It was only a matter of time.

The University of South Carolina announced today that they have received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, stemming from the investigation that began last summer.

University President Harris Pastides released this statement following the announcement:

“The University will review the notice and respond accordingly. I assure you that we will continue to take all aspects of this investigation very seriously. We are prepared to continue to work with the NCAA to resolve any issues.”

Athletics Director Eric Hyman also issued a statement, saying:

“We have and will continue to cooperate fully with the NCAA in all aspects of their review. Any pertinent information from the NCAA that can help us strengthen our athletics program will be used as an opportunity to make positive change.”

The allegations against USC include athletes (10 football players and two women’s track members) staying at Columbia’s Whitney Hotel for reduced and deferred rent payments (an impermissible benefit that other students were not privy to), which totaled over $47,000. Football players paid $14.59 a night, while women’s track athletes paid $14.16 a night.  

Multiple impermissible benefits given by the Student-Athlete Mentoring Foundation (SAM) are cited as well, totaling over $8,000. South Carolina failed to monitor both of these situations, and will have to explain why.

But wait, there’s more. While the University did officially disassociate itself from Jamie Blevins, General Manager of the Whitney and USC grad and SAM treasurer Kevin Lahn, (good), USC was also found in violation of NCAA rules in 2005, meaning the school is now subject to repeat offender status (bad).

USC will respond to the NCAA by December 14th. By then, they will decided whether they agree in full or in part with the allegations, have gathered all documentation deemed necessary by the NCAA, and have come up with self-imposed sanctions (if they so choose).

Read the full Notice of Allegations here.

Here we go again.

Per a report out today, West Virginia has sent paperwork to the SEC and will be accepted as the conference’s 14th member once Texas A&M’s admittance process is complete.

The news was broken by Colin Dunlap, a former Moutaineers beat writer who now hosts a radio show in Pittsburgh. He credited a source close to WVU who has been correct with “insider” information before.

This is not the first time that there have been rumblings of West Virginia moving to the SEC. While nothing is official yet, it’s probably safe to assume that it’s only a matter of time. I doubt WVU would send all the paperwork to the SEC if they didn’t think it would go through.

Oliver Luck, West Virginia’s Athletics Director, issued this statement following the move of Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC:

“There is no question that the landscape of college athletics is once again changing. West Virginia University has great tradition as the state’s flagship land-grant institution, and we will continue working to do what’s best for our University and its athletic teams. No matter how the college athletic landscape changes, there is no doubt WVU is and will remain a national player.”  

Since there’s no timetable for how soon this likely move will be completed, we’ll all just have to stay tuned. I’d assume that they’ll try to get it done as soon as possible, for contractual and scheduling purposes. The Mountaineers will get a taste of SEC play when they take on No. 2/No. 3 LSU in Morgantown next weekend.

Welcome to Cocky Country’s weekly breakdown of what happened in the SEC. It’s hard to believe, but we’re a quarter of the way through the season now (crazy!). That being said, there’s certainly still time for teams to improve (or perhaps fall apart). There were only three conference games this week, and a few teams have yet to face an SEC opponent. Six teams are still undefeated, but in this conference, no perfect record is ever safe. So without further ado, here are your Week Three recaps:

(3) LSU at (25) Mississippi State

It was close for a while, but the Tigers of LSU beat the Bulldogs of MSU 19-6 Thursday night in Starkville. The boys from Baton Rouge kept Mississippi State contained offensively all night, giving up only one field goal in each half of the game. The Bulldogs came into the game leading the SEC in rushing yards per game, with an average of 321, but were held to only 52, while the Tigers had almost triple that. LSU also benefited from great play by Jarrett Lee, who has taken the reigns under center following the suspension of Jordan Jefferson. Lee was impressive, going 21-for-27 for 213 yards, a TD, and an interception. The Tigers weren’t without faults, though. In the third quarter they had a string of five consecutive penalties, which totaled 67 yards and happened in less than 10 minutes. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, LSU was still better in every category on the stats sheet and found a way to win, something that likely knocked MSU out of the rankings.

The Tigers are now 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in the conference, and will travel to take on No. 18 West Virginia next weekend. The Bulldogs fall to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the SEC, and will be home again next weekend to play another team from the Bayou State , Louisiana Tech.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Three”

Per usual, the Gamecocks had to be the comeback kids tonight, and it almost didn’t work.

Stephen Garcia was far from impressive, and the same could be said for much of the defense, although they came up strong at the end. There were some weird play calls, some simply bad plays, and if not for Marcus Lattimore, there is no way that USC would have had a chance in this game. South Carolina came this close to feeling the embarrassment of 1984 all over again.

