Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, the football season ends in disappointing fashion. Women's basketball suffers their first loss, and men's basketball is back in the win column. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:55] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode 350 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. And I hope y' all had a lovely Thanksgiving out there.
[00:01:12] Hope the cranberry sauce, the dressing, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, and Mac and cheese brought y' all a lot of joy because Lord knows we did not get it on Saturday afternoon. But, yes, hope y' all had a nice time. Ready back. Back to the grind for, you know, a couple of weeks here and then back off for the holiday season. But, yeah, I mean, shoot, sitting here stuffed, fatter than I was a few days ago, and I told myself, well, you know, I'll overeat and I'll. I'll drink, but it'll be celebratory, and then it'll be fun.
[00:01:48] Now I'm just sad and fat and hungover and dehydrated.
[00:01:53] It's been.
[00:01:55] It's been a tough few hours here, post game here, and I even drove home through Columbia and drove by the stadium, and that was depressing, you know, but it is what it is here, right? So gonna start things off, dive right in here to the Carolina Clemson game, talk about thoughts on the season and things like that. And then we'll quickly touch on the basketball scores from this past few days here. And then, yeah, really moving forward, the show will focus on the major sports. So we're talking about men's basketball and women's basketball. We'll be reviewing those scores, highlights, news, a little bit more closely than I have been. And then, of course, we'll update y' all with any pertinent news around the football program, whether it be offensive coordinator, searching portal news, anything like that. But, yes, let's dive into this here.
[00:02:53] The 2025 season is officially done, coming to a merciful end, albeit a very sad and disappointing one, with Carolina losing to Clemson at home, 28 to 14.
[00:03:07] I think this game in many ways encapsulates how the season went, right? Like, reason to think that you can perform well, reasons to think you're going to show up in the big moment, getting off to not the best start, but hanging in there still with some hope, but unable to close strong and some bounces and breaks that didn't come back around. That went to the other team. A couple of weird head Scratcher calls that you just can't quite put your finger on. A couple of weird coaching time management mishaps and a couple of your star performers maybe not living up to exactly what they needed to do, whether it be in clutch time or otherwise. So it really did encapsulate that. But it's. I mean, things started off very, very interesting. Both teams sort of exchanging jabs, changing field position and whatnot. Clemson getting on the board first, but then of course, Nick Harbor. And again they talk about this game encapsulating the season, like, kind of similar to the Virginia Tech game. That deep shot, beautiful throwing catch, getting Carolina back on the board, tying things up.
[00:04:26] And then the club Nick run in with that fumble that bounced right back to him and allowed him to pick it up in space and get to the edge. Absolutely brutal. But you know, Vandravius, that was a guy who you were excited about going into this year and slowly but surely emerged as a guy that was more reliable for you. He ties things up.
[00:04:47] And yes, you go into the half down three, but you really felt good at that point, you know, like you. You felt that, okay, the offense is waking up a little bit.
[00:04:59] Defense had gotten a few big holds to that point, a few big stops, and you just really need to be able to grind out a couple of possessions there. And it's crazy because here we are for the second time in three weeks being right there in a big game, only to not score a single point in the second half. And I think right there that that should tell you that Mike Furry is not going to be your offensive coordinator next year. If he went into this game and put up 30 plus points and we got a win, like, I think there was a decent chance he got the nod, but I think that shows his inability to adjust on the fly against well prepped competition. You know, I think, and this isn't a fault of his own, he's not the offensive coordinator. Right. He's doing what he can.
[00:05:50] One track mind a little bit, and we're going to do these things. And when they got taken away, there wasn't anything you can do. I mean, South Carolina's leading rusher being Rasool with 37 yards is abysmal. Just could not get the run game going. And then seemingly when you did get it going a little bit, you went away from it. But then early on, when you couldn't get it, you. You were a little too stubborn with it.
[00:06:15] I don't know, it's just.
[00:06:18] It's just a tough loss. It really is you know, and I felt that we were relying a little bit, not a little bit. We were relying on the explosive plays, you know, to.
[00:06:29] In the early part of the second half, there were a couple of first downs there where you got the quick passes that were right there and you thought maybe we could manufacture something. When Lenoris had that keeper, where he went around the corner there, turned up field, got the first down, he's a shoe tackle away from probably housing that thing. You like that. So there were some flashes of things that they were. Had been trying to do for that first half, but got a couple things going in the second, but just not able to get any points on the board and find any semblance of momentum. When there was that fourth down call late in the game, I did not mind going for it there. I really did not. You were kind of in that in between moment and kind of in between field position.
[00:07:13] I didn't mind throwing it. It's a tough break. The linebacker just getting his fingertips on the ball.
