Receivers making plays with and without the ball - It's getting hard for opposing defensive coordinators to figure out which Carolina WR to take away. During the season, several Carolina WRs have made big plays. Most recently, Brian Scott has been hot. Carlos Spikes made his presence felt against Arkansas and is due for a break-out game. Jermale Kelly was hot earlier and continues to make some clutch receptions. Early in the year , both James Adkisson and Ryan Brewer were hot. Corey Alexander, now a TB, had a crucial TD reception against MSU. Willis Ham and Teddy Crawford are still hoping to make some noise. Both are blocking well but not seeing many balls thrown their way. Ham had a key block on Watson's 68-yd TD run last Saturday against Arkansas. After missing several games to injury, Michael Ages is now healthy enough to see some playing time. He has a lot of talent and speed. It's only a matter of time before he cuts loose. Give Coach Fitch credit for the much improved physical play of the WRs. For years, the Carolina WRs have had trouble getting off the line of scrimmage in press-man coverage and blocked with the tenacity of a Pee Wee Herman. I've read comments by just about every Carolina WR wherein one can sense the pride the WRs as a group are taking in getting physical with opposing DBs.

Anyone seen Coach Strong's "spurs?" Answer...all of Carolina's first seven opponents. The two "spur" positions created by the new defensive scheme have wreaked havoc through the first seven games. Everyone expected Rachad Faison to excel at the position, but few knew how well Willie Offord and Jonathan Martin would play. Offord quit the team for a day or two last year but decided to return after talking with Coach Lou. Give Coach Lou credit. He knew Offord could play and must have coaxed him into returning. After such a good season, I imagine Offord will be eternally grateful to Coach Lou. Martin, just one of several players Coach Lou moved to new positions, has taken to the "spur" position like a duck to water. After watching him and Offord in spring practice, I felt they would contribute and they have done just that. Combined, the three "spurs" have totaled 112 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 13 passes broken up, 3 QB sacks and 3 interceptions. Faison is the leader with 50 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6 passes broken up, 3 QB sacks and one interception.

Out-and-out thievery - Talk about players making plays...how about the entire defense? Nine defenders have swiped opponents' passes. CB Brown leads with four while both CB House and DE Quinn have two each. LB Wadley, DB Eiland, SS Faison, SS Martin, and SS Offord and CB Goodman each have one. The defenders now have 14 interceptions compared with just eight for the entire 199 season.

Call me...I'll answer the bell - Shane Hall and Larrell Johnson have provided great depth off the bench. Hall has played extensively at both OT spots while Johnson has backed up both OG spots. Hall may have played his best game as a Gamecock against Arkansas this past Saturday. Johnson has been playing very well since the MSU game and can even play the center position. Every good team has at least a couple of key OL reserves that can play at least two positions.

Moving up- If LG Williams and RG Frye can't go against Vandy, Coach Lou said Larrell Johnson and Dennis Thomas will start. At the press conference, I asked which players would back up Johnson and Thomas. Coach Lou said Tim Bell and Jonathan Ragans. Justin McGuire would be the top reserve at center. For most of the season, Coach Lou has used a three-man rotation at both OG and OT positions. Wonder if he will use the same rotation at OG against Vandy and who will be the third man? I can't help but think it will be Shane Hall or Jeff Barnes and not Bell or Ragans. Barnes is a good athlete and has been working at OT. But, he worked some at OG during the spring. However, he has missed some practice time this week which could mean Hall could be the man. If Frye can play this Saturday, the OG rotation problem should be solved. He could either start or be the third man in a three-man rotation of Johnson, Thomas and Frye at OG.

Potential All-SEC candidates - Right now, there are several Gamecock players that should be considered for All-SEC honors. CB Sheldon Brown should be first team as I predicted in my SEC magazine. LB Andre Offing has played as consistently well as any LB in the SEC. There are a lot of good DTs in the SEC but Cecil Caldwell and Langston Moore deserve consideration. Cleveland Pinckney's stats aren't impressive, but he has played his position very well and has been a big reason the DL has been successful. By season's end, I think the stats will show that DE/OLB Kalimba Edwards had a good season. If LB Kenny Harney had stayed healthy, he would have had a shot. Even though LT Travelle Wharton is a freshmen, he should get a lot of votes because he is that good. I remember talking to his high school coach. He told me Wharton was going to be a great college lineman. The SEC is loaded with great WRs. If they continue to make plays, Jermale Kelly and Brian Scott should be in hunt. RT Melvin Paige has played consistently well. If TB Derek Watson continues his super play, it would hard to keep him off the first team.

Freshmen All-SEC candidates - LT Travelle Wharton is a shoo-in to make the team and will likely garner some votes for the freshmen All-America team. In my opinion, he should be a first-team freshman All-American. DB Donald Eiland is a candidate and will be have a great shot at it now that he will be getting more playing time. Eiland had four tackles and one interception in the Arkansas game. LB Jeremiah Garrison is in the same boat...all he needs is more playing time which Coach Lou says he has earned. Garrison had about six tackles against Arkansas in his most extensive playing time of the season.

Redshirting- All of the following freshmen or JC players signed in the 2000 class have played extensively and won't be redshirted: DB Deandre Eiland, DB Dunta Robinson, DB Rachiem Monroe, TB Trevin Smith, TE Hart Turner, LB Jeremiah Garrison, TB Corey Alexander and WR James Adkisson. There is some question as to whether Jamacia Jackson and Jack Johnson have played. I wasn't able to get an answer from sports information. I think the #16 who has played is Marvin Deas, a walk-on, and not Jamacia Jackson. Jackson wears #16 also. According to my roster, Jack Johnson is #43 and I haven't seen him on the field. Gavin Ford, a walk-on FB, also wears #43 and has been on the field some when Carolina goes with a jumbo, short-yardage set. I meant to ask about QB Dondrial Pinkins at the press conference, but didn't. About three weeks ago, Coach Lou hinted that Pinkins would play this year. Even though Pinkins played some against Alabama, he would still be eligible for a medical redshirt if his knee acts up again or some other injury has struck. Before the Kentucky game, I remember Coach Lou saying that Pinkins had a sore shoulder. Since he didn't play against Kentucky or Arkansas, it looks like he will be redshirted. As for which players will be redshirted, it's difficult to predict because Coach Lou proved last year he will burn a redshirt late in the season if he thinks the player is ready and can contribute to the success of the team.

Overcoming the jitters - P Tyeler Dean is finally doing on game day what he usually does in practice. When I first saw Dean punt as a freshman, I thought he could be a great college punter. The first punt he attempted was in the indoor facility. It almost hit the ceiling. In practices, he always got great hang time and good distance (average around 41 yards).

Kudos to the Carolina ground game - Early last week, Arkansas coach Nutt said, "We're going to stop the run. I don't care if they throw it 100 times." The Carolina OL paved the way for the Carolina backs to rush for 174 yards. Coach Nutt...poor game plan or not enough talent to execute it against a good team? Or, perhaps Coach Lou and the team decided to make Coach Nutt eat his words.

A little humor - Before taking to the road to face the mighty Duke Blue Devils, Clemson center Kyle Young said it would be great to finally hit the road and play before a hostile crowd. He said it would pump the Tigers up. Just how pumped can a visiting team get when there are only 9,000 "hostile" fans in the stands. Maybe Young thought they were going to play in Duke's basketball arena.

C'mon Daddy, show me some respect - Apparently, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden became somewhat miffed a few weeks ago over one of his father's comments. So I heard, daddy Bobby was telling son Tommy that he thought his teams' poor running game and FG kicking could be a problem later in the year when his team played Miami and Florida. He didn't mention Clemson. Looks like Bobby Bowden doesn't think as highly of Clemson as the pollsters do. And, Bobby was right about the Miami game. His 'Noles couldn't run or kick.

The back door may be open - Clemson just may "back door" its way to the top of the polls before the crucial game with FSU. If Bobby Bowden can't whip the Tigers, he should be forced to retire. There is no question that Bobby has more talent than Tommy and the game will be in Tallahassee. As for me, I hope the Tigers win and enter the Carolina game with a 10-0-0 record. If they do and the Gamecocks can bring a 9-1-0 record into the fray, it would be great for the state of South Carolina as well as for fans of both schools. For the first time in many years, the fans that own the "bragging" rights would have something to really brag about.

