Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, the football team heads to Alabama and the men's soccer team has an up and down week. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:52] Okay.
[00:00:54] Welcome to episode 408 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. Hope y' all had a good week. Gamecox, I'm sure you can probably tell it in my voice. I have propelled myself through the seven stages of grief regarding last weekend and am now back in re. Energized and refocused as we look towards the rest of the football season and the rest of the everything. How about that? There we go. I hope y' all have a good weekend and are ready for a jam packed weekend of college football and beyond. I am recording this a little bit earlier than I normally do. Breaking the fourth wall here.
[00:01:42] I have some traveling I have to do later in the week, so if there's any news or updates that you're like, how in the hell is Tim not talking about this? I'm gonna blame it on that. But stay tuned on my socials, as of course, I always try and stay as up to date as here. But without further ado, let's jump into it here. Gonna focus mainly on the football team here because of not too much to recap for y' all here, but gonna talk about men's soccer here as they had as up and down of a like, 24 hours as you possibly could have. So we've been following along with it in these recaps here. I've talked about it a little bit, but if you haven't seen, like, both soccer teams are off to an incredible start, it's not even off to an incredible start. They're having very good seasons at this point. The men's soccer team in particular was undefeated going into this week, and they achieved the first number one ranking in program history. Ranked number one. South Carolina men's soccer, totally incredible. They go into this matchup Tuesday night at home, senior night against College of Charleston, and they suffer their first loss of the year, two to one.
[00:03:00] A mere, I think, seven hours after getting the number one ranking. And if that's not the Gamecock experience, I don't know what is. I mean, I feel so bad for this team. They've had an incredible year. They get this number one ranking. It's history.
[00:03:19] And then you lose to College of Charleston. I mean, it's still. They're still sitting at a very, very good season. There still is soccer to be played and they're going to remain highly ranked. But it's just like absolutely brutal that you follow along with this and you just go, of course, of course that happens. But nonetheless, here, shout out to the men's soccer team. Women's soccer is going to take on Georgia Wednesday evening and then they also have a game against Kentucky Thursday as well. And then when I'm back, of course I will recap y' all with the comings and goings from the weekend.
[00:03:55] But all right, let's turn our attention to the gridiron now as yeah, there was a very interesting just few days among the fan base, I think, following that Mississippi State game. And you know, I Misery loves company, right? So I'm reading the articles, I'm reading the social media posts, trying to make sense of what happened Saturday. And yeah, there's a lot of folks out there who were upset. There's a lot of folks out there who were disheartened, disappointed, very few people who were finding the silver lining in this. But I was thinking about it and it was a sentiment that Shane Beamer echoed in his press conference on Tuesday. But it's, you know, there's a lot of football left and, you know, I don't know what the what the future has in store for us. I think we all felt that if you wanted to have that good season that we felt this team could achieve, you really needed to start 30 let's see what the next couple of weeks have in store for us. It doesn't mean you can't get upset. It doesn't mean you can't want accountability. It doesn't mean you can't raise questions about the program. All the stuff I talked about last episode, we just have to let this play out right. There is still a lot of football to be played and if there's lessons to be learned from last game, let them be learned and let's move on. I'm not going to necessarily say that this Alabama game on the road at night is indicative of how the rest of the season is going to go, but I think if this team responds well, it could could be a sign of things to come. But really, these next couple of games leading up to the bye week are what we're going to see. That's going to tell us really all we need to know.
[00:05:49] And you can't wait till November to get this thing rolling. You got to get this thing rolling asap.
[00:05:58] And Shane Beamer talked about that this team won't be defined by that loss Against Mississippi State.
[00:06:05] Well, they need to put that to the test. Let's see if that's actually true over the next few games, starting with this matchup against Alabama. And let's see what this team is made of.
[00:06:16] Perfect segue as the Gamecocks are ready to take on the Alabama Crimson tide in their first road matchup of the year. 7 o' clock kickoff here. Gamecocks are currently sitting at 12 point underdogs, depending on where you look. And it's interesting, you know, I mean, when we talk about, you know, what are the Gamecocks getting in the Crimson Tide here. I looked at this game in my season preview as a potentially ranked, ranked matchup with South Carolina, you know, sitting 3, 0. That's not the case. But what I was reading about Alabama in the off season was that there they weren't sure who they were going to have a quarterback.
[00:06:58] They had some defensive holes to fill. There's still plenty of talent on the roster, but nonetheless a couple of question marks. Who are they going to fill to? Who are they going to get to fill voids from some folks who went to the NFL?
[00:07:11] But a lot of that chatter has quieted. You know, they struggled in the first half against Kentucky in the second game of the year, but that was really due to some turnovers on their part and everything like that.
