Carolina Pride: Gamecocks Defeat No. 1 Alabama

For the first time since November of 2007, the Alabama Crimson Tide have lost a regular season game.

Courtesy of three Stephen Garcia touchdown passes (two to Alshon Jeffery) and a three touchdown effort by Marcus Lattimore, the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, 35-21.

Prior to Saturday afternoon, the Gamecocks had never defeated a No. 1 team in football. However, once the day was done, the Tide had been “rolled”…and South Carolina was the talk of the nation.

In a game which reminded many Alabama fans of the contest with Arkansas, the Tide fell in a hole during in the initial period of play.

Alabama kicked an early field goal to take a 3-0 lead, but South Carolina would quickly take control of the game thanks to an amazing effort by quarterback Stephen Garcia and a rocking crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Gamecocks led 21-9 at the half, but in typical and certainly expected fashion, Alabama rallied.

Following a safety and a Tide field goal, the lead was cut to 21-14, however the biggest opportunity for Alabama would come in the latter stages of the game.

South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was “all world” against the Crimson Tide, however a pass he should have caught, turned into an interception by Alabama defensive back Will Lowery.

With the Gamecocks leading 28-21 early in the fourth quarter, Alabama was given a short field courtesy of the interception with a chance to tie the game and gain the momentum.

However, the Tide scoring attempt would stall and a fake field goal would prove unsuccessful.

In retrospect, the inability of Alabama to produce after forcing a critical turnover certainly proved to be a major factor in the final result.

After the missed scoring opportunity for Alabama, the Gamecocks would orchestrate a 75-yard drive which would culminate in a Marcus Lattimore 2-yard touchdown run.

When the game was over the Alabama 19-game winning streak had been
snapped…and the No. 1 team had been trampled.



Video Courtesy of TideSports.com

STATS OF NOTE:

-Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson combined for only 64 yards rushing.

-As a team, the Tide only rushed for 38 yards (obviously counting sacks as minus yards) which is the third fewest in the Nick Saban era.

-Greg McElroy threw for a career-high 315 yards, but was sacked a total of seven times.

-South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, going 17-of-20 for the game.

-Julio Jones caught eight passes for 118 yards and one touchdown, while South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery caught seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Alabama/South Carolina: Crimson Fortitude

In order for South Carolina to defeat Alabama, the Gamecocks must force turnovers.

When you look at the Alabama Crimson Tide offense, not only are they methodical and efficient, but as a unit…they are typically mistake free.

However, as we all witnessed against Arkansas, rare Crimson Tide mistakes played a huge role in the game. The Hogs were able to maintain the lead thanks to critical Alabama turnovers.

The Alabama defense has a knack for giving up yards in 2010, but they also have a knack for keeping teams out of the end zone.

Can South Carolina put more than 20 points on the board against Alabama? Unless the Carolina defense can force turnovers and operate with a short field…the answer is no.

In a nutshell, the keys to the game are “joined” in many ways. In order for the South Carolina offense to be productive against the Tide defense, the South Carolina defense must “turn the Tide” and force turnovers.

If Alabama plays a virtually mistake free game, the Crimson Tide offense will simply pound the South Carolina defense into submission.

On the flipside, without the benefit of a short field (turnovers) the Carolina offense will be forced to sustain “long yardage” drives against a very tough and physical defense.

South Carolina can beat Alabama…but they will need turnovers from the Alabama offense. The Gamecocks are talented on both sides of the ball, but the offense will need help from the defense.

The Gamecocks are at home and all the ingredients for an upset are in place, but Alabama is simply too disciplined and too efficient to falter.

Football is obviously a physical game, but the ability to obtain mental toughness and fortitude will once again propel the Crimson Tide.

The only team that can beat Alabama...is Alabama.

ALABAMA 34
SOUTH CAROLINA 17

Feelin’ Cocky: Gamecocks Ready for ‘Bama

When the 2010 football schedule was released, the Alabama/South Carolina game was promptly circled. The media circled the game and South Carolina fans…circled the game.

The ingredients were in place for an upset. Alabama would finally lose a regular season game for the first time since 2007.

South Carolina would have a bye week before facing Alabama, and the Crimson Tide would enter Williams-Brice Stadium “beaten and battered” after having colossal games against Arkansas and Florida…without time to rest and recover.

How have things panned out? Were all the “projections” fulfilled?

As expected, the contest with Arkansas was tough and came down to the wire. However, the huge showdown with the Florida Gators was nothing more than an exercise in basic fundamentals and domination.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will enter the contest against the Gamecocks with a perfect record and perched at the No. 1 position.

South Carolina on the other hand, will enter the game with one loss (at Auburn) and hold the No. 19 position in the AP top 25.

