Reporting from Auburn, this guy here likes South Carolina
RoboCoach Gene Chizik dazzles the assembled media with bon mots. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Auburn, Ala. — I’m sitting here listening to Gene Chizik. And if you’ve ever wondered how RoboCoach would sound, listen to Gene Chizik. But I digress.
I’m sitting here listening to Gene Chizik, and I’m thinking, “I really like South Carolina’s chances Saturday.”
Not because of Gene Chizik. He’s obviously a good coach. But the guy who’ll be on the other sideline in the Georgia Dome is pretty good, too, and Evil Genius is bringing a pretty good team with him. And it’s a pretty good team that won’t be shocked by anything Cam Newton does, given that it was South Carolina against which the Camster had his night of arrival.
Auburn has had a great season — doesn’t get any greater than going undefeated in the SEC, does it? — but I still wonder about its defense. I especially wonder about Ted Roof, the Georgia Tech grad whose uncoordination of George O’Leary’s defense doomed the Jackets to being one of those good-hit-no-field teams a decade ago. Even the RoboCoach described the Tigers’ defensive effort in falling 24 points behind Alabama last week as “not acceptable.”
South Carolina has the better defense and the better coordinator (Ellis Johnson, who’s as solid as Stone Mountain). South Carolina also has a running back — Marcus Lattimore, the freshman who chose the Gamecocks over Auburn — capable of defusing Cam Newton by keeping the nation’s best player on the bench. As RoboCoach noted, South Carolina leads the SEC in time of possession.
I don’t doubt that a team coached by Steve Spurrier and staffed by Lattimore and the great receiver Alshon Jeffrey can contrive to put up four touchdowns on a neutral field against the men of Roof. (The Georgia Bulldogs had four in Jordan-Hare Stadium, lest we forget.) I realize Auburn is the world’s best team at playing from behind, but after a season of so many peaks and so many comebacks, the most recent being the epic rally in Tuscaloosa, how much the Tigers have left — cliche alert! – in the tank.
Cam Newton is the nation’s best player. Nick Fairley is the nation’s best defender. (Sorry, Georgia fans.) Auburn has been at worst the nation’s second-best team — Oregon has been pretty darn good itself — over the course of the three-month regular season. But for this one game under the off-white roof, I like South Carolina. I like it so much I’ll give you the score:
Gamecocks 33, Tigers 31.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
299 comments Add your comment
Bobby Lowder
November 30th, 2010
10:13 pm
Has anyone seen my ATM card? It was on my desk while I was talking with Cam’s Dad.
dawgfan0711
November 30th, 2010
10:15 pm
To all the Auburn fans talking about the the bowl game that UGA is going to i just want to remind you that i believe it is the 14th strait year we have went bowling. This year will make the 2nd strait year you have been bowling. Remeber everyone has there ups and downs and right now you have and elite player on both sides of the ball and Auburn is riding high, but give it a year or two.
Hollis
November 30th, 2010
10:20 pm
Why would Bradley like a mediocre Coach like Spurrier? Wins 6 or 7 games a year. Biggest loser in the SEC. Average.
Tiger2004
November 30th, 2010
10:27 pm
David.
Give me some analysis please. We have cheerleaders and cheers who can say whay you just said.
Watch for this to happen.
Fairley will throw Garcia for 300 yards.
M. Lattimore will be lucky to gain 60 yards.
Cam will rush for 100+ yards…by the first quarter.
Auburn fans will be making their Glendale reservations around 7pm.
And most people will forget who Auburn just pummeled for the SEC Championship by the parking lot.
Now thats a good Davidesk Analysis.
Delbert D.
November 30th, 2010
10:29 pm
Urban Meyer quote in USA Today:
“How do you build up a program? I’ve done it a few times.
“You build it up with tough-ass players, tough-ass coaches and you have got to play better.”
David
November 30th, 2010
10:34 pm
Tiger2004 You want something anal? The facts are that our closest margin of victory is 11 points… you’ve won three games by what? 3, 3, and one… Over a team that was still ranked number one when we played them and we beat them soundly… Yes SC has three losses but realistically, it won’t matter after Saturday..
