Gamecocks made many eat their words with win against Vols. But did it outrank 2010 vs Bama?
No third slice of sweet potato pie will be sweeter, no second helping of turkey and green bean casserole will be more savory, no next day leftovers will be more satisfying than the words that the Gamecock football team made me eat Saturday night.
The Thursday before the University of South Carolina’s matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers, I tweeted that the Gamecocks “done lost” after the team announced that MarShawn Lloyd and Christian Beal-Smith would be out.
“If (the) Gamecocks pull it out that’s awesome. But mostly I’m hoping more than our kicker throws a touchdown pass. That’s no disrespect to Rattler. He’s a good QB but (he) can improve.”
Almost everything I said got shoved in my mouth.
Maybe Rattler saw my tweet and used it for fuel. Maybe he said, “You know that Bland fellow, he’s right. I’m going to improve and go Heisman mode against Tennessee.”
Of course that isn’t true. Rattler — who threw for six touchdowns, no interceptions and completed 81% of his passes — has had this level of skill in him all along.
If a player could win a Heisman based on one game, Rattler should win it after Saturday night. If he returns to USC next year and plays every game like that or even close to it, he would no doubt be a top Heisman candidate.
The Gamecocks’ wide-receiving crew and the committee of players who were in the running game rose to the occasion too. As did the defense.
I wasn’t alone in my prediction. It’s not hyperbole to say that every single college football commentator had the Gamecocks losing.
Dan Mullen, the former Florida coach who is now an ESPN commentator, flippantly predicted that the Volunteers would put up 60 against the Gamecocks. Shane Beamer’s team — which defeated Mullen’s Gators by 23 points last year — just has a way of silencing him.
Not only did the Gamecocks pull it out, they became the only unranked team to ever score 63 points against a team ranked in the AP’s top 5, according to The Atlantic. The win may outrank the Gamecocks’ 2010 win over top-ranked Alabama.
The 63 points were the most the Gamecocks have scored since 1995 when they put up that many against Mississippi State. Beamer’s team never trailed in the game.
The Gamecocks trailed in the first quarter against Alabama in 2010 for a moment, and the Crimson Tide stayed within a touchdown of USC for most of the second half.
The Gamecocks’ win over Tennessee was only their seventh against a top five opponent. And USC did all that without its injured top running back, one of the SEC’s best.
In 2010 against Alabama, the Gamecocks had Marcus Lattimore, one of the best college running backs in the country at the time.
Rattler threw for 438 yards, surpassing his previous best game of 387 yard when he was at Oklahoma, ESPN reported. Rattler was averaging about 200 passing yards per game with the Gamecocks and had thrown eight touchdowns this season before Saturday.
This is only Beamer’s second season as Carolina’s head coach. In 2010, Steve Spurrier had been the Gamecocks’ coach for six seasons.
And, maybe one of the biggest differences: In 2010, the Gamecocks were objectively good. They went to the SEC championship game and finished that year ranked 22nd. This year, the Gamecocks have been ranked for just one week.
With the points scored, Rattler’s performance, Lloyd’s absence and the team’s sheer dominance, the Gamecocks put on a game that might be the school’s biggest upset ever.
Next up the Gamecocks have Clemson, and USC is looking like they’re ready to pull another upset.
Maybe I should say the Gamecocks don’t stand a chance against Clemson, and they’ll make me eat those words too.
I’ll tweet that out soon.