GoGamecocks.com
Future begins now for Gamecocks
Stephen Garcia gets the start today for USC in the Outback Bowl against Iowa.
Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com
Written by JOSEPH PERSON
jperson@thestate.com
Posted on 01.01.09
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survey:
Outback Bowl
WHO: Iowa (8-4) vs. USC (7-5)
WHEN: 11 a.m., Jan. 1
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN (channel 26 in Columbia, HD channel 950)
RADIO: WNKT-FM 107.5, WISW-AM 1320
LINE: Iowa by 3.5
TV, radio notes
Sean McDonough will do the play-by-play, Chris Spielman will offer analysis and Rob Stone will be on the sidelines. The game can be heard on WNKT-FM 107.5 and WISW-AM 1320 with Todd Ellis and Tommy Suggs in the booth and former USC and NFL star Duce Staley on the field.
TAMPA, Fla. — First game of the day, first day of the new year: Can there be a better or more symbolic time for South Carolina to get started on a resolution to break from its mediocre past and take the next step as a program?
The Gamecocks enter this morning's Outback Bowl against Iowa with an all-time record of 528-528-44 in 115 seasons. It does not get any more average than that.
USC coach Steve Spurrier, who is 28-21 in four seasons in Columbia, will give the ball to the player he believes gives the Gamecocks their best chance to win — both today and beyond.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia made headlines this week by returning to his Tampa hometown for a New Year's Day bowl game. But Spurrier came to USC to get the Gamecocks to Atlanta in December for the SEC championship game.
And despite Garcia's previous off-the-field problems and sometimes erratic play on the field, Spurrier and his staff are counting on the right-hander to get them there.
Watching how Garcia performs in an NFL stadium against a top-12 defense in a nationally televised game will give them a better idea.
"That gives us all hope if he plays well, because we believe he's going to be our future guy," Spurrier said Wednesday. "Hopefully, he'll play well. That'll get everybody pumped up."
Receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said the future is now for the highly touted quarterback, who split time with Chris Smelley during the regular season.
"Certainly we're giving Garcia an opportunity to be the guy that can run this team and be the quarterback that we think can win the SEC," Spurrier Jr. said. "It's absolutely a big game for him and for our team."
The Gamecocks (7-5) feel fortunate to be here after ending November by losing to Florida and Clemson. The losses were morale-draining defeats that helped get offensive line coach John Hunt fired, prompted receiver Moe Brown to call a players-only meeting and convinced Spurrier to be more positive.
But no Spurrier compliments or pats on the back will go as far as a win would. The Gamecocks, who are 3½-point underdogs, are playing in their first New Year's Day game since beating Ohio State in consecutive Outback appearances following the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
"I honestly believe this is a must-win game for the program, really, for the guys that come back next year," senior receiver Kenny McKinley said.
"If we don't win, (players) might not say it, but you're going to think it in the back of your head: 'Man, we must suck. We lost the last three games. We got killed by Florida. Clemson came out and embarrassed us and then we went out in the bowl game and didn't have a good game.'"
USC, which never has faced Iowa, can become the 10th team in program history to reach eight wins. It also could quiet critics who have questioned the Gamecocks' New Year's Day credentials: USC has not beaten a ranked team all season.
"We're 7-5, and that kind of record just doesn't say January bowl. Eight-and-four or 9-3, yeah. But 7-5, not really," center Garrett Anderson said. "That just gives us an opportunity to prove we're not a 7-5 team. We screwed up those last two games. We're a lot better team than that."
Iowa (8-4) won five of its last six games, a stretch that included a 24-23 upset of No. 3 Penn State that knocked the Nittany Lions out of the national championship picture.
Brown, a junior from Anderson, said beating the Hawkeyes would help USC move past its "being average is OK" mentality.
"I think getting eight this year would get us to strive to work harder to get that ninth win, and possibly a 10th or 11th win next year," he said.
Depending on how he plays, a win also could cement Garcia's role as the starter — not to mention his spot in Tampa folklore.
Garcia completed 56 percent of his passes for 753 yards in his first season, with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He was the Gamecocks' third-leading rusher with 173 carries but often drew Spurrier's ire by taking off from the pocket before allowing plays to develop.
Still, even Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden could not help noting how far Garcia has come. When Gruden spoke at USC's coaches clinic in March, Garcia had been suspended for the second consecutive spring following an underage drinking citation.
"Six months later, here we are in a New Year's Day bowl game and Stephen Garcia's the man," Gruden said. "I'm really happy for him. I think he's got a tremendous upside. He's playing for the right guy, and he's just getting started. So that's a good sign for Carolina."
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.
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