There are a lot of choices, but I think it would be the Rod Gardiner push-off in 2000. Another choice could have meant an SEC East title, but losing to Tater U. that season hurt through the Bowl Season (and still makes me angry whenever I see an OPI penalty).
If you could change one play in Gamecock Football History, what would it be?
- Thread starter Crutcher1
- Start date
ML's second knee injury. I know God has a plan...but I would have liked to have seen him get a real chance.
This was the first thing that came to mind. It is the worst of the hateful, hurting losses to UPC I have experienced, and losses to UPC are the worst losses of all.
Funny you mention God having a plan because I was listening to Muschamp's interview the other day and he mentioned how many players came up to him to thank him for having Marcus on staff that they could talk to.
That dude doesn’t come down with that crazy 40 yard catch on 4th down in the Tennessee game in 2013. We win that game; go to the SEC Championship game with 1 loss—who knows what would’ve happened?
I can’t choose just one so I’m going to add one to the list already named.
Big George’s fumble while we were driving to beat the leg humpers in Athens in ‘80 or was it ‘81?
Obviously ML's second injury.
What that said,
@LSU 2012; remove the Hill 50 yard rushing touchdown. That one big play most likely was the final straw removing us from the SEC CG that year.
as you can see by my post count.....i don't; but this is great question. as I was thinking about it, my first response to myself was when Anthony Wright was injured in Neyland Stadium. I was there and that was not a potential championship year but i hated to see it and the fans were unpleasant. However, I would have loved to see an entire career of a healthy Marcus Latimore so that is my vote.
Andrew Pinnock's fumble, at the goal line, against Jawja
Great question and I want to add a different option than what most of you all will think about.. But I would love to hear some feedback on what you think.
If I could change one play (or certainly one game), I would change any play that would have lead to SC winning the game vs Clemson in 2008 when Dabo was the interim coach. The final score was 31-14 so I don't know that any one play would have done it, but you never know. But certainly, I have thought about this game as possibly the one game I would want to change even over some other games like the Tennessee miracle catch game.
Why? Because if SC wins that game, does Dabo ever become the head coach at Clemson? What do you think? Does he still get the nod by Terry Don? If so, then I could really care less about that game. But I am not so sure. Many (and I mean many) Clemson fans weren't happy with the Dabo hire even with them beating SC and him winning the last 3 of the regular season.
Honestly though, even if Dabo wasn't hired, if it really came down to it, it would be hard for me not to pick any play that ended Lattimore's career.
If I could change one play (or certainly one game), I would change any play that would have lead to SC winning the game vs Clemson in 2008 when Dabo was the interim coach. The final score was 31-14 so I don't know that any one play would have done it, but you never know. But certainly, I have thought about this game as possibly the one game I would want to change even over some other games like the Tennessee miracle catch game.
Why? Because if SC wins that game, does Dabo ever become the head coach at Clemson? What do you think? Does he still get the nod by Terry Don? If so, then I could really care less about that game. But I am not so sure. Many (and I mean many) Clemson fans weren't happy with the Dabo hire even with them beating SC and him winning the last 3 of the regular season.
Honestly though, even if Dabo wasn't hired, if it really came down to it, it would be hard for me not to pick any play that ended Lattimore's career.
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Some good ones here (or bad, based our perspective). I'll just add one more.
Pinnock's fumble of the option pitch at the goal line against uga. That would have given us three straight over the dawgs. Instead, David Pollack got famous for the strip sack on Jenkins.
Pinnock's fumble of the option pitch at the goal line against uga. That would have given us three straight over the dawgs. Instead, David Pollack got famous for the strip sack on Jenkins.
I'd put this one in second place behind the push-off game.Some good ones here (or bad, based our perspective). I'll just add one more.
Pinnock's fumble of the option pitch at the goal line against uga. That would have given us three straight over the dawgs. Instead, David Pollack got famous for the strip sack on Jenkins.
I'll never minimize the awfulness of the Lattimore injuries, particularly the last one. But even had he not been injured, his career would have ended soon after. For that reason, I'm focusing on particular moments, particular plays that probably shaped the arc of the program for years to come. I have my own ideas. There are some other very good ones in the thread. I think three that have been mentioned are incontrovertibly at the top of defining moments. Hint: one of them led off the thread and two of them didn't.
