Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecock. Citrus bowl recap. And both basketball teams begin SEC play. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:52] Okay. Welcome to episode 286 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. And happy new Year, Gamecocks. May your year be filled with Gamecock wins and great memories. Hope y'all had a nice New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, relaxing. Here I am in the new year, sitting with a newfound hatred of Illinois football. I mean, what in the hell was that? Like what. What did we witness? Like, that was.
[00:01:30] That was some high intensity, high stress, high blood pressure football. And frankly, I was just not prepared for it. I was sitting there having some oranges and cheez. Its trying to be on brand, and next thing you know, I'm like, getting ready to throw an orange through the tv. I didn't, because that'd be inappropriate, but you get my point nonetheless. So, yeah, didn't expect to leave that game hating Illinois football for life, but here we are, and I'm okay with it, frankly. And, you know, I put it out there on social media and, you know, got to their fan base and they said, you know, we don't care about you. And I said, well, I don't care about you either. You live in Illinois, so respectfully. But, you know, nonetheless, that was a. That was some interesting, interesting activities that we had to go through the other day. And I will, of course, recap that here in a moment. But before that, let's talk basketball here as both teams are getting ready to begin SEC play, starting with the women here. As I am recording this, the ladies are tipping off against Mizzou. So it tends to work out a lot of times in years past that they are playing on Thursdays. So sending good vibes. I'll get off this and I'll watch the game, but unfortunately, nothing to report y'all right now, but we're sending good vibes. But then Sunday afternoon, the ladies will take on Mississippi State, and that will be their second game, and we are rolling in SEC play there. So looking to get off on the right foot, there is Don Staley and company.
[00:03:06] But then switching gears over to the men's side of things. They actually wrapped up their 2024 Monday night when they took on Presbyterian, really wrapping up that non conference schedule. And the Gamecocks got the win, 69 to 59. But the game was anything but comfortable. The cardiac Q zips were in full effect. I Mean, I sat down to watch this one and was like, okay, should be a pretty good game. You're looking to wrap up the non conference and your December really well, get all that momentum. And the Q Zips got off to a slow start. And that is putting it, that is putting it kindly. Let's say it was a really tough go at it. Started to battle back towards the end of the first half there, cut the lead down to eight points. But for a little bit there you were sitting there scratching your head saying what the heck is going on here in Colombia. You really wanted to have a good showing. Presbyterian had this guy, Corey Mincey basically looking like prime Steph Curry. The kid could absolutely not miss for a stretch there, but ultimately got into some foul trouble. He could only do so much after that. And in the second half, you saw South Carolina's defensive intensity go up another level and the offense seemed much more settled. So it truly just seemed like it was a bad start. And Lamont Paris was able to make some adjustments at halftime. The guys were able to catch their breath, whatever it was. Second half looked much better. Jamari Thomas was making plays on both ends of the floor. Zach Davis was an asset defensively. They actually put him on Mincey to try and slow him down. Despite the height differential there, you had Yugasuk and Studi Pringle flashing, but really it was CMB who was as steady as steady gets. He was really having his way down low. But I was really more impressed with his free throw shooting. He went 10 for 14, so he did miss a few. But when South Carolina was mounting the comeback and you needed every single point you could get, he was ice in his veins from the line and really for a stretch of time there carried the load really offensively for the Gamecock. So you went to your star player in a position where you had the size advantage and he did his thing, you know, and you saw some nice passing from Jamari. You just again, in the second half, everything just looked much more crisp. Everyone settled in. And it is interesting because slow starts have been a theme for this team so far this year. You know, not necessarily every game, but a lot. We have seen that. And while it is impressive to be able to make those adjustments and play at your best late in the game, it does make you wonder a little bit how sustainable that will be when you get into SEC play with especially how good the league is this year. I mean, you just look at it, Carolina sitting at 10, three, everybody else is 11 and two or better. So it is a Incredibly deep conference this year. So if I'm Coach Paris and I'm sure he's talking to them about this, but you gotta figure out why this is going on here. Like you gotta have some consistency from start to finish. You can't regularly get off to these slow starts. Sometimes it happens and if you can keep it to single digits, if you have a deficit at the half and then you can come out in the second firing like, yes, you can win sometimes that way, but when you're facing better teams who are deeper than say a Presbyterian, it doesn't always work out that way. So definitely want to figure out what's going on there and I'm sure that they are talking about it inside that building. But great win ended the non conference schedule exactly what you wanted to do. You could not afford another slip up and the Q Zips delivered. So up next for the Gamecocks, SEC play also begins. They are starting things off Saturday afternoon with a 2pm tip off against Mississippi State. This is in Starkville. The bulldogs are ranked 17th, sitting at 12 and 1 overall. So offensively, when you look at Mississippi State, they do tend to score at a higher clip than Carolina. But defensively, the Gamecocks do have the edge there. So my crow to the game in this one is dominate the boards. Okay?
