TheState.com: GoGamecocks: Ron Morris

Morris: Lack of progress maddening for USC

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:05 EST

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. | THERE IS A SURE-FIRE WAY to judge teams this late in the college football season. Some appear to get better from week to week. Others seem to regress.

Put South Carolina in the latter category after Saturday's demoralizing 33-16 loss to Arkansas. It followed a disheartening 31-13 loss at Tennessee.

What makes both losses difficult for USC faithful to swallow is that while the Gamecocks appear to be heading south, Tennessee and Arkansas looked to be much improved from early in the season.

"We're just not real good right now," Steve Spurrier said. "I don't know how to say it. Coaches are coaching their butts off. We're just not getting results right now."

Garrett Anderson is a senior who has made 26 starts in his four seasons at USC. He knows all about frustration. Yet even he was at a loss for the precise words to describe just how maddening the past two games have been to him, the USC offense and the team as a whole.

Morris: Game scars will endure with Rogers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:21 EST

GEORGE ROGERS IS hurting these days. All over.

During an 11-year period covering his careers at South Carolina and in the NFL, Rogers carried the football 2,646 times. His body was beaten to a pulp with injuries ranging from a thumb that once was bent behind his pinky finger to a dislocated shoulder that prevents him from effectively swinging a golf club.

Today, Rogers is a 50-year-old operating in a 65- to 70-year-old body. He is Exhibit A for what ultimately happens to a bruising running back that used his body with a total lack of restraint. He represents the brutal aftereffects of the sport.

"Some days I hate to wake up," Rogers says, "because I know I can't stand on my feet. I have trouble walking some days."

Rogers remains employed by the USC athletics department, serving as a goodwill ambassador for the school where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1980. A year later he was the NFL rookie of the year with the New Orleans Saints. His professional career lasted seven bruising seasons.

Morris: Season's worth of breaks catches up to USC

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:30 EDT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. | ALL THE GOOD FORTUNE, the good luck and the good breaks South Carolina experienced in building its national ranking this football season all turned into misfortune, bad luck and bad breaks at Neyland Stadium.

We should have seen this coming. We should have listened more closely to the words Steve Spurrier spoke about his team, about how it had been getting by on less-than-stellar performances.

Sooner or later, USC's play was bound to catch up. Later became sooner in a 31-13 drubbing by Tennessee on a dreary Saturday night.

"We've been playing near like this, a lot like this, and winning some close games," Spurrier said of his team's performance. "You play some good teams, you're not going to win them (playing like that)."

Almost before the 96,263 in attendance could settle into their seats, USC had dug a hole it could not possibly crawl out of. The first half was as telling as it was disastrous for the Gamecocks.

Morris: Referee vitriol needs a timeout

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:28 EDT

A FEW POINTS THAT I believe to be true following the recent spate of gaffs by SEC football officials:

1. The league has the best officials in college football, and here is a surprise, they occasionally make mistakes.

2. No official's call has ever determined the outcome of a game.

3. Questioning the integrity of an official - and essentially the game - should draw the offending coach an automatic suspension from the league.

"It's interesting to me that we will tolerate mistakes by players, coaches, by the media, by fans," says Rogers Redding, the coordinator of football officials for the SEC. "But let an official truly make a mistake, boy, that's just not acceptable."

Morris: Time is now for offense to take off

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:38 EDT

Steve Spurrier likes to talk about how God has smiled on the Gamecocks this season. Well, it is now time for South Carolina to stop relying on Divine intervention.

It is time for Spurrier's offense to get out of neutral and kick into a higher gear. Otherwise, this season is going to end the same as so many over the past couple of decades.

"We've got to play better," Spurrier said of his offense. "We're not going to beat these teams unless we really play well, play without stupid mistakes and things like that."

One problem in evaluating a Spurrier offense is the preconceived notion that it will be efficient and high-powered. Unfortunately, Spurrier built that reputation when he coached at Duke and Florida.

Since his arrival in Columbia, his offenses have been as much miss as they have been hit. They have possessed a perpetual stutter in their step. This season's unit is representative of the five Spurrier has fielded at USC. Occasionally, fans get a glimpse of what might be. Otherwise, the offense produces a lot of frustration.

Morris: Cock 'n' Fire gang still can't shoot straight

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:31 EDT

OK, EIGHT WEEKS is enough. The verdict is in: This South Carolina offense continues to be a major work in progress.

Forget the fact that USC defeated Vanderbilt 14-10 Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium. What was glaringly obvious is that the Gamecocks won because of their defense and suffered through yet another hit-and-mostly miss performance from their offense.

