Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cocks Talking Gamecocks. It is the week one preview for Gamecock football and also the first six pack of picks. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:54] Okay. Welcome to episode 255 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. And we made it, y'all. We have absolutely made it. Merry Christmas. Let me be the first one to say merry Christmas to you. Merry Christmas to all. We have made it. We have made it through the long, hot summer. And we have made it not only to game week, but game day football season is finally here. I cannot believe the words that are coming out of my mouth right now.
[00:01:38] It doesn't matter that we're getting ready for an emotional rollercoaster for the next three months. It doesn't matter, right? It doesn't matter that there's going to be blood, sweat and tears because it's football. Football is a time of year for friends. It's a time of year for family, for fun, and a time when you yearn for that victory. It's that time of year where you wait all week for a few hours and for those few hours, you're free.
[00:02:13] Gamecock football is back. And Saturday begins a new era for a program that we love so, so much. So if you couldn't tell by now, this episode is going to be solely focused on football and getting ready for Saturday afternoon. And because fall sports are underway, I will pick back up on reviewing their scores next episode. Anyone who's listened to me for a year, two years, however long it's been, you know that I love to shout out all of our student athletes, so I like to review all of the sports and scores as much as I can. So looking to pick that up probably in the next episode. And because fall sports are back, I will be returning to two shows a week. So this upcoming week, it's a little bit of a different schedule because of the holiday. So probably we'll be dropping my game recap on Tuesday, but then after that, look for things to get back to normal on that Monday and Friday schedule. Mid September. They may be a little bit of a disruption, but we'll take that in stride. But two shows a week finally back and we are finally getting things rolling here. So we're going to jump right into this here and turn our attention to the season opener for Gamecock football as the boys open up against Old Dominion in Williams Bryce Stadium at 415 pm. I've said it before, but I'm going to keep bragging about it I will be in attendance. First home opener, not including a neutral site game in about a decade for your boy. So to say I'm excited is an understatement. I'm even a little nervous. Like, it's just, it's crazy. I'm anxious, nervous, excited, everything that you expect here. But I talked about this in my season preview, but it just really is so nice that the team has more of a normal or traditional opening game and not doing this whole neutral field against the power conference team this year. Because with so many new faces, I think they really will benefit from the home crowd, which, if you haven't seen, was announced as a sellout. And just shout out to us, shout out to the Gamecock faithful. We truly are the best. Coming off a five and seven year opening against a Sunbelt team, the fans still showing out in full force. It's going to be a hot one out there, but doesn't matter because we love our Gamecocks and I wouldn't have it any other freaking way. But, you know, going into this game here, there really are so many storylines that we can talk about going into this one and they really are these stories that have followed the team all off season. But this is the game. This is the moment where we can finally start to see them in action. And, you know, quite frankly, I'm going to list out a few here, but, you know, frankly, you could spend hours really, you could talk to your blue in the face about the amount of storylines and the different things that you could be on the lookout for in this matchup. Right? You could talk about one single person. You can talk about one position group, you can talk about the coaches. You know, you can talk about development. There's so many things that you can try to take away from this opening game that it's hard to narrow it down here, but a few that I jotted down really quick. You know, first and foremost, the biggest story has to be Lenora Sellers. This will be his first time starting as quarterback for USC, especially in front of Williams Bryce here, and his first time doing it, really in that, you know, opening, sold out, raucous environment.
[00:06:31] Every report that you read talks about his maturity, his leadership, and we have seen how dynamic he can be on the field. Granted, that was in small glimpses, but now it's time to see it for four quarters. You know what I mean?
[00:06:48] Personally, I think Dowell Loggins will keep the reins on him a little bit. A. You certainly don't want to open up the playbook so early, especially when you have SEC opponents literally right around the corner, but I just don't think we'll see the offense that we saw last year, at least not right away, where the quarterback is asked to throw it damn near 50 times. So look for those passes to come in true passing situations. Right. Done. Very intentional and calculated, not looking to put him in risky situations. I do think Lenoris will take a couple of shots down the field. He has the arm for it, but I think that this staff is going to try and keep the bumpers on a little bit where look for most of his passes to come, you know, five to ten yards down the field, you know, trying to move the sticks along and really, you know, allow him to feel confident in his reads and in his ability right there.
[00:08:02] But I want to see how Lenoris responds to the inevitable adversity that we will see right. In every game there's some adversity, whether it's a penalty that throws off a drive, whether it's a turnover. You throw a great ball and then the receiver just drops it, whatever it may be. You take a bad sack, can he shake off the bad play and move on, or does he let it pile on? He's a young quarterback. You just don't know how he's going to respond. And I'm interested in seeing that going into this game.
[00:08:39] My second storyline has to be Rocket Sanders. You know, what does he look like coming off that injury and the rehab and really what was a disappointing 2023 season?
[00:08:52] Word is that he has reshaped his body to be leaner like he was in 22 when he had that amazing season. But there has to be a concern about if there will be an adjustment period for him. Right. And I'll speak more about this in my crows to the game, but I think we need to see a lot of him from this game and then also the running backs as a whole. Right. You, you could have that as your entire new storyline. Last year finding consistent running game was. It was basically non existent. So with a deeper and more experienced group, do we actually see the Gamecocks being able to keep drives alive on the ground? Right, when it's third and four or third and three, do you have the ability to turn to a running back and say, get us these three yards and a cloud of dust?
[00:09:49] I certainly hope so.
[00:09:52] Another storyline is the defense. This group, as we know, had a resurgence at the end of last year, thanks in part to a change in scheme. And, you know, this offseason they added depth and experience. So the hope has to be that they will be improved and more consistent. And frankly, the unit that this team relies on this season, old Dominion, they are going to present challenges, but overall, we need to see this group show up big on Saturday.
[00:10:24] So what are the Gamecocks getting in Old Dominion? You may be asking yourself. So let me tell you, Odu is a sunbelt team, but we've seen firsthand that teams from that conference can certainly hold their own against power conference teams. So they're really nothing to look down your noses at. You know, last year, this team went six and seven overall when it was all said and done. But as Shane Beamer has said, they could have very well had a much better record because they had multiple games that were decided by a touchdown or less. Offensively, they will bring a quarterback who can run and throw, but they are replacing their top receiver and I think both running backs, I want to say also their offensive line was just really not good last year. This team is a offense that likes to play fast. They like to spread you out. So if they get some positive plays, look for them to move very quickly, which can provide a challenge for communication for any defense. You know, the coaches have even said themselves they play a lot like Tennessee. So I'm hoping that at least the experience from playing Tennessee these last couple of years proves to be helpful, to say the least. But ODU, they are definitely a team that I think at least will try to rely on their defense. Both Dowel, Loggins and Lenores have called their system unique, as they kind of do have that, you know, three, three, five. But they put their safety up a little bit. They've called it almost like a three safety system. So very interesting. The guy to watch will be linebacker Jason Henderson, who actually led fbs in tackles each of the last two seasons. So it will be great to watch South Carolina running backs get after him.
[00:12:21] As it turns out, and I've mentioned this before, I am part of a great group of content creators called the college huddle. So if you haven't, please go visit the website for more information. Just the college huddle. But I actually connected with our ODU representatives who are the show, the ODU Monarchists, in case anyone is interested, and I asked them a few questions to get a sense of their thoughts before the game. So bear with me. This is a little different than what we've done on the show before, but here we go. So I started by asking, who are some players that Gamecock fans should keep an eye out for on either side of the ball?
[00:13:04] On defense, it was no surprise that the aforementioned linebacker Jason Henderson was their answer. He's the all time tackle record holder at Old Dominion and is a two time All American, so I took that as we better game plan for him. And then on offense, the Monarchists saw. They said, excuse me, to keep an eye out for Deontay Vines. He is an Iowa transfer who is a small but speedy receiver and someone OdU could use in the slot or the edge on the field. So very interesting. And then when I asked how they feel about opening up against an SEC school, you know, they said they were genuinely excited for the opportunity as fans and they said they will be in attendance for this game and said that while ODU has had games against power conference teams including Virginia Tech, there won't be anything like witnessing SEC speed in front of 77,000 people with sandstorm blasting. So just a quick q and a from the ODU monarchist there, but as you can see, they are excited to see Williams, Bryce and a couple guys to keep an eye out on. You can flex that, you can use that guy Deontay Vines and tell the people you're watching the game with, keep an eye out for him. And I don't have to take credit for it. You can just say you're, you know, ball. But without further ado, let me move to my crows to the game. It feels great to be talking about this again for any new listeners, really quick here. I don't do keys to the game. Everyone has their keys to the game. We have our rooster crowd, so I have my crows to the game. So overall, for the team, play clean football, right, ODU, let's call it for what it is. They're a mid tier Sunbelt team, but this is week one of college football. Crazy things happen and you can't do old Dominion any favors and give them extended possessions and anything like that. Play clean football. Don't do them any favors. Now, looking at the offensive side of the ball here, my first crow is have sharper offensive line play.
[00:15:24] I didn't have these guys listed in my storylines earlier, but this might be the biggest one going into this game, going into this season, really. The offensive line was the number one position group that people consistently pointed to last year as a group that was just simply not up to par and too thin to stay competitive.
[00:15:48] This year, the group is for sure deeper and more talented. But the question now is can they put it together and can they perform well and can they have that continuity that really eluded them last season? This group has to do a good job of protecting Lenoris in the passing situations, but we really need to see them dominate in the run blocking against a group of five defensive line.
