The post-big game letdown is a South Carolina football myth
While some fans wearing garnet and black are confident after two blowout SEC wins in a row (a 35-9 annihilation of Oklahoma in Norman and a 44-20 home demolition of the then-No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies), grumblings about “the Gamecock letdown” have been commonplace amongst the South Carolina football fanbase this week.
That shouldn’t be the case.
Since Steve Spurrier became the head coach in Columbia in 2005, South Carolina football fans have witnessed their favorite team knock off a ranked opponent 26 times. For some reason, there is a narrative that exists among fans that the Gamecocks immediately follow big wins with ugly losses. To be frank, that’s not true.
In fact, in 20 football seasons since ’05, only five times has South Carolina followed up a ranked win with a loss the next week. Two came during the Will Muschamp era. Three happened under Spurrier’s leadership (the last occurring in 2012). It has never happened with Shane Beamer at the helm. Yet, the narrative persists.
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Perhaps it is because two very famous “letdowns” happened during that time.
The 2010 victory over No. 1 Alabama came just one week before a loss on the road to unranked Kentucky. However, that loss came only after a Marcus Lattimore injury caused an offensive collapse. The Gamecocks still won the SEC East that season.
Two years later in 2012, an undefeated South Carolina squad traveled to Baton Rouge to face the 9th-ranked LSU Tigers at night in Death Valley. Considering the fact that LSU is 110-15 in night home games since 2000, that loss can be forgiven, too.
Even with those prominent “letdowns” (a loose use of the term), fans shouldn’t believe that a loss is inevitable on Saturday. If the Gamecocks lose, it’s because they’re playing a good Vanderbilt team on the road.
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However, South Carolina football fans shouldn’t expect a loss. Instead, they should prepare to see a good performance from Shane Beamer’s team as they lock horns with the 24th-ranked Commodores.
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Back in 2022, the Gamecocks backed up their win over No. 13 Kentucky with another big win over Texas A&M in the next game. Later that year, more famously, South Carolina beat 5th-ranked Tennessee and 7th-ranked Clemson in back-to-back contests.
Beamer’s November record with the Gamecocks also is 9-4, including a 3-0 record against ranked opponents. Carolina has allowed over 30 points just twice in those games. In contrast, the Gamecock offense has scored over 30 points seven times in those contests. Six of the nine victories have come with double-digit point margins. The ‘Cocks also are 7-2 (including winning four in a row) in November SEC games since 2021.
As a whole, USC has won 15 games in a row against the ‘Dores. In three Beamer-led games against Vandy, the Gamecocks have outscored the black and gold 106-53.
So, chill out, South Carolina fans. Saturday will be a tough test, but the test is one that your favorite team is prepared to take.
Carolina will look to continue proving the myth wrong Saturday afternoon as the Gamecocks and Commodores kick at 4:15 p.m. The game will be on SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app.
