Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, the football team opens SEC play against Vandy, and the baseball team releases their SEC schedule. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:54] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode 338 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. Hope you all are doing well out there. Gamecocks ready for a big exciting weekend here. You know, there is just something. When you step outside and you get that fall crisp in the air, who just makes you ready for that football? You know, it's just, ah, we. And we're in it, you know, we're going to get into it in a second here, but yeah, the rubber is meeting the road here. There's been a lot of talk the college football world, there's been a lot going on. I feel like there's some big matchups this weekend. This is the type of Saturday where you got to pay your dues for, you know, like, whether you're doing yard work, schoolwork, chores and errands during the week or, you know, if you're going to procrastinate, you better get it done on Sunday because this is the type of weekend that a college football fan dreams of. Great matchups. Every time slot conference play is starting for the SEC big boy matchups.
[00:02:06] It's great.
[00:02:07] I love it. I'm fired up for it, man. It's just, you know, you got friends trying to make plans with you and it's like, that's. That's great. I'm in. Will there be a TV there type of deal, you know what I'm saying?
[00:02:18] It's all good stuff here. I'm going to dive into everything about that in just a few minutes here. But there are some news and scores to review here, so let's do that. Week in review.
[00:02:29] Starting on Monday, the men's golf team starting the year off pretty well here, finished second in the Gopher Invitational.
[00:02:39] And then on Tuesday, men's soccer beat Winthrop 5 to 1. Nice win there. Wednesday, women's volleyball unfortunately lost to NC State 3 to 1. And the women's golf team finished sixth in the Anika Intercollegiate. And then we actually got a piece of news from the baseball team. I know, I know. It's the last thing we want to think about now when we're just really getting into the deep end here of football.
[00:03:09] We got a long time to go until baseball and we're not going to open up that can of worms again. But they did release the 2026 SEC schedule here, not going to go through all of it with y', all, but some highlights here. The team opens league play at home against Florida. They go on the road in April to Texas and then hosting LSU and closing out the year at home against Vandy.
[00:03:38] So something to think about and, you know, another issue for another month because this Saturday, it's here. SEC play is here. Gamecock's opening up league play Saturday night, 7:45 at home against Vanderbilt. I'm gonna sound like, you know, an old man here, like, that's freaking late.
[00:04:00] I mean, you know, unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make that game. It's going to be absolutely electric in Williams, Bryce, night game under the lights. Like anyone who was there at SC State is now going to be glad to see that it's normal weather. It should be a beautiful night that I know we all. We're keeping an eye out this week for Saturday. But, you know, when you're sitting at home like, my goodness, it's late, you know, and I know I sound like an old man there, but when it's in person, night games freaking rule when you have to wait all day, you know, I know I'm gonna be watching other games. I'm gonna be out and about drinking and eating and all that jazz, but my goodness, 7:45, not 7:30. I don't know. Anyway, there's a couple notes going into this game here. The injury port was released, so injury reports new part of SEC play. It's been around for what, a year or two now? So updates here from South Carolina, probable listed Vicari Swain, Brandon C. Say and defensive back Jaquan Holman. Doubtful Judge Collier and Brady Hunt.
[00:05:11] But it was really great to see that JT Gear was not listed. That's a big boost for the Edge Room.
[00:05:17] Kilgore not listed. That's a big boost as well. And then also Josiah Thompson. So all things considered, going into this game pretty healthy. Leaving that S.C. state game, it seemed like it was dicey. But if we get Swain, I don't know what happened to him.
[00:05:34] You know, maybe he just, you know, was going too fast on the punt returns. But if we get Swain and CC back on top of Kilgore and Gear, like, that's a huge boost for the defense there.
[00:05:44] Gamecocks opened this matchup as a five and a half point favorite, but throughout the week, this line has moved in favor of Vanderbilt. As of recording this, it's three and a half points. So you got Gamecocks still favored but only by three and a half at home. But this just only adds more intrigue to this matchup which all of a sudden has a lot of juice.
[00:06:09] You know, like you see the, the content coming from the Vanderbilt team and like who the hell do they think they are? Like what is this to them? Like yeah this is an SEC matchup, this is a big game. But my goodness, like Pavia in the off season said he had this game circled. That's fine, whatever. You got their left tackle, or maybe in this case right tackle saying that Dylan Stewart is whatever. They have frickin twitch streamer and comedians at their practice and they're doing their, they're breaking the huddle saying F South Carolina like I don't know what, what the hell like we did to them. I mean we beat their ass 16 years in a row. That might have something to do with it. But all of a sudden this isn't just like SEC opener, you know, let's go off that's try get on a 30 start here. First time we've done that in a decade. It's like all of a sudden okay, now we have to like remind Vandy their place in the world here. But my goodness like it's just been a lot going on back and forth this week here but I have to get this out of the way.