Article 10/15/00 Dealing with Success

Although I don't think the world will come crashing down on the Gamecocks if they lose to Vanderbilt, I do think the outcome of the Vandy game will show how far Coach Lou has taken the Gamecocks. Sometimes, teams not used to winning have trouble dealing with success and increased expectations. It's apparent Coach Lou has taught the players how to overcome adversity which is the step that leads to success. I am reminded of the old saying, "Anything that doesn't kill you can only make you stronger." But, just how strong mentally are the 2000 Gamecocks?

Are they strong enough to keep their feet firmly on the ground and focus on what can still be achieved rather than focusing on what they have already accomplished? The answers are forthcoming this Saturday when the Gamecocks tackle the Commodores. After two of the worst seasons in the history of Carolina football, the 2000 Gamecocks became bowl eligible just seven games into the 2000 season. That is heady stuff for a group of players who played on a team that was the laughing stock of college football for two years. Before the Arkansas game, CB Sheldon Brown said getting the sixth win to become bowl eligible would take "a lot of pressure off the team." Against Arkansas, they didn't play like they were under a lot of pressure. It seemed to me the team played loose and was having fun. And, once again, they seemed to handle the post-game in a business-like manner much as they have all season.

Of course, actions speak louder than words. I've heard several of the players say they can't afford to take any opponent for granted. And, in just six short days, the Gamecocks will take to the battlefield with a chance let their actions speak for them. The Commodores aren't going to lay down for the Gamecocks. Friends of mine that live around Nashville tell me that the Vanderbilt players and fans always think they can whip Carolina on a yearly basis. For the past few years, Vanderbilt has often been a team that gets up for games against teams that are having good seasons. Seldom do they win any of those games, but they scare the daylights out of the opposing coaches. Georgia and Florida were lucky to defeat Vandy last season. The Commodores generally play Alabama very tough. Even though I don't think Vanderbilt has talent similar to the other SEC teams, I never count them out of a game. They play hard for sixty minutes in just about every game year in and year out. Given all I have just written, the Gamecocks will need to put the bowl-clinching victory over Arkansas behind them and get ready for a Vanderbilt team that is likely to play lights out this Saturday.

Coming off a big win over Tennessee, the Georgia Bulldogs almost got ambushed by the Commodores this past Saturday in Athens. Four costly Commodore turnovers prevented them from spoiling Georgia's homecoming festivities. The Commodore offense piled up 442 yards against the Georgia defense that was ranked first in the SEC. The Commodore defense held Georgia's offense to 307 yards. The Bulldogs learned a valuable lesson (look forward, not backwards in the SEC) without paying the price of a victory like they did against Carolina. One would think Vandy's play against Georgia will help Coach Lou and his staff in their efforts to convince the Gamecock players that Vandy is quite capable of pulling the upset against them.

The Commodores have their engines stoked and their powder dry as they await the Gamecocks. If both teams play as well as they can, the Gamecocks should win. The past two games between the two teams have been two of the ugliest games ever played in the history of college football. It'll be very interesting to see how the Gamecocks perform now that the pressure is off as Brown says. Defeating Vanderbilt will prove to me that the Gamecock players have their heads on straight. And, it will convince me that Coach Lou is in a league by himself when it comes to positively affecting players' lives both on and off the field.

If they lose to Vandy, it won't derail what is happening to Carolina football. The Gamecock football express is churning north but will likely encounter a few delays along the way which isn't a problem as long as the train stays on the track. You can bet that Coach Lou will use the loss as another powerful lesson while he builds what is becoming a very strong foundation for the future of Gamecock football. The Gamecock players are to be commended for their willingness to make the changes they have made thus far to become winners. If they want to become even bigger winners, all they have to do is shake off any feelings of contentment and seize the opportunities they have created for themselves. The stage is set for them to have a dream season...one that could be long remembered in the annals of college football. All of sudden "worst to first" is looking like more like a prophecy than a pipe dream.

Article 10/10/00 Looking ahead for the Gamecocks

After six games, Carolina has an impressive 5-1-0 record and on track to win between six and eight games as I predicted could happen in my Gamecock magazine. As a matter of fact, there is an outside chance they could win 10 games. That is possible but the probability isn't that great. Road games at Florida and Clemson will be huge obstacles to overcome. The Gators don't lose very often in the Swamp. Clemson will have two weeks to prepare for the Gamecocks and will likely be smarting from a loss to FSU that spoiled their dreams of an undefeated season.

There are a number of reasons why Carolina is doing so well. But, the main reason is Coach Lou Holtz. One of the reasons I felt the Gamecocks could do well this year is that I felt Holtz would get inside the players' heads and change their attitudes. There wasn't a lack of talent at Carolina, but there was a defeatist, nonchalant attitude prevalent in the program. All Gamecock fans can remember Brad Scott's last team (1998). That team preferred telling jokes on the sidelines to keeping their attention on the task at hand. Even though Coach Holtz couldn't produce a win in 1999, it should have been obvious to all that his team made improvement throughout the season and that the attitudes of the players were changing. Without the change in attitude, this year's Alabama game would have gotten out of hand. Without the change in attitude, a loss, rather than a win, would have been registered last Saturday at Kentucky. Past Gamecock teams under Woods and Scott never seemed to handle adversity very well. When things went south, they usually gave up. That is no longer the case. As Coach Holtz said (paraphrased) after the Kentucky game, "This team keeps its poise."

How far will this new attitude take them? Perhaps to at least six or seven wins. What do they have to do to win more? Since the attitude is in place, the key will be physical ability and not mental. Perhaps one disappointing aspect of the 2000 team is the slow progress the OL has made in being able to dominate the line of scrimmage in the running game. Should the OLs be chastised? That may not be fair. After all, LT Wharton (Fr) and RG Frye (So) have played just six games of college football at their positions. Wharton and Frye have played very well. I predicted in my writings that Wharton would be a freshman All-American and freshman All-SEC candidate. I've seen anything to change my mind. LG Williams (RSo) now has 17 games under his belt and had never played on the OL until last season. C Browne (RSr) is seeing the most extensive playing time of his career but has probably less than 15 games worth of experience under his belt. And, he is undersized. The two graybeards, C Jones (RJr) and RT Paige (RJr), have had to play with pain for much of their careers. Jones has missed several games, while Paige has seldom played a complete game. Usually, Shane Hall (So) relieves Paige for some snaps and is a capable player. LG-RG Johnson (Jr) moved to the OL last season and has been a spot starter as well as a key reserve in spelling both guard positions. He has played in just 17 games. After watching the Kentucky nose guard manhandle Browne and depending on Jones' toes, Johnson may have to work some at center. Other OLs are RT Sanderson (RSo), C Ragans (RSo), C McGuire (WFr), LT Barnes (RFr) and RG Thomas (WSr). The list does not include the true freshmen. As you can deduce, there is a lot of youth and inexperience along the OL. The OL is doing a good job pass blocking which is strange that they are better at pass blocking than run blocking. Most coaches say it is easier to teach an OL to run block than it is to pass block. Since the OL is relatively young, it is nowhere close to being physically mature. Veteran players (age 20 and older) are much more physically mature and, thus, better run blockers.

Coach Holtz challenged his OL to dominate Kentucky's DL. According to ESPN analyst Bill Curry, the Gamecock OL didn't dominate in the run game. As for my opinion, I'm not sure whether I agree or disagree with him. As I recall, Carolina didn't run out of the "I" formation very often. When they did, they were very successful. I recall Carolina running six plays from the power set. Five times they had good results as Watson reeled off runs of approximately 58, 5, 8, 24 and 4 yards. Once he was stopped for a 3-yard loss. Watson netted 96 of his 149 rushing yards on the six runs he made out of the "I" set. That's an average of 16 yards per attempt. The Gamecocks rushed for 159 yards against Kentucky which was fewer yards than the Wildcats had been allowing per game. Confusing my efforts to form an opinion about Curry's statement is my inability to evaluate the play of Kentucky's defense. Something keeps trying to tell me that Kentucky is getting better defensively. I keep thinking the two big freshmen DTs played very well and showed glimpses of being very good players in the future. It seemed the Kentucky front seven played well. If what I am thinking about Kentucky being better defensively proves to be true at season's end, then the Carolina OL had a creditable performance overall and did a great job of run blocking in the power game.