[00:07:24] They had a slightly slow start against Florida State that could be something of note, but they ended up winning that game by multiple scores. So the tide are sitting at 3, 010 in the SEC and ranked number eight right now. So it is going to be a challenge and a big task for this Gamecocks team. And to me this game is like, how are you going to respond?
[00:07:51] You know, I saw initially and had hoped going into this matchup that Alabama could be still growing into their own in this early season.
[00:08:01] Fact is they have also a really core group that is still intact. They have coordinators who have still been in place there. Keelan Russell, young quarterback, I believe he's a red shirt freshman if I'm not mistaken, has burst onto the scene, which is unfortunate for the Gamecocks as it's just these two guys between Taylor and Russell, back to back weeks, young quarterbacks bursting onto the scene, dynamic can do it all, can run and pass with the best of them and they present challenges.
[00:08:36] So it's an interesting Alabama team where, you know, they might have those dudes in place to really be that formidable Alabama team and not necessarily the one who, you know, still beat people and would make it to the playoffs. But, you know, let's be honest. The last couple of years, really under DeBoer, they have been more vulnerable.
[00:09:00] And look, this is not to say that it is an impossible task for the Gamecocks.
[00:09:07] You know, this is now the third year in a row where these two teams are playing, and each time it has been decided by one possession.
[00:09:17] It was seven points last year and what was it, two or three the year before that.
[00:09:23] And I talked about it in the offseason, like this felt like a game where, you know, it just feels like Lenores and this team, like they're owed one. Like if there are football gods, like they owe South Carolina a victory in this one because we've played this team well and just haven't gotten over the hump.
[00:09:42] But if there is one thing that we know to be true, it is that that's not how it works. And life in the sec, nothing is given. We know that the hard way. So if the Gamecocks are going to go out there and do this, it's going to be hard earned and you're going to need star performances from your stars and then some for four quarters. There's no way that you can get away with a bad third quarter against Alabama and expect to come out on the right side of it. It's just not going to happen.
[00:10:17] And if South Carolina can take advantage of maybe early mistakes from Alabama, like they've had a couple of slow starts, you need to be able to hold on to that.
[00:10:28] And that's what I'm talking about. When if there's lessons to be learned from last week, let them be learned.
[00:10:36] And if Shane Beamer has to look himself in the mirror and figure out, like, what am I doing at halftime in these big games? And I need to change something up, change it up.
[00:10:46] You know, when you listen to Beamer's press conference, like, I've never seen him quite as animated. Like, sometimes he's been defensive and whatnot. Like, he was animated, he was amped up. I think you can feel the urgency and the pressure getting on him, which is fine because it's deservingly so. Like, yeah, the pressure's on this year, man.
[00:11:12] So, I mean, I'm looking forward to this game.
[00:11:15] I don't think it's an impossible task, but I really am excited to see how this team responds. And would a good showing against an Alabama team, you know, necessarily erase what happened last week? I don't know if we're talking about a win. Yeah, it might.
[00:11:37] Right. But if you're Sitting there in two, two and two. That's not necessarily going to get it done. But let me jump into my crows to the game here for y' all here. So starting with the offense now, number one convert in the red zone, okay? In the first three trips to the red zone against Mississippi State, all of these in the first quarter, mind you, the Gamecock settled for a field goal twice.
[00:12:03] On top of that, the team had an 11 play drive that stalled just outside of the red zone. I think was like in the 30ish in the early second quarter, also resulting in a field goal.
[00:12:15] So if the Gamecocks converted even one of those, that game last week is totally different. It might even be a different result.
[00:12:24] So you're sitting here as a 12 point underdog.
[00:12:28] You can't leave any points on the table. It's as simple as that. So that's on everyone, that's on this entire staff, right? I remember when Kendall Briles was hired, one of the things that I saw was that like his red zone percentage, like was just okay, just like middle of the pack. And I remember thinking at the time, we can't even get field goals. So I'll take that. Well, here we are.
[00:12:53] And you know, shout out to Malik Orson, freshman kicker performed incredibly well against Mississippi State. I did not give him his flowers last episode.
[00:13:03] You feel like maybe you have some confidence in your kicker now? Okay, but can we get some touchdowns? Right? That's on this staff. To think of unique ways, whether it's direct snaps to someone else in the Wildcat, you know, do you get harbor on an end around?
[00:13:21] Do we just run the speed option with Lenores? If you have the opportunity to score against Alabama, especially early in the game, you have to absolutely do it.
[00:13:32] Second crow to the game on offense here, protect the football.
[00:13:36] Lenores has three interceptions through three games, two of them last week. Matt Fuller has fumbled a couple of times, albeit I think only one of them lost.
[00:13:47] We saw in the opener, DJ Black put the ball on the ground, covered it, but nonetheless there's been dropped passes that could have resulted in worse. Okay, there's no more growing pains in this system.
