[scorecard]

The last 3 games in this series have been nailbiters, that could have turned on a play here or there.  The common theme between all three is a headhunting penalty that has led to us winning the game. 2 years ago, it was Chris Galippo hitting Doug Baldwin in the head after the play was basically dead to draw a flag that kept our final drive alive and got us closer to the game winning field goal.  Last year, it was TJ McDonald drilling Chris Owusu in the head, allowing us to tie the score and send the game into OT. 

This year, it was 3rd and 21 from our own 14 (after our attempted reverse to Montgomery blew up on us), it was late in the 3rd quarter and our offense is totally sputtering.  We run a draw play that goes for nothing, but SC's DT George Uko attempts to spear Stepfan Taylor in the head at the end of the play and gets called for a personal foul.  This is actually when I feel momentum really shift to us.  Instead of punting to SC and giving them a short field, we run a screen to Taylor for 18 yards, and the field position shifts to us.  We don't score on that drive but we pin the Trojans deep, get the ball back on a 3 and out, and score on the next drive, tying up the game at 14-14. 

This doesn't even include the stomp to the head by McNeal to our cornerback that was already on the ground.

I hate to call a team a dirty but, ah, what the hell am I saying, SC is either a dirty team (or at the very least an undisciplined team), both on and off the field, and it cost them again.

[scorecard]

The last 3 games in this series have been nailbiters, that could have turned on a play here or there.  The common theme between all three is a headhunting penalty that has led to us winning the game. 2 years ago, it was Chris Galippo hitting Doug Baldwin in the head after the play was basically dead to draw a flag that kept our final drive alive and got us closer to the game winning field goal.  Last year, it was TJ McDonald drilling Chris Owusu in the head, allowing us to tie the score and send the game into OT. 

This year, it was 3rd and 21 from our own 14 (after our attempted reverse to Montgomery blew up on us), it was late in the 3rd quarter and our offense is totally sputtering.  We run a draw play that goes for nothing, but SC's DT George Uko attempts to spear Stepfan Taylor in the head at the end of the play and gets called for a personal foul.  This is actually when I feel momentum really shift to us.  Instead of punting to SC and giving them a short field, we run a screen to Taylor for 18 yards, and the field position shifts to us.  We don't score on that drive but we pin the Trojans deep, get the ball back on a 3 and out, and score on the next drive, tying up the game at 14-14. 

This doesn't even include the stomp to the head by McNeal to our cornerback that was already on the ground.

I hate to call a team a dirty but, ah, what the hell am I saying, SC is either a dirty team (or at the very least an undisciplined team), both on and off the field, and it cost them again.