In-Depth Analysis of Georgia’s Road to the SEC Championship

By: @LivingCrimson

A picture is worth a thousand words.

End of analysis.

The Head Ball Witch summed up the Gamecocks 35-7 win with his usual savoir faire: the Georgia offense "didn't move it very far when they were out there," Steve Spurrier said with a grin.

Mark Richt recapped the game in his best feelings voice: "First of all, the bad news is we took a whipping. The good news is we all took it together. It was a team loss.”

What he really meant to say is that even though the Bulldogs in his tenure are now 2-15 against teams that finish the season ranked (including presumably South Carolina), 10-win easy-schedule seasons and the occasional Division title are good enough. Because doggonit people like him!

Mark Richt has lost control of his seat warmer? Naw … but he has lost control of eggs and toilet paper. There is no yellow brick road for Georgia to the SEC Championship unless Florida manages to beat the Gamecocks, UGA can then pull off a win against the Gators, and the SEC East ends in a three-way tie.

According to the SEC office: "The tied team with the highest ranking in the BCS Standings following the last weekend of regular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or-fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship Game."

We doubt the wind blows the Dawgs back to that side of the rainbow.

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Speaking of teams wandering lost in the BCS Oz this season, Alabama fan anthem21 with a tribute to the media’s favorite Smurfs, the Boise State Broncos: Gangnam Style.

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South Carolina NCAA Case shows cooperation helps

Despite being in the repeat violator window (stemming from a case dating to the Lou Holtz tenure), the University of South Carolina escaped severe sanctions by the NCAA for providing tens of thousands of dollars worth of improper benefits to student athletes.

The NCAA released the penalties today. Sanctions include:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Three years of probation from April 27, 2012, through April 26, 2015.
• Reduction of total football scholarships by three (from 85 maximum) during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.
• Reduction of initial football scholarships by three (from the 25 maximum) during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years (self-imposed by the university).
• $18,500 fine (self-imposed by the university).
• Indefinite disassociation of both involved boosters and the local hotel (self-imposed by the university).
• Limit of 30 official visits in football (from the 56 maximum) for the 2012-13 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
• Limit of 50 official visits in men’s and women’s track and field (from unlimited maximum) for the 2012-13 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
• Suspension of the head track coach during the 2012 Penn Relays (self-imposed by the university).
• An assistant men’s basketball coach was withheld from recruiting in December 2011 (self-imposed by the university).
• An assistant football coach was withheld from off campus recruiting during January 2012 (self-imposed by the university).

Note that almost all of the final penalties imposed by the league were self-imposed by the school.

In its report, the NCAA praised the school for its degree of cooperation in the case, stating that school “went beyond standard expectations” in cooperating with the Enforcement Staff.

This goes to show that when a school is caught with its hands in the cookie jar, the best course of action is to fess up and show how remorseful you are by singing like a canary. The result is usually a much lighter sentence than what is handed down when a school lawyers up and clamps down. That’s a risky strategy that paid off for Auburn, but left USC West with crippling sanctions and a post-season ban.

A contentious and adversarial investigative process doesn’t end well if when the Enforcement bulldogs find the red meat they’re looking for. Sooner or later, they’re gonna get you. Just like the IRS.

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South Carolina player Angelo Watley arrested on burglary charges

The website Cemetery Hill is reporting that South Carolina player Angelo Watley has been arrested on felony theft charges.

The website post includes the following screenshot, and IBCR has confirmed that the screenshot is authentic.

At 3:40 EST, Watley was reportedly still in custody. Bond is set at $50,000.

Watley was arrested on three counts—Grand Larceny (theft greater than $2,000 but less than $10,000), credit card theft and second degree burglary.

All three crimes are felonies under South Carolina state law.

Watley is a redshirt freshman linebacker from Suwanee, Georgia and who signed with the Gamecocks in 2011.

With the earlier news of Kentucky’s Ridge Wilson’s arrest on felony drug trafficking charges, it looks like some updates will be forthcoming in the Fulmer Cup race!

UPDATE: This is apparently not Mr. Watley’s first run-in with law enforcement. A blog reader snarks via email that Watley has “Cam Newton Ears.”

UPDATE II: South Carolina has confirmed the arrest and says that Watley has been suspended.