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Historically seismic - the things that separate the programs that get over the top from those that continue struggling.
Another that stuck with me through the years was the very late fumble, on about our 15 yard line, at Nebraska, while leading. They scored and won. Then gave us a standing ovation.
Yeah it's definitely the 2013 DB assisted catch that helped UT eliminate us from conference title game. Just a capsule of how our 3 best teams in school history failed to win or het an opportunity to win an SEC championship, which in some ways is better or equal to a so called NATY
Have watched that a coupla times trying to figure out if it was Pinnock's fault or a bad pitch. That Pollack play was more of a stupid play by Jenkins and less of a brilliant play by Pollack.Some good ones here (or bad, based our perspective). I'll just add one more.
Pinnock's fumble of the option pitch at the goal line against uga. That would have given us three straight over the dawgs. Instead, David Pollack got famous for the strip sack on Jenkins.
At start of '84 Navy game USC recovered a fumble and I said to myself-Oh Boy here we go. Didn't score. Might have changed entire game.
Still don't think it's a given we beat Missouri in 2013 if we beat UT.....
Didn’t the whole team get sick before that turnover-fest in Gainesville 2012? I’d eliminate that and of course ML’s injury later that year.
Didn’t the whole team get sick before that turnover-fest in Gainesville 2012? I’d eliminate that and of course ML’s injury later that year.
In the SEC Championship Game against Auburn, Cam Newton's "hail mary" at the end of the 1st half that completely took all of our momentum away. We may not have won, but we were absolutely hanging toe to toe with the #1 team in the country prior to that play.
Well said, Spurrier sticking with Smelly who was stinking up the field that day, throwing high and inaccurate, QB play cost us that game and created to the current sickening domination, Dabo would of been toast if he lost to us.
After watching how Garcia performed against Clemson, he seemed to be the good version in that game.
Spurrier plays Garcia, we win that game, I still remember how frustrated Jared Cook got that day, I was with him.
For play its the Marquez North catch, North was from Charlotte, I dont think we even made his final 4 went to Tenn when they were in the dumps, Steve Spurrier Jr crummy recruiting would hurt us more later.
Of course you could argue Spurrier goes for it on 4th down like he wanted to late in that game on our end, we may have gotten it and held the ball and won, of Spurrier doesn't blow 2 Timeouts trying to set that play up and evaluate the defense, we may have some time to react to the FG.
#6 Chris Moody was late getting over their to help, Ahmad's coverage really is not that bad, but didn't make a play. Moody being late would become a common theme in his career until WM coached him up for his senior season, which WM did, it is pretty amazing what good coaching can do.
For recruit that i wish never showed up and did not commit, Ahmad Christian who gave up the North catch, then transferred to Utah because of a fall out with our crummy coaching staff, but left a huge whole in our secondary that impacted the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
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This play more than anything. There were a couple in the LSU loss in 2012 that could have changed the game. Either of those have us in the SEC championship game with one of the best teams we ever fielded. Who knows what would have happened then.
Mine would be the play the week before Navy played us in which their quarterback Bill Bryne was injured forcing a new quarterback Bob Misch to start against us and defeat us in our best year ever to that point...
SOS would still think the program has turned the corner and he doesn't have to recruit any longer. We still end up right where we are.
This is mine also, but I view it differently. An intentional penalty that caused the receiver to miss the ball would have served just as well and was in our control.
Absolutely agree with you . That was a dagger . No way we should have lost that game . Another one the still gives me nightmares was the Jarvis Moss blocked FG (and our dumb motion penalty the play before ) in the swamp . We win that game and there’s no telling the impact it would have had going forward . Florida went on to win the Title that year . Still the circus catch at UT was the worse .
Marcus 2nd knee injury against Tennessee.
George Rogers fumble on the 10 yard line on the go ahead scoring drive in 1980. Would have kept Georgia without a National Title.
Bad play call against LSU just before half against LSU in 2012. Had ball on their 25 yard line after Marcus made a 4th and 2 run for 1st down. Ran 2 pass plays next and took a sack that lost 15 yards and moved us out of FG range. A score would have put us up by 2 scores and Les Miles would have been forced to pass and we would have won that game to stay undefeated the way our defense was playing. Our defense had Les amazed.
