Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, football is back in the win column. Women's basketball continues to dominate, and men's basketball has a tough weekend. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:54] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode three, 357 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. And everyone just do this with me. Ready? Breathe in and then breathe out.
[00:01:14] Does. Does that feel like a sense of relief? Oh, my goodness gracious. Being able to sit here and talking about a winning football weekend, and my goodness, you know, being able to sit back and gladly reading articles about the game and looking at the box scores and wanting to see highlights and things like that on a Sunday, and then sitting there Monday and thinking about the momentum you have into the next week, which is, of course, a very important week. But it's just a feeling that has eluded us for so long this year, and it's a real shame, but, you know, we're not looking backwards now.
[00:01:52] Just feels good.
[00:01:53] Feels good to be sitting here getting ready to talk about a win. I'm sure, like everyone else, I had a very pleasant and lovely time watching that game. If you were in Colombia, was a beautiful day for it, too. But my goodness, it feels great. And I'm going to go over all that and then some with y', all. And then of course, we will look ahead to a very, very important and exciting week for. For Gamecock Nation here. But yeah, just just feels really freaking good to be sitting here in a positive mindset and not in a depressed or angry mindset. So very excited there. But. All right, let's look back at the weekend and some of the other sports here. Before diving fully into football here, one non major score to report here was women's volleyball losing Friday afternoon to Alabama. That was in the SEC tournament there, so tough loss there. That's all right, ladies. And then it was a busy weekend on the hardwood for both the men and the women here. The men's team, remember they were in the sort of. That it was the Greenbrier Classic, one of those kickoff events here. They had two games this weekend, a couple of early tests for this team here. So looking at Friday, they kicked things off against Butler.
[00:03:17] And we knew going into this tournament, if you will, for lack of a better term, this. This tip off event here, that this was going to be sort of the measuring stick for South Carolina, if you will, like, it was better competition than the guys have faced to this point in the year. And we really found out a little bit about the team, both good and bad. So Friday against Butler, the guys unfortunately did both lose, 72 to 79. It was a situation where they played hard for the entire game. Made a run in the second half to try and close the gap there, but unfortunately not able to do so. Lamont Paris said it after the game and I think when you watched it, you got a sense of it too. Butler was just more physical, you know, particularly in the post. They were just a little bit more tougher than South Carolina. We were able to fight back and the free throws were not great down the stretch. So that's something that, when you look at the two, was something that stood out to me. Also the free throw or the three point shooting was pretty off for South Carolina much of the night. Seven for 26. So that's a tough one there and you know, so you, you suffered your first loss of the season and the guys turned it right back around on Sunday evening they went against Northwestern. Now Northwestern was, was also having a really hot start to the year. That Obviously a Power 4 competition here ranked I think in the top 50 in the Ken Palm rankings if you look at that sort of, sort of stuff here. But absolute heartbreaker Sunday night for the guys here and losing to 7, 79 to 77.
[00:05:04] Oh, just kind of similar where the guys battled. This was one where South Carolina, the guys, we were just kind of hanging around, right? Like we weren't really in control of the game that, that much, but we were hanging around, keeping it within distance. And right when you thought Northwestern might be opening the thing up a little bit, Carolina goes on a big run. Basically the Meeche Johnson run, like a 7 nothing run basically manufactured by Meeche Johnson just playing hard, stealing an inbounds pass, creating offense and made this game what it was. And we tied it up late with some free throws thanks to Mongolian Mike and then a layup, last second play to close the game. Northwestern walks it off 79 to 77. And it's, that's just brutal. Like that is a tough, tough way to lose a game where you come all the way back, you make that run, you tie it up, you feel like all the momentum is in your corner, all only to come up just shy there. And you know, it's, it's an interesting, you know, when you look at this thing, you're not into moral victories, right? No one is. But this is a South Carolina team that had started really well.
[00:06:23] And yes, we're all still talking about out of conference games here. But we're playing better teams now. Butler is a team that we have seen in the tournament before. They have a proud basketball program. Northwestern is a Power 4 team. And this was just a step up in competition than what we had.
[00:06:41] And I went into this weekend last episode saying, I mean, it would be incredible to go 2 0, but if you can split this thing, then you really feel like you could have a resume boosting win at some point. And unfortunately you come up just shy. But what it does tell me is that this team plays hard to the whistle.
