The Verdict: This is the team we have waited for

South Carolina football superfan Chris Paschal writes a weekly column during the season for GamecockCentral called “The Verdict.” Chris is a lawyer at Goings Law Firm in Columbia.

In 2010, the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide came to Columbia. Nick Saban had already appeared in two SEC Title games in Atlanta and won a National Title. The Tide was rolling with players like Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, and Mark Ingram, to just name a few of about a million All-SEC and future NFL performers on that roster. Carolina after years of highs and lows was trying to establish itself as a worthy member of the Southeastern Conference. 

On Alabama’s opening offensive drive, on a third and short, Crimson Tide tight end Preston Dial caught the ball on a little underneath route a foot shy of the first round. As he caught the ball and turned up field, freshman safety DJ Swearinger, roughly fifty pounds less than Dial, flew towards the ball and wrestled Dial to the ground shy of the first down marker.

That moment, to me, was one of the first moments a Gamecock fan could point to and ask, “are we good?” That moment was one of many from 2010 through 2013 where Gamecock players were faster, stronger, and meaner than most opponents. And then in 2014, it was gone. There were moments, of course. That 2014 team beat Georgia in an all-time classic. The 2017 team benefitted from a weaker-than-usual schedule and finished second in the SEC East. The 2022 team wrapped up the season with wins over highly-ranked foes Tennessee and Clemson.

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But in all of those games and in all of those seasons, Carolina won because of either the opponent overlooking the Gamecocks, or the offense playing out of their mind, or the ball bouncing Carolina’s way. They weren’t fluke wins. Carolina beat the hell out of Tennessee two years ago off a career performance by Spencer Rattler. The 2017 Gamecocks led the SEC in turnovers forced (if my memory serves me right). Those teams earned those victories. But it never felt like we had a team that could go out there and week after week physically dominate the opponent like we could from 2010-2013. 

We have been waiting for this type of team for over a decade. But make no mistake, that type of team is back in Columbia. Pro Football Focus released their top defenses in the nation this week. Carolina was ranked second nationally. Second. This defense has speed and a killer mindset. Debo Williams said as much this week in his press conference. This defense could keep Carolina in any game against any opponent. Carolina could go to Oregon, or go to Ohio State, or go into Athens and none of those teams could walk into that game assuming they would beat the Gamecocks. 

But this past weekend we saw an offense that was sick and tired of getting pushed around. Against the SEC’s best statistical rush defense, Carolina exploded for almost 300 yards rushing this past Saturday. Rocket and Adaway refused to be tackled. Heck, even on a play with 11:40 left in the second quarter that ended in a loss, Adaway literally shrugged off a Texas A&M defensive tackle like he was a blanket. And how about Josh Simon breaking two tackles on the way to the endzone to effectively ice the game? Time after time, Aggie defenders failed to match the strength and physicality of Carolina skill position players. 

Then there was the play of quarterback LaNorris Sellers. I wrote the week before the Old Dominion game that it would be unwise and unfair for fans to assume Sellers would be a world-beater. He was going to make mistakes. He was at times going to look like a first-year starter. But he was also going to show why so many South Carolinians wanted him to be a Gamecock while he was a senior at South Florence High School. Last Saturday, Sellers became one of five quarterbacks in the last decade to lead an offense against A&M to over 500 yards of offense. The other four were Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Bryce Young. 

Sellers eluded defenders as if he was covered in bacon grease with A&M unable to wrestle Sellers to the ground for a single sack. He also ran the football hard, hitting holes and getting up field with a sense of urgency. Simply put, the A&M victory featured Sellers’ most impressive performance. 

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Quickly, but perhaps most importantly, I will touch on the blocking. First, this offensive line played to a level that I knew they were capable of and for some reason suspected they would show this Saturday.

In last week’s Verdict, I mentioned that sometimes it takes a tremendous challenge and a tremendous opportunity for a group of guys to put it all together. It required this talented, underperforming offensive line’s best if Carolina was going to win, and that’s exactly what they did.

While all of them deserve individual recognition, I will highlight two: Torricelli Simpkins and Josiah Thompson. Simpkins played mean (as he has all season) and really asserted his will against some future NFL All-Pro defensive tackles. Thompson – reminder, y’all, he is a true freshman – looked impressive in space and looked like one of the better athletes on the field, regardless of position. 

So naturally, a team with a close loss to Alabama is ranked. Naturally, a team with a stolen win against LSU is ranked. Naturally, a team with a 24-point win over the No. 1 ranked team in the SEC standings is ranked. Naturally, a team with two double-digit SEC road wins is ranked. Naturally, this 2024 team is ranked and recognized as one of the nation’s 25 best, right? 

Of course, that is not the case. Carolina was not recognized in the Coach’s Poll, in the AP Poll, or by the College Football Playoff Committee.

This team that we have waited so long for to come back to Columbia is still deemed a nice little story that doesn’t deserve much adoration or acknowledgment at all.

The sport’s coaches, media, and administrators basically just patted Shane Beamer and our team on the head and said, “mind your place.” They don’t care this team is one of the best teams in the country because this team was projected to only win a couple of games.

This team isn’t supposed to be beating A&M by almost four scores. This team isn’t supposed to be nationally ranked, so jealous coaches, lazy and uninformed journalists, and cowardly members of the playoff committee just decided not to rank these Gamecocks. 

That ticks me off. Does it tick off an already mean and hungry Gamecock football team? We’ll see this Saturday in Nashville. 

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