It’s easy to imagine a South Carolina fan looking at the 2001 Gamecock Football schedule.
“Ah, Florida on Nov. 10. Aren’t they the favorite to win the National Championship? That will be a great game.”
“We play Clemson the last game of the season! They have that Heisman candidate at quarterback, Woodrow Dantzler. We’ll get to see him come on our turf one more time before he goes pro.”
“Uh-oh, we play Bowling Green? Wait a minute, who is Bowling Green? Where in the world is Bowling Green?”
For all of you who are unaware, Bowling Green is a small town in Northwest Ohio. Just east of the town is the state University, which enrolls more than 19,000 students. Our mascot is the Falcon. Our team colors are Orange and Brown. Our last winning season in football was in 1994.
In 1991 and 92′, BG won the California Raisin Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl respectively. Since that point, the Falcons have slowly declined to the point of mediocrity.
BG fans can relate to the woes all of the South Carolina supporters had in 98′ and 99′ when the Gamecocks went 1-21. BG wasn’t quite as bad, but there was the general feeling that the program wasn’t going anywhere. Then last December football coach Urban Meyer came into town and changed the mindframe of the University and community. He brought hope back to BG football.
Remind you of anyone down there? I’m not trying to compare Meyer to the Gamecocks beloved coach Lou Holtz, but Meyer has emulated his former boss at Notre Dame. Meyer is setting forth the standards to make BG a winning program.
As the 27 point underdog, Bowling Green Falcons believe they can come into Columbia, South Carolina and win. Just the same as the Gamecocks felt when they hosted Florida with an 0-9 record in 98′. BG has nothing to lose. They have a handful of seniors, especially on the defensive side of the ball, that are sick of losing. After beating Missouri on the road and shutting out Buffalo, they are finally gaining the confidence they need to learn how to win.
Once again, a very parallel situation to where the Gamecocks were last year. The players know how hard of a task it would be to beat USC and a few of them told me they will have to play the perfect game. The important part, though, is that they believe. Good luck to both teams and we hope for a great game in this time of sadness.
A note to Ryan Brewer:
There is a lot of support for the Gamecocks in Ohio. A lot of people in the Buckeye state were glad to see South Carolina beat Ohio State in last year’s Outback Bowl. Mainly because Ohio State deserves every yard that USC runningback/receiver Ryan Brewer shoved down their throat for not signing him. Brewer’s legacy in Ohio will remain for a long time.
Many of us saw him play or watched him on film when he played for the Troy Trojans. He was graceful, yet powerful. He seriously left us with our mouths wide open saying “My god, this ong time.
Many of us saw him play or watched him on film when he played for the Troy Trojans. He was graceful, yet powerful. He seriously left us with our mouths wide open saying “My god, this kid is good.” There was another runningback on that Troy team named Matt Dahlman. I think they were the best combination of runningbacks in high school football that I will ever seen.
As an Ohioan, I apologize to Mr. Brewer for an awful recruiting performance by Ohio universities. Hopefully you won’t taste the same revenge against the Falcons as you had against the Buckeyes. If it makes you feel better, most of the Falcon players were snubbed by Ohio State as well.
