The worst 17-point win ever?

Listening to some Gamecock fans following the game, you would think that Carolina lost the game 10-27.  Have we really gotten to the point where USC is favored by 12, wins by 17 and we’re unhappy?  Give me a break.

Granted, even the negative nellies were excited about the offense.  Connor Shaw did what he always does in home games, Dylan Thompson fired up another TD, the offensive line is the best we’ve seen in years, Mike Davis looked awesome and Shaq Roland has everyone smiling. 

Meanwhile, after hearing from Clemson fans and ACC apologists for months that the Tar Heels were the greatest offense on earth (besides Clemson of course) and that when a team ran 80 plays in the August heat our defense would collapse.  Well, the goats got their 80 plays and ran their magical scheme all night.  The result?  10 points and under 300 yards.  Yawn.   Add in that our freshman kicker looks just fine and you have offense, check, defense, check and kicking, check.  

But, because Jadeveon Clowney didn’t have 54 sacks before halftime it wasn’t enough.  That is the bad thing about ESPN’s yearlong media hype of #7 into some kind of monster that eats tanker trucks and uses buildings as toothpicks.  You can’t possibly live up to that kind of billing.  That’s okay with me.  I will take the bar being raised that high on a Gamecock player if it means we get all the free national love.  Clowney will be fine now that he can settle into a normal football role.  

Now we will watch the Athens Alpos and the Pickens Kittens battle it out for the “least hygienic fan base” award on Saturday night before we meet Jawja.  I have the Klimpletons winning pretty easily, but either way we will get a rested and focused bunch of silver britches when we go between the hedges.  Just like the Tiggers have their entire identity and world invested into beating Georgia, Georgia absolutely must win over us for once.  

Even if you do think our win last night wasn’t a work of art, you have to acknowledge that this is Spurrier’s pattern in Columbia.  We have looked less than stellar out of the gate against ECU and Vandy.  Then on cue both of those seasons produced 11 wins.  

Normally I am looked out as a party-pooper when talking about Carolina, but I actually was pleased with what I saw.  Our linebackers have stared down a magical pistol ACC offense and stuffed it.  Our defensive backs were all over the ball making the Heels’ purported Joe Montana settle for dink-and-dunk stuff all night.  

So now Connor Shaw has his chance to lead us to a marquee, signature road win.  Georgia is going to make #14 beat them if we’re going to win.   If he does, the sky is the limit on 2013.  Go get ‘em Connor. 

It’s a great time to be a Gamecock!