Grasping at straws

posted by LW, Wednesday, November 25, 2009

As South Carolina has tried to reconcile and reverse its futility against Clemson, it's amusing to hear some of the explanations for that futility.

After Lou Holtz departed having lost five of six to the Tigers, the view was that the Gamecocks cared too much about beating their rival.

Upon arrival, Steve Spurrier yanked down all the "Beat Clemson" posters that were hung in the Gamecocks' football complex.

Yep, that was going to do it. Too much emphasis on the regular-season finale was leading to too much tightness in those games. Spreading the emphasis across the whole season would take some of the pressure off and lead to more success against the Tigers. And after all, South Carolina's main goal is an SEC title.

Or something like that.

Under Spurrier, it's been more of the same in this series. He's lost three of four to Clemson, and he's favored to go down again Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium. Now the explanation is that the Gamecocks haven't cared enough.

According to this story by The Post and Courier's Travis Haney, Spurrier made a point to open his Tuesday press conference by saying this is the biggest game of the year.

That, in itself, shows Spurrier's gradual evolution in how he values the Clemson game.

'We've all said — or I've said, everybody's said — that if we're not in the SEC championship game, obviously this is the biggest game,' Spurrier said, refining his stance. 'So, obviously, this is our biggest game of the year.'

I've covered Clemson on a daily basis for six seasons. As I try to assess the reasons for the Tigers' dominance over that stretch, I don't get the feeling that an emphasis on this game -- or lack thereof -- has fueled that dominance.

Does Clemson consider it an utter abomination to lose this game? Absolutely. I'll never forget how shattered the 2006 team was after losing by three to the Gamecocks in Death Valley.

As I wrote earlier this week, repeated success against South Carolina ingrains an expectation to beat South Carolina, and that expectation is passed down from class to class.

Those intangibles are important. But I haven't seen any "Beat USC" signs in the hallways of the football offices during my time here. I never got the feeling Tommy Bowden placed inordinate emphasis on this game, and the same is true for Dabo Swinney.

The biggest factor in Clemson's dominance has been that the Tigers are simply better. Maybe not overwhelmingly better, but there haven't been many times in this rivalry where the better team has not won.

'I think we build it up without trying to put too much pressure on our guys,' Spurrier said. 'I've seen other teams get all fired up to beat somebody. The way you beat them is to outplay them.'

Bingo.

Gene Sapakoff says Clemson fans would rather defeat Georgia Tech than South Carolina.

I'm not so sure about that. Did some tailgating after Saturday's game, and this was the unanimous refrain from fans who'd just watched their team secure its first Atlantic Division title:

"Please tell me we're not going to lose to South Carolina. PLEASE tell me we're not going to lose to the Gamecocks."

Even with a win over Georgia Tech and their first ACC title since 1991, I'm not sure how much Clemson fans could stomach their third loss to the Gamecocks since 1996.

Middle-of-the-road SEC team beating the ACC champ? You can see the billboards and bumper stickers now.

And you can see Clemson fans feeling queasy just thinking about it.


Also in the P&C, TDP says the contract talk will come later.

Ron Morris of The State says C.J. Spiller should sit Saturday.

I repeat: Ron Morris of The State says C.J. Spiller should sit Saturday.

Lordy.

First off, this topic probably isn't even worth being discussed because Dabo Swinney would never consider not playing Spiller in one of the biggest games of the year. And Spiller wouldn't consider not playing in one of the biggest games of the year.

And regardless of what happens next week, it's one of the biggest games of the year.

This idea of prioritization with regard to the next two games ignores the fact that a loss to South Carolina could significantly affect the team's mentality heading into the ACC title game.

This team is on a roll and feeling extremely confident about itself and its methods. A loss Saturday ends that roll and damages that confidence. And no Spiller means a loss becomes significantly more likely.

First, Spiller has turf toe. Although his statistics do not show it, Spiller has been hindered all season by the injury. If you watched him play Saturday against Virginia, you saw him limp slowly to the sideline numerous times. Occasionally, he pulled himself out of the lineup.

Any doctor will tell you the best -- maybe only -- cure for turf toe is rest. Lots of rest. Two weeks of inactivity would do wonders for Spiller's toe and possibly enhance his performance in Clemson's biggest game in decades.

To the first point: If you watched Spiller against Miami and Florida State, you saw him limping slowly to the sideline numerous times. You also saw him pile up 622 all-purpose yards in those games.

To the second point: Any doctor would also tell you that two weeks' rest don't do a whole lot for turf toe. Exhibit A: Spiller's predicament didn't change much after the week off that followed Clemson's loss at Maryland.

Wonder if Paul Johnson is planning on resting some of his guys against Georgia? Mistuh College Football says PJ won't hesitate to bring the hammer down on Georgia if given the opportunity.

Jeff Schultz says Johnson has developed his quarterback better than Mark Richt.

And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, Paul Finebaum says Les Miles is the turkey of the year.


LW

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