Just got done re-watching the game last night and here are a couple things I think after having time to rewind and re-watch.
- I did not see Connor Shaw warm up and did not agree with the decision to start him. However re-watching today, I am not as against it as I was last night. For starters, if he is/was healthy enough to start against Missouri, he clearly needed some game work with the offense. The miscommunication with Ace that lead to an interception and the miscommunication with Justice Cunningham late in the half showed there are some issues. Also I do not know how much more his shoulder was going to heal. We had heard rumors all week the shoulder may indeed be chipped but not could really verify to put it out publicly. Against UAB, it was not the worse idea to go ahead and see what he could do.
- Watching last night, I was not impressed but after re-watching today, I feel better about Shaw. He had some tough throws to make throwing across the field and did not look as bad as I thought. The one that bothered me was the deep corner route that hung in the air and Ace had to bail him out on. Other than, the last throw to Ellington was nice and there were a couple others that showed he was starting to find a rhythm. It will be interesting to see what is said this week but I honestly do not see Shaw being 100 percent at any point the rest of the year. To me at least, he either needs four weeks off to let his shoulder fully heal or he is playing through pain all year with one shot being able to knock him out of any game.
- I do not think the run blocking is as bad as people are making it out to be. Last night I did, but again after re-watching and listening to Garrick McGee, it was clear that the Blazers goal was to stop Lattimore which was the same as East Carolina last week. Right now teams are simply stacking the box with six, seven or even eight guys. There are not enough blockers to get a helmet on a helmet and usually there are two players waiting for Lattimore or another running back. I will say that from time to time there are flat out missed blocks but the problem is more to do with teams planning to stop Lattimore by stuffing the box with guys which has led to plenty of one on one situations for the wide receivers......
- The Gamecocks are getting tons of one on one opportunities on the outside and have been taking advantage of them. Last night, Damiere Byrd got a one on one for 94 yards, Ellington got two of them, Sanders got one that was over thrown, Roland got one for a touchdown and got several last week. There have been several more but those stand out and right now Dylan Thompson is putting the ball on the money for big plays. It will be fun to see how Missouri elects to defend the Gamecocks this week but all of a sudden the smaller, speedier wide receiver group is making plays down the field when in one on one situations.
- You have to love that Marcus Lattimore has only rushed the ball 25 times in the past two games. I credit the Gamecock staff for easing him through the month of September after needing him 23 times in the opener. If the Gamecocks are going to run the gauntlet the next six games they need Lattimore at his best and now he has gotten quality game reps while staying fresh. I think we all know that Lattimore is not the kind of back that can produce big numbers in 12-15 carries, he needs to wear defense's down and get 20-25 touches a game. He hits you for those three, four and five yard carries, then busts off a 12 yarder and then maybe a 15 yard carry before hitting you with the three, four and five gains again and then another big gainer when you are worn down. In the last two games, he has 25 carries for 125 yards and three touchdowns. That seems about right.
- Dylan Thompson looks great, he got a little pumped up to start last night, made a horrible decision, got picked off and got a huge break. He missed a wide open Ace Sanders, a wide open DeAnglo Smith and Spurrier sent Seth Strickland to warm up however Thompson nailed Ellington down the sideline along the Gamecock bench and got rolling. The big question for Thompson now is when things start to go sideways, he can keep his confidence and recover or will he go into a shell.
- After re-watching the game, I really feel the Gamecock offense is on the verge of really breaking out. There are a couple minor things that need to be shored up and the play calling has to stay consistent but play makers are now being given a chance, the deep ball is coming to life and the quarterbacks are looking confident. I don't know if they will blow out Missouri, but the offense should be able to move the ball.
- Several seniors are stepping up on defense big time. Shaq Wilson and D.J. Swearinger are having the type of senior years that you pull for. Swearinger was everywhere last night and plays with a ton of passion and leadership. We will see what happens this week on that hit and if the SEC issues any repercussions
- Jadeveon Clowney last night was unbelievable. If you can, save that game on DVR because that is the type of performance you can point to when Clowney is making the big bucks in the NFL. He simply dominated a lesser opponent.
- Amazing how everyone views the Gamecocks right now, they struggled against Vanderbilt on the road but got the win. They have blown their two cupcakes out and yet people are still questioning them. Clemson has beaten a horrible Auburn team at a neutral site and blown out two cupcakes and people love them. Georgia has a nice road win at Missouri but hasn't been lights out against Buffalo or Florida Atlantic and some say they are a dark horse national title contender.