USC WILL WIN… Auburn has been riding the luck train for far too ong and just like LSU will be going home LOSERS! ha ha… I know you hate it but the truth is really gonna sting…
Take off your pants and Jacket
November 30th, 2010
10:36 pm
South Carolina’s only chance is if the SEC refs make Fairley play by the rules. If they let him hit Garcia a half hour after he releases the ball as they have all season…or if they allow him to pick Garcia up and drive him into the ground intending not just to sack but to injure; USC will lose and Auburn will be the dirtiest undefeated team in the history of college football.
jarvis
November 30th, 2010
10:36 pm
Does anyone have the numbers on rematches in the SEC Championship? Seems to me like the team that won the game in the regular season usually takes the rematch (rypically by a larger margin to boot).
I guess I could Google it myself,but that’s why I have you guys.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
10:41 pm
David, tell me, what happened in the Arkansas vs SC game?
There is no way SC is close by the third quarter. Everyone who knocks Auburns def forgets that they have db issues but their line is extremely good and anchored by the best defensive lineman in the game.
South Carolina will lose because Auburn knows what is at stake abd they’ll focus. I don’t buy SC defense being that good. They sort of cleaned up in the East but so did MS St and Arkansas. Carolima fans might be drinking from the sane reservoir that gives you Clemson/now Georgia syndrome.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
10:47 pm
I don’t know what the record is for rematches but history won’t define the game anyways. I’d bet on the team with the best offense and defense and coaches and that’s squarely 12-0 Auburn vs 9-3 South Carolina.
Yes I wrote out South Carolina, the real USC is in Socal.
"Seriously" incompetent
November 30th, 2010
10:47 pm
To Seriously,
Wow, this obviously shows you have no clue what you are talking about.
Lattimore: 232 rushes – 1,114 yards – 4.8 avg
Cam Newton: 228 rushes – 1,336 yards – 5.9 avg
Lattimore has 4 less carries, lacks only about 2 games worth of yards as his average a game is over 100, and lacks roughly a yard to equal Cam’s avg. WOW!
How can you even use this as a debate, Lattimore sat half of a game against Southern Miss. sat half a game against Kentucky, missed a game against Vanderbilt, was injured in Arkansas game and missed second half, only had two snaps in the second half of the game against Auburn, and recieved minimal snaps during the second half of Clemson game.
Nearly every remark you have made has been weak and pathetic. If you are mad because Lattimore skipped out on Auburn just say it, but you dont need to constantly batter about a player which you obviously have no background information on. And frankly Lattimore is a more mature athlete than Cam even thought about being. It shows on and off the feild.
FishyBusiness
November 30th, 2010
10:47 pm
No:Nick Fairley is the dirtiest football player I know !!!
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
10:50 pm
Here is another reason to bet Auburn, last time Auburn played South Carolina they had just come off a bruising OT game against Clemson when Clemson was still good. This time they’re coming off a full 7 days of rest after having just played 1 half against Bama.
bitter coach "bear" bryant
November 30th, 2010
10:50 pm
ALLLLBBBUUURRRRNNN, enjoy your day at the top, remember how the stock market crashed, hahahahahahah, from first to last, cheaters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!im sorry, CHEATERS, 10 years probbbbbbbie fools, PS they say a little white lie is still as wide as a country mile, verdic—death penality, momma said lie in bed with a god with flies, end up with flies, hahahahahahah
bitter coach "bear" bryant
November 30th, 2010
10:51 pm
dog not god, sorry
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
10:52 pm
“Seriously” incompetent
November 30th, 2010
10:47 pm
Dude you are comparing a QB to a RZb. Auburn still has 2 RBs, one ranked higher than Lattimore coming out of HS and I think still the better player.
col foot
November 30th, 2010
10:54 pm
I also like South Carolina. It would be nice to see the Gamecocks kick their teeth in. Spurrier will have a good game plan for those convicts. Carolina 33- 24!
