The Cover of South Carolina's Spring Football Media Guide

By 11W Staff - 07 March 2013
33 Comments
- Football

Vincent Smith should live a long, productive life - but his epitaph has already been completed.

Source grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/scar/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/mis...

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Comments

NObuck-I-inTEAM on 7 Mar 2013 - 1:48pm #

Nice!!!

hail2victors9 on 7 Mar 2013 - 1:51pm #

If the idiot refs knew what actually constitutes a first down (you know 10 yards or more) this play would've never happened.

...or if Brady didn't decide to go for a fake punt on 4th and 3 with the lead on Michigan's 30 yard line.

Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler

niblick on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:03pm #

as much as I loved that play, youre right, you guys did get boned on the play before.

BROSEPH on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:39pm #

No, South Carolina got boned on the play before. Michigan was clearly short for the first down on a play that I'm not sure why Hoke went for in the first place, Spurrier went full gorilla rage, Clowney said "Don't worry coach I got this", Smith loses his head and the ball. Ball refused to lie.

It was probably on of the weirdest stretch of a few minutes in football history.

BME_Buckeye on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:47pm #

At that very moment in the game when you got this first down, did you object to it before that happened since you knew it would keep the chains moving?

Ohio State's band SLAUGHTERED Michigan's band. If this were a football game, it would have been Florida State vs. Savannah State. - SB Nation following OSU vs. UM 2012

M Man on 7 Mar 2013 - 4:04pm #

I don't know what's worse; seeing Vincent Smith getting blown up or seeing the reminder of those awful adidas bowl game jerseys.

NoVA Buckeye on 7 Mar 2013 - 11:33pm #

Or if Al Borges wasn't Jim Bollman

"I like to kick Michigan's ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of gum."

hail2victors9 on 8 Mar 2013 - 9:46am #

He actually wasn't in this game...at all. Probably the best or second-best game he called all season.

2nd half against OSU = Jim Bollman's blubber.

Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler

Hovenaut on 7 Mar 2013 - 1:53pm #

With this, I have fully recovered from the (Out)back to back bowl losses to SCAR in '01 and '02.

Looks like an excellent screen saver for desktops in the AACC athletic dept.

"Success - it's what you do with what you got" - Woody Hayes

Earle on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:01pm #

While I'll never tire of images of that play, I don't think it makes a great cover. You can hardly see Clowney or any of the other SC players. The focal point is Smith and his flailing hair. As a Buckeye fan I love it. If I were an SC fan, probably not so much.

BTW, when did they start dropping the "South"? When I see or hear "Carolina" without the directional, I automatically think of UNC.

MediBuck on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:41pm #

I think the directional is an issue of contention for Carolinians (at least based on my discussion with my North Carolinian girlfriend).

And I agree with you that it's not a particularly good cover. It emphasizes one player's individual talent and athleticism instead of the important things like teamwork, perseverance, hard work, practice, and discipline. Oh well, typical SEC...

"There is a force that makes us all brothers, no one goes his way alone." --Woody Hayes

M Man on 7 Mar 2013 - 10:14pm #

When I see or hear "Carolina" without the directional, I automatically think of UNC.

Yeah, me too. I noticed it while watching that game (I think Spurrier's visor said "Carolina"), and I've seen it, sparingly, for a couple of years. UNC started it, and seemed to handle it rather gracefully; I think it is kind of a little brotherish thing for S. Carolina. (Small l and small b; because we know who Little Brother is.)

Gametime on 8 Mar 2013 - 8:53am #

Are you talking about Sparty or the Carolina based rap group Little Brother feat Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh, & 9th Wonder?

"Leave...Your...Mark..."

NoVA Buckeye on 7 Mar 2013 - 11:34pm #

They've been calling themselves "USC" recently, and when I think USC, I think LERN KERFERN and the Trojans, not the -insert penis joke here-

"I like to kick Michigan's ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of gum."

sharks on 8 Mar 2013 - 9:37am #

I've seen several different angles of that hit, and the the cover is by far the worst (as far as getting Clowney in the shot).

I'd have went this way...

The postgame show is brought to you by... Christ, I can't find it. The hell with it...