[00:07:01] They play for each other, they have grit, they're determined to make it a game. They don't want to go away quietly. And I think that's leadership. You know, I think when you see Meeche Johnson doing the things that he did in this game, 15 points, played hard, made a lot of, made up a lot of ground late in the game. It's leadership. And that's exactly what Lamont Paris is looking for. This team plays for each other here. You still got really good contributions off the bench from Eli Strong, you know, and it's, it's a tough one to come up just shy, but in a way I think you can build off of this a little bit where you have things that you have to correct. You know, you have to be able to match physicality in the post so that way you don't get bullied like you did again against Butler. And the lesson against Northwestern is, yeah, you were able to keep it within striking distance and make that run at the end, but how do we keep it a little bit closer or how do we get that run going a little bit earlier in the game so that way it doesn't have to be this last second shot that beats us. But you know, nonetheless, it is unfortunate that the guys went 02 in this thing, sitting at 42 now. But hopefully there are some teachable moments and the guys can get back on track once we get away from this weekend here.
[00:08:20] And then looking at the other side of things here, women's basketball, they were also in action Sunday afternoon in Columbia, taking on Queens. And yeah, it was a butt kicking, 121 to 49. Just an absolute clinic from South Carolina. And it's just, it's just what you expect, right? I mean, South Carolina and Dawn, they have had some one or two of those notable games thus far, but right here in the out of conference, you're a program that is still a powerhouse, that has deep postseason aspirations. That's exactly what you're going to do against Queen So really handling business there and looking just to keep this thing rolling here, which is super, super exciting to see. The next game for the women will be Wednesday. So that's a nice little pre Thanksgiving situation here against Duke out in Vegas. So very exciting matchup there. That's going to be a fun one to see. And the guys next game, excuse me, I didn't mention this earlier, is on Friday and that is against Charleston Southern. So a couple of good games to look forward to ahead of. Well, I guess really centered around Thanksgiving. But yeah, busy, busy weekend on the hardwood from both teams.
[00:09:38] A lot of momentum on the women's side of things. It's going to be really interesting to see how they handle this matchup against Duke.
[00:09:44] Kind of interesting. You're, you're big Power 4 opponents. You had to fly to the west coast for.
[00:09:51] Kind of interesting how that works out. But right now I think Don has this team rolling. I think the, the team is gelling and it's going to be really interesting and exciting to see how they match up against Duke, another team that has had some success in the past as well.
[00:10:07] But okay, changing gears a little bit here to the gridiron where all eyes were on senior night as South Carolina headed back home in front of the crowd at Williams Bryce Stadium to take on Coastal Carolina. And you know, I, I love our fan base. You know, like we go through the ringer and there are times that we may nitpick at each other and we may go back and forth with each other on social media and things like that. But I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times, it's, it comes from a place of passion and care because that atmosphere Saturday afternoon for a team that had won three games and was playing Coastal, that crowd showed up and that crowd supported and that crowd was engaged and it's, it's incredible, right? And I think that that energy, it was on the sideline, it was in the crowd and you saw it. Carolina getting the win 51 to 7 and just enjoyable. I mean that was the first game this year that from literally beginning to end was enjoyable. Like South Carolina State. You know, that game ended in a comfortable margin, but that was a slog for a lot of it, right? Virginia Tech started well, but that game got close and you needed some special teams magic as well. Like we haven't had a very stress free game. You know, you kind of pulled away from Kentucky too, but you know that's an SEC game. That's that there's stress there, right? This was nice first play at a game, Sellers to sellers. It's a seller's market.
[00:11:53] Absolutely. Love Jaden Sellers scoring there. He has been on the rise these last couple of weeks.
[00:11:59] Love to see that. Got the juice flowing right away and you know, it was just a such a refreshing game from the standpoint of how the offense looked. You know, it was crisp, it was creative, the guys were executing and you were doing all of the things that you really want to do against a Coastal Carolina. And you know, I don't think you had many Gamecock fans taking this matchup for granted. I certainly didn't think that you could.
[00:12:34] You know, you look around college football and there are some of these matchups of lesser competition to the Power 4 teams, particularly in the SEC and, and some of those games were close.
[00:12:46] I think LSU was in a close one. Auburn was, you know, in a back and forth one for a little bit. Not South Carolina. Getting the party started right away was incredible. Lenores looked crisp. He was running with a purpose. He was running hard. Things that we hadn't seen every game, right?