[00:14:03] There can't be any excuses. You have to zero in on the details. Teams like an Alabama or a Georgia or anyone else who's in the upper echelon of this sport, they focus on the little things.
[00:14:18] And the recipe for an upset this Saturday includes being on the right side of the turnover margin.
[00:14:25] So Sellers has to throw to his receivers with conviction and if they're not open, he Needs to just tuck in and run. And he needs to be aggressive when he's running.
[00:14:34] Like, where's the guy who, against A and M a couple of years ago, instead of running out of bounds, ran through the defender's chest. We need to see that guy on the field.
[00:14:45] And if a running back puts the ball on the ground, then put someone else in who won't.
[00:14:51] Okay. Accountability, you can have a short leash with some of these guys, especially in SEC play, especially when you're trying to really turn this thing around for the longer term.
[00:15:05] You just can't gift the Crimson Tide anything.
[00:15:10] So on defense, I also have two crows here. Number one, get off the field on third down. Okay. Last week, Mississippi State had a few of these, like third and longs that they converted. And I understand Camaro Taylor can, can do that to you, but there were some missed assignments, a couple missed tackles, a couple blown coverages that led to that. One of them led to a wide open touchdown.
[00:15:34] That's just not going to get it done. You know, you're going against another athletic quarterback, Keelan Russell, who can also extend drives. So it's going to be paramount to not allow those type of plays.
[00:15:49] And you need to be able to get the offense back on the field and to frankly rest our own defense.
[00:15:57] Number two, contain Keelan Russell. So common theme, kind of like last week, right? You're talking about the quarterback who presents a unique challenge. True dual threat.
[00:16:10] I mean, it was interesting to hear Beamer talk about this kid.
[00:16:14] Basically said it's like you combine Ty Simpson and Jalen Milroe and it was funny. I hadn't thought about Jalen Milro in a long time, but it's like he's got the arm of Ty Simpson and then the athletic ability of Milroe. And that's. That's a dangerous comparison right there. So if the Gamecocks can contain Russell to force throws into tight windows and try and limit those big plays on the ground.
[00:16:44] And I mean, Fred Johnson was talking about this a little bit in his presser, but this is like where, like the football mind is next level compared to me sitting in the desk chair right now. But like, you want to be able to force him into lanes where you have an assignment.
[00:17:03] Like when you don't want the athletic quarterback to bounce out or to step up and move to the right where there's no one there. So you need to. Everyone needs to be working in concert to kind of force his way in a general direction, if that makes sense.
[00:17:21] And so, yeah, like, overall for the game, it's playing for four quarters, finishing drives, and holding your assignment defensively.
[00:17:33] You know, I mean, the only thing we really have to go off of is last week. And so that's why I keep referencing it so much.
[00:17:41] But you do look at that game, and if there's a few things that the Gamecocks do better, we might win that game. One or two things on defense, you might win the game. Right? One or two things on offense, you might win the game.
[00:17:57] And so I don't know how it's all going to shake out. Right. Like, when we talk about how good is Mississippi State compared to Bama, you're on the road at night, you know, But I think last week gave this team, our team, a lot to work on, but maybe some extra motivation as well, you know, like, road upsets happen every single week in college football. We just experienced it playing in Tuscaloosa. Like, yeah, it's. It's a big stadium. They have good history.
[00:18:30] You know, they play well at home, but it's not impossible.
[00:18:36] And if we can go out there and play our game for four quarters and you get playmakers back and more conditioned like Stewie and Peak, I'd like to see a healthy dose of Murph.
[00:18:47] We can certainly hang with this. This Alabama team. I really do believe that. I believed it in the offseason. I'm saying it now.
[00:18:54] We just can't shoot ourselves in the foot, and that's ultimately what it comes down to.
[00:18:59] So let's see how this team responds.
[00:19:03] Let's root them in. Manifest this.
[00:19:07] Let's see where the chips fall.
[00:19:10] But all right, let me give you all my six pack of picks, and then I will get you all out of here in the ACC. Give me Virginia Tech minus 14 versus Boston College. Big 12 Oklahoma State versus West Virginia over 60 points. You just have to do that. It's fun. Big Ten, I got two here. Southern Cal plus three versus Oregon. And then Iowa plus five and a half versus Michigan. Two dogs. And then the sec. I had to reread this one.
[00:19:38] Ole Miss is getting three and a half points versus Florida. I understand they're on the road in Florida, but that was shocking to me.
[00:19:49] And then the group of five, Toledo minus three versus San Diego State.
[00:19:54] With that, y', all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter, or X is Cox Gamecocks. Instagram is just the name of the show. Check out Garnet and Cocky.com as well. I appreciate all y'. All. Go Cox.