[00:07:21] I don't know if there's another read there that Lenores can make. Not too sure, but man, like, it just absolutely brutal. And again, like, talk about the encapsulating of the season like last season, right in 24, going for it on fourth down worked for the Gamecocks a lot. And the third down offense was decent this year. Third down offense was atrocious. We saw more of that on Saturday. Go for it. The fourth down, you get stopped in 24. The fourth quarter, Gamecocks were clutch. Gamecocks got it done this year. And this game they were not able to. And you almost could sense that, like in Beamer's sideline interview, I just got this sense that he's just like, we haven't been good in the fourth quarter. I mean, this is what he said. We haven't good in the fourth quarter. We have to win the fourth quarter today.
[00:08:12] I just got this sense from him that he just like did not have confidence and that's just not what you want to see. And it's a really tough way. And like almost in a weird way, it's a fitting end that you had the turnovers and just the insane pick to end, you know, like right at the end of the game, like a broken up pass that looked like it was nothing right to the linebacker's hands, houses it for six points. Like it was just. It felt like a very fitting end. And you know, and then there's the fumble. It's just, just, just not good. Like. And you know, in the second half, Lenoris just taking bad sacks. Just things we had seen this year. And yeah, so putting a bow on the 2025 season, it's just disappointing to say the least. I think it's one of the more disappointing seasons you'll see. Just from the standpoint of again started the year top 15, you really felt like you had a chance to do something special and it wasn't that you came up shy of that. Like this wasn't even close. Like we have four wins, y'. All. Like, so it wasn't just missing this lofty pie in the sky goal that a lot of us had of maybe making the playoffs or being right there on the edge.
[00:09:41] You didn't even come close to that. You didn't even sniff that. And in many ways you feel like you regressed where you felt like you had a lot of momentum in the program and things like that.
[00:09:51] Yes, this recruiting class so far has seemed to be stuck together. You know, you see Beamer being retained for next year, but you're going to have a new offensive coordinator. There's a lot of question marks about some of this core group of guys, but even so, like we have to, we have to hold everyone accountable, right? Like these players are getting paid and we talk about them and we break down films and things like that. Like you went into this year thinking that Lenores was going to be your Heisman caliber quarterback and who someone could keep you in every game and could win you some games on his shoulders alone. And he was not that, you know, like, yes, I do think Shula's offense handcuffed him and the team. I think, I think if Mike Furry becomes the interim OC a couple weeks earlier, we might have another win or two. I think if it's a completely different offensive coordinator. I don't know if we have nine wins, but I reckon to say we're going to a bowl game for sure, right. To start the year in new oc.
[00:10:55] But Lenores was doing some things this year that were not up to par and he needs to come to his decision whether he's going to try the NFL or I would love for him to come back to South Carolina because I think he has still so much room and he is such a good talent and when he's on, you see it, he just needs to continue his development is what it is, right. He's a college player and if he comes back to South Carolina with a quarterback friendly and quarterback development minded offensive coordinator, I think he can do some really great things. But it Seemed like the plan, which is not the best plan, was to have him shoulder the load for this year and the rest will fall into place. Unfortunately, that's just not the most well thought out and the system didn't fit him. And I think teams were more wise to him than they were last year. And the results were. You got bottled up a lot on offense and you weren't able to get the wins. You know, defensively, when we talk about the Clemson game like they did an okay job, I mean, you know, you. You really.
[00:12:04] It didn't feel like it, but you're really clamped down in the second half. Like it was kind of a bend. Don't break it felt like, you know, you hated giving up the 17 in the second, but you kept the team in it. Right? And there's the pick six at the end. That isn't your fault. Defensively, I think this year the unit was really solid. You know, were they elite? No, but they were really solid. I think they were better than a lot of people thought they were going to be. I think Stewie needs help. It was a shame that he was banged up again in this game. I think that is a little bit of a difference maker for sure.
[00:12:40] He's going to need some help. Assuming he comes back, he's going to need some help. Opposite of him. You're going to have to reload on the defensive tackle group. I like this linebacking group that we have. They're young, they're fast, they're athletic, they're good. They've gotten better as the year went on.
[00:12:54] In the defensive backfield, are we. We're going to have some holes to fill. A guy like D.Q. smith, what does Kilgore do?
[00:13:02] But overall for this year, I think that unit did pretty good. It was just, you know, you hate to point the finger and just say it was really the offense, but that was the most disappointing part of the year, right? Like, defense can only do so much. It felt like in this Clemson game, it was a lot of. A lot of the same that we've been saying game in and game out, where you need a defensive play here, right? You need a turnover or you need a special teams play to make something happen because the offense just wasn't getting it done. Like, we saw more of the same of what we saw for large parts of the year where untimely sacks, can't get the running game going, Passing game, that, yeah, had the explosives, but you had some silly mistakes. You know, that fumble by Brown was brutal.
[00:13:51] And it's it's sad because, you know, I was going into this game very excited for the rivalry game. I said it on the show. I said it on social media. It's just, like, you know, who cares about the stakes? Right? Like, it's lower stakes than.
[00:14:07] Yeah. Last year and some other years. There's no rankings at stake. Like, yeah. But this game still means a lot, and I was excited for it to start, and I did have a couple of moments of, like, damn, I can't believe football season's over.