Sleeper Service
November 30th, 2010
10:54 pm
well I suppose old Mark Bradley isn’t allowed an opinion. Personally I think AU will win this one but that’s my opinion. All the off field issues aside, Auburn has a pretty good team over there. I don’t like how our game went down with them but they will bring another MNC back home where it belongs. Signed, a logical Dawg fan.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
10:55 pm
Ha, the second someone says death penalty for Auburn that’s the second you know youre dealing with Cooter who is the village idiot and doesn’t know the prereq’s it takes to get the death penalty.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
11:01 pm
FishyBusiness
November 30th, 2010
10:47 pm
No:Nick Fairley is the dirtiest football player
—
I hate to tell you, but I think Ben Jones is the dirtiest player in CFB. We have an in house problem. We call Auburn dirty but did you see how Auburn acted before and after the game with Bama vs us with GT??? We got in a fight if you were too high to remember. Did you notice we had a PF on the first play of the Auburn game? Did you notice the chop blocks? Did you notice we started the fight at Auburn? We cleared the benches? We have a very poorly coached team qho didn’t even know to kneel Saturday night but Mr hitnrun scored?!? Freaking idiots.
We are becoming the dirtiest and dumbest! BTW, who got a game suspension for a near career ending hit against MSST? Fairley or Ben Jones?
Now sit back and enjoy yet another SEC team rocket to the top while we call their players dirty fir doing a fraction of what we did!
Sautee Dawg
November 30th, 2010
11:12 pm
OK folks lets get this thing straight one more time.
1. Auburn will win the championship game on Dec. 4th. why?
B/cause they are undefeated.
The SEC is not going to allow a 3 loss team to win the conference championship.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!
Didn’t you get the memo a few years ago with LSU winning the National championship with blemishes on their record?
IN college football the SEC is King and if the powers that be can get an undefeated team from our conference into the BCS game it will.
Whatever it takes.
Sorry South Carolina. It’s all about the money. CBS paid unheard of millions to show SEC football this season.
One SEC school brings in more in one season than a lot of conferences bring in all put together. I read where Texas, Michigan and Georgia will bring in an average of 60 million per year each this season, not including bowl money.
Mark. you pay attention to some of the games Auburn has came back from this season.
Down 24 at Alabama, Bama scored first 4 times touching the ball just as UGA did. South Carolina had a big lead. You don’t take the 55th ranked defense in the nation and overcome these type scores. It just don’t happen.
From starting of the 2nd quarter on in the Bama and the UGA games Auburn got everyone of the calls. Alabama had more penalties for not being set on offense than they’ve had in the past 3 seasons in one quarter.
The late hits by Fairley on UGA’s QB would have been called penalties on anyoone else, but, keep the undefeated team rolling.
Hate to say it Mark but college football is getting more predictable every year, just like NFL.. Teams that bring in the big money get to play the longest.
At least we don’t have to listen to Boise St. and their whinning about lack of respect.
The bad thing is Mark, in the end TCU has probablly got one of the better teams in the nation and will NEVER see the Championship Game.
An undefeated TCU will probablly feel about as bad as an undefeated 2004 Auburn team did. sad bet true.
As far as Fairley being better than (Houston) I’d assume thay’s who you were refering to from UGA.
In case you didn’t watch the game saturday night Houston had a pretty good game himself and he also did it with a lot more CLASS!!
Sautee Dawg
November 30th, 2010
11:17 pm
mn
Sautee Dawg
November 30th, 2010
11:35 pm
Mark,
An Undefeated Auburn team sells!!
A 3 loss South Carolina team don’t!!
What I mean by that is, an undefeated Auburn team in the BCS Champioship game sells tickets.
TV wants the most exciting senario they can get and getting Cam Newton and the Undefeated Auburn Tigers will bring in 10 times as much as an Oregon vs TCU match-up.
Tv wants something thats going to keep BUTTS IN THE SEATS. And with their money that’s what they’ll get.
Ever watch a pro game on Sunday and about the end of the 3rd quarter things starts getting close?? The lines at the beer vendors gets longer, people buying $6 cokes and $6 popcorn to watch the forth, whereas if were a blow out they go home and don’t buy.
