SOUTH CAROLINA STEALS A WIN IN “THE SWAMP”
By FITSNEWS || After blowing two-touchdown leads late in the fourth quarter not once, not twice but three times this season … the football finally bounced the University of South Carolina’s way on Saturday.
An option pitch was fumbled by junior tailback Mike Davis with twelve seconds left on the clock … but Davis fell on a lucky bounce in the end zone to give the Gamecocks (5-5, 3-5 SEC) a game-tying score and a shot against the Florida Gators in overtime.
Davis’ touchdown was set up after South Carolina’s much-maligned defense kept the Gators (5-4, 4-4 SEC) from picking up a game-clinching first down with less than a minute left on the clock. That’s when the Gamecocks special teams – which blocked a field goal earlier in the fourth quarter to keep it a one-possession game – came up huge again with a blocked punt from junior wide receiver Carlton Heard.
In overtime the defense showed up again – holding the Gators to a field goal on their first possession. That’s when head coach Steve Spurrier‘s offense – which was held to a season-low seventeen points during regulation – started pounding away at the heart of the Gator defense, picking up a pair of bruising first downs to set up a first and goal at the Florida four-yard line.
Anticipating another battering ram-style run up the middle, the Gator defense over-pursued on a play fake to Davis – enabling quarterback Dylan Thompson to sprint untouched into the end zone on a four-yard option keeper.
The 23-20 victory broke a four-game losing skid for the Gamecocks – who are now one win away from bowl eligibility. For Florida, it was the Gators third straight defeat in The Swamp – and possibly the final nail in the coffin of fourth-year head coach Will Muschamp.
“I do feel for coach Muschamp,” Spurrier said after the game. “He’s a good guy, and it appeared they had that game in pretty good shape, but they didn’t make a first down and we blocked the punt and we win the game somehow.”
Muschamp’s seemingly inevitable ouster at Florida could be South Carolina’s gain, though – assuming Spurrier is true to his word and sticks around for another year as the Gamecocks’ head coach. The two coaches are extremely close, and it’s unlikely Spurrier will keep defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward around despite his unit turning in its best effort of the season against the Gators.
Florida’s offense – led by freshman quarterback Treon Harris – amassed only 278 yards against a defense that’s been surrendering 460 yards per game. They also put just 20 points on the board against a unit that’s been giving up close to thirty-five a game.
South Carolina was 0-13 against Florida in SEC play prior to Spurrier taking the reigns of the program – including ten losses to Spurrier himself (who coached at Florida from 1990 through 2001). Spurrier is now 5-5 against his old team – including South Carolina’s first two wins in Gainesville.
With one more victory, South Carolina would become bowl eligible for the eleventh straight season (including all ten years of the Spurrier era). The Gamecocks will look to hit that mark against South Alabama on November 22.
IN PICTURES
Pics: Travis Bell Photography
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51 comments
TBG threw up a little bit in his mouth on both the blocked field goal and the blocked punt.
TBG’s confidence in Clemson beating Sakerlina is dropping faster than panties at a 1970s Barry White concert.
That was you de-pantying at the BW show? Did yall get a civil union after the show…LMAO…
That was you de-pantying at the BW show?
Sorry GT, but it’s not TBG that you’ve been thinking about for the past 40 years.
…aw, comon’ TBG, give it a chance!
More cracks in the facade hiding your latent homosexuality.
— you misspelled Manilow
–you misspelled [Tom] Jones!
both you and shifty are in the right church but wrong pew
dropping faster than jockeys at a Michael Jackson sleepover
Whoaaaaaa! Wrong like two boys in the woods… ;-)
There was a rootin’-tootin’ cowboy who sashayed to the outhouse in back of the saloon. He heard a noise coming from inside, so he look down the hole. Sure as shootin’, there was an old Indian looking back up. The cowboy offered him a hand and said, “Poor feller. How long have you been stuck down there in that awful hole?”
The Indian answered sadly, “Many moons.”
Great game!
So happy for all the players on the team after so many last minute losses!
They definitely deserved this one!
Congratulations to Coach Spurrier and all of the Gamecocks!!
Once again we’re in agreement SC. Good job Cocks, two to go for a seven and five season – not glorious but better than five and seven.
SUCK IT FITS…I bet you had already written the Gamecocks eulogy against Clemson, hadn’t you???….We got a MUCH better article about the game on SCPSD.
Tough break…Why don’t you hire Teddy Heffner. You’re the only guy that knows less about SC than him, but takes shots at them just as much….LMAO…
Did you write another article about Fits article?
idiot.
Does it really matter? Nobody will ever read it.
You beat me to the kind of “if a tree falls in the forest” thing I was gonna throw up…
Not true.I know MANY that read his blog. SOME of them were instrumental in electing Republicans nationwide on Nov 4th.
Then why don’t you know “his” is a “her”?
Is it?
GT has articles and opinion on a variety of political and social subjects.
Fits exists to destroy Haley and promote gay marriage.
Both are entertaining-ONE is more informative while one lives to be Jerry Springer.
Nothing wrong with that. I visit Tango’s blog to stay informed and Fits to laugh and understand why Obama was elected twice.