A plus for the OL in trying to become a good run-blocking team is one Mr. Derek Watson. He can turn a small crease into a country mile. But, behind Watson, there isn't another back that has proven he can do the job this season. Andrew Pinnock has struggled. The new blocking scheme of the OL, which requires the back to find the hole, doesn't fit his running style. Pinnock has been more effective running to a pre-determined hole. I've noticed a couple of times this season that Pinnock was stopped for small gains because he picked the wrong hole. Ryan Brewer has had a small amount of success running the ball. The one thing you get from Brewer is an all-out effort. He locates the hole well and runs hard, but he is not particularly elusive or fast. I think the move of Corey Alexander to TB could help. In my opinion, he was the most impressive of the TBs based solely on running ability early in the spring before he was moved to WR. He has good vision, accelerates very quickly through the hole and has the moves in the open field to take it the distance. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry in the spring game. His handicap is his physical stature. At about 5'7, 170 pounds, it's unlikely he will be able to take a constant pounding or be an effective blocker against LBs and DLs. Still, I think he can contribute because of his great speed, quickness and elusiveness. If he gets six or more touches in a game, I think he has the ability to turn at least one of those touches into a big play. Trevin Smith is a puzzle. Physically, he has all the tools...size, toughness, decent speed and good hands. The only reason I can think of as to why he isn't playing more is that maybe the coaches feel he doesn't have a good grasp of the offense.

Defensively, the Gamecocks held Kentucky scoreless for the last two-and-a-half quarters which is very impressive. When was the last time a Kentucky offense went scoreless for that long under Mumme? Possibly never. Even more impressive was the fact that Kentucky held the ball for 20 of the final 30 minutes and couldn't score. The "bend but don't break" scheme used by the Carolina defense worked perfectly for them as the game progressed. All season long, the defense has been making plays. And, it's not always the same player making the big plays. Just about every defensive player has made at least one play instrumental to the five victories.

If Carolina is to win eight or more games, I think two things have to happen. One, the FG kicking has to become more consistent. Two, the OL has to get more dominant in the running game. Late in the game when a team needs to run the clock, the OL must take over the game. As ESPN commentator Bill Curry said, "Good teams are able to run the ball late in the game when everybody in the stadium knows they are going to run the ball." The next two opponents (Arkansas and Vanderbilt) are susceptible to the run. Arkansas surrendered 226 rushing yards to Alabama and 179 to Georgia. Vanderbilt gave up 217 rushing yards last Saturday to Wake Forest and 292 rushing yards earlier in the season to Alabama. An effective running game could be the catalyst for upsetting Tennessee, Florida and Clemson. LSU upset Tennessee and Georgia defeated Tennessee by being able to run the ball. MSU blasted Florida for more than 300 rushing yards en route to a 12-point victory over the Gators. Clemson hasn't faced a decent running team yet and probably won't before playing Carolina, so a physical ground game may put them in shock.

Reid Bethea kicks the ugliest FGs in the history of college football but his percentage is not that bad. Now that Daniel Weaver has been kicking since Monday a week ago, maybe he can kick some "prettier" balls with a higher percentage. If I knew for a fact the OL would become great at run-blocking from this point forward and the FG kicker could be relied upon, I would definitely predict a 10-win season. It will be interesting to chart the progress of the running game over the last five games. And, it will be interesting to see if the outcomes of the remaining games are affected by the performance of the Carolina ground game. Thus far, only MSU and Alabama have put the clamps on the Gamecock ground game and the Gamecocks split those two games. Even in the loss to Alabama, Carolina had its chances to win despite having its ground game held in check.

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Article 10/6/00 Wildcats vs Gamecocks

This game is rather simple to break down. It pits one team, Carolina, that has both offensive and defensive capabilities versus another team, Kentucky, that has just offensive capabilities. Carolina should have the edge in special teams.

Against their first three SEC competitors (Georgia, MSU and Alabama), Carolina has averaged 20.3 points and allowed 19 points per game. Standing alone those stats aren't very impressive. But, when one factors in the quality of competition, they become more impressive. At this point, it looks like Georgia, Alabama and MSU are among the better defenses in the SEC. Plus all three are capable offensive teams.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has averaged 24 points and allowed 47 points per game against two SEC foes, Ole Miss and Florida. The Rebels and Gators are not that good defensively but have the offensive weapons to post big numbers. Stats from the last five SEC games Kentucky has played reveal that Kentucky has been held to less than 300 yards and 23 points in three of the five games. Looks like "Mumme" ball is turning into "Moth" ball. Also, stats reveal that Kentucky has allowed four of its last nine opponents to rush for more than 230 yards. Looking even deeper into the stats, Kentucky has allowed its last six SEC opponents averages of 40-plus points and 450 yards per game.

The 2000 Carolina defense is patterned after the MSU defense. Last season, MSU limited Kentucky to 179 yards but did surrender 22 points. The '99 Vanderbilt defense limited Kentucky to 254 yards and 19 points. Last Saturday, Ole Miss held Kentucky to 231 yards and 17 points.

One of the ways Kentucky can win the game is with a great offensive effort. The question is which offense will show up...the one that rang up more than 500 yards and 31 points against Florida earlier this season or the one that struggled against Ole Miss? You may see Carolina in some different defensive schemes this Saturday. Last year, the four-man front was effective against Kentucky. Another way Kentucky can win is by Carolina giving them a lot of help like they did last year when Kentucky won 30-10. The '99 defense was forced to defend short fields just about the whole game.

What about intangibles? For the second straight week, Carolina will be on the road to tackle an opponent that has its back against the wall. Kentucky must win this game to keep alive its hopes of a winning season and a third consecutive bowl appearance. There may be some dissension among the Kentucky players as it was reported that the offense spent much of last week blaming the defense for the Florida loss. Plus, how will Mumme's meddling with the defense last week affect the defense. Do the Kentucky defenders still have confidence the defensive coordinator can give them a game plan that will work? It will be interesting to see if the sense of urgency is greater than the possible internal strife.

Statistically, Carolina's next three opponents (Kentucky, Arkansas and Vanderbilt) have been susceptible to the run. I would expect the Carolina running game to be highlighted for the next three games. Perhaps, Coach Lou will use the power game more to take advantage of both Watson and Pinnock. If Carolina can run the ball effectively, they should win each of the next three games by 10 or more points.

Don't count Kentucky out of this game. Last year, they upset Arkansas and came within one point of defeating MSU. A lethargic effort by the Gamecocks won't be good enough. If the Gamecocks play up to their ability and the most recent statistics prevail, they should win by a score of somewhere around 27-13.

Article 9/28/00 Tide vs Gamecocks

Will the magic continue for the Gamecocks this Saturday when they encounter what appears to be an enigmatic Alabama team?

It appears QB Phil Petty won't be part of the magic act at the present. Coach Lou stated Petty would not travel or play if the injured ankle didn't heal in time. He rejected the idea of using a pain killer on the ankle. So, production at the QB spot may be left to four potential candidates (Eric Kimrey, Dondrial Pinkins, Carlos Spikes and Mikal Goodman). According to Coach Lou, Kimrey will start and Pinkins will be the first one off the bench if need be.

I felt Kimrey played better physically than Petty did during the spring which is all an outside observer can use to form an opinion by just watching the practices. Only coaches and players can determine with any certainty which player did better mentally. All spring, Kimrey led the second offense against the first defense, so he got a lot of experience going against what I predicted in my Gamecock magazine was going to be a very good defense this season. He's been in the kitchen and has stood the heat. As a matter of fact, he led the second offense on the longest TD drive the first-team defense surrendered in the spring. During that drive, he executed almost flawlessly and scrambled for about 16 yards to keep the drive going. He showed good touch on some flare passes to TB Trevin Smith. On the last two plays of the drive, he first nailed SB Corey Alexander across the middle for about 20 yards and then threaded a pass to WR Carlos Spikes who broke three tackles to score from about 25 yards out. I read where Coach Lou says Kimrey gets a little nervous in front of a big crowd. He said that a day or so before the MSU game. After the perfect TD toss against MSU on fourth down, perhaps Kimrey doesn't have that problem now. His touch on the TD pass is more the rule than the exception based on what I saw him do in practice. All spring long, he threw well. But, when he relieved Petty in the New Mexico State game, he was very erratic with his passes.

If he plays the way he practices and overcomes the hostile crowd, he will do an okay job against Alabama. But, will that be good enough against Alabama? If he falters, will Pinkins be first off the bench or will it be Spikes? For some reason, I've had the feeling Pinkins was farther along in the system than most would think. Before his pre-season knee injury, he had completed 67% of his passes and had moved up to second team. Also, I remember Coach Lou talking about how quick Pinkins has picked up the offense. But, would Coach Lou dare play a true freshman on the road against a very good Alabama defense for his first college action? When I talked with Pinkins high school coach, he told me that, "Dondrial will never be in awe of any hostile environment. He won't get rattled." After watching a TV-19 interview with him, I thought of those statements. He seemed confident. Pinkins has been involved in all the "skull" sessions and game plans, so he hasn't missed much mentally. The injury limited his contact work during his rehab, so he may be little rusty in his execution and timing in "live" action. Spikes has become Holtz' relief pitcher and I wouldn't rule out seeing him at QB for some snaps. It will be interesting to see how the QB spot performs and who will be doing most of the performing.

