GAMCOCK FOOTBALL - Our Past vs. Our Future

[WayzUp]

Bear with me...this is strictly opinion but it's the way I see it in a "big picture" view since I've been forced to go without a whole lot of details due to my living in Michigan. Having gone to school at USC, lived there, worked Myrtle Beach during summers, etc. before moving away has given me a little insight from both the rabid fan that I was (and still am!) and that of the casual fan who likes the team because a friend likes them. <--that is how it feels when living far away! :o

ESPN and others are right...there is and has been a looming sense of dread that, even when the Cocks are playing well, we anticipate it all falling apart and them losing yet again. It was there before I'd even considered USC as my college destination, it was there when I got there and Sparky "I Can't Get Out Of My Own Way" Woods was coaching and it continued right up until we signed Lou Holtz.

Bringing in Lou Holtz, the turner-around of bad programs and winner of a national championship, gave us the credibility that we never had before. Almost overnight, our recruiting did a complete 180, we weren't losing in-state guys as much and with the exception of his first season when we went winless (might add that we STILL sold out every home game that year), optimism was a defining word in Columbia for USC football. But as good a coach as Holtz was, as much as he helped our recruiting, his personality and the psychological game he played off the field (oh, our team is banged up pretty bad..they're team is AWESOME...i just don't know how we're gonna be able to keep up....they're national championship contenders every year, we're gonna give it our best shot) fed that feeling of "when's the other shoe going to drop?" mentality that's been at USC for as long as I can remember which I admit is not all that long (early '80s?).

I'm from Michigan...I'd seen Holtz play that psychological game before at ND during the year they won the title. Don't give them any reason to play hard, if they read how much better they are than we are, they have no reason to get mad and thus, won't be up for us. A great tool to use if you're coaching Notre Dame and have a winning tradition that knows better. CONT.>>>

[WayzUp]

But while that worked for Notre Dame, it was almost as if our players at USC actually believed what Holtz said and sometimes played a little scared, a little unaggressive both after getting a lead or falling behind early. It almost looked like we were waiting for that one play to break the game open and give us an excuse to give up in the 4th quarter.

NOW HOWEVER, the attitude has all changed. Steve Spurrier has brought with him the same track record Holtz did, maybe even more impressive of one. But instead of the praise them, don't give them bulletin board material psych games, the 'Ol Ball Coach just smiles that smile that has every other coach in the SEC a little nervous. They know he's going to come out firing. You know they all raised their eyebrows and let out a long exhale when they saw Spurrier's 71 day recruiting haul. Spurrier hasn't said a whole lot yet...he hasn't really seen his team on the field so that will come.

But the point is this. For granting us instant credibility and building the foundation of talent through several SOLID recruiting classes, we will forever and always be in the debt of Coach Lou Holtz (retired or no, he'll always be Coach Holtz to me). But in hindsight, maybe his methods and USC's track record for expecting to lose weren't made for one another.

Spurrier, on the other hand, has that foundation in place but his so-far quiet confidence and the class he's brought in with just over 2 months to work with has taken that shroud of failure off a lot of peoples' shoulders. We EXPECT to win now, we don't just hope we do. That, to me, is the biggest difference looking at it from far away.

Three yards and a cloud of dust versus Speed Kills Aeriel Assault. "Gosh they're a good team...' versus "Gosh, we're a good team." A loved football coach by most other schools versus one that is feared and hated. A young team with potential versus a team that has reached its potential. You choose. :D

Thank you Coach Holtz, for all you've done for the University of South Carolina. And thank you, Coach Spurrier for coming here and making everyone stop and say "Why not us?" and actually believe it. GO COCKS!!

[uscballer101]

I have been a cock my whole life...only 19 years...but my whole life...And I remember going into every season thinking "We are gonna do good this year, This is OUR year"...But every year something happens to prohibit us from being great...Coach Holtz made teams think twice before putting a W by us....I will always thank Lou for that, but now teams will be thinking "how much are we gonna lose by" (hopefully)....But yeah, THANK YOU LOU!!!!Go Cocks....

[Neo]

Very good write up WayzUp. :)

The culture change at USC starts with the fans.