Navy came out strong and showed that they should never be taken lightly. Their running game, while perhaps kind of boring, was stellar, and the few passes they threw weren’t too shabby, either. They amassed 335 total yards, though most of it did come on the ground. Their defense struggled against Marcus Lattimore, and they gave Garcia all day in the pocket, but they still held the Cocks to only 24 points.

Marcus Lattimore takes it to the house in the second quarter. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

The crowd in Columbia was pumped up from the get-go, and even the Navy players and fans were joining in the Sandstorm fun. The stadium was quieted more than once, though, when the Midshipmen made great plays and made the Gamecocks look silly.

This game was pretty much Lattimore versus Navy, and key players, namely Alshon Jeffery, were noticeably absent from the action. Navy got on the board first, but thanks to Marcus, the Gamecocks tied it up on the next possession. This marked the first time USC has scored in the first quarter this season.

By the time the half was over, each team had scored another touchdown, and USC had added a 48-yard Jay Wooten field goal (which my dad said, “would’ve been good from 60″), and led 17-14.

» Continue reading “Thanks To Lattimore, Gamecocks Beat Navy”

Oh, good. In case you were worried that maybe all this conference realignment stuff would end soon, Pitt and Syracuse are here to help.

Per a New York Times report that surfaced Friday night, and news that continues to be made available, the schools have apparently been in talks with the ACC, and have sent letters of application to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Officials from both schools have declined to comment on the situation.

Ten other schools have also talked to the ACC about being interested in joining, though their identities have not been revealed.

This is becoming madness. I was pretty sure earlier on the ACC said they were totally fine with 12 teams and weren’t looking to expand. That being said, Big East officials have said that they’re almost positive the Panthers and the Orange are as good as gone from their conference, so maybe the ACC has changed their mind.

Donald McPherson, former Syracuse quarterback, told ESPN he was a fan of his alma mater switching conferences, saying:

“I like the move. The landscape of college sports is rapidly changing and frankly, the Big East is not strong enough to survive its current course.”

» Continue reading “As The Conferences Turn: ACC – Big East Edition”

It’s the game that haunts us all as Gamecocks fans. Even if you, like I, were neither alive nor a Gamecock when the infamous 1984 game between USC and Navy took place, you know the story. And if, in case, you don’t, here’s a quick summary: Navy pulled off a stunning 38-21 upset over the 1984 Cocks, robbing them of what would have been a perfect season.

It hurts to this day, and it’s unlikely that you could be a USC fan and have never heard of this game. Singer Patrick Davis (of “Wingo & His Yard Cocks” fame) even included a nod to the game in his song, “(Just A) Big Ole Cock”, with the line, “I’ve heard all the stories of 1984, and how if we’d just beat Navy, we’d a won it all for sure.”

Williams-Brice will be rocking for the first time this season tomorrow night.

All that being said, it’s not surprising that South Carolina fans are out for revenge this year. The 2011 Gamecocks are being heralded as perhaps the best team to ever don the garnet and black on the gridiron. They have at least one Heisman candidate, the best WR in the country, a 2-0 record, and are projected to land in a big-time bowl game.

So what can we expect against Navy tomorrow night?

It’s the home opener for the Gamecocks, it’s on ESPN, it’s at night, and even though it’s not an SEC game, the crowd is going to be pretty pumped for the game.

USC held a pep rally on the Horseshoe this afternoon featuring Coach Spurrier the team, the new and improved Mighty Sound of the Southeast band, and cheerleaders. If that, coupled with the Cocks being ranked 10th in the country, the history between the two teams, and the talent we put on the field, isn’t enough to get people excited, then I don’t know what else would be.

South Carolina was ranked last time these two teams faced each other as well, except at that point they were No. 2 and 9-0. Just like the Gamecocks, the Midshipmen are 2-0 this season.

» Continue reading “Seeking Sweet Revenge: USC – Navy Preview”

Steve Spurrier, Marcus Lattimore, Melvin Ingram, and Terrence Campbell spoke with the media today to reflect on last weekend’s win over Georgia and preview Saturday’s home opener against Navy.

Check out highlights from each speaker below, and to see the complete interviews, click here.

Steve Spurrier

“Navy, Navy might be as good an independent school as there is in the country…And, uh, they’re leading the nation in rush offense right now, they run the triple-option: fullback, quarterback, pitch guys, so we’re gonna have our hands full slowin’ down these guys. Uh, their coach has done an unbelievable job. 29 and 14 in his three years and so forth there…They just play well.”