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South Carolina’s Jadeveon “Doo Doo” Clowney in apparent NCAA violation

Throw the Flag is showing that University of South Carolina’s freshman defensive standout Jadeveon Clowney is likely running afoul of NCAA by-laws prohibiting the use of a student-athlete’s likeness to promote a business or for-profit enterprise. Here’s a flyer for a Christmas-season birthday party hosted by the Gamecocks’ own Cee Cee Whitlock & JaDeveon “Doo Doo” Clowney.”

The NCAA by-laws apparently being violated here:

The rules in question are 12.5.2.1 and 12.5.2.2, respectively:

12.5.2.1 Advertisements and Promotions After Becoming a Student-Athlete. After becoming a student-athlete, an individual shall not be eligible for participation in intercollegiate athletics if the individual:
(a) Accepts any remuneration for or permits the use of his or her name or picture to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind; or
(b) Receives remuneration for endorsing a commercial product or service through the individual’s use of such product or service.

12.5.2.2 Use of a Student-Athlete’s Name or Picture Without Knowledge or Permission. If a student-athlete’s name or picture appears on commercial items (e.g., T-shirts, sweatshirts, serving trays, playing cards, posters) or is used to promote a commercial product sold by an individual or agency without the student-athlete’s knowledge or permission, the student-athlete (or the institution acting on behalf of the student-athlete) is required to take steps to stop such an activity in order to retain his or her eligibility for intercollegiate athletics. Such steps are not required in cases in which a student-athlete’s photograph is sold by an individual or agency (e.g., private photographer, news agency) for private use.

Statements obtained by IBCR from the NCAA indicate that while this may be a technical violation of rules implemented to prevent businesses from exploiting student-athletes’ athletics reputation, there is rarely an eligibility consequence if the student-athlete doesn’t know or permit the activity and he or the school take steps to end it. “There would be no eligibility consequences for the student-athlete as long as they did not have any knowledge and the school issues a cease and desist notice,” NCAA spokeswoman Stacy Osburn told IBCR last August, in connection with the T-Town Menswear non-story.

IBCR has also reviewed summaries for nearly two dozen cases similar to the Clowney (and TTMW) story. The case summaries were provided as a courtesy by Dr. Anastasios Kaburakis, Assistant Professor of Management and Sports Business in the John Cook School of Business at
Saint Louis University.

Not one of them produced permanent losses of eligibility or major infractions cases against the schools involved.

Nevertheless, Throw the Flag’s find is significant in that South Carolina recently admitted to a series of major infractions in connection with an improper benefits case involving lodging and other violations, and is considered a repeat violator under NCAA by-laws.

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Did Dabo Swinney go “big brother” on Steve Spurrier?

Why yes, he did.

In the video below, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is asked about comments South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier reportedly made after the Gamecocks beat the Tigers for the third straight time. While I’ve yet to find the source of the quote, internet message board and Twitter chatter has the Ol’ Ball Coach saying, “We ain't LSU or Alabama but we ain't Clemson either.”

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“I think he is exactly right - they are not Clemson and never will be. You are looking at the best era in the history of South Carolina football right now. They just had their second 10-win season. They won a championship in 1969 and the 2010 SEC East. And this rivalry—there is a lot of rivalries out there—this is more of a domination and that’s a fact. My kids’ grandkids won’t live long enough to see this really become a rivalry.”

“I have respect for their program, but South Carolina is not Clemson. There are a lot of differences. This is a place that has won a national title, 17 conference championships and two division titles. Heck, we have won more bowl games than they have even been to. I think our program has 100 plus more wins than South Carolina. That is reality. This is the best era in 115 years of South Carolina football is right now and they have done a great job.

“Coach Spurrier has been there for seven years, but after five years I think he had 35 wins and got a new contract and all that kind of stuff. After five years at Clemson, if I have only got 35 wins there is going to be a new coach here and you know what there should be because there is a different standard. He is exactly right – they ain’t Alabama, they ain’t LSU and they certainly are not Clemson. That is why Carolina is in Chapel Hill, USC is in California and the university in this state always has been and always will be Clemson. It’s right here in Clemson, SC. You can print that. Tweet that.”

Some have said that Swinney shouldn’t have responded at all, especially given the fact that Spurrier is only alleged to have provided the quote that’s gone viral. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, right?

UPDATE: Kegs n Eggs has the audio snippet of where the quote came from. Mash here for Adam’s post. As it turns out, Radio Man Todd Ellis uttered the fateful phrase, but prefaced it with “As Coach Spurrier said…”

Whether Spurrier actually said what’s attributed to him is now irrelevant. This little tit-for-tat will become bulletin board material for next season, and Swinney is now 1-3 against Spurrier in the rivalry. Now, Swinney has to win or the Gamecock fans might start a “fear the thumb” campaign a year from now.

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Stephen Garcia gets endorsement deal!

From funny guy and friend of this blog, @K1ngCrimson. He and @BanditRef are the two rascals responsible for the killer cartoons you see in the right sidebar.

Follow them.

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Steve Spurrier “takes exception,” refuses presser with Ron Morris present

Love him, hate him or just don’t care one way or the other, you’re always gonna know where you stand with Steve Spurrier. Prior to a scheduled weekly press conference with the South Carolina Gamecock beat reporters, the ol’ ball coach launched into this two-minute tirade over the presence of State columnist Ron Morris:

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Spurrier says the issue was about a Morris column accusing him of poaching a football player "away from the basketball program." That's only part of the issues between the two. Morris is a provocative writer who enjoys tweaking the South Carolina and Clemson fan bases in much the same way that Alabama writer and talk radio host Paul Finebaum stirs the Iron Bowl hornets nest. Morris has accused Spurrier of "running up the score" on him during a fitness challenge.

In addition to the column noted by Spurrier, Morris also accused the coach of being too hard on Quarterback Stephen Garcia. It’s this body of work that Spurrier objects to. While this isn’t exactly one of Spurrier’s classier moments (as few and far between as they are), it shows that there’s fairly long-running love-hate relationship between the two.

UPDATE: Maybe this is why Spurrier was was so edgy today. Stephen Garcia has been dismissed from the team.

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Does South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier suffer from dementia?

Or was he merely temporarily insane?

This question needs to be asked because if you watched the Auburn vs. South Carolina game last Saturday, you have to wonder what Steve Spurrier was thinking. Going into the game at Bryce Stadium in Columbia, Senior Quarterback Stephen Garcia had thrown seven interceptions and three touchdowns. This is not the player whose hands you want to hold the outcome of a key SEC matchup. The guy is an absolute turnover machine. Meanwhile, you have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in beastly Tailback Marcus Lattimore, who had carried the ball 107 times for 611 yards and eight touchdowns. Going against the worst rushing defense in the SEC (third from the bottom in all of the FBS), you’d think Auburn would have been served a steady diet of Lattimore left, Lattimore right, Lattimore up the middle.

What does Spurrier do? He has Garcia throw the football 23 times and Lattimore carry it 17 times. Auburn beat South Carolina in a “who sucks less” game, 16-13. That’s about nine carries off of Lattimore’s average carries for the season. Why? Against a defense that couldn’t stop a ten-year old from running away with its lunch money, you let the wrecking ball named Marcus line up and let the bodies stack up like cordwood, don’t you?

This would have been spectacularly effective in the second half and particularly in the fourth quarter. Lattimore’s stat line in the second half? Eight carries. Thirty yards.

Auburn’s Gus Malzahn had the right idea. He has his own stud Tailback and wasn’t at all shy about using him. Michael Dyer gashed the Gamecock defense for 141 yards on a season-high 41 carries. Dyer hasn’t carried the ball 20 times in any of its previous four games. That means Dyer carried the ball more times Saturday than on any two of the other four games combined. That allowed Auburn to keep its defense off of the field.

Auburn deserves some credit for not wilting in a big-time SEC game and beating a previously undefeated South Carolina squad. They took care of business and won a conference game on the road—no small feat in today’s SEC. But you also have to lay a lot of the blame for Carolina’s loss at the feet of the Ol’ Ball Coach for one of the most bumfuddled game plans in the history of Gamecock football.

The SEC East is now a wide open race again. All Spurrier needed Garcia to do was hand the ball to Lattimore and he’d probably be at 5-0 and in the driver’s seat for a return trip to Atlanta. Instead, he’s still winless against Auburn in three tries over two years and stuck in a three way race for the East title. That’s insane.

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