The Verdict: Do the Gamecocks rally?

When Carolina is whipping the opponent, Williams-Brice is a fun environment. When Carolina is in a heavyweight dog fight, Williams-Brice is a loud environment.

But when Carolina looks anemic, Williams-Brice looks, sounds, and feels like a morgue. You could tell at Gamecock Walk that Gamecock Nation was a bit apprehensive, and that anxiety only increased through a roller-coaster first quarter.

Bhen LaNorris Sellers went down (followed by the worst display of SEC officiating I have seen since last season – think about how hilarious and depressing of a statement that is) you could tell the stadium had any and all air taken out of it. 

Did Lucy pull the football out from under us again? Does Carolina have, yet again, an anemic offense run by yet another “pro-style” coordinator who cannot produce yards and points at the college level? 

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And where was our defense? I’ll tell you where our defense was, it was suiting up for a bunch of different teams in the NFL. That being said, the tackling was abysmal. 

So here we go yet again. High expectations, preseason excitement, and all of it comes crashing down before we even get the first taste of fall weather. Carolina went from ranked #10 in the country to unranked in a matter of days. The student section had its highest ever level of ticket requests in the history of Carolina two weeks ago. Now, Carolina is a double-digit underdog to Missouri. My, how things can change in a hurry. 

We saw the warning signs back in Orlando. Sellers and this offense cannot generate yards or points without him being able to take off and run when plays breakdown. Sure, Sellers is effective carrying the football on designed run plays, but the explosive plays come mostly when he is scrambling around in the pocket and either finding a running lane or a receiver down field. 

A lot of speculation, reporting, discussion has been centered around why these explosive plays have been limited. Were the Illinois, Virginia Tech, South Carolina State, and Vanderbilt defenses able to limit these types of plays or is this a byproduct of Mike Shula’s offensive philosophy to try and keep Sellers in the pocket and execute within the offense? If it’s the former, then Carolina needs to find some new ways to generate that explosiveness. If it’s the latter, then ditch that approach, Coach. 

The good news is that Coach Shane Beamer has been in this position before. Hell, it feels like every season there is a moment where the fans are restless, concerned, worried, ready to throw in the towel, full of doubters and naysayers. And every season Coach Beamer rallies his troops against all odds and despite all the hate. Nobody can galvanize the players in his locker room like Coach Beamer can. Loss of epic proportions against Florida? Let’s go out there and whip Tennessee’s tail and end their playoff dreams. 2-6 through October? Let’s have a November to remember. Start the season off 3-3? How about winning six straight and knocking on the door to the playoff. 

This is year five. And the expectations are greater than they have been since the Spurrier era. Fans are going to be disappointed with what will look like regression if Carolina falls back to a record close to .500. The national media will be harsh. Rival fans and coaches will be even harsher. 

But something is telling me there is some magic still in store for this season. Maybe it was seeing a picture of Coach Travian Robertson back at practice, even if it was sitting up in the tower. Or maybe it is that unwavering South Carolina spirit. Dum spiro, spero.

That same spirit and hope and faith is found in Connor Shaw. Who reportedly is in tough shape following a health scare. I, of course, have little details and no insight on what happened, but I do want to end this piece sending my sincerest wishes and extending a solemn prayer that everything goes ok for 14. One of the greatest to ever play the game, and one of the greatest ambassadors our program and state has ever had. 

Forever to Thee, Connor.

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