What if the Vandy Game turns out GREAT!

[Carolina_Harv]

So got a what if for everyone......There is so much hype around this team this year and for once most of our question marks are not at the QB position which is a huge relief! My question is what if we got into this Vandy game and just man handle them I am talking a 42-10 or 17 rout! We fire on all cylinders Latti finishes with 140+ on the ground on limited touches and sees very little action in the second.....Shaw rushes for a TD and throws for 3 more......And the Defense records 2 or 3 turnovers and around 5 or 6 sacks+ for the game. Basically the whole team just clicks and we score 40+ while holding them under 17 or so points........

What do you think the media reaction will be.....Will they say its just Vandy or will they give us some hype? Will they get back on the Latti train or will they just chalk it up to being Vandy? Do you think if we score more that 50 we will get even more credit or hold them to less than 100yds of total offense we will get huge hype? Just curious on how everyone thinks a scenario like this might go b/c we have always had a shaky first game of the year it seems!

[Cock of Pain]

what "if" vandy handled the cocks? stroked 40 points and embarrassed us on national television. that would be a hell of a lot better story than the cocks beating up on vandy. remember... its just vandy. now go to bed... set your alarm clock for 7:30 pm august 30th.

[Carolina_Harv]

Originally Posted by Cock of Pain

what "if" vandy handled the cocks? stroked 40 points and embarrassed us on national television. that would be a hell of a lot better story than the cocks beating up on vandy. remember... its just vandy. now go to bed... set your alarm clock for 7:30 pm august 30th.

Don't really care about this.....But thanks anyways......The point I am trying to make is how nice would it be to not struggle in the first game of the season in anyway shape or form......The last couple of years against NC State we had issues and then against ECU Shaw came out and looked horrible!

08' We lose to Vandy 24-17
09' One of the most boring frustrating games ever against NC State 7-3
10' One of the exceptions we win 41-17 against Southern Miss still not a staple win
11' 56-37 against ECU....The final score does not show it but this game was a mess! Somehow we won a game we had no business winning after that first half.

It would just be nice to go out get a ROAD SEC Win on opening night and not have any question marks going into week 2. Its unfortunate that this year in our first 5 games the two best teams are Vandy and Mizzou.....Our first real test is Georgia in week 6 so will the talk be wow the Gamecocks are playing on all cylinders, or the Gamecocks have just not played anyone good yet. You can play a crappy team and still play sound football and get credit for it.

[Spurticus]

I already see it being hinted in (at least) the local media that most would
chalk it up to "It's Just Vanderbilt". I was listening to Heath Kline coming
home yesterday, and he had already started talking about some of the
comments that have been made in the Vanderbilt area by coach Franklin
and the Vandy Line coach this past week. They are all saying that the team
(Vandy) has progressed very well in practice this fall, and that they are
ready to play...said they also said they are going to have to play a few
freshmen, but they expect they will do well and the team will be ready.
The Vandy O line is going to have to play a couple of freshmen linemen and
their line coach says he is seeing progress in this guys and they will be god
to go by opening day.

Kline started making remarks like .."come on guys, we know Vandy is a
better team with James Franklin coaching, and that he's recruited well
and he's doing a good job of instilling positive attitudes about the Vandy
program to it's fans and players, but if you are thinking that a group of
young players are facing in practice what they will be facing from the
USC defense, then you're in for a rude awakening .....blah, blah, blah.

I agree with Kline that playing your own guys in practice then expecting
those kinds of results when you are going against Byron Gerideau, Devin
Taylor, Jadeveon Clowney, etc.... is a tall order to ask and still perform
well, but he is failing to see that in the past guys like Eric Norwood,
Jasper Brinkley, Cliffton Geathers, Cliff Matthews etc... have matched up
against young O/Lines like U LaLa, NC St, ECU etc... and have had a hard
time stopping the run, or getting to the QBs.

I'm still saying this is a good indicator of what our team will have this
season, based on how we win the opener this year. We just don't
usually win openers easily, and don't look sharp even in those games
where we pull away late to win the first games by more than two TDs.
Usually we are marred by turnovers, poor execution, Stupid penalties,
blown coverages, and poor clock management by our Offense and coaches.
I still think we will come out on the field against Vanderbilt in two weeks,
and see a much different Gamecock team than we usually see in opening
day games. I think we'll see a much smoother run offense, a much more
aggressive Defense, and better Special teams. I think you'll see much
better execution of plays with less mistakes, and we will put this game
away far sooner than we always seem to do in opening day games, and
win big. That is my feeling and even though I think Vanderbilt is still a
couple of years away from being a finished product up there, I have seen
teams with not nearly as good of a unit surrounding this Vandy team
make the Gamecocks look bad even in the win during our first game of
the year. I think this is going to be a decisive win and set up the team for
a very good run of games going into our hardest part of the schedule
when we roll into Baton Rouge and beyond.