That thing about Auburn coming back form 3 touchdowns against UGA and 24 points against Bama. I’m not buying it, but TV is Mark.
bitter UGA fan
November 30th, 2010
11:35 pm
as—-ho—-e, (uga 2002) read about allburns past you fool, they have been placed on probation so many times since 1980 we have all lost count, next is the DEATH penalty to the tigers, paying for a top 5 player is not excepted in the SEC punk, read the rules that ALL TEAMS must work by. PS im sure your trailor village suits you just fine, back at you CHEATER!!!
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
11:41 pm
bitter UGA fan, uh, obviously you’re missing what school I am for but you’re probably upset that I don’t drink the koolaid.
No bitter UGA fan, I’m going to give you something you probably never had, homework. I’m going to post at 11:41 your time, 10:41 down here in New Owleans, you’ve got 5 minutes. Tell me what you have to do to get the death penalty… ready, set, go…
Sautee Dawg
November 30th, 2010
11:44 pm
Mark
On another note, Fairley is not half the man Houston is.
He has no class!
patrick
November 30th, 2010
11:47 pm
south carolina scored 4 touchdowns at jordan hare who cares about georgia
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
11:47 pm
Speaking of not drinking the koolaid. Question for you Fairley haters, what player was suspended for half a game this year for a dirty near season ending play, Nick Fairley of Auburn or Georgia’s own chop blocking machine, Ben Jones?
I ask because while we have plenty who want to point fingers at Auburn as “dirty”, I hate to point out some criticial points about the Auburn vs Georgia game. Who had the first personal foul in the game? We did. What play did it come on? The first. Who was called for chop blocks? We were. Then who nailed our QB in the back? They did. Then who cried “I HOPE ALABAMA BREAKS HIS KNEES IN REVENGE FOR WHAT HE DID TO MURRAY!”? We did. Amazing hypocrisy there. Oh, forgot, who started the fight at the end of the Auburn game? We did.
More importantly, last week Auburn vs Alabama and Georgia vs Georgia Tech, who got in a fight in pre-game? We did.
We are nothing more than a middle aged man from Dunwoody with 3 divorces who blames all his wives when in reality the only common thing among him and his 3 divorces is, him.
That is why Mark Richt has to go. He has lost control of his team. BUt I fear we’d have to settle for Nutt or somebody like that. I guess Gruden wants Miami. Muschamp, bah, loser nowadays although Chizik did come from a 5-19 record.
It’s just a shame we are this bad and this blind.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
11:49 pm
And at the Auburn game which team had players leave the benches in mass, a penalty enforceable by full game suspensions? We did.
Maybe CMR’s “no comment” about Fairley makes a WHOLE lot more sense now? I think so.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
11:51 pm
It’s past 5 minutes.
The “death penalty” is currently a punishment under the NCAA’s “repeat violator” rule. Since the 1970s, if a second major violation occurs at any institution within five years of being on probation in the same sport or another sport, that institution is barred from competing in the sport involved in the second violation for either one or two seasons.
—-
If memory serves me right the only team right now on probation is the University of Alabama and that is until 2012. They vacated wins from 05-07. Not sure who else is.
But Auburn isn’t.
So “Auburn’s gonna get da death penalty! booo ya!!!!” crowd, please, please, please, please don’t let anyone know you pull for Georgia. You’re a disgrace.
uga2002
November 30th, 2010
11:56 pm
Signing off.
Mark Bradley, whatever.
Auburn 42, South Carolina (not USC) 17. Auburn’s defense blitzes early, the line takes Garcia out of the game early with a repeat should injury, backup can’t move the ball much and Lattimore ends the game with under 50 yards and people the next day will say “I think Auburn’s defense has finally matured.”
When in reality it was 12-0 Auburn vs a coach who is not into what he does anymore, a QB that same said coach doesn’t like nor trusts and a RB that went to Columbia only after Little Rock’s Dyer (ESPN’s #1 running back out of high school) committed to Auburn. It’s a recipe for Auburn to be 13-0 and Mark Bradley to totally ignore his prediction and come out with “Auburn loses big to Oregon…”
GMAB.