In the past I have had very little problem picking the winner between Carolina and an opponent. Even though my predictions weren't always accurate, at least I had a strong conviction about which team would win. If you read my predictions for the Georgia and MSU games, I picked those teams to win close games against Carolina. But, as I wrote in the articles, I wasn't married to my picks and that Carolina could pull out the victories. In my pre-season Gamecock magazine, I wrote that Carolina could possibly upset Georgia if they blew out New Mexico State. They blew out the Aggies and upset Georgia. Still, I didn't have that strong conviction as to whether Georgia or Carolina would win. Since I am having such a difficult time predicting the winner of games when Carolina plays teams considered better or even much better than them, Carolina must be becoming a very good team. Once again this Saturday, I think Alabama will win, but I don't have a strong conviction that the Tide will win. Similar to the Georgia game, I think the outcome will be determined by Alabama's attitude. They will be the most talented team on the field. If they play with the right attitude, they should win. If the leave their attitudes in the locker room like the Georgia players did, they could be in trouble. Carolina has a defense capable of keeping the Tide offense under control. Barring any critical mistakes by the offense, especially the new QBs, the Gamecocks could steal a victory.

Article 9/18/2000 - MSU-CAROLINA PREVIEW?

College football fans are likely to see a real "cat and mouse" game this coming Saturday when the MSU Bulldogs travel to Columbia to take on the upstart Carolina Gamecocks. Since both teams are running similar defensive schemes, the coaching staff that implements the better game plan and makes the best adjustments during the game may turn this game into an easier victory than most would think. So, which coaching staff has the advantage? Both staffs are manned by grizzled veterans who have many years of experience. The Bulldog staff has about 230 years of coaching experience while the Gamecock staff has some 215 years worth of experience. What you are going to see is a "cat and mouse" game orchestrated by some 445 years of coaching knowledge.

If there are elements of surprise, I think the Carolina staff would hold the upper hand. Since the Carolina staff has been there for just 14 games, the MSU staff won't have near as much film on Carolina to evaluate as the Carolina staff will have on MSU. Actually, they will have very little film. Tendencies of the '99 Gamecock team are useless because of all the injuries and the 2000 Gamecocks have been rather vanilla offensively and defensively in two of the three games this year. The 2000 Georgia-Carolina game will be perhaps the only useful film the MSU coaches can evaluate from a tendency, formation and scheme standpoint. But, they can certainly use the other two games to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Carolina personnel. I think it will be important that the MSU coaches make the correct adjustments on the run and at half-time. On the other hand, MSU will have a couple of extra days of practice since they played last Thursday. Those extra two days are a big benefit in game preparation and could allow the MSU coaches time to put in some new wrinkles that could keep their Carolina counterparts busy on game day.

Offensively, MSU was very inconsistent last year and the trend has continued so far this season. Big plays have been the key to victory. Although, I am not overly impressed with MSU QB Madkin, I will say that he does what he has to do to make his team a winner. He is a gamer. Against BYU, Madkin showed his considerable running skills more so than he has in the past. This will present a problem for the Carolina defensive coaches. The huge Bulldog OL showed signs of developing some continuity and chemistry against BYU while the game was competitive and will need to dominate the line of scrimmage against the Carolina defense. Establishing a sound running game could be a key to victory for MSU. Unlike the most recent years, MSU will have a more difficult time wearing down the Carolina DL because Carolina finally has quality depth and will be able to substitute DLs freely. So, the question becomes, "Is the MSU OL better than the Carolina front seven?" To date, the MSU OL will be the best and biggest the Carolina DL has faced. Last season, MSU was held to its lowest yardage production (176 yards) by the Carolina defense which ran primarily a "50" scheme. But, MSU managed 10 offensive points which was more than enough points to win.

Defensively, MSU appears to have a great DL and it is the biggest in the SEC. Even though they have tremendous size, they are very athletic which could create some problems for a relatively young and inexperienced Carolina OL. With the exception of "Dog" safety Pig Prather, I don't think the MSU secondary is quite as talented as last year's group which was outstanding. Still, it is much better than what most teams have. The secondary must step up and slow down the quick Carolina short passing game. It looked like FS Josh Weldon was step slow a few times against BYU. If that is true, Carolina may try to work on him. A trademark of Joe Lee Dunn's defenses is getting all the defenders running to the ball. Against Carolina TB Derek Watson, who has a knack for reversing his field, they can't loose backside contain. If they do, Watson could have a very good day. Last year, Watson rushed for 89 yards on 23 attempts against the Bulldogs. Overall, MSU doesn't have the amount of experienced depth they had last year. If the Carolina offense can control the clock, the MSU defense may wear down a little. Last season, the hapless Carolina offense gained more yardage (296 yards) against the MSU defense than did any other regular-season opponent. But, the MSU defense kept Carolina out of the end zone and off the scoreboard. Twice in last year's game, the Carolina offense failed on fourth-and-short inside the Bulldogs' 20-yard line...once from the 19-yd line and once from the 2-yd line.

Offensively, Carolina will have to neutralize the MSU defensive front and, in particular, DS Pig Prather who has played very well this season and had 11 total tackles with one tackle for loss against Carolina last year. They may likely try to do it with the short, quick passing game from the spread formation. If that fails, they may go to some two TE and RB sets or even to the straight "T" formation that they used some last season.

Defensively, Carolina will have to keep MSU QB Madkin in the pocket. He doesn't always seem comfortable there and perhaps they can force him into some bad reads. Also, MSU offensive coordinator Sparky Woods loves to throw to his backs...particularly FB Justin Griffith who makes big plays in the passing game.

What about the intangibles? Both teams enter the game looking for more respect. Despite some impressive records lately, the national media hasn't shown the Bulldogs a great deal of respect...mostly because the Bulldogs' schedules have been considered weak. Unlike most of the other media, in my pre-season SEC magazine I picked MSU to finish second in the SEC West. The Bulldogs seem to be using the lack of respect as motivation. The Gamecocks get their first chance to prove against a quality opponent that the win over Georgia wasn't a fluke. Carolina has the home field but that shouldn't be a factor because MSU will be putting a veteran team on the field.

Usually, I have strong convictions about which teams will win. But, I don't have much conviction about my choice of the winner of this game. Both teams have defenses that are capable of dominating the game. Sometimes, expected defensive battles become offensive explosions. I don't expect that to happen because of the inconsistency of MSU's offense and the Carolina offense is still being fine tuned. However, since both teams bring the defensive heat, there could be some big plays offensively that may factor into the outcome. This should be a physical, low-scoring affair. In close games, the difference is usually the special teams. Unless something miraculous happens to the Carolina special teams between now and Saturday, MSU has a substantial advantage in special teams. In particular, MSU has the edge in being able to change field position and in FG kicking which I think will be the difference in the game. MSU wins, 16-14.

ARTICLE 9/14/2000 - PHIPPS PHEARLESS PHORECASTS

Two weeks into the 2000 season, the Clemson Tigers are still growling and the Carolina Gamecocks are still strutting. It's been quite a few years since the growling and strutting have happened simultaneously to begin a season. Both teams took advantage of turnovers to secure victories as they upped their season records to 2-0-0. Clemson humiliated Missouri, 62-9, and the Gamecocks sent the ninth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs whimpering back to Athens, 21-10. The Clemson domination of Missouri was complete on both sides of the ball and quarterback Woody Dantzler continued his pinpoint passing. Apparently Carolina tailback Derek Watson has decided he would rather play in a NFL stadium than sweep the floors in one. He, along with some excellent play calling, was the difference offensively. Defensively, the Gamecock defense confused and frustrated the Georgia offense all game long.