George Rogers fumble on the 10 yard line on the go ahead scoring drive in 1980. Would have kept Georgia without a National Title.
Bad play call against LSU just before half against LSU in 2012. Had ball on their 25 yard line after Marcus made a 4th and 2 run for 1st down. Ran 2 pass plays next and took a sack that lost 15 yards and moved us out of FG range. A score would have put us up by 2 scores and Les Miles would have been forced to pass and we would have won that game to stay undefeated the way our defense was playing. Our defense had Les amazed.
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Yep, this is it for me. SEC Championship and chance for a BCS bowl game out the window.
I think it may have been 2001 when Andrew Pinnock was stuffed at the goal line when we played UGa at home. That may have been the game when Pollock stripped Jenkins in our own goaline for a UGa TD.
It wouldn’t have changed the outcome but I wish Clowney had been able to get on his feet and score 6 after decapitating that kid from Michigan.
USCBatgirl21
Well-Known Member
He is a recruiting tool we only dreamed of. He talks to other teams as well. We are going to reap those dividends for years. Little Man got to hear him speak at the Lettermen's Dinner the night before the Spring Game. He's still in awe.
Games that could've gotten us a championship-
Auburn 2010- Was the SECCG. Not really a play I can point to aside from the hail mary at the end of the first half.
Florida 2000- For the East. This is an interesting one. If my memory serves (I was only 7 at the time), we were up 21-3 on a couple of blocked punts. My Dad always says Rashad Faison dropped a sure pick 6 that would've made it 28-3. He's always cited that one as a play that could have effectively been the knock out punch. They of course scored 38 unanswered and won 41-21 and were probably a lot better than us anyway. Winning the East in Year 2 of Holtz would've been pretty unreal though.
Florida 2001- For the East. No play that could've changed this one.
Georgia 2005- People forget about this one. Had we won, and everything else played out like it did, we would've won the East in Year 1 of Spurrier. We missed a damn PAT at some point in that game, had to go for 2. Lost 17-15. Make the PAT, go to OT, who knows what happens.
Auburn 2011- Difference in winning the East. Awful game that we never should've lost at home. Think there was some bogus play in this one, but I am forgetting.
LSU 2012- Difference in winning the East and essentially playing Alabama for the national championship. Can't point to an exact play, was a slugfest in a night game in Baton Rogue. Remember we threw a pick down the stretch. Maybe that one.
Florida 2012- See above. Ugly game. Not sure of an exact play.
Tennessee 2013- Miracle catch to keep us from playing Auburn to go to 'ship. Think of all of these, this is the one that you can easily point to and say- this play doesn't happen, we win the game, we got to Atlanta. Gotta go with this.
Emotional Games-
2000 vs Clemson push off. Just awful. I was a young kid and I think it's the first Clemson game I remember. Think that's the night I learned that life isn't fair.
2002 vs Georgia- Pinnock fumble. Yuck.
2006 @ Florida- One of the three blocked kicks. Sidney's long catch down to their 10 that got called back. Tough loss. Would have been a massive win.
2010 Kentucky
Auburn 2010- Was the SECCG. Not really a play I can point to aside from the hail mary at the end of the first half.
Florida 2000- For the East. This is an interesting one. If my memory serves (I was only 7 at the time), we were up 21-3 on a couple of blocked punts. My Dad always says Rashad Faison dropped a sure pick 6 that would've made it 28-3. He's always cited that one as a play that could have effectively been the knock out punch. They of course scored 38 unanswered and won 41-21 and were probably a lot better than us anyway. Winning the East in Year 2 of Holtz would've been pretty unreal though.
Florida 2001- For the East. No play that could've changed this one.
Georgia 2005- People forget about this one. Had we won, and everything else played out like it did, we would've won the East in Year 1 of Spurrier. We missed a damn PAT at some point in that game, had to go for 2. Lost 17-15. Make the PAT, go to OT, who knows what happens.
Auburn 2011- Difference in winning the East. Awful game that we never should've lost at home. Think there was some bogus play in this one, but I am forgetting.
