year, we were unable to dominate an inferior opponent and actually were just hoping to win. Another similarity to the Florida Atlantic game was the performance of the team in the second half. We absolutely and completely dominated the third quarter on both sides of the ball in each of these games. The athletes on the Gamecock side of the ball were able to show their superiority and put the game away in the third. 21-0 in the third quarter is incredible no matter what the team. The most encouraging aspect of this game was seeing the young players. There is truly an abundance of talent in these young players and one can only hope they continue to improve. Reid McCollum looked solid in his limited playing time. There are young players playing significant time at all the skilled positions for the Gamecocks. Not only are they playing significant minutes, they are playing well. At this point in time we can't say that any one of the players on the team is better than those from the past, with the exception of Eric Norwood, but when we look at the TEAM it can be said that this is the most talented team the Gamecocks have fielded in recent time, certainly under Spurrier. Going back to the idea of a New Carolina, I see things that I haven't seen. Young players producing is one aspect I can't remember observing. Kentucky is upcoming at home on Saturday at 12:30. If we can continue improving from week to week the possibilities for this team may surpass all our expectations.

South Carolina vs. Ole Miss

2009-10-07T11:27:00.001-07:00

Attending this game as a student and as a lifelong fan of the Gamecocks was truly a special occasion. Everyone has observed the Gamecocks give games away. Any Gamecock fan knows the frustration that revolves around this program. The football program has been promoting the concept of a New Carolina, which at first seemed to be just another meaningless phrase that was being promoted. I first began to accept this concept following the Georgia game. This was due to the fact that we were able to see a team that DID NOT GIVE UP. How many times have we seen the team just give up when they face a tiny amount of adversity? They battled back and really should have won that game. Now back to the Ole Miss game; everyone is aware of the Gamecocks struggles against the top 5 rated teams in the country. They had one win against a top 5 team in its history and this was an away game so the fans never were able to experience it personally. There was an immense amount of sloppy play throughout the duration of the game, but the Gamecocks made the plays they needed to to come out on top. I have never experienced an atmosphere at a Carolina game as the one that was showcased on national television that night. Despite it no where being near the capacity level, the atmosphere was electric and the fans were incredibly loud. Every Gamecock fan now knows and loves Sandstorm. Throughout the fourth quarter the fans were quiet and the feeling seemed to be "How are we going to blow this game?" Once Sandstorm started to play, the student section began jumping in unison to the song and that action carried over to the other areas of the stadiums where traditionally there seems to be a lack of emotion and excitement for what the team is doing. Ole Miss appeared rattled after this took place and the Gamecocks never looked back, winning 16-10. What else can be said, everyone knows the performance of the players; they could all have played better, but we did not lose. We won the game and were able to see excitement from the players. Is this a New Carolina?? I would have to say yes!

First Blog

2009-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well I am new to this whole thing so I don't really know what all I will decide to talk about up to this point. My life is very simple, I go to work and school. My free time revolves around the University of South Carolina Athletics, primarily football. I'm hoping for a great season this year.