BuckNutInAnnArbor on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:01pm #

This is one of those things that will never get old. :)

"...but then again 'Michigan' and 'huge mistake' are synonymous so that shouldn't have been much of a surprise to anybody." - Mark Titus

buckeyepastor on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:08pm #

Meh. I'm kind of done with it. What always gets passed over with this supposedly being the "hit of the century" is that Smith got right up after the hit was over. Also, is Clowney even playing football for them this year? Their "cover story" is a guy who is contemplating not even playing football this year, lest he get injured before he can get to the NFL?

"Woody would have wanted it that way"

Dougger on 7 Mar 2013 - 3:54pm #

I haven't heard anything about him not playing... but seeing that he routinely takes plays off makes me wonder.. he knows he's the no. 1 pick going into his junior year.. I presume since he "seems" somewhat lazy he might think what does he have to gain really? just a thought, we'll see how he plays once the SEC gets plastered all over ESPN the 1st weekend

I like football

buckeyepastor on 7 Mar 2013 - 5:33pm #

My bad. He probably is playing. I don't think there was ever any official word from him about taking the year off. It was suggested by a sports writer, and then agreed to by Kiper and others, that Clowney taking a year off to avoid injury might be a good thing for him. I think it would keep him in top form but make him a lousy teammate.

"Woody would have wanted it that way"

iball on 7 Mar 2013 - 5:55pm #

Can you blame him? Its easy to sit behind a computer and call him lazy or a bad teammate, but damn, the kid is the number 1 pick in the draft!!

“There’s one thing I have learned through all my adventures and conquests - it’s that some people are just wired for success. I had no choice when it came to being great - I just am great.” – Kenny Powers

d5k on 7 Mar 2013 - 6:22pm #

Let's not confuse Skip Bayless and Steven A pontificating oh so intelligently about an athlete's intentions with those intentions themselves.

LadyBuck on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:31pm #

NW Buckeye on 7 Mar 2013 - 2:54pm #

I will preface my comment by saying that it was an awesome hit. However, the only reason the helmet flies off in the first place is because of improper fit. Maybe it is because he needs room for his dreads, but there is absolutely no way a correctly fit and fastened helmet should fly off because of a hit like that. And, yes I saw the play live and saw the replays. That helmet is not correctly fit to his head. I have seen many hits that were just as devastating as that one, and the helmets stay on.

Brutus on 7 Mar 2013 - 3:50pm #

For me, it's not the helmet flying off that was impressive. It was that such a forceful hit occurred in a relatively small space. It's one thing for a linebacker to lay out a receiver or RB crossing the middle. They are both moving at each other at full speed because they have a lot of ground between them. But this occurred just behind the line scrimmage. Clowney didn't have a lot of room to get going and had to shed off a blocker (or at least make sure the blocker wasn't in his way). Smith took possession of the ball just before getting hit so it's not like he was moving at full speed. I'd have to look at the replay to see how many yards were actually between them before both started heading for each other but my guess is less than three yards. Yet the impact was tremendous. The helmet flying off just made it more dramatic. Speaks volumes of Clowney's power.

sharks on 8 Mar 2013 - 9:47am #

Also, Clowney is about a foot taller than Smith- and hit him square in the chest/chin. Great use of leverage, textbook tackle.

The postgame show is brought to you by... Christ, I can't find it. The hell with it...

iball on 7 Mar 2013 - 5:53pm #

Nobody mentions how Clowney disappeared on the next drive allowing scUM to get right back in the game.

d5k on 7 Mar 2013 - 6:23pm #

How does a single defensive lineman "disappear" on a drive? Are you supposed to get a sack or two on every possession?

Brutus The Champ on 7 Mar 2013 - 7:08pm #

The guy went unblocked.. and hits a defenseless 5'6 ball carrier who just received the hand off... but thanks to espn, we will continue to see this for the next 15 years... give us a break -____-

Brutus is........The People's Champ!!!!

FitzBuck on 7 Mar 2013 - 9:45pm #

I'm sorry but the only way I could like this more was if it was an OSU player i.e John Simon instead of Clowney. If anyone has seen the post on OSUs boring program cover I wish they would do something like this.

How about Z. Boren standing over Gardner!

Fitzbuck
Toledo - Ohio's right armpit
"A troll by any other name is still a troll".