Or in other words you are actually GT trolling under a different name acting like someone who actually reads that blog?
Why are you homo’s always so angry?
Probably just tired of you only coming over when you are drunk sweetheart.
Don’t get all hacked off.Attended a meeting today and may just fuck ya if I am buzzed.
come on sunshine, if you would do it drunk you know you would do it sober. that’s why people like you are so homophobic. You are scared you really are gay. well princess, it seems you are. own it sister!
Fits exists to destroy Haley
Haley won, and she can’t run for reelection in 2018. What is there to destroy?
This is rich coming from the person who still bitches about Ervin well after the election is over.
We got a MUCH better article about the game on SCPSD.
If it were really that much better, we’d all be over there commenting instead of here, now wouldn’t we?
“The 23-20 victory broke a four-game losing skid for the Gamecocks – who are now one win away from bowl eligibility.”
ATLANTA – The CDC has advise the USC football squad to wear surgical facemasks, goggles, and latex gloves during the remainder of the football season in order to avoid being infected by a mutated strain of the Ebola virus that has recently shown an affinity for Gamecocks.
It’s called NoBowla.
I used that joke two weeks ago, man.
Yeah, it was a good joke back then. Now Centrist View sounds a little nervous. We can smell his fear. Two weeks from now we will be a good one.
nah, if Watson is in fact done, so are Clemson’s chances in that game. As bad as USC’s D is Clemson’s O is worse with the other guy. I feel bad for the kid, and wish him a speedy recovery. Never want someone to get hurt
Doesn’t matter about the rivalry, I hope he’s not hurt too bad, that looked like a career ending injury to me.
Heal fast,get back soon.
I remember when going to a bowl was a big deal, now it’s the same as everybody gets a trophy since a team with six losses still gets an invite.
Somebody please remind me how many “bowls” there are now — isn’t it up to about 36+..??
Again that is why i say:
“Fuck a bunch of college and professional football”
Bread and Circus for the 20th & 21st centuries
Yep, if we are not playing for the SEC or a National I would almost rather stay home. By the time the bowls roll around I’m over football for the year. Even at 11-2 the Gamecocks never seem to get invited to the really cool bowls. If that were different I may feel otherwise.
Again that is why i say:
“Fuck a bunch of college and professional football’
Nothing but Bread and Circus for the 20th & 21st centuries!!!
Clemson City Council has a moratorium on rope sales until after football season. There is great concern that after getting high hopes of stopping the Gamecock domination of the Tigers that Clemson fans will be hanging from the trees and buildings when SC puts up win number 6 as the streak continues.
TL;DR.
Probably not funny.
Three universities are wooing a high school football star. The player shows up at South Carolina where he notices a red telephone on Coach Spurrier’s desk. He asks, “What’s that phone for?”
“Oh, that,” replies Spurrier. “That’s our hot line to Heaven.”
“Gee, could I borrow it?” asks the football star.
“Sure, but it’ll cost you a $100 per minute.”
“Oh, that’s too steep for me.”
The player then visits Clemson next and sees a blue phone on Coach Swinney’s desk. He asks, “What’s that blue phone for?”
““That’s our hot line to Heaven.”
The football star asks, “Can I make a call?”
“Yeah, but it’ll cost you a $100 per minute.”
“Oh, gee. I don’t have that kind of money. Thanks anyway.”
For the third leg of his university visits, the football player goes to Notre
Dame. There he sees a gold telephone on Coach Kelly’s desk. “What’s that phone for?” he asks.
““That’s our hot line to Heaven,” says Coach Kelly.
“Mind if I borrow it?”
“Not at all, but we have to keep our costs down so I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to pay for the call.”
“And how much is that, sir?”
“Ten cents a minute.”
“Ten cents a minute to call Heaven! Wow! How come it’s so cheap?”
The Fighting Irish Coach responds, “Because it’s only a local call.”
The way my daddy told it, the coaches were Tommy West, Dan Reeves, and Lou Holtz. Holtz’s answer: It’s free. I make it up by charging Reeves and West a hundred dollars a minute. :oD
I found it in my archives just before I posted it. The schools were Midwest so I just changed it to be local. In the back of my mind it seemed familiar but from where? Thanks.
You are still the Fits First Consul of Mirth
There he sees a gold telephone on Coach Kelly’s desk.
“Mind if I borrow it?”
Am I the only one that thought the phone was going to end up at the pawn shop?
Those Travis Bell pics are damn good.
Clemson is instituting a $350 athletics fee for students as early as next year. Now my suspicion is that this is to defer the costs of buying out Dabo so he can join Tommy on the beach. An athletics fee for a school that routinely pays off coaches with absurdly outrageous contracts SUCKS. And by the way, this fee should put a stop to all the crying that “athletics makes money for the school, it’s not the other way around” horseshit.
USC has had it for years; not a new thing for anyone who wants tickets.
USCe has a $172 student athletic fee.
The Gators should’ve stuck to their original game plan – to let SC have a 14 point lead late in the 4th quarter.
Fuck a bunch of college and professional football is what i say
Bread and circus for the 20th & 21st centuries