Dear South Carolina, One Great Game Doesn’t Make a Program

Stephen Garcia Plays Perfect Game to Beat Bama/Getty Images

Who would have thought “Stephen Garcia” and “perfect game” would be in the same sentence referring to the South Carolina QB playing anything beyond the realm of Old Maid or Super Mario Brothers? Probably no one.

So when the universe was perfectly aligned (or simply off kilter) for on Saturday afternoon, Garcia earned his 15 minutes of fame and the Gamecocks their 15 minutes of greatness in the shallow pool of their athletic lore by taking down the defending national champions and No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

After pulling off the monumental upset, they did all the requisite “we’ve-never-been-here-before” moves, like rushing the field and tearing down the goal posts (or at least they would have if they hadn’t already been disengaged and taken down). You know, all the things those little programs do when they beat one of “the” teams. Wouldn’t know. Bama’s never been there, or done that.

And in the wake of their celebration, were these fans or players capable of questioning how long this “new-found” excellence last? Turns out, not very long, which should come as a surprise to  no one. Honestly, they have only one championship way back in 1969 to their credit in football…when they were a member of the ACC Conference.

With that said, welcome back to mediocrity, South Carolina. We knew it wouldn’t take long.

Tags: championships, Coaching, Saban, SEC, Spurrier