As everyone gets set to reflect back on the second Saturday in college football, the quick, knee-jerk reaction is going to be to discuss Notre Dame-Michigan. Playing to a national audience, with no other games on as it concluded, and with that wild, Denard Robinson-fueled finish, Notre Dame-Michigan was an instant classic, a game people will be talking about for years. Long after they forget just how lousy these two teams will likely end up being.
But while Notre Dame-Michigan has the old-school, throwback, name cache, the game that hit me the hardest this weekend was South Carolina’s 45-42 win at Georgia. Simply put, it was just a drag ‘em out, beat ‘em down war, the kind of game that makes the SEC the SEC, and right now the premier conference in college football. It was a football game that felt like more than a football game, with two teams who literally left their blood, sweat, tears on the field. And I’m not being facetious when I say that. I actually saw a Georgia player crying as the cameras cut away from the game. It was that emotional.
Starting with those Georgia Bulldogs, it really is pretty hard not to feel bad for everyone involved with the program. The players, coaches, fans, you name it.
Understand, this wasn’t like Boise State last weekend. In that game, the Bulldogs showed up flat, unprepared and were out-played and coached. Boise was tougher than Georgia in the trenches. They controlled the game. There’s no way to describe that game Boise game other than to say that on that night, the Broncos were simply the better football team.
Saturday afternoon in Athens though, it wasn’t the same story. Saturday wasn’t about getting out-worked, out-toughed or out-coached, and if anything whatever problems Georgia had last Saturday seemed to be much improved from last week. Their defense played well (despite the deceptive final score), the offensive line blocked like their lives (and Mark Richt’s job) depended on it, and a star was born in Isaiah Crowell. The first-year player with more expectations on him than any freshman in college football this year showed us just what the hype was about. Crowell finished the game with 118 yards rushing and a touchdown, while also making two catches, including one of which he took in for an additional score.
Unfortunately as improved as Georgia was, South Carolina was just a bit better. Actually, I take that back. I don’t know if South Carolina was better. They were certainly more opportunistic, and definitely a bit zanier in victory.
Granted, the Gamecocks did get things done the old-fashioned way. They got 176 yards rushing from Marcus Lattimore, and 85 yards and a touchdown grab by Alshon Jeffery, proving once again that no one in college football has a better run-catch combo then those two.
But beyond that, was the wicked and wild for South Carolina, a team which also scored a touchdown on special teams and two on defense. The special teams score in specific was just about the craziest you’ll ever see, as Melvin Ingram took a direct snap 68 yards for a score on a fake punt, beating the entire Georgia return team to the end zone. The catch? Ingram is a defensive lineman, listed at 276 lbs. Only Steve Spurrier is sick enough to draw up a play like that.
Of course it was Ingram’s second touchdown that was truly the difference-maker. With South Carolina clinging to a three point lead late in the fourth quarter, superstar defensive end Jadeveon Clowney broke through the line, and threw Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray to the ground, causing a fumble. Ingram picked it up, and scampered five yards to give South Carolina a 10 point lead they’d never relinquish.
Going forward, what’ll be most interesting about this game is what it means big picture. Entering the year, most everyone assumed that this was almost a de-facto SEC East Championship Game, but looking at the landscape, that doesn’t seem nearly as certain two weeks into the season. Two teams that were expected to be walk-overs in the East – Florida and Tennessee – look much better through a few games than anyone expected, and each seems more than capable of beating either of these teams. This division is always a dog fight, and for Georgia especially, falling behind the eight ball so early is bad news. While they have time to recover, it won’t be easy.
But back to South Carolina for a second, because if Saturday proved anything, it’s that there might not be a more resilient team in college football this year. Nothing phases the Gamecocks. Absolutely nothing.
And looking at this team, why would it? They’re a group that’s seen it all: Late game deficits, tough road crowds, key injuries and suspensions. Two years ago, there’s no way South Carolina would’ve pulled out that game, and even last year it’d have been a 50/50 proposition at best.
But in 2011? They kind of seem like a team that’s ready for anything. Hell, two months ago we didn’t know if Stephen Garcia would ever wear a South Carolina uniform again, and there he was Saturday picking himself up off the field turf after another brutal hit. If they can get through all they’ve been able to put in the past, why shouldn’t they be able to tackle whatever is ahead of them?
So what’s the point in all that?
Well, right now it’s no secret that the keys to the SEC car go through the West. Still, as good as Alabama looked Saturday and as good as LSU did the Saturday, no team in this conference or beyond has a profile quite like South Carolina’s.
I’d be very wary of the Gamecocks going forward because of it.
Follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres
