Mettenberger says Clowney threatened him before game
It appears South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier’s gift of gab is rubbing off on his players — perhaps in a way that even Spurrier wouldn’t endorse.
According to news accounts, Gamecock defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and another player threatened LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger before Saturday night’s game in Baton Rouge.
From the Shreveport News:
“We’re coming for you, 8,” a South Carolina player told Mettenberger, who wears No. 8.
“You’re not going to make it through the game,” South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said.
“The little guy didn’t have his jersey on, but he was a player – probably a defensive back,” Mettenberger said.
The incident provided added incentive for LSU’s offensive line, which held the Gamecocks to one sack and Clowney, the SEC leader, to none.
“The player was Clowney and a defensive back. They were right out here when I went out to do warm-ups,” Mettenberger said while in the LSU locker room, just a few feet from the field. “They definitely had a few choice words to say to me, but I’m guessing they’re looking dumb right now with the loss on their record. Obviously, it didn’t work out for them too well.
“I was protected very well for most of the night,” Mettenberger said. “We had a great game plan. They wanted me to get the ball quick out of my hands because they had a great defensive line.”
LSU’s left tackle, Josh Dworaczyk, told the News that Clowney’s threat motivated him to play even harder:
“Well, before the game, I don’t know if you heard this or not, but one of the guys from their team went up to Zach and told him that he was going to make sure that he didn’t finish the game,” said Dworaczyk. “And to me, that’s emotional. The coaches heard. Some players heard it,” Dworaczyk said. “I don’t know who it was, but it was a defensive guy. And so when that comes into this locker room …”
“I’m getting fired up just thinking about it now because Zach’s one of my best friends,” he said. “And when you hear that, it elevates your game that much more. It’s always your job to keep a quarterback clean, but when the threat comes out there, you step up and protect your quarterback with everything that you got. And I think our offensive line, backs and tight ends did a great job the entire night of doing that. And Zach was able to back cleanly and throw passes, and we’re a deadly offense when we can do that.”
If Clowney’s intent was to intimidate LSU, it didn’t work. The Tigers handed the Gamecocks their first defeat, 23-21, and were ranked no. 6 in the first BCS rankings released Sunday. South Carolina is no. 7.
As for Spurrier’s game week wisecracks about the two Death Valley’s, he got that thrown back in his face, even though the joke was aimed at Clemson.
“That was Death Valley,” LSU coach Les Miles said after the game. “That was the place where opponents’ dreams come to die — and it was spectacular.”
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173 comments Add your comment
5150 UOAD`
October 15th, 2012
3:06 pm
Dawglasville…..I just can’t BELIEVE I heard a College kid CRYING about trash talk. God knows he has said some stuff to the other teams players since lil league.
LawDawg
October 15th, 2012
3:14 pm
Talking ish before a game? Who cares? I guess that sense of fear you feel, Mr. Softee Mettenberger is similar to how girls in bars feel around you.
BILLY JACK
October 15th, 2012
3:24 pm
IF CLOWNEY TELLS FLORIDAS QB HE IS GONNA KILL HIM-FLORIDA MAY BLOW SC OFF THE FIELD-KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT UNTIL AFTER THE GAME.
5150 UOAD`
October 15th, 2012
3:28 pm
Clowney didn’t realize UGa SUCKS so he thought it would work against LSU too.
WTF
October 15th, 2012
4:18 pm
5150 UOAD you would know best about sucking.
CLEMSONDUDE
October 15th, 2012
4:40 pm
USuCk is full of thugs. Look at their LONG history on players arrests. Not suprise at all by Clowney threats.
jarvis
October 15th, 2012
4:42 pm
Zach Mettenberger knows assault when he sees it.
CC
October 15th, 2012
4:45 pm
Clowney is a thug.
Dirty Dawg
October 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
Don’t know why my original post didn’t get posted – must have said something that might have offended somebody, say the zmett guy – but I can’t allow his post at 10:15 am to go un-responded to. Young Mr Mettenberger was no saint – ever – and the young lady was a coed at Valdosta State who was working to help pay for her education and was ‘on duty’ that night so hardly ’so drunk she was rubbing her boobs and ass on him’. This is as big a lie as what he told his coaches and teammates when he got back to Athens…lies that got his butt kicked out.
Robert
October 15th, 2012
4:51 pm
Mettenberger should quit his whining, this is SEC Football. Trash talk is to be expected. A Defensive Player should go after the Quarterback, that’s what creates mis-plays. This is what happened to Murray, USC Defense was all over him and it showed in the final score…
Mark (another one)
October 15th, 2012
4:55 pm
Richt used to be pretty simple. Do the crime, confess, do your punishment and keep your scholarship. Mettenberger came back, talked to Richt and a few days later he was kicked off the team. No one associated with UGA stated why but the general belief was that it must have been lying to Richt about what happened. Don’t forget that Mettenberger’s Mom works in the UGA Athletics Office. Mettenberger may have not wanted to come clean. No one talking knows, but the general belief was he lied to Richt and was caught when the police report came in. Gone.
ACT
October 15th, 2012
4:56 pm
1. Clowney’s Twitter account that y’all speak of is fake. Spurrier banned all players from using Twitter a couple of years ago.
2. You want to talk cheap shots, LSU’s thug fullback CJ Copeland blindsided USC’s defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles on the 1st quarter interception return 40 yards from the play. LSU had at least 3 personal foul penalties. USC had none.
3. I’m surprised to hear that LSU is so sensitive to pre-game trash talk
4. I was at the game and was pleasantly surprised by the hospitality by the LSU fans. Other than the score, it was a very pleasant experience. But I hate Les Miles.
BARRY GOSS
October 15th, 2012
4:57 pm
I HATE SOUTH CAROLINA BUT TALKING SMACK IS JUST PART OF THE QUIT CRYING
joet
October 15th, 2012
4:58 pm
WTF, I’m not a SC fan. Elite may have been too strong. However, I would say they are the most dominant team in the East.
Xavier
October 15th, 2012
5:02 pm
@ Terry: And yet — they still only lost by 2 points.
And sorry, Puppy fans. If Florida beats SC, then I’m pretty sure they’ll hand UGA its @$$, too.
Why
October 15th, 2012
5:03 pm
Only pansies whine about people trash talking. It’s part of the game win or lose. Deal with it or go take up home economics.
Ol Ball Coach
October 15th, 2012
5:03 pm
I always like playing georgie in the first game of the season cuz you can always count on a couple of them guys being on suspension.
Why
October 15th, 2012
5:05 pm
And please stop calling players “thugs” when you probably have no idea what a real thug is or is about. Trust me, they do not attend college.
GaDawgfan
October 15th, 2012
5:12 pm
I will admit that not only does Spurrier have UGA’s number, he has it on speed-dial. However, his UF teams had good players with class. Now at SC, Spurrier has classless thugs that will NEVER will an SEC championship much less a National Championship. As Ron White said “there is a lot of quit in those boys” when the game got tough.
checkcall
October 15th, 2012
5:13 pm
Any defensive player that dominates UGA is a “thug.”
locdog59
October 15th, 2012
5:23 pm
So again LSU players find something to whine about after a game and they actually won this one. Last week it was the heat in Gainesville (imagine that, heat in Florida) now it is the opposing team talking trash. Shut up and play! You have a great team, what are you whining about?
drew
October 15th, 2012
5:24 pm
Seriously??? This is news??? God what is the world coming too….
sportzfan
October 15th, 2012
5:27 pm
I didn’t know players quit trash talking before or during games! Zachie must have run in and told coach Leslie someone is ’bout to get me. And speaking of “Thugs”….there are more posting here than there is on the Carolina football team. Get over it dawg fans, it’s now three in a row from a team that you don’t consider as good as you, and you better hope it’s not four in a row next year.
wtf
October 15th, 2012
5:35 pm
Mettenberger and truth…..hmmmm
BehindEnemyLines
October 15th, 2012
5:40 pm
Mettenberger being such a solid citizen & all, can’t imagine he’d embellish or anything. {rolls eyes}
wtf
October 15th, 2012
5:41 pm
GaDawgfan
October 15th, 2012
5:12 pm
“..Now at SC, Spurrier has classless thugs that will NEVER will an SEC championship much less a National Championship…”
LMAO!! Pot, meet kettle.
NotadawgfanSC
October 15th, 2012
5:43 pm
It is funny to see exactly how stupid all of you GA fans are! You get your butts handed to you on a platter and still talk trash, cry and whine. Spurrier does not allow twitter, he does not have an account, I am sure he talked trash before the game but it was just that “trash” talkintg. It is done before and during everygame. If anyone of you had gone past HS football or your fantasy league, you would know that. GA fans, SC ownes you know, dont be hatters, SAc will beat FL next week and run the table. But what else is expected out of a Dumb redneck GA fan! You trash your own players homes, CLASSY
Al
October 15th, 2012
6:09 pm
If a player said that to a Ga. Tech player he would start crying.
@5150
you are so stupid it’s sad.
pb
October 15th, 2012
6:10 pm
Headline “Threatened him” is false and misleading. Players talk this kind of garbage all the time. Nothing new. Boys will be boys. Unless Mettenberger thought his life WAS IN DANGER, he should have just kept it to himself. And his team won the game anyway, so what’s he bitching about ? Really stupid.
TigerV
October 15th, 2012
6:13 pm
Death Valley–where opponents’ dreams come to die.