[00:07:25] I think the narrative going into this game has just gone sideways like and that's kind of like internally like the discourse between our fans and then you know, some folks on the outside as well, analysts and whatnot. But like we're not playing Ohio State or a Nick Saban led Alabama team, okay?
[00:07:50] Vandy is a good team and they are leagues above where they were just a couple of years ago.
[00:07:59] But South Carolina is also a good team. Okay? Like we're not playing the frickin defending national champs here, okay?
[00:08:10] South Carolina, we're playing very good defense, we have excellent special teams play so far and while the offense has been sluggish and we're going to talk about this, they have scored when they've needed to and they have found some rhythm.
[00:08:29] We're two zero and with that you have two weeks of tape and this week you finally have that normal schedule with the game being on Saturday.
[00:08:41] Last game was on Saturday. You're at home, normal practice and you're in the perfect position to take a step forward.
[00:08:52] Like you see some things around some post. You would think that South Carolina is 02 and lost to Northwestern Valley Tech like that. It's just not the case. Like maybe the 2.0 hasn't been as dominant as we had hoped.
[00:09:11] Maybe we left that South Carolina State game feeling a little like not quite as confident as we would have liked from the offense. But looking back on that game, I think there were brighter spots than we realized.
[00:09:26] Maybe it's because Vandy has had a strong start to the year. And I could go on about what I think happened in that Virginia Tech game, but, you know, if they barely beat Virginia Tech, maybe we're feeling different, I don't know.
[00:09:41] But the point is South Carolina is in a position of strength in this game, sitting at 2.0and at home.
[00:09:50] So what are the Gamecocks looking at in Vanderbilt as kind of touched on already? This is not your father's Vandy. This isn't. This isn't even our usual Vandy. Okay. Clark Lee has turned them into an actual football team and you got to give them credit.
[00:10:11] They're 2. 0 on the year, but it's really, I think the breakthrough season they had last year and the returning players from that team that make this game a challenge for South Carolina and Vanderbilt a legitimate foe really this year in the sec.
[00:10:32] Diego Pavia, of course, is their leader. It's undeniable that they feed off of them. He's a gamer, you know, I mean, call a spade a spade. You look at him and you would probably think like there's no way this guy is an SEC quarterback, but he is and he's won big games for them. Shane Beamer talked about how he's improved as a passer this year and they're attacking the field vertically with more success so far than they did last year.
[00:11:01] Defensively, it's a unit that is experienced. They have eight returning starters from last year's team where they were already a strong unit and they're going to continue to do that. I want to say that last year Clark Lee took over calling the defensive plays and I think he's still doing that and that's really where he made his name for himself. And that seemed to be a turning point. But you know, this is a team in Vanderbilt here.
[00:11:29] They've been through up and downs together. They're a close knit bunch. They've come out of the other side of this thing and they really believe in what Clark Lee is doing and they're motivated and look, make no mistake about it, they're going to come into this game prepared and they're going to come in ready to give Carolina a fight and they certainly seem motivated for it. So what are my crows to the game here overall for the team.
[00:12:00] The first Crow is be the least penalized team, okay? I think both teams are going to come amped up for this one. I think there could be, you know, some jumpy, anxious energy to start this off. I think there could be trash talking going on throughout the game. So being the most disciplined team will make a difference. And it's about being the bigger person here, right? Like, if Vandy pulls some shit or they get away with a bad call, like, let them have that in the moment. Let your play do the talking because I think they're going to be jawing all night.
[00:12:37] Second, play your game. Okay? Like, take a deep breath as fans and as players. Like, we have studs all over this team and we know that if we play our game, we can hang with anyone. And I think we can certainly beat teams that are the caliber of Vanderbilt, right? So prove it. Live up to that and make this game a war for them. Okay?
[00:13:12] On offense, my first Crow to the game.
[00:13:15] Let Lenoris loose.
[00:13:17] Last game, Sellers had eight carries, but not all of those were really true designed runs. When that did happen, he tended to be successful. Almost scored a touchdown on one.
[00:13:28] I'd like to see him run it at least 12 times. Okay. His legs are a weapon. It opens things up for the rest of the offense. It keeps the defense honest. You have to use them.
[00:13:40] I know that Shula and, and you know, probably Lenores to a degree as well, like want him to be a better passer.
[00:13:49] But when you have an athlete like that, especially at the collegiate level, you have to take advantage of it. We've seen it in the two games. Like he's made plays with his legs. Virginia Tech scored on that design. Keeper from like 15 yards out. He almost did the same thing against SC State. We've seen it last year. It's time to let him loose and I, if he's okay with it, Beamer's okay with it. Like, you have to let it happen.
[00:14:14] Second crow for the offense here. Execute on first down. Okay? What's plagued this offense in my mind is when it looks bad, it's these ineffective plays on first down which forced them into second and third downs with a long distance.
[00:14:32] So let's get to second and short more so that way you don't have to force a perfect play on third down.