[00:13:04] 16 for 22, 74 and two touchdowns for Lenores. That's a fantastic game. That's efficient. 82 yards on the ground on top of it one with the two scores as well. And he just looked more like himself. This offense since Mike Furry has taken over, it's, you know, really one and a half games where it's looked good. Right. It's a two game sample size on the whole. I think they're playing faster, they're playing more free, there is more creativity. You're seeing the ball get to our playmakers hands and I just really do love to see everything that was coming out of the receiving group. Jaden Sellers had himself a day. It was so great to see Murph get that touchdown there. You saw a couple other guys get into the mix here. Brian Rowe, Brady Hunt. It was great to see JB on senior day have a couple of plays go his way. And it really just was the type of game that everyone needed, right. I think the players needed it, the staff needed it, us fans needed it. And it was really cool to see and like some of the creativity that we saw with the tush push or the cock push if you're. If you want to take my, you know, terminology for it, to see Brady Hunt getting in the end zone that way, that's creative there.
[00:14:25] I loved seeing some of the work that we saw from Matt Fuller as well. I want to see more of Jawaran Howell continue to do that Sewell had the great run, but, you know, turf monster got him. And, yeah, it was just a fun game. Defense defensively essentially pitched a shutout, right, because it was the special teams conundrum that, you know, ended up having that score there for Coastal. So pitch the shutout. Those guys were getting after it, even without Dylan Stewart. So you're not even 100% in there. And I thought the D line looked strong. I thought you saw a really good game out of the linebackers.
[00:15:02] And even when Coastal was deep in our territory, which, of course, if we want to nitpick a little bit, you could say, you know, you didn't.
[00:15:10] You know, you kind of allowed a couple of longer drives, but that is going to happen.
[00:15:15] Even when Coastal got deep in our territory, the defense stood up and didn't let him in. Right. And Coastal, at a certain point, you have nothing to lose. You're going to go for it on fourth down. They did. Our defense was aggressive blitzing, bringing pressure, not letting any momentum go Coastal's way. And it's. It's exactly what you wanted to see. It's exactly what you wanted to see. And then, you know, creating havoc, right, like creating turnovers. Kilgore with. With the. With the fumble reception or, excuse me, fumble recovery as well. But all told, a really good complete performance from this team. It's exactly what you wanted to see. And it's always interesting when you see how it. How it shakes out with. When you get the backups in there, right? It was great to see Bradley Dunn get in the end zone. You saw. You saw Luke Doty on senior day, get under center for a couple of snaps. That was fun. I mean, what a way to go out for. For Luke Doty. But Cutter woods and Aaron Nolan both getting some reps there, so, you know, I think. I thought they looked all right. I think. I think Cutter has a bright, bright future. Ayre, of course, has the pedigree and, you know, the strong recruitment behind him, so he has the talent.
[00:16:30] And. Yeah, I just. I just keep going back to. It's exactly what you wanted to do, you know, and it seemed like everybody got involved in this one. It's a team win. It's one that we needed, and you finally get back into the win column. You have that good feeling back. And yeah, I mean, it's.
[00:16:48] It just feels right, you know, and it's. And it's tough because, you know, you. You put up all this yardage and you have a good offensive showing where you're able to cruise to this thing and you got your backups in and it just kind of makes you shake your head a little bit and you're just like, dang, like, you know, we actually saw what this team can do, like shorts against Coastal, but, man, like, if what we saw against Coastal or that first half against A and M, if we saw that earlier in the year, like, man, maybe, just maybe we wouldn't be sitting here in this position at now four wins. But looking ahead now it is officially rivalry week, Clemson hate week.
[00:17:33] And while the Clemson Carolina game is certainly a little different this year, certainly less stakes than last year, it is absolutely still a game that means a lot for this state and. And a lot for South Carolina. I mean, my goodness, like, if you're able to end the year two in a row with a butt whooping to Coastal, and if you're able to go in and bring some of this momentum and handle business against Clemson, I'm not saying it washes a lot of the taste from this season out of our mouths, but it certainly gives you some excitement to look forward to the next year.
[00:18:12] But I will, of course, cross that bridge and do the entire preview next episode for now, enjoy this one. It was a complete win from the Gamecocks. It's exactly what you wanted to do.
[00:18:25] Everyone getting involved in the action. And I think because of that, going into this Clemson game, there's a lot to be excited for. Right. Like, Jaden Sellers is now some someone that Clemson has to game plan for.
[00:18:39] Murph looked really good. This is all without Nick Harbour too, by the way. Right. And word is harbor and Stewart will be ready to go against Clemson. And yeah, I mean, even if you continue to get guys like JB or Mazio, you know, keep getting them some more touches. Brian Rowe. Right. Like, there's a lot to be excited for. And if Lenores can still bring that same intensity and the accuracy and, you know, the ability and escapability that he. That he showed on Saturday, it can be a tough out next week, so let's get after it. But let's enjoy this win here with that. 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 Gamecocks. And please, like, subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'. All. Go Cox.
