They did it: South Carolina goes to their first ever SEC Championship game behind the legs of freshman running back Marcus Lattimore, 36-14

Steve Spurrier is on his way to the SEC Championship game

It wasn’t exciting but no one expected it; no one thought the inconsistent and often manic Gamecocks could knock off the Florida Gators in the swamp but they did. Steve Spurrier got his signature win as head coach --going to their first ever SEC title game and downing the Gators at home (for the first time)--which they never done.

South Carolina was intent on running the ball down Florida’s throat, and they did so with freshman running back Marcus Lattimore, a home-grown talent, to the tune of 40 carries, 212 yards with 3 TDs. Mistake-free football was on the agenda last Saturday night in the Swamp.

QB Stephen Garcia was a modest, albeit unimpressive 15-26, 156 yards, O TDS, O INTs.  All the staff has asked of Garcia is that he does not turn the ball over and that is what he did; his partner in crime, wideout Alshon Jeffrey had no TDs on the night and only had 53 yards receiving, something you would not expect from the best wide receiver in the SEC or the nation, for that matter.

Spurrier could not ask for a better performance from the offense and defense, and especially from Lattimore that has exceeded expectations since his first snap. Who would have thought that Spurrier would have a freshman standout at running back?!  He is known for having and grooming superb quarterbacks, but Lattimore has fallen into his lap and he is willing to ride this kid to a victory in the SEC Championship game.

But I’m here to caution that they cannot beat Auburn in the title game with just running the ball and not passing for more than Garcia did. It will not happen. The Tigers will put up a bunch of points on the scoreboard and will continue until the final whistle. We all know that special player, Cam Newton; he is on a tear this season and he has one victory over South Carolina and he is looking for another one that will bring his team closer to Glendale.

Will Marcus Lattimore be healthy when they face Auburn?

It’s scary to think that Lattimore had 40 carries in the last game. This kid has been nicked up and I can already tell that he will continue to play his career at not a hundred percent. He runs hard and he is a north-south runner and that is fine. However, his style of running and the number of carries will cause him to wear down when they need him. Watching him in high school, ball security was a problem whenever he was over-utilized in a game and so far it has not been an issue, but it might if they continue to run him into the ground.

The Gamecocks have two more games left, Troy at home and @Clemson (their rival). It will be interesting to see how Lattimore is used in those games. You do not want him limping into the SEC title game because that will be a big problem. For South Carolina to flourish they need to open up all facets of their offense, this will make this team unstoppable like they were against then No. 1 Alabama.

Going forward to next season, it will be trying times (for South Carolina) where the departure of Garcia, at quarterback, and the insertion of Connor Shaw, will challenge the staff to not overuse Lattimore with a young quarterback. They will need to find ways to keep him fresh since they will have to rely heavily on the run game with a green quarterback behind center. I’m curious to see if Lattimore will be healthy come his junior year and if the wheels will fall off this wagon.

For now the future is bright for Spurrier and he has a huge game with Clemson and the title game to prepare for. He wanted to play close to the vest against Florida (and it worked) but how will this offense look against Clemson and Auburn? Will being conservative get this program a much needed win over Clemson and a much bigger win against Auburn?

My Two Cents-Who will come out of the SEC East?

The SEC East is the weakest division of the Southeastern conference; it actually looks like the ACC where you have all these teams neck and neck because there is no consistency from week to week.

Lowly Tennessee continues to sink to the bottom as they are the only team in the conference without a conference win; Florida continues to implode week after week, and there looks like there is no solution to this downward spiral; Kentucky’s signature win over South Carolina was a huge one for the university but that was their only conference win; Vanderbilt also has one win in conference play and their problems continue; Georgia has turned around a dismal start to reach the .500 mark and they have a big game against Florida this Saturday; however, South Carolina looks like the team that will win this division and get a chance to play in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 4^th.

The Gamecocks must seize this moment and continue to win from here on out and not stub their toe like they did two weeks ago against Kentucky, after beating No. 1 Alabama the previous week. Steve Spurrier must be rooting for Georgia to down the Gators, this Saturday, and hope his team will beat Florida come Nov. 13^th in the Swamp, to undoubtedly make them winners of the East division, going into the championship game.

Florida could make a splash with a win at Georgia and a win at South Carolina to take the East Division but with how hot Georgia is playing now (the offense is clicking) and South Carolina possessing the experienced Stephen Garcia and Alshon Jeffrey, I just do not see it. Anything is possible. When you put too much faith in South Carolina, they will let you down as we have seen in Spurrier’s tenure in Columbia, SC.

I do strongly believe that Urban Meyer will have a signature win this season and maybe it will be against Georgia but this team will not get further than that, though. However, if they lose to the Bulldogs, it will be an unprecedented four losses in the row for Meyer at the university. It’s funny how the Gators and Texas Longhorns seem to be channeling each other. So don’t be surprised if they beat Georgia and then lose the following week to Vanderbilt. You remember when the Longhorns shocked Nebraska (@home) and then lost last week to Iowa State, don’t be surprised if Florida follows in their footsteps.

The Gamecocks’ defense needs to play better in the second half of games and not let teams get back into games; and Garcia needs to protect the ball and not turn it over. South Carolina blows your doors off in the first half of games and then puts it into cruise control. Also will Marcus Lattimore be healthy for the remaining games on their schedule. He got dinged up in the Kentucky loss and is questionable at this moment; it’s important to have this element of the running game to be well-rounded as a team. You don’t want Garcia to feel like he needs to put the whole team on his shoulders.

Everything sets up well for the Gamecocks: win your remaining games and play for the SEC title. It’s best to help yourself first than having to rely on other teams to help you out. If Spurrier does not get to the title game, I do not know when they will be closer than they are now, especially with the athleticism and playmakers on offense and defense.