Alabama is good (if not better) than many people expected, while South Carolina is “solid” but certainly not astonishing.

However, “certainly not astonishing” is the substance upsets are built upon.

The “order of ingredients” may have changed, but overall, this game was rightfully circled on the college football calendar.

From a defensive standpoint, the Gamecocks know what they need to do in order to limit the offensive production of Alabama.

Every college football coach, team and fan in the country knows what needs to be done in order to contain Alabama’s offense.

However, in traditional game preview fashion, let us “flip the field” and take a closer look at the South Carolina offense and the problems they could present for the Alabama defense.

At the quarterback position, the Gamecocks are led by Stephen Garcia. During his time in a South Carolina uniform, Garcia has been the hero…and also the target of ridicule.

In respect to a proper example, Stephen Garcia is the “quarterback version” of Les Miles. When he’s good…he's very good, but when he’s bad…he’s horrid.

Garcia is known for making the “big play,” but history has shown that Garcia is also known for making the critical mistake…at the most inopportune time.

On the 2010 season, Garcia has thrown for 743 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Gamecocks definitely do not operate a two-quarterback system, but backup Connor Shaw certainly brings a different dynamic to the offense.

Shaw can not only throw…he can run.

Shaw is only 12-of-18 on the season for 144 yards, but his presence against Alabama is certainly not out of the question.

On the ground, the Gamecocks are led by one of the most dynamic running backs in the nation…Marcus Lattimore.

Regarded as the top running back in the country as a high school senior, Lattimore has wasted little time in making the transition to major college football.

South Carolina will utilize Brian Maddox on occasion, but Lattimore is the “life” of the rushing attack for the Gamecocks.

On the season, Lattimore has rushed for 366 yards and six touchdowns. The Carolina freshman also averages 4.4 yards per carry.

The ground game is certainly vital for Alabama, but a solid rushing attack is equally important, and possibly more so, for South Carolina.

If Lattimore is not effective, Stephen Garcia will have to go to the air more often and put the pressure on his receivers to make plays.

Thankfully for Garcia and the South Carolina offense, the Gamecocks have two of the best receivers in college football…Alshon Jeffery and Tori Gurley.

In respect to Alshon Jeffery, what more can be said?

The South Carolina wide receiver leads the SEC in receptions and receiving yards per game. Jeffery has caught 27 passes for 498 yards and two touchdowns this season. The South Carolina standout also averages 18.4 yards per reception.



Tori Gurley is the second leading receiver for the Gamecocks in 2010. Gurley has been on the receiving end of 12 passes for a total of 114 yards and two touchdowns.

The one thing Gurley and Jeffery have in common, other than amazing ability…is size! Jeffery stands 6-foot-4, 233 pounds and Gurley stands 6-foot-5, 230 pounds.

When a quarterback has tall and talented receivers, the “perfect pass” may not always be required.

The Alabama secondary will have to find a way to guard against fade
patterns…especially in the “red zone” area of the field.

As mentioned above, the whole country knows what is required to limit the offensive production of Alabama.

However, for the third week in a row, the Crimson Tide defense must meet the challenge of another resourceful offensive team.

The Alabama offense is strong, proficient, and well-balanced.

However, as will be the case with the majority of SEC games this season, the final outcome will be determined by the Crimson Tide defense.

In a similar fashion to the Alabama/Arkansas contest, the atmosphere and crowd will unquestionably be “electric” at Williams-Brice Stadium.

The ingredients for an upset have been prepared, all South Carolina needs to do…is take the heat from the kitchen.

Idle Hands: ‘Bama Begins Uncanny SEC Schedule

If the three-game stretch against Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina was/is considered the “gauntlet” portion of the Alabama schedule, the remainder of the SEC calendar should be known as the “Crimson Tide Bye.”

The contest against South Carolina will symbolize the start of six consecutive SEC games for the Crimson Tide where the opponent will have been afforded a bye week prior to playing Alabama.

The Alabama bye week will come a week prior to the contest with LSU in Baton Rouge.

However, the LSU Tigers will also be idle the same week as the Crimson Tide.

So…are bye weeks good or bad?

Alabama coach Nick Saban has gone on record with research stating that over the last five years SEC teams (excluding Alabama), are
29-29 following the so-called “benefit” of the bye week.

Coach Nick Saban believes the importance of an idle week is merely circumstantial.

Common knowledge would suggest that a bye week allows a team to recover from injury and regain focus. However, an off week could also put an “end” to momentum and the idle time could be detrimental to team morale.

Advantage or disadvantage one thing is certainly clear.

Since the SEC reformatted the league in 1992 to include two six-team divisions, no school has played as many “idle-week” teams as the Alabama Crimson Tide will play during the 2010 season.