If you dine before going to this Saturday's game at Clemson or Carolina, don't order any dessert. Cupcakes are on the menu at Death Valley and Williams-Brice. This will be something new for Carolina, but has been the norm at Clemson for the first two games. The Weak, err... Wake, Forest Demon Deacons will try to humor the Clemson Tigers and hope that their conciliatory overtures will prompt the Tigers to have mercy. Won't happen...Clemson unceremoniously dumps the Deacons, 52-6. This game will be over by half-time and Coach Bowden will once again have the opportunity to build some depth by playing a lot of reserves. All good teams have experienced depth. The depth he is building will be a plus later in the season. Eastern Michigan's Eagles will fly into Columbia but will find that their weapons are useless against the Gamecocks. Eagles are supposed to be "birds of prey." This Saturday, the Gamecocks will fit the definition more accurately. While the Eagles may prove to be almost as physical as the Gamecocks, they won't be able to fly near as fast as the Gamecocks can run...speed kills. All the Eagles can hope for is that they still have just enough strength to fly back to Michigan. The Gamecocks must avoid an emotional let down, but Coach Holtz should be able to prevent that and build some depth for his team, Carolina 41-3. Not to worry, Carolina and Clemson fans. This isn't bulletin board material. The bookies in Vegas gave Eastern Michigan and Wake Forest all the board material they needed by installing the Gamecocks as 24-point favorites and the Tigers as 32--point favorites.

This Saturday, Tennessee Volunteers equals Gator bait. Even though the game is in Knoxville, the Gators will rout a Vols' team that still has a lot of offensive question marks, 31-10. Did Alabama finally wake up in the fourth quarter last weekend against Vanderbilt? That had better be the case or a good Southern Miss team will leave Birmingham with the win. Tide rolls slow, 13-10, but don't discount an upset here. LSU and Auburn were two of my picks as surprise teams this season in the SEC. Because Auburn has the home field, I'll go with Auburn, 28-27. Vanderbilt hosts Ole Miss and will make it two in a row over the Rebels, 20-17. Indiana and Kentucky, two very bad defensive teams, will try to be the first two teams in NCAA history to score a combined 200 points in a game. Indiana, 105-98. Basketball, anyone?

The Seminoles of FSU have looked less than impressive in their first two games this season. The 'Heels of UNC have the feet to give the 'Noles some trouble. 'Noles continue to look unimpressive in a 27-13 win over the Heels. After a couple of heart-stopping wins, the NC State Wolfpack will finally breathe a little easier against a bad SMU team, 31-10. Georgia Tech' Yellow Jackets will swarm Navy, 30-13. Virginia annihilates hapless Duke, 42-0. The Maryland Terrapins will be trampled by West Virginia Mountaineers, 38-20.

Article 9/13/2000 - Make Your Gamecock Bowl Reservations?

Before the 2000 USC-Georgia game, the two teams had met 52 times with Georgia holding a commanding 39-11-2 lead. Just out of curiosity, I researched the Carolina wins and discovered a couple of very interesting statistics.

The Gamecocks posted winning seasons in nine of the eleven years they defeated Georgia. They had one break-even season (1978, 5-5-1) and one losing season (1993, 4-7-0).

When the Gamecocks defeated Georgia by seven points or more in a season, they posted eight winning seasons and one break-even season. Four of the eight winning seasons produced all but one of their best season records. Following are the years and records: 1988 (8-4-0), 1984 (10-2-0), 1979 (8-4-0), and 1903 (8-2-0). Carolina has won eight or more games in a single season just five times in its history. Four of the five winning seasons of eight games or more occurred after Carolina defeated Georgia by seven or more points.

Because the Gamecocks defeated Georgia by more than seven points in 2000, history seems to strongly indicate that the Gamecocks are on their way to a winning season. And, history may put the odds at about 50/50 that they will post eight or more wins. But, like most statistical analysis, there is always a monkey in the wrench. None of winning seasons ever followed a 0-11-0 season. The least victories in any prior season was four.

Just thought I would throw out some more food for thought. Still, the best way to view this season is to strut just a little on the way to a possible six or more win season and start crowing if and when the Gamecocks reach six wins.

Article 9/11/2000 - Parity in College Football

One week before the 2000 football season started, I gave a speech to a Columbia civic club. I received the loudest laughter when I told the group I had predicted in my pre-season Gamecock magazine that Carolina had a good chance to win six games if certain things I outlined in my magazine came to pass. The laughter reached its zenith when I said they could possibly win eight games if they did the things I wrote about plus get a few lucky breaks. When I mentioned Carolina could possibly upset Georgia, I received another round of laughter. Perhaps they, along with many other members of the media and SEC football fans who thought I was nuts for making those predictions, aren't laughing as loud now. One of the reasons I made the prediction is because I think we are beginning to see "parity" in college football. If parity is indeed here, the Gamecocks have just as good a chance of losing as they do winning.

Is parity here? Consider the following games from last year and so far this year: Toledo defeating Penn State, Washington defeating Miami, Southern Miss taking Nebraska and Tennessee to the final gun, Marshall defeating BYU and Clemson, Carolina defeating Georgia, Vanderbilt coming so close against Florida and Georgia, and Kentucky defeating Arkansas. Those games seem to indicate parity is here or at least getting very close.  After watching the mighty Gators struggle with Vanderbilt and a depleted Carolina team in 1999, I became convinced that the talent gap wasn't as wide as it once was.

I understood and accepted why people laughed at my predictions. After all, I was perhaps the lone voice of the media in the early summer to predict the possibility of a winning season for the Gamecocks. What I predicted may still prove to be very laughable. The 2000 Gamecocks have proven they can win. Now, the question is: Will they continue to win?   As for myself, I take the same approach as Coach Holtz. The Carolina record is 2-0-0, not 6-0-0, 6-5-0 or 8-3-0. Since I follow SEC and Carolina football very closely, I was confident with my predictions then and I am still confident with them now. But, by no means is a winning season guaranteed. You know, the possibility of parity. In my SEC magazine, I wrote, "I wouldn't bet a plug nickel on the order of finish of the eight bottom teams in the SEC." I felt that only Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee had enough talent to separate themselves from the rest of the SEC teams. Playing in the SEC is like crossing a river filled with piranha. Those jumping on the Gamecock bandwagon should take a step back and realize that Carolina plays in the SEC and that the 'ol pigskin can take some very strange bounces. Alabama by virtue of its struggle with Vanderbilt and Georgia with its upset loss to Carolina will testify to that statement.

As for the Gamecocks chances this season...after Eastern Michigan, there aren't any pushovers left on the schedule. Kentucky and Vanderbilt aren't as talented as Carolina, but they aren't going to roll over just because Carolina defeated Georgia. Just the opposite...they will prepare even harder for the game. If Carolina can defeat a more talented Georgia team, then certainly the Commodores and Wildcats can do the same to Carolina. No one would have ever predicted Georgia QB and Heisman hopeful Quincy Carter would throw five interceptions in one game. Heck, he only threw six interceptions in the entire '99 season. Strange things happen in football and the better team doesn't always win. Just ask the Georgia fans.

If Carolina is to have a great season, the Carolina offense will have to improve. It still isn't where it needs to be. As the season progresses and the OL gains confidence, I expect to see more power football. A real test awaits Petty, Watson and company when Mississippi State rolls into Columbia on September 23rd. The Bulldogs appear to be very good defensively again this season. The following Saturday, the Gamecock offense will have its hands full with an Alabama defense that has struggled early but has the talent to be dominating. Like Coach Holtz said, "We're 2-0, not 8-0." There's still a lot of football to be played and anything can happen. In his pre-season press conference, Coach Holtz said he expected some close games this season and how the Gamecocks played when the game was on the line would be a key. They passed their first test against Georgia. The Gamecocks made a four-point lead stand up for 33 minutes which is rather impressive when considering Georgia had the offensive weapons to explode at any time.

If Gamecock fans want to dream of an undefeated season, there is a ray of hope. I think Coach Holtz is doing a superb job of keeping his team focused on playing the games one at a time. Also, he is doing an even better job of convincing the players to put past accomplishments behind them and strive for greater goals and glory. Someone called me before the Georgia game and asked me if I thought the Gamecocks would lose confidence if they were blown out by Georgia. I told him I didn't think so. Coach Holtz has this team looking forward not backward. He would have used a loss to Georgia as a positive and convinced the team that could have won had they not made certain mistakes. I wrote in my pre-season magazine that attitude was a key to this season. This team has the right attitude thus far. It has taken a business-like approach in the first two games. The players appear very focused and level headed. This Saturday will be another big test. Eastern Michigan is not a good team and the Gamecocks should have their way. It will be important for the first-team players to take control of the game early and put the Eagles away as quickly as they can. By being able to play reserves for much of the game, the depth will become more experienced and that depth should be beneficial to Carolina's efforts in the last three games of the season against what will likely be three top-15 teams. Watch the Gamecocks effort this Saturday. You'll learn something about them and Coach Holtz. I'll be very surprised if they come out lackadaisical.

One day at a time and one game at a time is how good and great teams approach a season. Alabama looked past UCLA and Georgia perhaps looked past Carolina. For some teams, dealing with success and expectations is just as difficult as dealing with failure. Quite possibly, Alabama and Georgia are out of the national title race now. How the Gamecocks deal with their present success and rising expectations will determine how good a team they are and can be.

9/7/00 - Read Georgia vs USC preview at Phipps' SEC Football Page

Article 9/5/2000 - The "Proper" Attitude

As I wrote in my previous article and in my magazine, New Mexico State wasn't a very good football team. But, they were a little better than I thought. Even though they lacked talent and quality depth, they executed their offense and defense well. Had Coach Lou not thrown them a couple of curve balls, the game may have been just a little more competitive. But, still the Gamecocks would have prevailed.  Quite simply, the Gamecocks had more talent, speed and depth than the Aggies.

After watching the '99 spring game, I wrote about how disciplined the Gamecock offense was under new head coach Lou Holtz and new offensive coordinator Skip Holtz. That was one of the main reasons I predicted the Gamecocks would have a winning season in '99. Another main reason was that I felt the '99 defense would be very good. Well, the defense proved to be good in '99, but the offense stunk up the joint. The offense struggled in the monsoon at NC State. Then, injury after injury took its toll on the offense. Without the injuries, the '99 season could have been much more successful. The 2000 offense in the game against the Aggies gave a glimpse of what the Gamecocks could accomplish offensively this season. Coach Skip didn't use a lot of the play book but they executed the parts they used very well. It wasn't perfect but it showed signs that it could be an above-average offense. And, it should improve a great deal as the season progresses. It will be interesting to see how the offense is doing by mid-season.

Even though Coach Lou has stated repeatedly that everything he is now doing offensively has always been in his play book for the Carolina offense, the 2000 offensive schemes are constantly referred to as a "new" offense by the media. Maybe it's because Coach Lou calls it new at times while at other times he does not. As I wrote in my 2000 Gamecock magazine, "Much has been written and said about Coach Lou going to a spread offense this season. After watching the '99 spring practices and the '00 spring practices, I didn't see much difference between what the coaches wanted to do in 1999 and what they intend to do in 2000. Keep in mind that with all the OL problems last season, it was impossible to run much more than basic plays. Once they were able to keep an OL together for more than a week, they ran more plays. That happened against Clemson. They were in the shotgun for most of the Clemson game...something they plan to utilize this season. I still believe Coach Lou would like to establish a Nebraska-style offense which is similar to what he did at Notre Dame. If you recall this past year's Nebraska-Tennessee game, the Cornhuskers handed the Vols their head. Early in that game, Tennessee crowded the line of scrimmage and was successful at stopping the powerful Cornhusker ground game. Nebraska countered by spreading the offense and throwing some quick passes left and right. That moved the Tennessee DBs away from the line and forced the LBs back a little. Because there were fewer defenders at the line, Nebraska ran right at Tennessee very successfully and won the game easily. (By the way, does that sound somewhat similar to what Coach Lou did against the Aggies?) Coach Lou is very high on the talents of Andrew Pinnock and Derek Watson. So, I think he wants to keep opposing defenses from loading up on the line. A spread offense should give Watson and Pinnock more openings." There were only a couple of new plays practiced this past spring that weren't practiced in the '99 spring practices. Only one of those new plays was run in the New Mexico State game. Other than going with a "no-huddle" offense, I wasn't surprised by the offensive look. Even the "no-huddle" didn't shock me because some of Coach Lou's comments since the beginning of spring ball contained some clues.

Although Phil Petty didn't have great numbers, he showed excellent leadership skills, a command of the offense, good decision making, improved ball-handling skills and played with confidence. In my 2000 Gamecock magazine, I wrote the following about Phil Petty, "From the end of last season to the current time, I have spent many hours forming my impression of the QB situation at Carolina. Still, the picture is somewhat unclear. Phil Petty came out of the spring as the clear choice to start according to the coaches. Overall, I wasn't impressed by Petty's performance during the spring. He had more bad days than good days. But, was that because of the strength of the defenses he was facing? I truly believe that the 2000 Carolina defense could be close to being the best ever at Carolina. Petty didn't work much against the first-team defense in the spring but the second-team defense he faced is much better than the first-team defenses he competed against as a true freshman and redshirt freshman. I remember a few years ago when Florida had the great QB Danny Wuerffel and some very good TBs and WRs. They couldn't do anything against their defenses in practices, yet they lit up the scoreboard against opponents' defenses every Saturday. I reviewed Petty's performance against Clemson last year. He looked like a much better player against Clemson's first-team defense than he did in this year's spring game against a combination of Gamecock first-and-second team defenders that weren't allowed to rush more than four players. Ofren, Coach Skip has praised Petty's ability to get the offense into the right play. It appears to me execution has been Petty's biggest problem. I remember him missing WR Michael Ages a couple of times on long passes. Also, I remember him overthrowing a wide-open Trey Pennington in the Clemson game. No one can forget his high pass on a hot read in the MSU game that led to a MSU interception for a TD. His execution in ball handling appears average at best also. At times, Petty seems a little mechanical and doesn't let his natural abilities take over. During his first two years, Petty looked a lot more fluid than he does now. Perhaps, Petty is trying too hard and needs to take a more relaxed, confident approach. However, despite the negatives, I think Petty can improve and become an effective player. As written earlier in this magazine, his statistics for the last two games of the '99 season were much better than his early statistics. Petty is redshirt junior and has decent experience. He knows what to expect on Saturdays. All he has to do is go out there and execute. I think the subtle changes in the offense will help Petty. Petty won't be asked to win games...just to get the ball in the hands of the play makers." Petty's performance against the Aggies reminds me of Anthony's Wright's performance in the last Carolina shutout ( East Carolina). Neither player put up great numbers but both were great generals in those games.

Defensively, the Gamecocks did what I thought they would do...using multiple looks. My analysis in my magazine was, "My guess is that the coaches feel comfortable using combination defenses and will use whichever one gives them the best chance to succeed. " Following is an excerpt from my 2000 Gamecock magazine about the 2000 defense, "The coaching of Coach Strong and his defensive staff is yet another reason why I think so highly of the 2000 defense. They have made the players physically tougher and have greatly improved the majority of the players from a technique standpoint. And, they are doing a good job of making the players mentally tougher. All good defenses have a swagger about them and I see Coach Strong's defenders developing a swagger. The new defensive scheme seems perfectly suited for the talents of the players on hand. The defensive players seemed to be very focused all spring long and to really enjoy what they were doing. Coach Strong said that his defense was going to force the action this year. He certainly practiced what he said during the spring. His defense put a lot of pressure on the offense during the spring. I had a hard time keeping up with all the different looks he gave the offense. I would be writing long past next season if I tried to list all the different looks. Suffice it to say that opposing offenses will have to spend a great deal of time preparing for Coach Strong's 2000 defense. It's likely that a few big plays will be made against his defense this season, but it's more likely that his defense is going to make many more big plays than the opposing offenses will. His '99 defense produced some good statistical numbers. The numbers would have been better had the defense not been placed in so many bad situations by the offense and special teams. If the offense and special teams play effectively this season, the 2000 defense will be very, very good. The only negative about the '99 defense was its inability to create turnovers and enough lost-yardage plays. I feel certain that will change this season." As the Aggie QB commented when he got ready to run his first play against Coach Strong's defense, "Whoa! What is this?"  Like, I wrote earlier, Coach Strong wants to dictate to the opposing offenses what they can and can't do. Before making wholesale substitutions late in the game, the Gamecock defense had held the Aggie offense to just 130 net yards.   Plus the defense scored on a fumble return and had two picks.    Not a bad performance and almost exactly what Coach Strong wanted from his troops.

One problem that I wrote about in my magazine was Carolina's past lack of depth. I wrote that the 2000 defense would have more depth than any team Carolina has fielded since joining the SEC. Coach Strong added to the depth this weekend by playing four freshmen DBs (Jamacia Jackson, Dunta Robinson, Rachiem Monroe and Deandre Eiland) in the fourth quarter. When was the last time a Carolina head coach played as many players as Coach Lou did this past weekend? It's been a long time since that happened and I don't think it ever happened during Carolina's first nine years in the SEC. You can't build a consistent winner without quality depth. Playing reserves improves the entire team. The reserves work harder in practice and help make the starters better. Competition for starting jobs becomes stronger. The team becomes more of a "team."