Do not be fooled by USC's 431 yards of total offense, or Stephen Garcia's 312 yards passing or Kenny Miles 102 yards rushing or even Alshon Jeffrey's 161 yards receiving.

These numbers tell the true story: USC had the ball 13 times. It moved the ball for significant yardage three times. Bottom line, it scored two touchdowns. That is why Steve Spurrier shook his head when asked afterward if he was pleased with his offense.

"Goodness no, goodness no," Spurrier said. "We had to punt eight times. We did have (431) yards? That's amazing. It didn't feel like it. It felt like we were getting stuffed and stuffed. We couldn't make many third downs."

Morris: With stadium noise, give me silent treatment

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

IN THE WAKE of the Southeastern Conference's brouhaha over rooster crows and AC/DC clamoring, I have a solution for all sports at all levels: NO MORE ARTIFICIAL NOISE! EVER!

The old joke about going to a fight and a hockey game breaking out, well, it has changed. Now you go to a rock concert, and a football, basketball, baseball or hockey game plays out in the background. The constant attacks on eardrums at sporting events have gotten out of hand.

Speech therapists across the country should be manning stadium exits and handing out business cards. The more sporting events one attends these days, the more likely one is to have hearing problems down the road. Trust me, you're going to need that business card.

If it is not the never-ending attempt to interject LOUD music into every possible moment of silence, it is the senseless and ceaseless imploring of fans to clap, Cheer, MAKE SOME NOISE! that drives me nuts.

Even public address announcers have gotten into the act. What once was a service to keep fans informed has been reduced to another form of cheerleading. "That's another Carolina . . . FIRST DOWN!" "Here comes a big THIRD DOWN!" Please. Tell me something I do not know, and whisper it.

Morris: CCR takes the stage for SEC football

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:21 EDT

WE TAKE A break from the college football season to bring you the seventh annual musical look at the SEC.

Creedence Clearwater Revival gets the call this year.

"Tearing Up the Country," Alabama. What more could Alabama have done so far this season? The Crimson Tide have bowled over six consecutive opponents and climbed to the No. 1 national ranking, according to The Associated Press.

Alabama looks as if it could cruise into the SEC championship game, but you have to wonder if junior quarterback Greg McElroy is capable of guiding the Tide to the national crown.

"Up Around the Bend," Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 1-3 in the SEC West, but what they face up around the bend makes me believe Arkansas could be the second-best team in the division behind Alabama.

Morris: USC needs offense to match defense

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. | That was not so bad.

Thanks to a defense that forced four turnovers and kept Alabama out of the end zone for most of the game, South Carolina showed well to a national television audience against the nation's No. 2-ranked team. In the end it was a shame USC could not pull off the upset.

It was a shame because USC's defense put the Gamecocks in position to win, despite making Mark Ingram look like Darren McFadden, the Arkansas running back who went for 321 yards against USC two seasons ago.

Ingram rolled up 246 yards rushing, including all 68 in Alabama's only touchdown drive in the game's waning minutes. Otherwise, the USC defense produced a winning performance. To beat a nationally ranked opponent like Alabama, it takes a defense that might bend and bend and bend, but one that holds when it needs to most.

That was USC's defense on Saturday.

Morris: Norwood a Heisman hopeful?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

Eric Norwood received a pleasant surprise a couple of weeks ago when he went to pay his rent at a Columbia apartment complex. The woman at the front desk had something to show the South Carolina linebacker on the Internet.

A USC fan site has been soliciting Heisman Trophy votes for Norwood through Nissan, the presenting sponsor for the award. With one vote, Nissan opted to give it to the fans.

Norwood admits it is pretty exciting stuff.

As of Tuesday, Norwood was sixth in the Nissan voting, with 8 percent of the vote. He trails the leader, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, as well as quarterbacks Tim Tebow of Florida, Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame, Jacory Harris of Miami and Colt McCoy of Texas.

Since it is a fan vote, Norwood stands a chance to finish among the top three, which would put him on Nissan's official Heisman ballot. To do so, he needs the continued backing of USC fans as well as relatives such as Morgan Blanchard, a cousin of Norwood's in Atlanta who casts the maximum number of votes allowed daily.

Morris: ESPN-SEC TV deal is hurting attendance

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

Plenty of blame can be passed around for the thousands of empty seats at South Carolina home football games this season. You know about the economy and its effect. USC's first-year seat-licensing program has not helped, either, and outrageous parking fees probably have shooed a few fans away.

Let's add another reason for the embarrassingly low attendance figure for Saturday's game against Kentucky at Williams-Brice Stadium: the first-year, $2 billion deal between ESPN and the SEC, which ensures every football game involving a league team will be televised.

It might not have mattered to the SEC bean counters at the time of the deal, but you have to wonder if league officials considered the effect of televising every game on the average fan.

More and more, I am hearing from USC fans that the comfort of watching the game at home beats the hassle of traffic, crowds and general discomfort of going to the game. The savings to the bank account can't hurt, either.

"This is a transitional period for what we're going into with the new TV package," said Eric Hyman, USC's athletics director. "There are a lot of positives. On the other side of it, there are some down sides."

Morris: Jeffery proves he is quite a catch

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

STEVE SPURRIER WAS getting antsy. He paced in his office at Williams-Brice Stadium this past Feb. 4, National Signing Day.

"Have you got it yet?" Spurrier kept asking Shane Beamer, USC's recruiting coordinator. "Have you got it yet? Have you got it yet."

"It" was Alshon Jeffery's signature on a national letter of intent. A year earlier, Jeffery had committed to play football at Southern California. But Spurrier, and in particular Beamer, believed all along that the star receiver out of Calhoun County was theirs.

When the fax of Jeffery's letter of intent arrived, Spurrier and Beamer both recognized the magnitude of the signing. This state had produced USC products Sidney Rice and Kenny McKinley, but the Gamecocks watched helplessly as A.J. Green took his game to Georgia.

"I stood by that fax machine all morning," Beamer said. "I can assure you, when that fax came through, I knew we were going to have days like this once he got in and figured out what was going on and learned the system."

Morris: Ex-Gamecock fits in at White House

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:54 EDT

WASHINGTON

Fran Person strikes an imposing figure no matter the setting. He stands 6-foot-6, so it is difficult for him to hide. Person peers over the gathering in the hallway as he and his three guests wait to be seated for lunch in the West Wing of the White House on a recent Friday.

Person begins pointing out the dignitaries. There is David Alexrod over there. He is the senior adviser to President Obama. That is Chrstine Romer. She is the chair of the Council of Economic Advisors to Obama.

One by one as staff personnel file in and out of the White House Mess, located below the Oval Office and adjacent to the Situation Room, they stop to greet the man known to all as "Frannie," Vice President Joe Biden's personal aide.

Person appears as comfortable at the White House as he once was working over an opposing lineman as a football player at South Carolina under coaches Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier.

Morris: USC looking in the mirror at UK

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:02 EDT

South Carolina and Kentucky could swap uniforms before Saturday's game at Williams-Brice Stadium, and most fans would not be able to tell the difference.

A case could be made within each camp for being superior. Yet outside of South Carolina and Kentucky, from a national perspective, the programs are mirror images.

Comparing USC to Kentucky in football is like comparing oranges to tangerines, a Ford Taurus to a Mercury Sable, South Dakota to North Dakota

Both programs are led by veteran coaches who staked claims to fame elsewhere in their respective careers. Both programs have experienced spotty success. Both have hit rock bottom along the way. USC's all-time record rests at .500. Kentucky is eight games above water level.

Most importantly, both USC and Kentucky have fought what seems like a never-ending battle to crack the big three schools of the SECs Eastern Division.

Morris: Big games help MEAC exposure

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:51 EDT

PLAYING FOOTBALL GAMES against Air Force, Central Florida, Clemson and South Carolina is all part of the maturation process for an FCS program. At least that is the way South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough sees it.

Pough has led the charge for his fellow MEAC teams to play games annually against FBS schools. It has more to do with sizing up the competition than collecting the handsome paychecks FCS schools receive.

While Pough does not endorse Delaware State's deal to forfeit a conference game against North Carolina A&T so it can accept a $500,000 check to play at Michigan in October, he does believe there is much to be gained by playing big-name schools.

S.C. State will collect $230,000 to play USC at Williams-Brice Stadium. Better still, Pough's Bulldogs will gain a better sense of how much progress they have made since dropping a 38-3 decision to the Gamecocks two seasons ago.

"All of our teams now are playing out-of-league games against Division I programs," Pough says. "(MEAC schools have) played Rutgers and Kentucky. (Florida A&M) is playing Miami this year.

Morris: USC shows potential for rest of season

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

Forget that South Carolina has defeated North Carolina State, which appears to be a contender for the ACC championship, and Mississippi, which may never live up to its once-lofty ranking but remains a Top 25 club.

USC's 3-1 start is more about how the Gamecocks have won games. It has been ugly at times. But winning ugly works when you have a history of letting those kinds of games slip away.

"We're 3-1 and we haven't played our best yet," Steve Spurrier said Tuesday, intoning an optimistic vibe seldom heard during his five years here. "That's encouraging."

