Backup QB helps lift Gamecocks to victoryBy Travis Haney (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Ed Reinke USC quarterback Stephen Garcia's performance coming off the bench Saturday at Kentucky earned him the starting spot against LSU next week. 
Ed Reinke South Carolina's Joe Hills (85) leaps over the head of teammate Weslye Saunders after Saunders caught the winning touchdown pass during the Gamecocks' 24-17 victory over Kentucky on Saturday. LEXINGTON, KY. — It's never easy here for South Carolina. And usually there's an unexpected hero. Check, and check, yet again Saturday for the Gamecocks against Kentucky. After stumbling around offensively for 2 1/2 quarters, enter Stephen Garcia as the savior. The redshirt freshman quarterback engineered two fourth-quarter scoring drives, including a trick-play touchdown with seven minutes left, and South Carolina escaped with a 24-17 victory against the Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. "With the game on the line, Stephen came through," Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said. South Carolina had four first-half turnovers, three by starting quarterback Chris Smelley, and four missed field goals from usually automatic Ryan Succop. In the all-that-matters category, USC still won. Offsetting those first-half errors were an 84-yard kickoff return by Captain Munnerlyn, setting up USC's first score, and an 81-yard blocked field goal return by Munnerlyn. Defensive end Jordin Lindsey got a forearm on the short field goal attempt. "It worked out," Spurrier said. "We're a happy bunch." Garcia, Spurrier said, will start Saturday against reigning national champ Louisiana State. "We're going to play Garcia now," he said. "We're going to play Stephen. He's earned it. He's the quarterback." After dropping six consecutive conference games over the span of a year, South Carolina (5-2, 2-2) has now won consecutive SEC games in back-to-back weeks. On the road, no less. "It's huge," Garcia said. "Coach Spurrier said 5-2 is a lot better than 4-3 ... That was two big wins on the road against pretty good teams. These haven't exactly been cakewalks." For the second straight week, the South Carolina defense deserves a bunch of credit for the road win. Chris Culliver's interception in the final minute sealed the game, much the same way as Carlos Thomas' did last week at Ole Miss. Lindsey said a "pretty intense" halftime meeting about assignment football yielded a second half to remember. Kentucky (4-2, 0-2) had 55 total yards and no points in the final two quarters. The Wildcats had 218 total yards in the game. "He let us know we needed to pick our crap up, get back into the game," Lindsey said of the message from coordinator Ellis Johnson. In fairness, Kentucky's most experienced receiver, Dicky Lyons Jr., didn't play the second half after suffering a knee injury. Meanwhile, South Carolina's offense was doing just enough with Garcia running things. Following the recent Bluegrass legacies of USC backup quarterbacks Mike Rathe and Syvelle Newton, Garcia entered the game with 6:46 left in the third quarter. He did what Smelley, the SEC's reigning offensive player of the week, simply could not do: He hit open receivers. "He was getting them in there like he'd been doing it his whole life," USC receiver Jason Barnes said. "That's what I like to see. That's what we needed." Garcia had the arm, in particular, for the fade route to Barnes. In man-to-man coverage, even a solid Kentucky secondary couldn't stop the freshman-to-freshman connection. A 27-yard pitch-and-catch on the fade to Barnes helped set up Succop's only field goal in five tries, from 42 yards, to tie the game at 17. On the next possession, a 38-yard reception on that go route to Barnes set up USC with first-and-goal from the 7. The Gamecocks rushed up to the line, Garcia signaled in a play called "Cajun" — named after LSU ran it in last year's national title game — and suddenly Weslye Saunders was standing in the end zone with the ball. The funky play had 6-7 right tackle Justin Sorensen lined up to the left at receiver, with Saunders hunkered over at right tackle so no one could see his numbers. He launched up field, no one went with him and Garcia fed him. "It was just wide-open," Garcia said, adding that he was in disbelief that the play was actually being called. "I didn't think we were running the right play. I thought the wristband was wrong." In the game-tying field-goal drive and the touchdown drive, Garcia helped USC convert on third down three times, covering 14, 10 and 12 yards. The Gamecocks — leading the SEC in the category coming in — converted 8 of 17 in the game, compared to 1 of 16 for Kentucky. "There's where the ballgame was right there," Spurrier said. Well, that, the defense and that Garcia kid. "Shoot," Spurrier said, "he looked pretty good for his first meaningful time ever." |
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Comments
This article has 20 comment(s)
Posted by astrofan on October 12, 2008 at 12:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry folks, but I can't resist. Hey, Big River! Hook 'Em Horns!!!