MikeP
December 1st, 2010
12:05 am
For the idle curious, there have been five rematches in SECCG history. The team that won the first time has a 4-1 record.
As for Spurrier knowing something about rematches, he lost the first game in 1999 to Alabama 40-39. He lost the rematch by something like 45-6. Doesn’t look like he learned much the first time that year.
Y’all are trying to convince yourselves that a 9-3 team is somehow better than a 12-0 team and is likely to win a rematch game. You can dream that, but if you’re getting money involved better put your money on the 12-0 guys.
Auburn is a lot better now than they were back in September. I think that 8-point margin Auburn won by in September gets stretched to around 21.
uga2002
December 1st, 2010
12:06 am
BTW, it’d take a lot more than a scholarship to get me to go to South Carolina.
-UGA2002
Dawgtards ruin this state
December 1st, 2010
12:14 am
Why would talented kids want to lose to Florida EVERY year by 15 points and also lose to Auburn, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tenn, Bama and LSU. Go to any other school in the nation and don’t collect garbage for a living, like most 4-5 star recruits that regress at thUGA. Play for a real coach and fans that understand football, not just shop at wal-mart in Bogart, GA and buy groceries at piggly wiggly.
uga2002
December 1st, 2010
12:14 am
So on the heels of MikeP’s comment, let me see, what if Auburn and South Carolina are better than they were before and there are 0 turnovers and every kicker makes everything they tried. Well, in that case, lets go back to the original 35-27 becomes:
Auburn 27 and South Carolina 14.
Still thinking 42-17 Auburn.
patrick
December 1st, 2010
12:22 am
@ jadennis everyone posts stats from the box score with no knowledge of what really happened in the game. The box score doesnt say marcus lattimore only ran the ball 3 times in the second half of the auburn game in which he only had 39 yards rushing on 14 carries he also caught 3 passes in that game for 28 yards, that is 3.6 yards per touch. In the Kentucky game he only had 79 yards rushing in the FIRST HALF and 133 receiving yards. He was hurt the entire second half except for maybe 2 plays.
Jennifer
December 1st, 2010
3:06 am
Mark, I think you picking a team to win is equivalent to the Corso kiss of death. Thanks for not picking Auburn! War Damn Eagle!
Btw… after watching the Iron Bowl this weekend, do you still consider us to be the most obnoxious fans in the SEC? I think Bama MIGHT have edged us out.
Kickin Chickin
December 1st, 2010
5:09 am
Thanks Mark, I AGREE COMPLETELY!
While Auburn is an excellent team my Gamecocks will not blink and certainly won’t have 4 turnovers in the 4th qt this time. Clemson without the Lake will not have an answer for the balanced O SOS will throw at them Sat in the Dome. Cam is the best player in college football BUT he can’t score from the sideleines.
War Eagles are giddy about beatin bama with huge comeback, we controlled them the entire game when EVERYONE crowned them unbeatable and #1….hmmmmmm who does that sound like??????
PS The best sideshow will NOT be Spurrier on the sidelines; nope it’ll be that jumping jack cheerleader dude with the towel. RoboCoach will be making his case for a one loss SEC team in the BCS at about 7:14 and then Cam might have to actually face the media too.
Kickin Chickin
We’ll see ya and look forward to an awesome game.
bravegamecock
December 1st, 2010
5:41 am
nobody is unstoppable, not even the great cam newton
chazzo
December 1st, 2010
6:45 am
Watch Auburn’s D intentionally try to injure Lattimore.
We Comin
December 1st, 2010
7:18 am
Love it!! Everyone has picked Auburn to be upset all year, so would not expect anything less. War Eagle!
» SEC: Auburn-South Carolina gearing up for Saturday John Clay’s Sidelines
December 1st, 2010
7:31 am
[...] Mark Bradley of the AJC likes South Carolina to pull the upset in title game. [...]