“Hopefully we can play better, we haven’t played our best yet by any means, and, uh, we’re tryin’ to coach as hard as we can. Uh, haven’t coached our guys very well yet, so I’m tryin’ to do a better job. Tryin’ to get some pass defense out there, and tryin’ to get some pass offense out there.”

“I wanna say thanks to our fans, all of ‘em that were at our last game, we had a big throng there in Athens. And, uh, fortunately as it ended up, they were the last ones to leave. It’s always good when our fans are the last ones to leave wherever we go.”

» Continue reading “Spurrier And Players Preview Navy Game”

Ingram's fumble return for a TD. (Photo courtesy of the Gamecocks Facebook page)

Following his fantastic game Saturday, Melvin Ingram has been lauded by multiple organizations.

He was named the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week, National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation, Rivals.com’s SEC Player of the Week, and the AgSouth Athlete of the Week.

Ingram had a career day against Georgia on Saturday, scoring two touchdowns. One came from a recovered fumble, which he ran back five yards to score, and the other off a fake punt, which he motored 68 yards for, putting the Gamecocks on top and shocking the Bulldogs faithful in Sanford Stadium.

He also caught the Dawgs’ on-side kick at the end of the game, ensuring victory for South Carolina. He registered one tackle on the day as well.

When asked about Ingram’s performance, Marcus Lattimore had this to say:

“Melvin Ingram is amazing. I haven’t ever seen anything like that.”

All of these honors were certainly well-deserved. Ingram is also up for the Capital One Cup Impact Performance of the Week (and is the only non-QB nominated). Go vote for him here!

To relive the thrill of Ingram’s fake punt taken to the house (and see Hairy Dawg in disbelief), watch the video below.

Welcome to this week’s wrap-up of the other SEC games from the weekend. Only four teams began SEC play, while the others played non-conference games, some against “easier” opponents. Three teams played road games  this week, and two of those were conference games. Both conference games came down to the wire, with one ending in an upset. Only one SEC team, UGA, has a losing record, two, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, are at .500, and the remaining nine are all undefeated.

For the recap of the game between South Carolina and Georgia, click here.

Kentucky vs. Central Michigan

They had to come from behind to do it, but the Wildcats were victorious in their home opener, beating the Chippewas 27-13 in Lexington. Central Michigan was ahead 16-3 at halftime, and had firm control in the first half. They had two early field goals and a lone touchdown in the first two quarters, but were held scoreless after the half. Kentucky came to life in the third quarter, when QB Morgan Newton hit La’Rod King for a 34 yard touchdown, but they sealed the deal in the fourth, when freshman Josh Clemons set a school record for the longest touchdown run by a freshman, and the longest of any player since 1970. The Chippewas led in first downs and total yardage, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Wildcats.

Central Michigan is now 1-1 on the season, while Kentucky goes to 2-0 on the season and next week will play another non-conference game at home, this time against the Louisville Cardinals.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Two”

First of all, for the inspiration behind the title of this post, watch this video:

Now, down to business.

This game was a nail biter to the end. I had the pleasure of watching with a bunch of other Gamecocks and one Georgia fan, and we were all on the edge of our seats for the entire game. The Gamecocks did not play their best, but luckily, that was still enough to beat UGA 45-42.

It didn’t start out well for the Cocks, who came out looking flat and uninspired. The Dawgs, on the other hand, scored two early field goals to put them up 6-0 after one quarter. This makes two straight games where USC has failed to score in the first quarter. The Gamecocks did catch a break when Blair Walsh shanked a 33 yard field goal attempt, though.

South Carolina’s next drive landed them at their own 29 with a 4th and 1 situation. They opted to go for it, but called a time out, and then UGA did the same thing. The Gamecocks then took another time out, as some sort of bluffing tactic. Someone I was watching with compared it to a staring contest, which ended when the Cocks punted after their second time out.

With a little under seven minutes left to go in the half, Stephen Garcia and Alshon Jeffery finally connected for a great catch in the endzone, and USC got its first points and took its first lead of the game. Less than four minutes later, the Bulldogs got a TD of their own, putting them back in the lead. They then executed an on-side kick, but a penalty was called and that was erased.

Next came the best play of the first half, and one of the best of the game. With two minutes left to go, the Gamecocks lined up to punt, but instead faked it, and Melvin Ingram ran almost 70 yards down the sideline to put the Cocks back on top and stun Sanford Stadium. The score was 14-13 at the half, though Brandon Boykin intercepted Garcia’s pass as time expired.

» Continue reading “To Hell With Georgia – Gamecocks Win!”