[Carolina_Harv]

Originally Posted by Spurticus

I already see it being hinted in (at least) the local media that most would
chalk it up to "It's Just Vanderbilt". I was listening to Heath Kline coming
home yesterday, and he had already started talking about some of the
comments that have been made in the Vanderbilt area by coach Franklin
and the Vandy Line coach this past week. They are all saying that the team
(Vandy) has progressed very well in practice this fall, and that they are
ready to play...said they also said they are going to have to play a few
freshmen, but they expect they will do well and the team will be ready.
The Vandy O line is going to have to play a couple of freshmen linemen and
their line coach says he is seeing progress in this guys and they will be god
to go by opening day.

Kline started making remarks like .."come on guys, we know Vandy is a
better team with James Franklin coaching, and that he's recruited well
and he's doing a good job of instilling positive attitudes about the Vandy
program to it's fans and players, but if you are thinking that a group of
young players are facing in practice what they will be facing from the
USC defense, then you're in for a rude awakening .....blah, blah, blah.

I agree with Kline that playing your own guys in practice then expecting
those kinds of results when you are going against Byron Gerideau, Devin
Taylor, Jadeveon Clowney, etc.... is a tall order to ask and still perform
well, but he is failing to see that in the past guys like Eric Norwood,
Jasper Brinkley, Cliffton Geathers, Cliff Matthews etc... have matched up
against young O/Lines like U LaLa, NC St, ECU etc... and have had a hard
time stopping the run, or getting to the QBs.

I'm still saying this is a good indicator of what our team will have this
season, based on how we win the opener this year. We just don't
usually win openers easily, and don't look sharp even in those games
where we pull away late to win the first games by more than two TDs.
Usually we are marred by turnovers, poor execution, Stupid penalties,
blown coverages, and poor clock management by our Offense and coaches.
I still think we will come out on the field against Vanderbilt in two weeks,
and see a much different Gamecock team than we usually see in opening
day games. I think we'll see a much smoother run offense, a much more
aggressive Defense, and better Special teams. I think you'll see much
better execution of plays with less mistakes, and we will put this game
away far sooner than we always seem to do in opening day games, and
win big. That is my feeling and even though I think Vanderbilt is still a
couple of years away from being a finished product up there, I have seen
teams with not nearly as good of a unit surrounding this Vandy team
make the Gamecocks look bad even in the win during our first game of
the year. I think this is going to be a decisive win and set up the team for
a very good run of games going into our hardest part of the schedule
when we roll into Baton Rouge and beyond.

Thats what I was looking for Spurt can always count on you for a good write up! I had totally forgot to mention Execution and stupid Penalties! I know that has frustrated Spurrier to no end every year.....I would just like to see us go out there and look smooth!

[LakeMonticelloCock]

We're a top 10 team and Lattimore is only everyone's top 10 Heisman list going into 2012. If we beat Vandy 42-10 then I don't expect anymore hype than we already have b/c we're a top 10 team. If you want National Championship hype then you go into Baton Rouge and beat LSU.

Nothing that happens against Vandy, other than a loss, is really going to change the opinions in the media about us.

[donbgamecock]

I have to agree with Spurt. But the underlying reason for this year being different is because of the QB situation. This time last year, it wasn't Shaw behind center preparing the team for the first game. It was the same guy we had for four years. Now that Shaw is there, flaws in execution are going to be replaced with consistency through discipline and hard work.

The second reason is that we will have depth all around. If someone isn't getting the job done, Vandy can expect someone just as challenging to step in. I think depth is the Vandy achilles. If they are starting freshman O lineman, their second half is going to really suffer. That goes for the other side of the ball too. If they don't have some depth in the D trenches or backfield, they are going to get wore out.

[GH]

We are going to get a big boost.

We are one of the first games of the season by being the thursday game.

We will be playing at 7:00 so viewers will be home to watch.

It will be on ESPN.

We are playing an SEC opponent on the road.

Everyone knows that no matter who you play in the SEC, it will be a tough task to beat them in their house.

We should get the lion's share of highlight replays and mentions on the friday and saturday morning Sportcenter broadcasts IF we put Vandy away.

I think it will be important to win and win convincingly no matter what. Vanderbilt's SEC status may damper some people's excitement in a landslide victory but the Gamecocks actually play a better opponent than most of the SEC contenders on opening week.

Our performance will more likely be judged against how FL, UGA, ALA and LSU look in their opening games (against their inferior oponents) than strictly versus "just" Vandy.

[The Yancey]

No matter how big we may win there will still be threads here bitching about it.

[Carolina_Harv]

Originally Posted by GH

We are going to get a big boost.

We are one of the first games of the season by being the thursday game.

We will be playing at 7:00 so viewers will be home to watch.

It will be on ESPN.