[00:07:55] You bring in Nick Pringle to complement cmb and this is why, okay, to compete in the SEC you need a few things, but first and foremost you got to have size and athleticism. And these two have that and these two need it to flash.
[00:08:14] That's going to be a theme. There are two of your more explosive players, especially Colin Murray Boyles. You know, you go through him, you're going to need these guys to deliver consistently. And even when you look at Presbyterian, Pringle got off to a slow start. He had a little like rolled his ankle, so he missed some time. Once he was able to settle in, things looked a lot better. So gotta find a way to get him going earlier too. But looking forward, outside of this game, South Carolina has, I believe, the toughest strength of schedule remaining. So there are lots of opportunities to record high quad wins. So you know, we're in January, we're in league play, you're kind of taking stock of where things are at and you had a couple of early stumbles. But if you're thinking postseason, which is the goal for any program worth its salt here, and you're trying to replicate making an appearance like you did last year, there's going to be opportunities to pick up High quality wins and sometimes overall record does not necessarily tell the whole story. And with a big field like March Madness, you can receive an at large bid if you have those great quad one wins and you avoid the bad losses down the stretch. So there's going to be opportunities for this team to do it. You look at the sec, they have some highly ranked teams, but again, it's been all non conference play to this point, so there might be some teams that maybe are being ranked a little, maybe a little too high, I don't know. You know, it's going to be a challenge in this one, but hopefully the guys can go out there, handle business and start league play the right way, because that would be very, very impressive to go out there on the road, get a win and keep this thing going. We know that they can. We know Paris can get these guys ready to go, but we got to see it in action with this somewhat new look group here.
[00:10:19] But all right. Stepping away from the hardwood and onto the gridiron for the last time. For the foreseeable future, we're talking about a post game Gamecocks football chat.
[00:10:34] And the GameCocks certainly ended 2024 with a bang as the Cheez It Citrus bowl heated up faster than a Florida summer's day. See what I did there? I mean, if you don't think bowl games matter, just ask Shane Beamer about the Cheez It Bowl. I mean, seriously, that was as heated and as it escalated and that was just something else. And I don't know, let's just get it out of the way. I mean, Brett Bielema, like, what a pos. Like what a pos.
[00:11:08] Like for a guy that was after the fact trying to say that more or less South Carolina toed the line with the fake reverse that they did on the kickoff or you know, like the past to harbor, like, give me a fricking break. Who does burger Brett Bielema think he is? Because all day he was toeing the line and then after he got called out. Enough about the substitution bullshit. They're doing the fake injuries. Clear as day. Fake injuries, looking to the sideline and then going down. So why don't you look yourself in the mirror, Brett? Because you can't throw stones in a glass house. So for him to come over to the sideline while his player was actually injured and take the time to taunt the South Carolina sideline, it's just no class. It's just no class. And yeah, maybe he was trying to get under Shane Beamer skin. It worked. But even so, man, like, that is as bush league as it gets. And when you're already toeing the line, for you to then try and take the moral high ground is just absolute bs. So now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the game here. We know, unfortunately, the Carolina Gamecocks were on the wrong side of this one, 21 to 17.
