PLACEKICKER EARNS HONORS …
By FITSNEWS || The 2014 University of South Carolina football season has been one to forget …
After four years of unprecedented success, head coach Steve Spurrier‘s Gamecocks have come crashing back to reality – reminding recently spoiled fans of the decades of painful mediocrity that preceded their latest run.
Spurrier’s offense hasn’t been bad. Quarterback Dylan Thompson has struggled with accuracy (especially throwing the deep ball) but for the most part the Gamecocks have had no trouble putting points against their opponents. The problem has been a defense that – quite literally – hasn’t stopped anybody all season.
Through nine games, Lorenzo Ward’s unit has surrendered an average of 460 yards an outing (good for No. 104 out of 125 NCAA teams). South Carolina also ranks No. 104 in scoring defense (34.1 points per game) and No. 111 in rushing defense (223.4 yards per game).
That’s beyond abysmal, people.
Anyway … the one real bright spot on the Gamecock football team has been the performance of sophomore placekicker Elliott Fry. The former walk-on has connected on 12 of 15 field goals this season and all 41 of his extra point attempts. In fact dating back to his All-SEC freshman campaign, Fry has hit his last 89 extra points – a school record.
For his efforts, Fry has been named – along with Clemson’s Ammon Lakip – as one of twenty semi-finalists for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually by the Palm Beach Country Sports Commission to the nation’s top placekicker. Three finalists will be announced on November 24, while a winner will be named on December 11.
Now … is it sad South Carolina’s season is so bad we have to focus on the placekicking for good news? Yes. Yes, it is. But that doesn’t detract one bit from Fry’s achievements. In fact if he keeps connecting at his current rate, the 6-foot-0, 165-pound Texas native has a chance to rewrite the Gamecock record book over the next two seasons.
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16 comments
Great news to a kid who has earned the attention.
Don’t forget the guy who drives the golfcarts. I heard he’s having a good season. And the Ambulance drivers who ferry the drunk Gamecocks from the stadium to Baptist and Richland are having a really good season…
Gosh amighty, this season kind of reminds me of a Taylor Swift song. Such poetic words from the Old Ball Sack. Hopefully hillbilly from the Tennessee mountains will come up with a few more good comments before he leaves next year.
But not so dried up to kick Dat-Boy 6 times here in a few weeks.
And that’s what its all boiled down to. They literally have nothing left.
Except South Alabama. Think you’ll snap defeat from the jaws of victory (again)?
Until your taters finally beat em I am not sure why you are talking. Hell Clemson has nothing left to play for as far as their goals were set, except the USC game which Clemson has both a countdown clock in the locker room until that game and posters of the last 5 years of scores on it. Tell me that game doesn’t mean everything this year to the fight Dabo’s, and I’ll tell you that you are full of shit. What would happen if Clemsux loses that game? What a shame it would be to lose to a team with nothing as you claim. uh oh what will that say about the mighty tater then? FYI Acting like it doesn’t matter to you but posting on a gamecock article again proves USC lives rent free in your head. Rents due taterboy
I read most all of the articles, even Liz’, so my reading and commenting on another one doesn’t mean anything nor anyone is living “rent free” in my head.
I’ve noticed that winning that game means a lot more to Cock fans than Clemson fans, especially this year, due to your doomed, pointless season. Sure, as a Tiger fan I don’t like losing to cocks, but I’m sure not going to cry and whine about it like cock fans do when they lose. It’s always a push off, or refs, or something that cost you a win. Tigers have a literal lifetime of domination over USC; a 5, 6, or even 7 year blip won’t change that. If USC can win 23 more games consecutively..then the series will be all evened up!
Don’t be so bitter, Cock fan. I know Columbia sucks, and its a crap hole that has the beauty of downtown Detroit, but its where you choose to be. No reason to be so bitter and angry about it.
Yeah because Dabo and the rest of Tater nation didn’t use the “They didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves excuse” Nice try tater boy, and FYI Columbia is great. Great job, love my wife, house in Wildewood, 2 kids at Hammond, etc… Not a single complaint here. Probably a lot better than you have too, so careful to whom you try to act better than, because it probably isn’t true. What part of Charleston did you say you lived again? Your rent is still past due by the way.
If he’s really lucky, he’ll get picked up by a pro team, collect a few million and never play a snap.
Good work if you can get it. Seems jealous orange idiots (especially Squishy) can’t make up their minds. Call Gamecock players losers b/c they don’t have a degree to fall back on, can’t work, can’t make money… but when they do make money, they still get reamed. That insurance policy Marcus has sure is nice. More money than you will ever see. I guess it beats losing money playing in the FXFL. Let me know if you need that one explained to you.
Don’t worry, son. Season will be over before you know it.
Heh..it already is.
Fish Fry
Just answer this, why won’t they fire Ward? Have you ever heard of a pro or college team allowing this kind of performance without doing something? Bejeebus. It ain’t rocket surgery.
heh..well, you know 58 yard kicks aren’t in his wheel house, thats for sure.
It might well be eventually. I’ve seen him kick them from 50 in warmups and they would easily have been good from at least 5 yards further back. He has a lot of power in that slender leg and body. Good kid, too, from what I understand.