MURPHY
December 1st, 2010
7:38 am
Dawgturds ruin this state,
I find it hillarious that you ask the question of why recruits would want to come to UGA only to lose to UF,AU,Tenn,ect.
You might want to ask why Tech cant get high-profile recruits? Maybe because the Dawgs own your a**! 1-9 1-9 1-9 1-9 I wouldnt want to play for Tech and get bashed every year either.
BobbyDawg
December 1st, 2010
7:44 am
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Auburn is the #1 team in the country this year! You’ll see!
BnB
December 1st, 2010
7:47 am
I don’t know what happened to Mark that first week in 84 when he came to AU but it wasn’t pleasant as he has been an AU hater ever since. I think Pat Dye looked at him mean. Only the most begrudging compliments come from his keyboard and personal prejudices are routinely unsheathed such as this year with the “most obnoxious fans in the SEC” article. The Eric Ramsey saga described as “mainly a love story” was a personal favorite and, of course, all the usual cow college fare. AU can make it easy to be hated with their hypocritical sanctimony…sort of like sports writers. Anyway, can’t say MB doesn’t know how to preach to the choir.
Anyway, I agree that SC has more than a good chance. Probably would have won this September if Spurrier had left in his senior QB. They beat the Bama squad much more handily than Auburn did. But it is reassuring that Bradley has picked SC to win for any AU fan as his prognostication success rate speaks for itself.
MS. Bully
December 1st, 2010
7:50 am
The SEC office will make sure Allbarn wins this game. It would cost the SEC millions of dollars if S.Carolina actually won the game.
jsand99
December 1st, 2010
7:51 am
Some of you Auburn fans are completely ignorant and very arrogant, not to mention, way over confident. Lattimore has 1114 yards rushing compared to Cam’s 1336 yards rushing but you forget the fact that he missed almost 2 games. He was running wild on Kentucky before he got hurt and missed the second half and I can only imagine what he would have done to Vandy if he would have played that game. Cam has missed how many games this season? I would be willing to bet my paycheck that if Latt didn’t get injured, he would have more yards than Cam right now. But go ahead and be overconfident. You will be brought back down to earth Saturday. It’s pick your poison with this Gamecock team. Are you going to stop Lattimore or Jeffery and the receivers? Which ever one you don’t key on is going to have a field day and it’s entirely possible that both have success against your defense. Don’t forget that Jeffery had 206 yards receiving on you in the first game. I don’t think your coaches have forgotten. They will try to account for that and it will open things up more for Lattimore and they still won’t be able to cover Jeffery. Don’t look for 2 fourth quarter fumbles to bail your team out of a loss this time.
David
December 1st, 2010
7:54 am
I love UGA2002s ANAL a sis of Auburn and SC.. IF there were no turnovers, IF each kicker made their kicks… hey here’s a good one… IF USC doesn’t show up to the SECCG Auburn will win… but that’s a big IF.. don’t expect it to happen… and whichever idiot said that Auburn will win because they’re undefeated and the SEC will make sure they go to the NCG? Really.. Seems to me thats not the case and never has been.. A 10-3 USC team in the Sugarbowl against Ohio State would be more entertaining than watching Auburn get their asses beat by Oregon…
War Eagle
December 1st, 2010
8:01 am
Thanks for the indorsement. Now I know AU will win this game, I have been worried about The Old Ball Coach and his best team ever at SC, but I think you just gave them the kiss of death. The War Eagle defense comes up with big plays, althought they give up the big play as well. Nothing kills an offense like a Fumble or Interception and the boys on the Plains make it happen because they are physical. Combine that with an offense that keeps the pressure on the defense and they just wear a team down. That’s why they win in the end! Plus they want it more. Go Tigers, win one for the Shug!
DoodeeFace
December 1st, 2010
8:06 am
I still think Nick Fairly should be penalized, put to death, and incarcerated for that ugly thing he did to Aaron Murray. He’s a real bad man, and the barners don’t deserve to win anything. My Dawgs really outplayed them, and he just got away with murder.