Beast from the East
October 15th, 2012
6:21 pm
Well, at least he didn’t try and grope him.
gt4ever
October 15th, 2012
6:23 pm
This article doesn’t even deserve the digital space it takes up… Good grief what a JOKE of an article.. Only the AJC could write something this ABSURD!
cewbee
October 15th, 2012
6:24 pm
There is a toll-free number for these kind of complaints: 1-800-555-WAAH
Fan
October 15th, 2012
6:34 pm
Is anyone surprised by Spurrier’s players action? Please. Once a thug always a thug
Fan
October 15th, 2012
6:37 pm
@NotadwagfanSC – Every team has fans who act dumb. But to think S. Carolina will go to the Swamp and win this time? Please! I’ve got some land to sell you in the Everglades.
Reggie's Balls
October 15th, 2012
6:40 pm
Whys is this a story????? A football player trash talked another football player, wow!!! This is what we get from the AJC?? No wonder you can’t sell any papers.
Funster
October 15th, 2012
6:44 pm
As long as nobody was shot or raped it’s OK. SEC foolsball at its finest.
pb
October 15th, 2012
6:45 pm
Hey NotadawgfanSC,
This story has nothing to do with UGA or its fans.(except that Metenberger used to be a Bulldog, until he groped a girl (more like mauled) in a bar). So move along please.
dawg4life
October 15th, 2012
6:45 pm
Man… You can tell it was a bye week….
dawg4life
October 15th, 2012
6:48 pm
NotadawgfanSC- Rumor has it, some SC fans were looking for the players’ house to trash saturday, but found they were all living in some hotel??? Know anything about that????
MT
October 15th, 2012
6:50 pm
Whats Georgia got to do with this story? Sounds like its between LSU and SC.
I don’t see were GA is whining about anything.
The Truth
October 15th, 2012
7:06 pm
Waaaaaaaaaah! Grow a pair, you pansy! It’s football – not cheerleading…
ZinoDawg
October 15th, 2012
7:10 pm
Seems like most of you guys are too young to have had college age KIDS. Let me give you a little life lesson to get you prepared. Now I have no experience with girls as both my kids are boys, but since we’re talking college football players that certainly applies.
College dudes frequently do the following:
-trash talk
-crash scooters
-smoke pot
-hang out at bars and parties till 4 or 5
-sell jerseys and championship rings on eBay
-get in bar fights
-steal from unlocked dorm rooms
-drink in excess
-eat pot brownies
-drive with suspended licenses
-drive while drunk or impaired
-make bad grades or fail to go to class
-throw beer bottes or other objects off high places
Etc., etc., etc.
Doesn’t matter if its Tuscaloosa, Athens, Gainesville, or Columbia.
So let’s remember all of the stupid things we did when we were 18-22 and cut the KIDS some slack.
5150 UOAD`
October 15th, 2012
7:19 pm
MT
October 15th, 2012
6:50 pm
Whats Georgia got to do with this story? Sounds like its between LSU and SC.
I don’t see were GA is whining about anything.
===============================
It about a UGa born and bred dWag. UGa players talk SMACK ie. the VANDY game in 2011 for just an example. So now a UGa Fan now Player with LSU is a woosie and could very well be on your team it is FUNNY.
Jay Dubu
October 15th, 2012
7:20 pm
It’s football….they are supposed to come after the player with the ball. And almost every play at some point, i8t’s the QB!
This is not news, but filler for the site.
GB's Hamburgers
October 15th, 2012
7:23 pm
Spurrier usually tells the truth whether you like it or not. His statements about UGA’a inability to maximize their great talent is an example. But I’m sure he had rather everyone had been quiet before this game now that it’s clear that it did fire up LSU.
dandydawg
October 15th, 2012
7:28 pm
So what, it’s a part of the game… LSU won the game, but, I do believe Clowney got at least one sack… But y’all better watch out… why… well, Santa Claus is coming to town.. and he wears Red and Black!!!! LOL!!!!
Mad Dog One
October 15th, 2012
7:30 pm
What do you expect he plays for the digest mouth and cry baby in the SEC. If you watch visor boy during the game it is funny how a 70 year old man can act like a 2 year old.
Garnet & Black
October 15th, 2012
7:31 pm
That is really strange that this talk was before this game when he hasn’t done it all year! I got news for you one poster says he talks trash on twitter. Wrong. Spurrier won’t let them us twitter during the year, that was some guy from Georgia trying to stir things up, which is what Meckie did. Congratulations to them they won the game and outplayed us and I would like to see a rematch. Meck better remember that they still have to play Bama.
The Old Dog
October 15th, 2012
7:41 pm
Ah, South Carolina.
Do they still fly the Stars and Bars over the State Capitol in Columbia?