LSU 2012- Difference in winning the East and essentially playing Alabama for the national championship. Can't point to an exact play, was a slugfest in a night game in Baton Rogue. Remember we threw a pick down the stretch. Maybe that one.
Florida 2012- See above. Ugly game. Not sure of an exact play.
Tennessee 2013- Miracle catch to keep us from playing Auburn to go to 'ship. Think of all of these, this is the one that you can easily point to and say- this play doesn't happen, we win the game, we got to Atlanta. Gotta go with this.
Emotional Games-
2000 vs Clemson push off. Just awful. I was a young kid and I think it's the first Clemson game I remember. Think that's the night I learned that life isn't fair.
2002 vs Georgia- Pinnock fumble. Yuck.
2006 @ Florida- One of the three blocked kicks. Sidney's long catch down to their 10 that got called back. Tough loss. Would have been a massive win.
2010 Kentucky
So many plays to chose from but I agree the catch against us in the UT game probably cost us more than any of the others.
All of the above are certainly worthy of consideration. Some others that come to mind are:
2005 Clemson:
Sidney Rice dropped a pass, though contested, that he typically makes. We should’ve won this game and I believe if he makes the catch he scores or is at least inside the 2 yard line. We end up losing 13-9.
2006 Florida:
Could put Jarvis Moss blocking Succop’s kick as time expired here, but instead I’ll go with the play that would’ve almost assured that of never happening. With 22 seconds left Spurrier calls a brilliant play that Sidney Rice catches at the 7 yard line. But Jamon Meredith made the slightest flinch before the snap. 5 yard penalty, we ran the ball next play and lost a couple more yards which made us draw up a short pass for 3-4 yards to make it a 48 yarder. Had we not jumped we likely win. Even if we don’t jump and that pass falls incomplete, we very well could’ve been kicking a 38-40 yarder which would’ve had way less of a chance to be blocked.
2007 Tennessee:
We were getting killed 21-0 at halftime in freezing Knoxville. But we came back and with a minute left had a 24-21 lead. Tennessee had the ball around the 50 and Jasper Brinkley stripped the ball from Arian Foster. The ball shot out straight to one of our guys, I forget who it was. It was a fast play but one we should’ve made. We recover that fumble and the game is over. Instead UT kicks a 48 yarder to tie the game with 5 seconds left and we miss the tying FG to lose another heartbreaker in OT.
All of the above are certainly worthy of consideration. Some others that come to mind are:
2005 Clemson:
Sidney Rice dropped a pass, though contested, that he typically makes. We should’ve won this game and I believe if he makes the catch he scores or is at least inside the 2 yard line. We end up losing 13-9.
2006 Florida:
Could put Jarvis Moss blocking Succop’s kick as time expired here, but instead I’ll go with the play that would’ve almost assured that of never happening. With 22 seconds left Spurrier calls a brilliant play that Sidney Rice catches at the 7 yard line. But Jamon Meredith made the slightest flinch before the snap. 5 yard penalty, we ran the ball next play and lost a couple more yards which made us draw up a short pass for 3-4 yards to make it a 48 yarder. Had we not jumped we likely win. Even if we don’t jump and that pass falls incomplete, we very well could’ve been kicking a 38-40 yarder which would’ve had way less of a chance to be blocked.
2007 Tennessee:
We were getting killed 21-0 at halftime in freezing Knoxville. But we came back and with a minute left had a 24-21 lead. Tennessee had the ball around the 50 and Jasper Brinkley stripped the ball from Arian Foster. The ball shot out straight to one of our guys, I forget who it was. It was a fast play but one we should’ve made. We recover that fumble and the game is over. Instead UT kicks a 48 yarder to tie the game with 5 seconds left and we miss the tying FG to lose another heartbreaker in OT.
That UT catch. I still have nightmares about that one. We didn't play particularly well in that game but still should have drowned UT with sheer talent. We win that game and we go to the SECCG with one of our best teams ever. Shaw was also playing hurt in that game.
Also lost money on that one. We were a favorite to win by a pretty big margin IIRC.
Also lost money on that one. We were a favorite to win by a pretty big margin IIRC.
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