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Payday playmakers are disappearing
Coordinator who got raise during season searches for answer to slide
Clemson #28 C. J. Spiller leaps from an ankle tackle by University of South Carolina #40 Eric Norwood in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC on Saturday, November 29, 2008.
Erik Campos/ecampos@thestate.com /Erk Campos
Written by SETH EMERSON
semerson@thestate.com
Posted on 11.30.08
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CLEMSON — Ellis Johnson sounded like he was questioning his own contract extension.
All season, the South Carolina defensive coordinator had been lauded by fans and the media. He was even rewarded with a new contract halfway through his first season at USC.
But as the regular season ended Saturday with a 31-14 loss at Clemson, the same problem that helped chase off Johnson’s predecessor repeated itself: The Gamecock defense sputtered to the finish.
“Maybe this game says we’ve been overachievers all year long,” Johnson said.
Two weeks ago, a 56-6 loss at Florida was attributed to playing a great offense, and buckling after too many miscues by other Gamecock units. But Clemson, with fewer offensive credentials, left Johnson with just as bad a taste.
Clemson had six plays of more than 20 yards, all in the first half.
Four interceptions by USC quarterback Chris Smelley, and a blocked punt, didn’t help.
Nevertheless, Johnson pinned the blame on his unit.
“I’d like to say I’m surprised, but frankly we’ve been going backwards as a team for about three or four weeks now,” Johnson said.
The Gamecocks have been among the nation’s best defensive teams all year. It was only after the Florida loss that USC slid down the rankings. Were those impressive defensive stats a mirage all along? Johnson seemed to think they were.
“The complexion of games can affect stats, and a lot of our stats were built up during ... low-scoring games, so (opponents) were playing it real conservative, close to the vest,” Johnson said. “I don’t put a lot of stock in statistics, I put a lot of stock in we’re not performing real well right now.”
Johnson couldn’t pinpoint a reason. He speculated that only practicing twice during the week might have hurt them this week, while the overall slide could have been from complacency, after earning a seventh win against Arkansas. He also pinned some blame on himself.
The secondary drew most of Johnson’s ire. It started several weeks ago when they had to rotate players, a result of safety Chris Culliver’s suspension for the first half at Florida.
Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, one of the team’s most reliable players, also had an off game.
“It just seems like we’re going downhill like last year, from the Arkansas game to Clemson last year,” Munnerlyn said. “It seems like the defense is going the same way.”
To senior middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley it was a matter of effort, not trends.
“We definitely didn’t peak too soon,” Brinkley said. “It was just another case of another team wanted it more than we did.”
Hear Spurrier's postgame comments
Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.
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