- I did not see Connor Shaw warm up and did not agree with the decision to start him. However re-watching today, I am not as against it as I was last night. For starters, if he is/was healthy enough to start against Missouri, he clearly needed some game work with the offense. The miscommunication with Ace that lead to an interception and the miscommunication with Justice Cunningham late in the half showed there are some issues. Also I do not know how much more his shoulder was going to heal. We had heard rumors all week the shoulder may indeed be chipped but not could really verify to put it out publicly. Against UAB, it was not the worse idea to go ahead and see what he could do.
- Watching last night, I was not impressed but after re-watching today, I feel better about Shaw. He had some tough throws to make throwing across the field and did not look as bad as I thought. The one that bothered me was the deep corner route that hung in the air and Ace had to bail him out on. Other than, the last throw to Ellington was nice and there were a couple others that showed he was starting to find a rhythm. It will be interesting to see what is said this week but I honestly do not see Shaw being 100 percent at any point the rest of the year. To me at least, he either needs four weeks off to let his shoulder fully heal or he is playing through pain all year with one shot being able to knock him out of any game.
- I do not think the run blocking is as bad as people are making it out to be. Last night I did, but again after re-watching and listening to Garrick McGee, it was clear that the Blazers goal was to stop Lattimore which was the same as East Carolina last week. Right now teams are simply stacking the box with six, seven or even eight guys. There are not enough blockers to get a helmet on a helmet and usually there are two players waiting for Lattimore or another running back. I will say that from time to time there are flat out missed blocks but the problem is more to do with teams planning to stop Lattimore by stuffing the box with guys which has led to plenty of one on one situations for the wide receivers......
- The Gamecocks are getting tons of one on one opportunities on the outside and have been taking advantage of them. Last night, Damiere Byrd got a one on one for 94 yards, Ellington got two of them, Sanders got one that was over thrown, Roland got one for a touchdown and got several last week. There have been several more but those stand out and right now Dylan Thompson is putting the ball on the money for big plays. It will be fun to see how Missouri elects to defend the Gamecocks this week but all of a sudden the smaller, speedier wide receiver group is making plays down the field when in one on one situations.
- You have to love that Marcus Lattimore has only rushed the ball 25 times in the past two games. I credit the Gamecock staff for easing him through the month of September after needing him 23 times in the opener. If the Gamecocks are going to run the gauntlet the next six games they need Lattimore at his best and now he has gotten quality game reps while staying fresh. I think we all know that Lattimore is not the kind of back that can produce big numbers in 12-15 carries, he needs to wear defense's down and get 20-25 touches a game. He hits you for those three, four and five yard carries, then busts off a 12 yarder and then maybe a 15 yard carry before hitting you with the three, four and five gains again and then another big gainer when you are worn down. In the last two games, he has 25 carries for 125 yards and three touchdowns. That seems about right.
- Dylan Thompson looks great, he got a little pumped up to start last night, made a horrible decision, got picked off and got a huge break. He missed a wide open Ace Sanders, a wide open DeAnglo Smith and Spurrier sent Seth Strickland to warm up however Thompson nailed Ellington down the sideline along the Gamecock bench and got rolling. The big question for Thompson now is when things start to go sideways, he can keep his confidence and recover or will he go into a shell.
- After re-watching the game, I really feel the Gamecock offense is on the verge of really breaking out. There are a couple minor things that need to be shored up and the play calling has to stay consistent but play makers are now being given a chance, the deep ball is coming to life and the quarterbacks are looking confident. I don't know if they will blow out Missouri, but the offense should be able to move the ball.
- Several seniors are stepping up on defense big time. Shaq Wilson and D.J. Swearinger are having the type of senior years that you pull for. Swearinger was everywhere last night and plays with a ton of passion and leadership. We will see what happens this week on that hit and if the SEC issues any repercussions
- Jadeveon Clowney last night was unbelievable. If you can, save that game on DVR because that is the type of performance you can point to when Clowney is making the big bucks in the NFL. He simply dominated a lesser opponent.
- Amazing how everyone views the Gamecocks right now, they struggled against Vanderbilt on the road but got the win. They have blown their two cupcakes out and yet people are still questioning them. Clemson has beaten a horrible Auburn team at a neutral site and blown out two cupcakes and people love them. Georgia has a nice road win at Missouri but hasn't been lights out against Buffalo or Florida Atlantic and some say they are a dark horse national title contender.