[00:14:41] Third crow. Fine production from the running backs.
[00:14:45] Run blocking has been a problem, as has the play calls to free up these guys.
[00:14:51] I like Oscar Attaway. I think he's a leader for the team. But I think Sewell needs to get the Lions share of the carries and he needs his chances to get into the open field because when he's been given that chance, he's had success.
[00:15:06] I don't have it pulled up in front of me, but I think against SC State he averaged over 4 yards a carry and then in Virginia Tech he erased a big deficit. It was like second and 20 or second and 15. He got the ball and almost got a first down.
[00:15:21] He needs to get that Morgue needs to be able to get more in space here. And then I have a rare fourth crowd here. Fourth Crow for the offense here. Strike early.
[00:15:32] We saw an opening drive against Virginia Tech that was incredibly successful.
[00:15:38] Now, although it was kind of slow going for a little bit after that, it put pressure on Virginia Tech immediately.
[00:15:46] So I'd love a way for this offense to get points on the board early in the game. Doesn't necessarily have to be that first drive, but that first drive or two, maybe three. But tell Vandy you're not going anywhere and don't let them get momentum to carry into that second quarter on defense.
[00:16:08] First crow to the game here.
[00:16:10] Win the 5050 ball.
[00:16:12] As I mentioned earlier, Vandy has taken more deep shots and had some more success with it this year and Carolina has given up some of those this year. But when you look at them, luckily our DBs have been right in phase. So if our guys can make plays it should throw off Vandy in that aspect of their game.
[00:16:35] Second Crow just make life difficult for Pavia. Like just have him in hell as much as you can. I think our linebackers have the speed and the strength to handle him if he takes off running. But with him seemingly being more comfortable in the pocket, like I'm looking at this defensive front to be in his face early and often and just speed up that internal clock and force him to make a couple of mistakes.
[00:17:05] My third Crow win the fourth quarter.
[00:17:09] This has the makings of a close game. When you look at the Vegas line when you see sort of where the two teams are at, it just seems like it's going to be a good hard fought SEC game. So the defensive intensity needs to be high all game but even extra in crunch time.
[00:17:29] So I teased this a second ago here but against Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, they played him last weekend.
[00:17:36] Vandy put up 21 points in in the fourth quarter and from what I've seen and read it seems like it was just like Virginia Tech just ran out of gas.
[00:17:48] So when you look at that game and you Take that next level. Like Vanderbilt was losing for a good portion of it and then in the second half they had a surge but it really seems like it was like a defensive collapse that just allowed them to run away with that game. So we have a deep roster that we can lean on, especially in the secondary but you know, in that defensive front too, especially when you talk about a guy like gear coming back. So our coaches in my mind need to be liberal with the rotations early in the game and be ready for a fourth quarter battle and don't let Vanderbilt find that momentum late.
[00:18:35] So overall for the game here, you know this is when it matters, right? This is like put the ball down, you strap on your trend strap. This is it, this is SEC play here.
[00:18:46] It doesn't matter who you play, they're going to present a challenge, you know what I mean?
[00:18:52] For South Carolina it's a matter of playing consistent particularly on offense for four quarters.
[00:19:00] But guess what, like there's all of these nervous posts and nervous energy going around our fan base. Like guess what?
[00:19:08] We have a first round NFL caliber quarterback and throughout the entire team there are all SEC caliber players.
[00:19:19] We have the Jimmy's and the Joes.
[00:19:22] We are favorited to win this game and we haven't even shown our A game. So that's the thing, like in a weird way sitting at 2, 0, like it feels like this team is facing adversity and to a degree at least like from what the outsiders are saying, like it like this team has their backs against the wall a little bit and yes, like maybe this game has turned into a bigger moment than anyone anticipated before the year started. You know there's doubters out there for South Carolina.
[00:20:01] But in these types of games when the haters are loud and South Carolina is at home, Shane Beamer has tended to get his teams to play up to the moment.
[00:20:14] I think for Carolina the key to the game is to let it come to them, let that do the talking. Williams, Bryce is going to be electric, make some plays early, let the fans be wild all night and let that carry you deep into the game.
[00:20:30] I'm stoked for this one. Root them in, let's go.
[00:20:36] All right, let me give you all my six pack of picks and then I will get you all out of here.
[00:20:42] ACC, Boston College give me them -13 and a half vs Stanford. Big 12. I'm going Pitt vs West Virginia over 55 and a half.
[00:20:53] Big Ten Oregon -28.5 vs Northwestern SEC. The two games here I have Louisiana vs Mizzou over 47.5.
[00:21:06] UGA vs Tennessee. I'm going out a little bit of a limb here. Give me Tennessee as the home dog, four and a half points. And then for the group of five, a little bit of a cheat code here. With this one, I'm going SMU minus 27 and a half versus Missouri State. But with that, y', all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media. Twitter is Cox Gamecocks. 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.