Posted by surfer on October 12, 2008 at 1:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let bigriver wallow for now. this is a Gamecock article, and I'd rather leave discussion of the Texas win out of it.
Posted by TL on October 12, 2008 at 6:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Of course I'm for the Gamecocks, but I was embarrassed towards the end of the game hearing Carolina fans sing "na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!!". Not only is it classless, but there was no room for bragging on such a sloppy win. They did this last week as well.
Come on Gamecocks, start showing some class and act like you've won before.
Posted by superstar90 on October 12, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
TL,
You sing "na na na" after every win, or near the end of a game you are going to win. There's nothing classless about that. Now hollering you suck #$^$, #$%^, #$^%, etc... Then sure that's classless. I personally think it is pretty cool to be able to hear us, as an away crowd, cheering. When it is a non sec team we do the SEC, SEC, and USC, USC at each win.
About the game itself. We could have easily lost it because of the way we played, but if we wouldn't have played sloppy we would have beaten them by 15 plus points. They scored 17. 7 by the defense. 10 off of turnovers by us. One turnover and they were already in scoring position, and the other placed them around mid field. If we would have played against UK the way we did against Ole Miss, the game wouldn't have been close.
Posted by Nonsense on October 12, 2008 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope that Spurrier has realized now that Garcia is the future for the success of the Gamecocks - he is a gamer who came through and played awesome. Go Cocks.
Posted by JoeyO on October 12, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
USC is lucky to have come out on top after the sloppy play. Garcia and Munnerlyn stepped up to really help us out this week. Succop had a bad day, no a really bad day. But it happens, just glad it was against UK and not against say LSU. If USC plays like that next week we can see that 51-21 thrashing Florida had against them come back on us. But on the positive side only two more wins to get a bowl one more for eligibility and I'm thinking UT and Arkansas for those.
Oh yeah I'm gonna be bigger than that river guy and not mention Oklahoma's butt kicking by the Longhorns or Clemson's loss either.
Posted by bigriver1 on October 12, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
sc might get to 6-6 or 7-5. That is about normal for you lamecocks, another music city bowl? LOL. No, the music city bowl is not a MAJOR bowl. LOL. Oklahoma is probably out of the title game now. I guess we will have to settle for ANOTHER 10-11 win season, bcs game.
Posted by uscbmc on October 12, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, USC cobbled together a win yesterday but not after several mistakes. We were able to come away with a win over a good Kentucky team on their own field. I wonder if that was their homecoming game yesterday?
At any rate, if we can continue to improve at the QB position and get some protection we will surely win at least 3 of our last 5 games. As is the case in college football, there is no reason we can't win out the season but we must be hitting on all 8 in order to do that.
Regarding the whooners, while a very good team, they faced a Texas team that was more than up to the task. The whooners were not able to get it done when it counted..big conference game with BCS National Championship implications. If they can win out they still have a shot at a big time BCS bowl game but we will see. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech still loom large on the whooner horizon.
Regarding Clemson...well, I think we all know the deal there. Maybe they will get it done agains GA Tech.
I think little river is up the river without a paddle this weekend.
Posted by 20lbtest on October 12, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Way to go COCKS!
They showed the heart and determination we love to see!
Smelly will be a better quarterback after that game.... nothing like pickin yourself up to build character..
