Though I think the Arizona State and Alabama games will go a long way in that regard. So long as we don’t pull a Tennessee by going west and laying an egg.

My main worry is that Spurrier will find a way to get his team motivated for a big home game comeback. They’ll take today to lick their wounds, tomorrow to watch us and have that first practice of the week, and have an extra day to put in some wrinkles. While I enjoyed watching the EFG (Evil former Genius) stand around looking uncomfortable as time ran out, I know that it won’t really do us any good on September 13th.

The one thing that really stood out to me wasn’t the special teams gaffes by the Gamecocks, or the so-so performace of Smelley, or our yearly reminder that Bobby Johnson is a really good coach. Rather, the thing I noticed the most was South Carolina’s “Best in the SEC” defense, particularly in the second half.

To start the game, and in last week’s matchup, for that matter, USC’s defense looked quite overwhelming. In both cases, they were able to stifle the run and pressure the quarterback. However, the defense had an advantage-they were playing a one dimesional offense. I lost count of the number of times that NC State ran off tackle out of the shotgun last week. It was like they were running a zone read option without the whole option part, particularly after they lost their quarterback. NC State became predictable and easy to stop, and the Gamecocks took advantage of this. Despite that, it was easy to see that the final score was misleading and USC wasn’t the dominating force the scoreboard may have made them out to be. In the first half last night, Vandy started off in a similar way. They were trying to pound the ball consistantly. Nickson did give them the ability to add more wrinkles to the run game, but USC’s speed was able to keep him from the corners. At times, it seemed like he would abandon trying to get to the edge almost instantly and take his chances up the middle. Very rarely did Nickson prove to be much of a passing threat. Once again, USC’s defense looked rock solid.

However, that changed in the second half. Vandy adjusted their gameplan. Rather than sticking with a nearly run exclusive playbook, they opened it up. They didn’t exactly go to the run and shoot, but they started dropping Nickson juuuuuust often enough to keep the USC defense honest. Once Nickson completed a few passes, USC started to back off, maybe even more than was necessary. This in turn led to more holes for Vandy to run into. By changing their play calling from one dimensional to maybe one-and-a-half dimensional (Nickson threw eight passes in the second half, as opposed to five in the first half) was enough to throw South Carolina’s defense off their game. Not only the number of passes was significant, but when they were calling pass plays. In the first half, four of Nickson’s five pass attempts came on third down. By contrast, only two of his eight attempts in the second half were third down throws. Neither of these are enormous increases, but they proved to be enough. By going to a slightly more aggressive style of playcalling, Vanderbilt was able to keep USC on their heels. In a sense, Vandy went against conventional wisdom. While many would tell you it is important to use the run game to open up the pass, Vanderbilt did the opposite. They mixed up what situations they would throw in, as well as increasing their overall number of pass attempts, thus allowing the run game to be more effective.

The bottom line is, I saw that USC struggles with an offense that shows a willingness to mix it up. If you stick to the run, they are quick enough to shut you down. If you stay with the pass, I feel certain that their defensive ends and linebackers can generate enough pressure to be disruptive. However, if you are the type of offense that has an absurdly talented quarterback, a plethora of wide receivers, and a Heisman candidtate leading the way in the backfield, that offense can give South Carolina fits. I don’t want to name any names or make any predictions, as USC always gives the Dawgs a tough game, but last night’s performance was reassuring.

I am going to pass on the stat detailed esoteric commentary, and just highlight my thought processes retrospectively while drinking bourbon, and relaxing after a long week of law school. (T.K.K. tell me there’s a happy end in sight). I loved every minute of it, and it is true that the Cock D looks like it is entirely composed of defensive ends (credit to ga sports blog, I think). Except for their selfish team killing supposedly #1 in the SEC secondary. Spurrier hasn’t looked that discouraged since he was destroying all credabiltiy for coaching the skins (does anyone remember the slow-mo frustrated Spurrier lipp buzz that Monday Night Football showed over and over) Also a memorable moment from the latest double flusher game, Smelley hands off to Rank. LMAO. Does anyone think that this will finally silence the USC fans. Sooo doubtful! In my opinion they come in #2 behind the slack jawed jorts wearing UF yokels in their obnoxiousness.