[00:12:34] For me, it looked like the big break since the last game showed. I mean, what was it, four weeks, five weeks since we played Clemson, Right. So I just got the sense that even before the drama happened, I got the sense that, like, this team was out of sync. You know, you looked at Beamer, he looked more amped up and more animated than he usually is. Like, maybe put a little too much pressure on himself to deliver in this one. And then again, you just get the sense that everyone was a little off. I think this team was just in such a groove in that back half of the season that they just had it down to a science. And then you have the time off, you're doing things differently. You're doing the bowl game festivities, you're doing media, you're in a different place. It's not a Saturday, you're playing on a Tuesday. It just threw it all off. And then I do think that the presence. Presences rather, of Kyle Kennard and Rocket Sanders was for sure missed. I do. I think we missed them a lot, but it's not the reason we lost. You know, the Gamecocks had plenty of chances to do better in this one, even without them. And I'd make the argument that you probably missed Rocket more. I'm going to get into in a second here. I think Attaway did a fine job, but there were little things that Rocket did to keep the chains moving so you weren't finding yourself in these constant third and shorts, you know. But nonetheless, not the reason we lost, in my opinion. But, like, if they were there, I think we definitely handle business. And then, look, we got to talk about it. Nick Imanwari sitting out, quitting in the second half, that was just shocking. I'm shocked to see that. And it really, really hurts because his presence was for sure missed in this game. He is a dominating, intimidating presence and just a big hitter. And, you know, his time at South Carolina is going to be remembered very fondly. At the end of the day, he gave it his all. Game in and game out, which is why this was so surprising.
[00:14:54] And just in general, seeing these guys playing but then not playing in the second half, like dude, like, don't do that. Like, I'm not trying to get on a soapbox here. I'm not a football player. I don't have, you know, generational wealth on the line with the draft. If you're even thinking about that, opt out. Just say, you know what? This was a hell of a year. I'm not going to play in the ball game. Let the next guy get the practice. Let this staff plan around my absence. You can't play and then basically tell nobody that you're just going to quit at halftime. I just. I don't understand that. And I've seen it a few times in this bowl season. So nonetheless, that was shocking. And you missed his presence. But, I mean, look, overall for the game, it's one where South Carolina had chances but couldn't capitalize. You made some mistakes that cost you, and you end up losing in a close one, which is now the third time this year that we're basically saying those exact things. And it's also the second time where we witnessed absolute atrocious officiating. We can't really point like we can from the LSU game about this one being held all day. The substitute nonsense face mask that wasn't called. 12 men in the huddle that wasn't called. Just all day. Missed calls and as much crap as we give SEC officiating, like, I'm pretty sure that was a Big 12 crew. Like, my God, that is awful. Awful.
[00:16:37] But again, it's just a game where South Carolina ends up being so close, less than a touchdown away, where you can point to a few things and say, dang, we. We could have done better there and we probably win the game. So it's just tough because we've said that before this season, but it doesn't change the amazing things that this group did this season and. And, you know, the momentum as far as recruiting and everything goes like that comes from the regular season. This just really leaves that icky, sour taste in your mouth for sure. But for the last time this season, let's get into what I liked and didn't like. Wanted to shout out the coaching here because I wanted to say I liked that Beamer was literally willing to fight Brett Bielema. That was a pretty cool moment. He's a gamecock through and through. Maybe a little too emotional at times. I didn't love him turning to the crowd and cheering and think things like that, you know, like, let's focus on the field here. That was just a pretty sick moment.