[00:14:21] But in so many ways, I think this season, like, needed to come to an end.
[00:14:26] You know, I think it's been tough on the players, the fans, the staff. It's. It's been a slog to have so many close losses where you probably could have come out on top of it.
[00:14:40] It's disappointing to see teams that were sort of piddling around the league and around college football get it together this year and seemingly have a very bright future ahead of them when you don't have a very certain future ahead of us.
[00:14:58] And so it's time to turn the page. And it's exactly what it is. You got to move on, right? You just.
[00:15:04] You move on from this season. I think everybody needs to take stock. And if I'm Beamer, I. I'm sitting down with Sellers, I'm sitting down with Harbor, I'm sitting down with Stewie, I'm sitting down with Vandravius, I'm sitting down with all these guys. Kilgore, you know, and I'm saying, look, we've done some great things together, and this year did not go great, and there's a few reasons why, and I'm gonna do my damnedest to fix them.
[00:15:35] Let's stick together through this adversity here. Let's give it one more go at it next year, and let's see if we really can't turn this thing around, because that's what these guys signed up for. The Harbors, the Stewarts, the Sellers. Like, they didn't commit to a Georgia or an Ohio State.
[00:15:53] Like, yes, the program had been doing some good things under Beamer, and Beamer has a vision, and that vision, I think, certainly has changed now that he has to pivot offensively in many ways.
[00:16:03] But I think if you can keep a lot of this core together, you can look forward to next year, and you can say, hey, we're still going to have a lot to play for here. And if we correct some things that were lingering all year this year, and we do some things in the off season a little differently, strength and conditioning wise included.
[00:16:25] I think we can certainly put together a respectable season again. And then you start to talk about the offensive coordinator search. That needs to get underway quickly. He needs to find that replacement soon.
[00:16:39] In the past, Beamer has taken his time with a lot of these hirings. He has said he doesn't want to rush to a decision.
[00:16:46] I think he has to change his thinking there. I think he has to change his thinking about what type of guy he wants to bring in and he needs to.
[00:16:55] Whatever fingerprints have been on the offense, he needs to take them off.
[00:16:59] And he needs to look at game analysis and things like that and find ways for him to be a better head coach because there's plenty of blame to go around.
[00:17:09] Hire the guy to do the job. If he wants to bring in an offensive line coach or a wide receivers coach, you let him do that. You make sure you have homes for your best assistants, mainly Furry and Elliot. I think the big priority also should be doing whatever you can to retain Clayton White. I'm sure he's going to entertain some offers for a head coaching job somewhere. If you can retain him, do it because his units have been really good. And you bring in an offensive coordinator who has a modern college offense, who's quarterback friendly, who can tell Lenores, like, here's what I'm going to expect of you to do. Here's how it's going to fit your skill set. Here's how it's going to help you prepare for the future.
[00:17:53] Stick it out one more year with me in this system. We're going to win some games, we're going to put up some points, we're going to be aggressive and you're going to be prepared for the NFL. That's I think, the pitch.
[00:18:03] And then us as fans, we move on. And I really had hope that it was going to be a year where we said it was a shitty year. But hey, we beat Clemson, ended on two game win streak and we got, we got some momentum to look forward to. Unfortunately, that's not the case and we have to just hope that this is a strange outlier and you bounce back strong. You know, when we missed the bowl game in Rattlers last year, we bounced back strong, had a hell of a year and went nine, had nine wins.
[00:18:33] Maybe this year it's a down year and it puts a fire under the powers that be and you reload the roster with some portal guys.
[00:18:42] You get the recruiting class to come in strong, you keep your core group of playmakers and next year we're having a lot more fun. But yeah, like I said, I will update y' all with any big news.
[00:18:54] Really. Until then, that that's it on the 25 season. Disappointing. A tough way to go out, one that we will hopefully soon forget, but I think was a reminder that, you know, not to take anything for granted because nothing is guaranteed in the sports world and, you know, onward and, you know, we'll see you next year. And I'm excited. I'm looking forward to next year. Right. I want to get this taste out of our mouth. Right. But it's going to be a welcomed offseason and it's going to be exciting to see what Shane Beamer does with the staff and through the portal as well.
[00:19:30] But okay, really quick here. Let's review some basketball scores starting with the ladies. Here they were in Las Vegas in the players era championship on Wednesday. It was they defeated Duke 83 to 66 and then on Thursday suffered their first loss of the year to Texas on a last second basketball.
[00:19:53] Tough, tough way to get your first loss there. Never like being on the receiving end of a buzzer beater there. But Texas is a school that we know well. Obviously they have a good program there. So it's not no shame in that. But you're neck and neck with them.
[00:20:08] A nationally recognized program. Definitely some learnings there. And sometimes you can find the good in the losses there. And then on the men's side of things, they played Charleston Southern on Friday and they are back in the win column, 74 to 62.
[00:20:27] 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 Gamecocks. And please like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'. All. Go Cox.
