South Carolina had the honors of getting college football's fourth week off in high fashion, toppling preseason darling Mississippi 16-10 Thursday. Coming on the heels of Miami topping Georgia Tech last week, Thursday is fast becoming college football's version of Halloween, where underdogs dress up like contenders and make weird and wild things happen. The win didn't come easy for South Carolina, however. Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier was the picture of agonized helplessness in the game's final period, alternating between shrugs, uncomfortable grins and palms-to-the-face while nursing a 16-3 lead. Relief finally came after his defense repelled Ole Miss' final charge at the Gamecocks' 41 yard line.
(Not to brag, but we told you so. Sort of. Ole Miss was ripe for an upset, with our only error being the assumption that they'd get through a few more weeks of play before reality set in. Apologies for that.)
Thursday's tumble falls very much at the feet of much-hyped quarterback Jevan Snead, whose Heisman Trophy chances are shot after this performance. Snead completed just 7 of 21 passes for 107 yards. He looked lost and nearly threw a handful of interceptions in a fashion eerily similar to USC's Aaron Corp against Washington last Saturday.
Snead spent the better part of the night simply surveying rather than executing, finding little and accomplishing less. He was rarely hurried, apparently finding time to sink the offense rather than make plays with his arm. Only the efforts of running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster rescued the Rebels' offense from a potential shutout. McCluster rushed for 85 yards on 15 carries, perking up the slumping offense several times in the fourth quarter to little avail.
How one should interpret Ole Miss after this depends on what one thought of them before the season. The more skeptical among us received some confirmation, while those grooming Colonel Rebs' spectacular moustache must be confused. The reality is they weren't what popular perception said they were. The defense might have lived up to its reputation so far -- even with a hobbled Greg Hardy -- but the offense is flawed.Snead's arm and pocket mobility is tremendous, but his receivers are undistinguished. Meanwhile, there's no bell cow in the backfield, forcing an over-reliance on the explosive but small McCluster, who is a superstar as a complementary player but merely above average as the centerpiece.
The signs were there last season, as the Rebels were mostly dominated in their stunning upset over Florida, with 86 of their 325 yards coming on a single broken-play touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Snead was just 9 of 20 that afternoon, as the Rebels pounced on three Gator turnovers.
From there they clearly took off, but a hot team one season can't necessarily expect a carryover into the next. And so it is with the boys from Oxford, who lost to a team that was thought to be inferior. But the Rebels wound up showing they aren't necessarily all that superior themselves.
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Mississippi coach Houston Nutt leaves the field No. 4 Mississippi's 16-10 loss to South Carolina in an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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South Carolina's Moe Brown (9) celebrates with fans after South Carolina's 16-10 win over No. 4 Mississippi in an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Jevan Snead #4 of the Ole Miss Rebels walks off the field against the South Carolina Gamecocks during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jevan Snead
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Fans of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate after a 16-10 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels after their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Stephen Garcia #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with teammate Darian Stewart #24 after a 16-10 vicotry over the Ole Miss Rebels during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Garcia;Darian Stewart
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Stephen Garcia #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with fans after a 16-10 vicotry over the Ole Miss Rebels after their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Garcia
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Stephen Garcia #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with fans after a 16-10 vicotry over the Ole Miss Rebels after their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Garcia
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Moe Brown #9 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with fans after a 16-10 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels after their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Moe Brown
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Chris Culliver #17 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with fans after a 16-10 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels after their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Culliver
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Mississippi's Brandon Bolden (34) runs for an apparent touchdown, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
When the first poll came out and they were top ten..i said overrated....tonight proved it...they sucked and jevan romo i mean snead is no top flight qb..7-21..bleck....8-4 maybe 9-3 but not top ten
C'mon now its SEC football!!!! LOL
Doesn't even get put on the big blogs with pictures when the SEC ranked team loses... Let USC or Ohio State lose and it is five articles on the the big page with pictures... but let #4 Ole Miss lose and it is some small print link....
C'mon AOL you can do better than this.
By the way, Tebow only had 8 more yards passing than Snead... why is he still in the HEISMAN talk?
This is Houston Nutt at work. Accomplishing more than expected when little is expected (last year). And falling short when expectations are high (this year and many years at U.Ark). He is a great motivator but not an Elite coach.
this team was overrated from the start come on, like people really saw this as a surprise.
I have been watching football for 40 years, Nutt's coaching was by far the worst I have ever seen. Unbelievable stupid calls!!
Proves that defense wins. SC couldn't do anything in the fourth quarter, yet their defense prevented Ole Miss from stealing the game. Ole Miss is vastly overrated and SC needs a more potent offense. Garcia is erratic.
If carolina receivers made the catches that hit them in the hands this game would have been very lopsided.