[00:17:41] I didn't like from Coaching the trickery that ended up in no points. I mean you do the fake play there with Kai Kroger the punter throwing to Boogie Huntley, the defensive tackle from the three yard line. More or less like, yeah, it could have worked. Kai could have thrown it a little differently. But you can't blame the punter throwing the D tackle for not working. So if you're going to go for it, go for it and run Lenoris through a wall and just bully your way or just take the points, I wouldn't have minded taking the points there. If you look at it, you'd only down by one point. It just kind of changes some of the dynamic of it. I think it's just another example of Beamer overthinking it at times like we have seen now on the offense here. I liked what we saw out of Nick Harbor. It really feels like his strong November was on display in this game. He is primed for a jump next year, hopefully. I like the opening drive. Pretty cool. It was extended, it was balanced, it delivered points. And then also, all things considered, I do think Oscar Attaway did a fine job. He was not Rocket Sanders, but he's not Rocket Sanders. You know, I think we're going to have to continue to develop those guys in that room, maybe bring in another capable back from the portal. But all things considered, I think he did a fine job. Would have liked more, yes, but it wasn't bad. What I didn't like, I didn't like the missed chances in the red zone. The Gamecocks went 2 for 4 in the red zone and I believe you can say really 2 for 5 from Illinois territory. There was another time they were in plus territory and ended up not getting points. I didn't like how Lenores looked for most of the day, if I'm being honest. He made some good plays, of course, but he didn't look the same when he had those scrambling opportunities. I don't know if that was coaching or what. He just wasn't as sharp throwing the ball either. You know, you look at the very end of the game he had Simon in the end zone. You know, if he puts it on the other side of him and a little more up, that's a touchdown and you might win the game. Couple missed opportunities as well. I just think this is where that long layoff hurt. You know, he wasn't in the zone. Maybe there's, you know, he's doing like the big Cheez it Nil ad. He's got his face on a billboard There was the Garnet Trust deal. Maybe it was just a bit much, and that's okay. He's young, he's growing, he's learning. He's gonna learn from this. He's gonna grow from it.
[00:20:19] Trust the guys around him, and he'll be better for it. But in this game, he just didn't look like the guy that we had seen during those last six games.
[00:20:28] Now, on the defense, despite a few big plays, I actually did feel like the pass defense was pretty good. Obviously, you gave up a few chunk plays there, but Illinois had to lean on the run because of that. So then you get in what you didn't like. I didn't like the tackling. You know, we. We haven't talked about. We didn't need to talk about that a lot this year, but there were just too many missed tackles. I didn't like the run defense either. Giving up 114 to a back. I think it was another 60 to their other back, like, chunk run. At the end, it just. We were being out physicaled, which you knew Illinois had a big line, but they were putting extra guys. You just had no answer for it. So that was tough because, you know, you gave up 21 points, which, like, is not the end of the world. You know, like, you kind of feel that you should be able to score more than that. And so they put up a fine performance, but that we were just not as dominant and violent as we were used to seeing.
[00:21:28] But overall, for the game, you know, like I said a second ago, it was just a crap way to end what was otherwise a really, really good year. Make no mistake about it, this was a fantastic season for the Gamecocks. We are going to remember this year for moments like A and Mizzou, Kentucky, Clemson and more, really. And so I think the story of the 2024 Gamecocks is one of a group of guys that came together when many others would splinter. It was a group led by veterans that wanted to leave their stamp on a program that they so desperately wanted to help elevate. And they did.
[00:22:12] I think it's also a story of a new era, one where the program continues to trend in the right way and has a chance to sustain some of this success thanks to a special quarterback.
[00:22:25] So, again, while this loss really stinks, and it's just a hard feeling because we haven't had this feeling in so long, having won so many games in a row, it's. You kind of forgot what it feels like when it's all said and done. Like we are going to look back fondly on this year and we all will know that this was a special, special group that really could do it all.
[00:22:54] But with that, y'all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter or X is Cox gamecox. Instagram is just the name of the show. Cox Talking Game Cox. And please, like, subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'all. Go Cocks.