The most impressive part of effort was that the players came out loose and played to win, rather than carrying the weight of the 21-game losing streak on their shoulders and playing not to lose. That is a credit to the players and coaches. The players did what any good team should do to an inferior opponent. They took control of the game by half-time and played with the same intensity in the second half as they did the first half. And, they gave second team players a chance to gain some experience.

As you may know, I predicted in my magazine that the Gamecocks could win six games and maybe eight if they got some lucky breaks. They have the talent, depth and strength to be a good team. Coach Lou has confirmed those facts over the past month or so. One factor that did concern me when making the prediction of six or more wins was the "attitude" of the team. As I wrote in my magazine, "I believe there are a number of good players on the team that can become great players. Also, there are players whose performances have been average thus far but have the potential to be good or better players. It will be up to the coaches to develop the potential of the players and to put them in position to win. Ultimately, winning is up to the players to execute their assignments and game plan. Last year, Coach Tommy West was asked about the Carolina losing streak and what it would take to break the streak. He responded (paraphrased), 'There's only so much the Carolina coaches can do. The streak will end when the players get tired of losing.' So, are the Carolina players tired of losing? Huge factors in being successful at any endeavor are attitude and motivation. In my opinion, those factors have been absent for several years and were perhaps the area that presented Coach Lou his biggest challenge in turning the program around. A few years ago, I interviewed Chris Rumph, one of the starting DEs on the '94 bowl team, and we talked about the team's success that season. He said that the players 'were determined to go out as winners and to prove to people that they weren't quitters.' Some Gamecock fans labeled them as quitters because of the '92 player revolt. The 2000 Gamecocks need that same determination. Owning the nation's longest losing streak and the inferred, as well as implied, connotation as a whipping boy should make any athlete, who is a true competitor, play with unbridled determination. It's long past overdue for leaders to emerge and for players to hold each other accountable." Thus far, I have been impressed with the players' attitudes.

A winning season is certainly possible, but most of the games should be relatively close. Carolina has more talent than Eastern Michigan, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and perhaps Arkansas. But, the talent difference isn't so great when compared to Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Arkansas that the Gamecocks can win just by showing up. Clemson and MSU have a little more overall talent. Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia have more talent. But, as Trev Alberts of CNN SI said last year, "I would never bet on a college football game. Talent usually wins, but never discount the impact of the 'proper attitude.' The games are played by 18, 19 and 20-yr old kids and anything can happen." Barring critical injuries or a lot of bad breaks, if Carolina wins less than four games, I think the players and coaches will have underachieved in 2000. I believed that when I wrote my magazine in late May and I still believe that to be the case.

The New Mexico game was a critical game for the coaches. The players needed reinforcement of what they were being sold by Coach Lou and his staff. It should be interesting following the "attitude" of this team. If they upset Georgia, will they blister Eastern Michigan? If they lose to Georgia, will they come to play against Eastern Michigan? The "proper attitude" (plus an effective FG kicker) could make the 2000 season one to remember for Gamecock fans.

Article 8/28/2000 - A "Must-Win" Game?

When Coach Lou leads his 2000 Gamecock team into battle this Saturday against New Mexico State, he will be facing his first critical test as head coach at Carolina. Throughout his career, he has been known as a "big-game" coach. Given all that is at stake, the season opener is certainly a "big" game.

Looking at the numbers, there is no way the Gamecocks should lose to the Aggies. Sure, the Aggies pounded an over-rated Arizona State team, 35-7, for their most impressive victory in '99. But, they were pounded by the likes of UTEP (54-23), Army (35-18), Boise State (45-26) and Colorado State (46-7). Also, they lost to Nevada, 23-16. Four teams rushed for more than 190 yards against the Aggies: Army (388), UTEP (229), Colorado State (211) and Nevada (194). Defensively, the Aggies allowed more than 154 rushing yards and 24 points per game. With only one undersized DL (6'1-238) returning, it's unlikely the Aggies will be very effective against the run this season. Offensively, the Aggies ran the ball about 70% of their plays last season. The running game was ineffective in the last two games (Boise State and North Texas) of '99, so the Aggies took to the air. QB K. C. Enzminger completed 32 of 58 passes for 560 yards and three TDs. Two now-departed WRs (Garth and Shaw) caught 23 of the passes for 461 yards. The top returning receiver for the Aggies caught just seven passes last season. The top four running backs return behind an OL that features three returning starters. But, since both Boise State and North Texas held the Aggie ground game to just 102 yards, I see no reason why Carolina's run defense can't stop the Aggie ground attack. So, the question becomes, "Can Enzminger have the same success through the air against Carolina as he did against Boise and North Texas?" Without the two departed big-play WRs and facing what should be a very good Carolina secondary, I wouldn't think so.

As of today, there are no physical reasons why the Gamecocks should falter. The team is relatively healthy. Compared to the teams Carolina has fielded since joining the SEC, the 2000 team has more talent and quality depth, is probably physically stronger and faster and, given Coach Lou's reputation, should be by far and away the best-coached team.

Will the Gamecocks break the streak this weekend? Carolina goes into the game as an eight-point favorite and should win by at least 14 points. I predicted a 35-10 victory in my 2000 Gamecock magazine. Nothing has changed my mind since I wrote my magazine in early June. If anything, I feel more comfortable with the prediction. Upsets are common early in the season when the favored team takes the underdog for granted. I doubt Coach Lou is letting the Gamecocks take the Aggies lightly. In my opinion, the only way Carolina can lose is if they play not to lose, rather than play to win. The last thing they need to do is play like they are walking on a field of eggs. That is Coach Lou's biggest challenge.

As I talked with several of the Carolina players on media day, I thought to myself, "These players are exuding a lot of confidence." However, at this time it is a case of "false" confidence. At Coach Lou's press conference today, he basically said the same thing when he stated that his team needs to take the confidence they have in practice to the field on game day. It's that old saying about "if you want to talk the talk, you gotta be able to walk the walk." If the Gamecocks "walk the walk" this Saturday, the "false" confidence will quickly turn to "real" confidence and could be the catalyst for a very good season. If they lose to the Aggies, the players may very well understand a famous quote that goes something like this, "We have seen the enemy and it is us." A loss to the Aggies may take all of Coach Lou's highly-touted motivational skills to keep this season from being a disaster.

Last month, Coach Lou said he found himself humming, "This could be the start of something good." Confirmation may come this weekend.

Article 8/22/2000 - Seeking Perfection

As I listened to Coach Lou talk about his offense's performance in Sunday's scrimmage, it seems that he is expecting much more of a Carolina team than has been expected of Carolina teams since Joe Morrison was head coach. It appears Coach Lou is bound and determined to put an effective offensive unit on the field in 2000 and to not let the defense rest on its laurels and potential.

Coach Lou stated that the first-team offense had four drives of more than 55 yards against the first-team defense. Hold the presses...man, that is news. During the spring, very seldom did Coach Lou let the first-team offense go against the first-team defense. When he did allow the first teams to compete, the defense destroyed the offense on all but one series. QB Petty completed four passes, including a TD pass, as the first offense drove about 35 yards against the first defense. QB Erik Kimrey, SB Corey Alexander, WR Carlos Spikes, TB Trevin Smith and the second-team offensive line put together a drive of about 70 yards against the first-team defense in the most impressive offensive effort of spring. If I remember correctly, the first-team defense allowed just those two TDs in scrimmages during the spring. I figured Coach Lou wanted the first-team offense to gain some confidence so he limited the contact between the first units. The first-team offense didn't have a lot of success against the second-team defense, but routinely handled the third-team defense.

Even though Coach Lou seemed perturbed by the first-team offense's inability to score on three of the four drives, I think the mere fact that the first offense was able to move the ball against the first defense is a positive and should give Gamecock fans some hope that the offense will be effective this season. If you have read my Gamecock magazine, you know I wrote that the 2000 defense has a chance to be one of the best defenses Carolina has ever fielded. It appears Coach Lou's plan to increase the confidence of the offense in the spring worked. The four drives this past Sunday against the first-team defense are even more impressive when you consider that three projected OL starters (C Browne, OG Jones and OT Paige) didn't participate because of injuries and the offense was led by a walk-on QB (Kimrey) and a true sophomore QB (Goodman).