It is encouraging because USC has shown an ability make big plays when it counted. While the defense carried the Gamecocks in the 7-3 victory against N.C. State, it was a clutch 33-yard Stephen Garcia-to-Moe Brown pass play on third-and-4 from the USC 39 that sealed the win. It takes more than one hand to count the number of times that type of play would have helped USC to a victory over the past decade.

In the 16-10 victory against Mississippi, fullback Patrick DiMarco caught a pass in the flat and fought his way 2 yards for a touchdown. There exists a litany of those plays in recent memory where a USC running back failed to find the end zone, fumbled the ball or dropped the pass.

Morris: Crowds show S.C. fans' passion

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:21 EDT

SOUTH CAROLINA AND Clemson had much to be proud of this past week, and I am not talking about their performances on the football field. The fan bases at each school proved once again that college football is king in this state, no matter the conditions.

Given every reason imaginable to stay home, USC and Clemson fans instead were at their leather-lung best in support of their teams, first at Williams-Brice Stadium on Thursday and then on Saturday at Death Valley.

Granted, the attendance numbers were not pretty. USC estimated its attendance against Mississippi at 74,724 or 6,500 short of capacity, which means there actually were between 65,000 and 70,000 fans in the stands. Clemson estimated its attendance at 70,000, or 11,500 short of capacity, which means there actually were between 60,000 and 65,000 fans in the stands.

There is a simple explanation for why the upper reaches of the south end zone stands and across the top of the east stands were empty at Williams-Brice Stadium: The game was played on Thursday night.

Weeknight college games have been relegated to TV shows for ESPN with little regard to the local fan. The Egocentric Sports Programming Network could care less how many folks are in the "studio" for their three-hour show, because the games play well to their national audience.

Morris: FAU or FIU? Schools hard to tell apart

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

If you are like me, you have a difficult time differentiating between Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University. They both compete in the Sun Belt Conference. Both have started football programs within the decade. Both have at least one famous coach, although in different sports.

So, you are not alone when every time Howard Schnellenberger's name is mentioned, you pause to gather your senses then attempt to figure out if he coaches at Florida Atlantic or Florida International. When Isiah Thomas' name pops up in conversation, there is the same pause, then you scratch your head attempting to name which of the two schools recently hired him.

Do not feel bad. A couple of weeks ago, a reporter for the New York Times called the Florida Atlantic sports information office in search of a relative who played for that school's football team. Turns out, the kid played for Florida International.

In a never-ending effort to provide a service to readers, following are a few differences between the two schools/programs/teams.

First off, Florida Atlantic is proud of its name. It prefers you use the full name as much as possible. Florida International wants to be called FIU, much as Texas Christian likes to go by TCU and UNC Charlotte is now Charlotte.

Morris: Future bodes well for Garcia, Parkers

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

FOOTBALL FANS ACROSS the state witnessed the first blooms of budding star quarterbacks this past week at South Carolina and Clemson. For now, Clemson redshirt freshman Kyle Parker appears to be a step or two ahead of Stephen Garcia, his redshirt sophomore counterpart at USC.

Yet there is every reason to believe Garcia and Parker could lead this state’s football fans on a three-year quarterback run never before seen here. Both possess enormous potential. Both are extremely talented. Both are in the infancy of their college careers.

“Stephen’s improving,” Steve Spurrier said of Garcia, who completed 31 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday in USC’s loss at Georgia. “He had a lot of good plays the other night, and a lot of not-so-good plays. ... He’s improving. ... He’s got potential.”

Two nights earlier, Parker showed off to a national TV audience in a loss at Georgia Tech when he passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

“He did grow up a lot,” Dabo Swinney said. “He made some mistakes and things that he’s going to have to learn from, minuses that he will correct. But he made a lot of big plays. ... I think he’s on his way to being a very, very good player for us.”

Morris: 'Voice of the Gamecocks' booms again

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:46 EDT

When Bob Fulton said goodbye to broadcasting South Carolina athletics with the final out of a baseball game in 1995, he vowed never again to sit behind the microphone. Fulton fibbed.

The longtime, legendary “Voice of the Gamecocks” came out of retirement recently, calling football games off TV for his nearly blind roommate at a rehabilitation facility near Lexington.

“I’m quite sure no one has ever been crazy enough to do this,” Fulton said. “It was wonderful. I was broadcasting again. I think I did a pretty good job, but that doesn’t mean I could do any live broadcasting.”

The 88-year-old Fulton found himself in a rehab center after a recent fall. He is doing well and returned to his Lake Murray home this week. If he is to call any more games, he likely will have only an audience of one — himself.

Upon arriving at the center about three weeks ago, Fulton found a friend in his roommate, 67-year-old Leonard Cooper, who has about 10 percent of his eyesight.