WAY TO GO COCKS!!!!
Posted by ironhorse on October 12, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by ironhorse on October 5 at 3:29 p.m:
Funny how big river was told to shut up and did just that. Must be pouting in a corner.
Now, watch Texas spank his Sooners next week.
Posted by ironhorse on October 12, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey big river…..HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by fjms on October 12, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats to u.s.c. Garcia looks like a heck of a football player. To RW, Clemson and Auburn seem to be the most overrated teams in the country this year and yes I am a Clemson fan.
Posted by NativeSC on October 12, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey big douche,LOL, suck it, LOL, your taters lost,LOL, your Okie inbreds lost,LOL, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Posted by guidedbystewart on October 12, 2008 at 1:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A ugly win, but a win is a win. Maybe Garcia is just what the doctor ordered!
Posted by waterbug on October 12, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
GO GAMECOCKS
Posted by swampfoxreb on October 12, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bigriver - please do me a favor and predict I will NOT win the lottery. I'll go buy a ticket right now. (See below for BR's record, just for the last few weeks.)
Hey, want to know why OU lost? BR predicted a win.
Maybe you should learn to keep your mouth shut, that or make every day 3rd grade "opposite day," hoping for, cheering for, predicting the result you don't want.
"Posted on October 10 at 11:27 a.m.
Texas will not SMOKE Oklahoma. We are the number 1 team in the country!! OU 27 TX 14.
Posted on October 3 at 8:44 a.m.
Let the losing begin! LOL.
Ole Miss 37
sc 9
Posted on September 28 at 8:48 a.m.
Enjoy your LAST win this season lamecocks, down hill from here.
Posted on September 27 at 10:09 a.m.
UAB 26
sc 20
Posted on October 7 at 10:05 a.m.
4-8, no bowl AGAIN! sc football = JOKE.
Posted on October 5 at 9:29 a.m.
Ole Miss overlooked SEC weakling and bottom feeder sc, One week after a huge victory over FLA. Looks like my original prediction of 4-8 will be close.
Posted on September 20 at 9:03 a.m.
Sorry to keep all my fans waiting. I am 2 for 2 and here is my prediction.
WOFFORD 13
sc 9"
Dumbass.
Posted by ironhorse on October 12, 2008 at 4:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Big river has been demoted to Little trickle.
Posted by divorced28 on October 12, 2008 at 6:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Big river why don't you just post your stupid comments to an OK paper? YOU could show some education and class!?!
Posted by OldSalt on October 12, 2008 at 6:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SC: I'm kind of like the guy in the old Klondike bar commercial: I'm Grateful for any SC victory. Now if only we could run block. If Garcia becomes our leading rusher he will eventually get hurt and then it's back to having Smelley 'Cocks - and no one wants that.
CU: I lost a lot of respect for TB when he attempted to call his 5th year senior starting QB on his cell phone to tell him he was benched, just wanting to cut the press off at the pass in his teleconference. He should have at least waited until he got back to Clemson to tell him in person. Not cool. Not cool at all.
OU: Another 10 wins. Another BCS bowl. Another year on probation. (Narrowly avoiding having to forfeit their entire 2005 season, Oklahoma still has to give up two scholarships per year until May, 2010.) Anyone interested in the tradition that is Sooner football should read "Down and Dirty: The Life and Crimes of Oklahoma Football," available on Amazon.
Duke: Speaking of being not cool, BR1 is fond of quoting SC's record vs. Duke. What she doesn't know enough to tell you is that Duke was a very successful football program during the 30's, 40's, 50's and early 60's - the Wallace Wade/Rose Bowl and Bill Murray/early ACC years, (during which Clemson was 2-7 against Duke). In it's last ten games, SC is 8-1-1 against Duke.
BTW: If we are cherry picking stats, SC is all-time 2-0 against Ohio State. Oklahoma is 1-1.
Posted by idennis on October 13, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Big River=Big Mouth=Big Loss