[00:16:18] If this group can have a solid showing in week one, it will make a lot of us fans feel a little bit better about where that group stands now. My second crow to the game on offense is Rocket Sanders. Needs to look like Rocket Sanders again. For a guy coming off a long injury, rehabilitive, trying to end his college career the right way, probably trying to make it to the next level, this game means a lot. The coaches have said that he shouldn't be limited. So for all intents and purposes, he is the bell cow for this game and Rocket needs to put together a solid day on the ground. He needs to have a solid day, have an explosive play or two, and then ideally find the end zone. Right. He needs to do this, of course, you know, for the sake of the team and for this game, but he needs to do this for the weeks to come. And what I mean by that is we can't have a game where Rocket is clearly shaking off the rust, right? That might happen the first drive or two, but he needs to get back to form because right around the corner, week two is SEC play. So he needs to walk off that field Saturday evening knowing that he is fully healthy and capable of being an all SEC caliber running back and that he has the stat sheets to show it because this team, frankly, is going to need him and this team is going to be relying on him to do that. So he needs to look like himself.
[00:17:55] My third crow to the game on offense is Josh Simon needs to live up to his billing. Okay, we saw flashes of a dynamic, nightmare matchup type of player last year, but now is his time to shine. Josh Simon is tight end number one and he should be a headache for SEC defenses. So in theory, he should be able to have his way with ODU. And while the wide receivers, you know, look to sort out their top guy, Simon needs to shoulder the burden of making things easy for Lenoris.
[00:18:34] A young quarterback's best friend is a tight end, and Josh, Josh Simon needs to be that.
[00:18:42] Now on defense here, my first crow to the game is the defense needs to record more than two sacks. Simply put, last season the ODU offensive line was booty cheeks. They were awful, and that's coming from a fan of a team who had a bad offensive line. They were worse.
[00:19:03] So whether they added new pieces or not, this is a weakness that the Gamecocks have to try and exploit. So I'm looking at this faster and deeper defensive front to get after the quarterback and keep the monarchs behind the chains.
[00:19:20] And my second crow on defense here is contained. The quarterback, ODU is coming into this game with an experienced signal caller and one who has some wheels. He's run. He ran for several hundred yards last season and he might not bring these jaw dropping talents or stats or anything like that, but he knows their system and he can extend drives with his legs. Running quarterbacks can be a handful to deal with in general.
[00:19:49] So our linebackers need to be up for the challenge and guys like Camara and Knight, guys who were brought here to add speed to that group, they need to show us why.
[00:20:02] So, you know, overall, for this game, this feels like a good warm up for South Carolina, right? Like this isn't a total cupcake of a game as ODU plays in a respectable conference and has some players you need to fully respect, but overall, you feel like this should be a game that South Carolina ends up feeling comfortable in. You know, I mean, I could see ODU finding the end zone in that first half one or two times maybe, but look for the defense to adjust to their speed as the game progresses. I wouldn't be shocked if this defense creates a turnover. Two, even with an improved pass rush. That's saying, you know, the Carolina defense offensively, we need to see what this new look group looks like, you know, especially, you know, when there are those bumps in the road or when mistakes happen. How do they respond?
[00:20:57] Lenoris has a lot on his shoulders and the fans and the beat writers, everyone, they have nothing but good things to say. So now is the time to show it for a full game. And it's time for the red shirt freshmen to develop and be a leader that this team needs.
[00:21:16] We also need to see some solid production from someone in the wide receiver group, whether that's Vandravius Larva, Dane Brown, Harbor Campbell. Someone needs to show us something.
[00:21:30] Now, I don't do score predictions on this show, but I do think that this is a good first matchup for the Gamecocks and by the end of it, I think our fan base should be feeling good.
[00:21:43] Which brings me to the six pack of picks. First one of the year for anyone following me. You know, this is something we do during football season and, you know, in the past it was a six pack of picks because it was one game from each power conference and then one from the group of five. But I now that there's no power five conferences, it's four. I think what I'm going to do is we're going to stick to the same basic concept where it's the power conferences and then a group of five game. But I'll just double down on one of the conferences in a given week. Right? So let's kick these things off. Started with the ACC. I'm looking at Virginia Tech -13 and a half against Vandye. No reason to think Vanderbilt's any good this year, especially first game right out of the gate. Big twelve. I'm going Oklahoma State versus South Dakota State over 54. Old faithful. Oklahoma State over Big ten. This is where I'm doubling down here. I'm going Penn State minus eight versus West Virginia.
[00:22:49] This is a renewed little bit of a rivalry here. They did this last year.
[00:22:54] I think last year I actually bet Penn State is the favorite and they screwed me. We're going to do it again. Illinois State versus Iowa. I'm going Iowa -22 and a half. New offense for Iowa. Illinois State who? What? And then sec. We are lucky that we get to have this game. I believe it's the noon game, right? But Georgia -13 and a half verse Clemson. This is one of the few times where I think we will be rooting for Georgia. Then group of five, shout out Pete Lembo. So I'm going buffalo minus three and a half against Lafayette. Whoo. That was a lot. We are so back and I love it because with 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. Cox talking gamecocks. And please like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'all go Cox.