Is scoring just once on four long drives against a very good defense average? Maybe. Scoring twice would seem to be a good effort. Scoring three times would be excellent. Scoring four times would be perfect! And, that is what Coach Lou appears to be expecting of the 2000 offense. Will the offense reach his expectations of perfection? Not likely, no offense ever scores every time it reaches the red zone. But, he appears to be hammering home the point that driving the ball is one thing...finishing off drives is another. Even though the first-team offense may feel good about having some success in finally being able to move the ball against the first-team defense, it has to understand that driving the ball without scoring is like picking the winning lottery number and losing the ticket. You get nothing in return for your effort. He has raised the bar and the offensive players will have to respond. It's becoming apparent that Coach Lou is determined to accept nothing less than 100% from his offense this season. Finishing off drives is the last step in the maturation and effectiveness of the offense.

Last week, WR James Adkisson responded to Coach Lou's criticism of the play of his group. He said, "We're not competing against a bunch of scrubs. Our DBs are good players." A few weeks ago, I talked with DE Kalimba Edwards. We talked about the OL. He said that the OL had improved a great deal and that it was comparable to other SEC OLs he faced last season. Coach Lou stated yesterday that the OL has had some good practices and won some battles against the defense. What he said and my belief that the 2000 defense will be very good proves to me that the OL and the offense has come a long way since spring ball. Of course, my assumption that the offense is making good progress further assumes that the defense is still competing at a high level. Since no one can watch the practices, there isn't anyway to state emphatically that the defense is performing well. I would be surprised if it isn't. It seems that the defensive players are a confident group and have a lot of pride. Coach Strong appears to be a "no nonsense" coach and believes his defense will be good this season.

It appears Coach Holtz is back to old self...raising the bar in search of perfection. The players who join him in his search will be rewarded. And, those that don't will sit the pine. Very soon, Gamecock fans will know how many players have joined Coach Lou is his search for perfection.

It seems as though my prediction that the Gamecocks will finish 6-5-0 this season has created a little bit of a stir among some Gamecock, Clemson and SEC fans.

Readers of my 2000 Gamecock magazine know why I predicted a 6-5-0 record. I outlined and discussed all the factors in the magazine that I thought would dictate that record. Since I have received some emails and phone calls about my prediction, I will disclose just a few of the reasons why I think the Gamecocks can win six games this season.

Some people want to know whether I truly believe the Gamecocks can win six games or am I trying to paint a rosy picture because that is what Gamecock fans may want to hear. The answer to the first part...I truly believe it can happen. Whether or not I "painted a rosy picture" is out of my control and subject to the reader's interpertation. Each reader's opinion is likely to be determined by the reader's knowledge of my past work and level of objectivity. I learned a long time ago that readers sometime interpret the same material differently and some tend to read subjectively rather than objectively. Many of those that have read my previous magazines are most likely to feel my prediction is objective. Those that haven't read them are most likely to think I am writing through "rose-colored" glasses. Quite often, my critics tend to present my views and facts out of context. For example, I predicted a record of 6-5-0 in my '98 Gamecock magazine, but noted that certain things must happen or the Gamecocks would finish no better than 2-9-0. Those things didn't happen and the final record was 1-10-0. My prediction of a possible 2-9-0 record was considered ridiculous by some. The 2-9-0 prediction plus my assessment of Brad Scott's coaching and his future as the Carolina head coach didn't make some Gamecock fans very happy. If anyone wants to read the '98 magazine which featured Brad Scott's photo on a "Wanted" poster for the front cover, I still have about 20 copies available for sale. Some Arkansas fans disliked my '98 assessment of their team, loved my '99 assessment and now dislike my 2000 assessment. SEC and Gamecock fans that expect to read only good things about their team year-after-year shouldn't buy my magazines.

I may be the only sportswriter in America to predict a possible six-win season for the Gamecocks. Similarly, I am one of the few writers that isn't on the Ole Miss bandwagon this year. They could be right and I could be wrong. However, I doubt very seriously that the other writers have done the in-depth analysis of the Gamecocks and the other SEC teams that I have. I'm just like former Clemson coach Danny Ford in that respect. He made it a policy to outwork the other coaches. No one is going to outwork me, but doing more analysis than the other guy guarantees nothing. That ball takes funny bounces and every season produces a number of occurrences, positive and negative, that no one can predict.

Every prediction about the '99 Gamecocks' record was wrong. No one could have foreseen the unbelievably high number of injuries. It's virtually impossible to win without continuity and chemistry in the OL. Changing OLs every week prohibits such. One question I am asked quite often concerns the 2000 OL. It seems many people think Carolina will have a "chopped liver" OL this season. I am not one of those. The 2000 OL will be one of the most athletic OLs in Carolina football history. I think LT Wharton is a potential freshman All-American and LG Williams is a potential All-SEC player. There are at least four other OLs (Jones, Paige, Hall and Frye) that are legitimate SEC-caliber players. If Larrell Johnson decides to play to his potential, he can be a very good player. Last year, Coach Lou said Johnson had All-SEC potential. All counted, 12 OLs return that played in at least one SEC game last season. With the exception of Philip Jones who missed the spring, all the OLs stayed healthy during the spring and received numerous reps. Therefore, the OL gained some continuity and chemistry. Of course, it would have been much better if Jones had been able to practice. It will be important during the pre-season for the coaches to decide on the starters early on so that the OL can develop the continuity and chemistry that is necessary to play winning offensive football.

The '98 team had a shot at  5-6-0 despite a poor job by Scott and his staff. Close losses to Ole Miss, Marshall, Vanderbilt and Kentucky doomed that season. Because of the unbelievable number of injuries last season, no coach in America could have won at Carolina. I said on my radio program last season that Carolina couldn't have been better offensively even if they had Holtz as the head coach, Spurrier as QB coach and Fulmer as the OL coach. Better preparation and game management in '98 and fewer injuries in '99 would have given the Gamecocks a decent chance of finishing close to break-even records. That is why I think the '98 and '99 seasons were aberrations and shouldn't weigh so heavily in trying to assess the 2000 Gamecock team. It wasn't that long ago that many in the media were picking Carolina to unseat Georgia for third place in the East. Now, the same media are firmly entrenching Carolina as the worst team in the SEC East. Go figure?

There are some Gamecock, Clemson and SEC fans who don't realize how poor the Gamecocks were fundamentally when Holtz took over. I hated going to the '99 spring practices. It was so boring. The coaches had to teach the players how to tie their shoelaces. Of course, I am exaggerating a bit. But, the majority of the '99 spring practices consisted of teaching some of the very basics of football. The 2000 spring practices were much different. On the first day of the 2000 practices, both the offense and defense hit the field and started running plays and schemes. It was like night and day the difference that one year made.

One factor from a personnel perspective that will affect this year's Gamecock record will be the effectiveness of the QB and the kicking game (FGs, in particular). I don't think Holtz' offense requires the QB to be the star and make all the plays. Rather, it requires that the QB plays smart and limits dumb plays that can spell defeat. Although I have been critical of Petty in the most recent past, I have changed my view somewhat and I explain why I did so in my magazine. Quite likely, there will be some close games this season, so there is a dire need at PK. It's anybody's guess as to who will be the FG kicker and that is a real concern. One thing we all know is that whoever wins the job is going to be very inexperienced.

What about the talent level at Carolina?  Before the '98 Carolina-Tennessee game, Coach Fulmer said (paraphrased), "South Carolina has some talent and they have recruited well. But, they just find ways to screw things up." During the '98 season, I read comments by several of the SEC coaches that were positive about the Gamecock players. But, I can't recall any one of them saying that Carolina was a "well-coached" team. Exit Brad Scott, enter Lou Holtz. Last year at the SEC media days, Coach Spurrier was asked if he thought Coach Lou could succeed at Carolina. He answered positively, and noted that "they have some talented players there." Spurrier is a straight shooter. If Spurrier and Fulmer thought there was some talent at Carolina in 1998, then there is still some talent at Carolina and that talent is now more experienced. LB Harney, DE/LB Edwards, DE Quinn, LB Wadley, LB Offing, CB Brown, DT Caldwell, OG Williams, WR Kelly, C Jones, RT Paige were mostly just wide-eyed youngsters in 1998. All of those players, along with several others, are capable of being difference makers this season.

Now...if some things I wrote about in my 2000 Gamecock magazine don't occur, the Gamecocks' record this season could be as poor as 2-9-0. Vice versa, if everything falls into place, I won't be surprised at more than six wins. Time will tell