We are playing an SEC opponent on the road.

Everyone knows that no matter who you play in the SEC, it will be a tough task to beat them in their house.

We should get the lion's share of highlight replays and mentions on the friday and saturday morning Sportcenter broadcasts IF we put Vandy away.

I think it will be important to win and win convincingly no matter what. Vanderbilt's SEC status may damper some people's excitement in a landslide victory but the Gamecocks actually play a better opponent than most of the SEC contenders on opening week.

Our performance will more likely be judged against how FL, UGA, ALA and LSU look in their opening games (against their inferior oponents) than strictly versus "just" Vandy.

I am with you on this I just know how our guys have done in the past......Unfort as you mentioned though we are a pre-season top 10 so we are expected to win convincingly......If we don't then I can see a meltdown on Cockytalk and the fanbase as a whole but atleast we have 5 games in the beginning of the year to get our act straight instead of going straight into UGA week 2.......I would just like one year where we come out of the blocks clean and stay that way without questions!

[Carolina_Harv]

Originally Posted by The Yancey

No matter how big we may win there will still be threads here bitching about it.

Never has there been a truer statement wrote!

[GarnetGoggles08]

If we hang 50+ on them and absolutely dominate them then we will receive lots of favorable media attention.

[RockmartCock]

The bar has risen for this team and these guys know it, it in my opinion. I truly believe these guys are hungry for a championship and understand that Vandy is in the way of making this goal a reality. I really could care less about what the media says. They are going to continue to be the same ole same ole. I say after we route Vandy we just set back and let the media amuse us and we just enjoy the ride to ATL!!! Go Cocks!!!!!

[Carolina_Harv]

Originally Posted by RockmartCock

The bar has risen for this team and these guys know it, it in my opinion. I truly believe these guys are hungry for a championship and understand that Vandy is in the way of making this goal a reality. I really could care less about what the media says. They are going to continue to be the same ole same ole. I say after we route Vandy we just set back and let the media amuse us and we just enjoy the ride to ATL!!! Go Cocks!!!!!

Alot of people talk about how hard our schedule sets up after the first 5 games but I think it is the fact that we have 5 games to get the ball rolling that will give us some momentum into those game and be HUGE!

[doc]

One thing for sure, they are too good to expect a 70-33 win.

[Acockolypse Now]

I hope you're right Spurt.

Based on what we've done in the past, and the fact that it's a Thursday night game, on the road, in the SEC, I see us struggling early and pulling out a close one late in the game.

I hope I'm wrong, I want to be wrong, but I can't predict a huge win with so many factors pointing to a closer game.

At any rate, I don't really care too much about how the media spins it. We're starting out the season in the top 10, so we'll get a fair amount of media coverage as long as we stay there.

[MWard]

Beating vandy by 7 pts or by 27 pts matters for only that week. You can't let 1 win define your season and you can't hold onto that 1 in forever. There's another game the next week, and the week after that.... If we blow them out by 30, great, but onto the next one. We just have to win one game at a time.

[Coondog]

I don't see this game as even being close. This team has something to prove and will plat aggressive on both sides of the ball. I'm still not sold on how improved we will be on Special Teams but that won't influence this game one bit.

Although I really feel like we will win this game in a dominent fasion the media will downplay it as it just being Vandy. If we can dominate Mizzou and the rest of the games leading up to Georgia we may hear that Spurrier has a team that resembles his Florida days, but unless we are undefeated going to LSU we will be crowned 2nd or 3rd in the east.

[henmania]

Originally Posted by Coondog

I don't see this game as even being close. This team has something to prove and will plat aggressive on both sides of the ball. I'm still not sold on how improved we will be on Special Teams but that won't influence this game one bit.

Although I really feel like we will win this game in a dominent fasion the media will downplay it as it just being Vandy. If we can dominate Mizzou and the rest of the games leading up to Georgia we may hear that Spurrier has a team that resembles his Florida days, but unless we are undefeated going to LSU we will be crowned 2nd or 3rd in the east.

Assuming we are 5-0 going into the UGa (I do), we should be in the top 5 by then. Beat UGa and we should be in the top 3-4 heading into LSU. then it gets interesting. That UGa and LSU games will be the biggest games we have played since the SEC Championship or the FSU game in 84. I believe if we beat UGa and LSU, we are probably #1. Think about that.

[Coondog]

Originally Posted by henmania

Assuming we are 5-0 going into the UGa (I do), we should be in the top 5 by then. Beat UGa and we should be in the top 3-4 heading into LSU. then it gets interesting. That UGa and LSU games will be the biggest games we have played since the SEC Championship or the FSU game in 84. I believe if we beat UGa and LSU, we are probably #1. Think about that.

I think it will be tough to jump Bama and S. Cal without them loosing just because of there history and the media being so far up there ass. #3 Definitely.