COLUMBIA, S.C. - Never had the fans here partied quite like this. Marcus Lattimore bobbed and weaved. Connor Shaw pulled and fired. The stadium physically rocked. Never had more people come to watch a South Carolina football game, and all 85,199 of them would leave - once the sixth-ranked Gamecocks beat No. 5 Georgia, 35-7 - knowing the Head Ball Coach could still have fun.
This party, Coach Steve Spurrier's rowdiest and finest here yet, took eight years to arrive, and it sent a message, Marcus Lattimore said: "This is not the old South Carolina. We can play with y'all. We can play with anybody."
Elsewhere, it had been called the Fun 'n Gun offense. First, Spurrier's teams established the run, then lulled defenses with hypnotic play-action passes before unfurling deep throws.
Developing the offense, Spurrier won an Atlantic Coast Conference championship at Duke. He built his own legend as the Head Ball Coach, as well as the groundwork for a dynastic run, at Florida. In a brief stint in the N.F.L., the offense was no fun, and until Saturday, it had been nothing special here.
When Shaw's first pass darted into the night, and those here saw how wide open Damiere Byrd was, the anticipation turned to excitement. Shaw's pass was underthrown, creating a moment of doubt, but Byrd leapt and outfought a defender for the ball and a 42-yard gain.
Three plays later, Shaw pulled a handoff out from Lattimore's midsection and then stood in a clean pocket. No defender was within two steps of Shaw's target, Bruce Ellington, who was wide open in the end zone. Shaw threw just 10 passes, as South Carolina (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) rushed 51 times to ice its lead. Afterward, Shaw was asked if Spurrier had fun winning on the ground.
"Absolutely," Shaw said. "When you win, you're having fun, right?"
Before Saturday, Aaron Murray of Georgia (5-1, 3-1) had been the more heralded of these teams' quarterbacks. But his first pass was batted high into the air at the line. It hung for a moment until DeVonte Holloman dived and intercepted the ball. Spurrier's defense turned out to be as much fun to watch as his offense.
When Murray's second drive went nowhere, South Carolina's Ace Sanders dropped the punt, picked up the ball, shook one defender right, another one left, and outran everyone else for a 70-yard score. With South Carolina leading by 21-0 in the first quarter of this supposed SEC showdown, the crowd's enthusiasm grew as the fun went on.
Feeding off the crowd, the Gamecock defense harassed Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, freshman running backs who had spearheaded a Georgia rushing attack averaging more than 250 yards. On Saturday, their rushing lanes were nonexistent and their opportunities blocked. In the second quarter, on four tries from the South Carolina 4, Gurley and Murray could not score. For the game, Murray completed only 11 of 31 passes and was routinely beaten like a piñata.
Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina's star sophomore defensive end, embarrassed Georgia left tackle Kenarious Gates. Once, Clowney shoved aside Gates and hurdled over a running back diving at his knees. So it may not have mattered who tried to stop Clowney's unfair blend of size (6 feet 6 inches), power (256 pounds), ferocity and speed. After the game, Clowney said the crowd had been so loud he noticed Murray tap the center to snap the ball, so Clowney timed his jump.
In high school, Clowney was an elite prospect, and landing him legitimized Spurrier's return to the college ranks. Since Spurrier arrived in 2005, the Gamecocks had lost at least five games every season until 2011, when they won 11, a university record, and finished in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for the first time. There was a promise of better times, as well, because Clowney was a freshman, Shaw was a first-time starter and Lattimore missed the final six games with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Lattimore seemed like himself Saturday, snaking his way inside, around defenders, finishing with 109 yards.
For Shaw, this game was an arrival, a display of execution and heart. If no one was open, he took off and ran for first downs (five in all), barreling down the field as if his head were on fire. As the end of the game neared, Shaw pulled a handoff, ran left and dived into the end zone, untouched, for a 7-yard touchdown. Fireworks went off, and those still here crooned in delight, as if they had been spoiled by all the fun.
link: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/sports/ncaafootball/south-carolina-shuts-down-georgia.xml
This party, Coach Steve Spurrier's rowdiest and finest here yet, took eight years to arrive, and it sent a message, Marcus Lattimore said: "This is not the old South Carolina. We can play with y'all. We can play with anybody."
Elsewhere, it had been called the Fun 'n Gun offense. First, Spurrier's teams established the run, then lulled defenses with hypnotic play-action passes before unfurling deep throws.
Developing the offense, Spurrier won an Atlantic Coast Conference championship at Duke. He built his own legend as the Head Ball Coach, as well as the groundwork for a dynastic run, at Florida. In a brief stint in the N.F.L., the offense was no fun, and until Saturday, it had been nothing special here.
When Shaw's first pass darted into the night, and those here saw how wide open Damiere Byrd was, the anticipation turned to excitement. Shaw's pass was underthrown, creating a moment of doubt, but Byrd leapt and outfought a defender for the ball and a 42-yard gain.
Three plays later, Shaw pulled a handoff out from Lattimore's midsection and then stood in a clean pocket. No defender was within two steps of Shaw's target, Bruce Ellington, who was wide open in the end zone. Shaw threw just 10 passes, as South Carolina (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) rushed 51 times to ice its lead. Afterward, Shaw was asked if Spurrier had fun winning on the ground.
"Absolutely," Shaw said. "When you win, you're having fun, right?"
Before Saturday, Aaron Murray of Georgia (5-1, 3-1) had been the more heralded of these teams' quarterbacks. But his first pass was batted high into the air at the line. It hung for a moment until DeVonte Holloman dived and intercepted the ball. Spurrier's defense turned out to be as much fun to watch as his offense.
When Murray's second drive went nowhere, South Carolina's Ace Sanders dropped the punt, picked up the ball, shook one defender right, another one left, and outran everyone else for a 70-yard score. With South Carolina leading by 21-0 in the first quarter of this supposed SEC showdown, the crowd's enthusiasm grew as the fun went on.
Feeding off the crowd, the Gamecock defense harassed Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, freshman running backs who had spearheaded a Georgia rushing attack averaging more than 250 yards. On Saturday, their rushing lanes were nonexistent and their opportunities blocked. In the second quarter, on four tries from the South Carolina 4, Gurley and Murray could not score. For the game, Murray completed only 11 of 31 passes and was routinely beaten like a piñata.
Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina's star sophomore defensive end, embarrassed Georgia left tackle Kenarious Gates. Once, Clowney shoved aside Gates and hurdled over a running back diving at his knees. So it may not have mattered who tried to stop Clowney's unfair blend of size (6 feet 6 inches), power (256 pounds), ferocity and speed. After the game, Clowney said the crowd had been so loud he noticed Murray tap the center to snap the ball, so Clowney timed his jump.
In high school, Clowney was an elite prospect, and landing him legitimized Spurrier's return to the college ranks. Since Spurrier arrived in 2005, the Gamecocks had lost at least five games every season until 2011, when they won 11, a university record, and finished in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for the first time. There was a promise of better times, as well, because Clowney was a freshman, Shaw was a first-time starter and Lattimore missed the final six games with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Lattimore seemed like himself Saturday, snaking his way inside, around defenders, finishing with 109 yards.
For Shaw, this game was an arrival, a display of execution and heart. If no one was open, he took off and ran for first downs (five in all), barreling down the field as if his head were on fire. As the end of the game neared, Shaw pulled a handoff, ran left and dived into the end zone, untouched, for a 7-yard touchdown. Fireworks went off, and those still here crooned in delight, as if they had been spoiled by all the fun.
link: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/sports/ncaafootball/south-carolina-shuts-down-georgia.xml
