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As South Carolina head down to Gainesville this weekend, I got a chance to talk to some former teammates of mine about the feel of the Gamecocks locker room.
It’s been a very, very tough season for Gamecocks fans, and even harder for the players. After such massive preseason hype, and an offseason of blood, sweat and tears, the Gamecocks have had a major meltdown this season.
After speaking in length with quarterback Dylan Thompson, I can assure Gamecocks fans that the locker room is still optimistic. They have been playing well on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense has been a huge letdown. That’s what happens when you lose a bunch of vets and have a lot of young guys in there with no experience.
It’s not an excuse, but experience definitely helps. The team is still very tight and they are feeling good after a bye week and a chance to get away for a weekend. It really does help, trust me.
A lot of people have been asking me if I think coach Spurrier will be hanging it up after this year, and I have to just laugh at that. He is one of the most competitive people I have ever met. He wants to win at everything, literally everything. After a season like the one they’re having now, there’s no way he’s going to leave. Not on this sour note. I mean I guess I could see it happening if they win out, but I really doubt it. He wants to go back to Atlanta and get a chance to play for a SEC championship one more time. While it’s not going to happen this year, it could happen in the next few years.
I really hope the Gamecocks faithful remain faithful. It wasn’t too long ago that South Carolina was fighting for six wins and a bowl game. The mentality in Columbia has changed drastically since when I first got there in 2007.
I just really hope these Gamecocks fans stick with them and don’t trash any player on the team. Either way, the Gamecocks locker room will always be a close-knit group and will never let outside distractions affect them. That I can guarantee.
The Man. The Myth. The Legend.
