By Jay Holgate
SEC Sports Report
ATLANTA, GA-- For 2007, The SEC East is full of football talent and home to at least three Top 10 teams. The Florida gators, Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers have winning programs year in and year out. 2007 will be no different. With highly touted quarterbacks Tebow, Stafford and Ainge, the SEC East top three will be hard to beat. Every pre-season poll in the country has a different leader in the SEC East, but one thing is consistent. For the top spot, it's either Florida, Georgia or Tennessee.
And then there is South Carolina. Just under the radar are the Gamecocks. A half a step above Kentucky and Vandy but always under the big three. In 2006, if you take away a couple of plays, you have a young college football team that almost beat Florida (tipped extra point), Tennessee (dropped interception in end zone), Auburn (onside kick) and Arkansas (dropped pass) . It's true, whether the fans are willing to admit it, makes no difference. The 2006 Gamecocks defense couldn't stop a 3rd and 15 in the fourth quarter against a tough SEC foe, if their life depended on it. The offensive line looked like a rubix cube for most of the season, searching for a winning combination. The 2006 team was good but in the end, a team of missed opportunities including dropped touchdown passes, interceptions and an inexperienced defense that gave up too many big plays.
Keep the spot light, out of my eyes. Then, there is South Georgia high school graduate and quarterback Blake Mitchell. A typical street fighter. When Blake is the clear cut, first team quarterback, he gets distracted and just doesn't play that great. As the starter for the Gamecocks, Blake had difficulty getting his rhythm and drove his coach crazy. But when Blake Mitchell has been benched, humbled and has to prove his worth, Mitchell throws with near pin point accuracy. By the end of the season, Mitchell had his Gamecocks in position to win some big games. With a little more help, the Gamecocks almost pulled off some huge upsets.
And we have a Wild Card, Steve Spurrier. Nobody wants to play against him. Even when the big three had superior athletes, not one of the coaches wanted to see Spurrier across the field. In two years, with lesser talent, Spurrier has already beaten Tennessee and Florida once, nearly twice. Mark Richt has had the advantage of superior players but the gap is closing with Spurrier turning in a top 5 recruiting class and getting a handful from the state of Georgia. One thing that has been proven. With Steve Spurrier calling the plays, the Gamecocks will always have a chance to win.
Too Many What-Ifs for the Gamecocks to be in the Top 3. If QB Mitchell plays well..... If the defense is what they say it can be..... if the receivers can catch.....if the defense can create some turnovers....Gamecocks have always been able to dream.
But now, Spurrier is at the helm. Spurrier has made it clear, he wants an SEC championship. For the Gamecocks, they will have one of the toughest road schedules in the country with Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas. Add home games with Florida and Clemson and you can see why rivals.com said Spurrier had the #2 toughest schedule in the country. If Spurrier gets the best of these six powerhouse teams, he will have arrived, again.
The Bar is Closed. When Spurrier beats a couple of big teams this year, every body is going to sober up quickly. Nobody except Spurrier and some loyal alumni believes the Gamecocks will win the East this year. Then again, being under the radar might be the best place to be.
Jay Holgate is an analyst and writer for http://www.secsportsreport.com
Monday, June 25, 2007
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