gamecocks {history is made}

if you know me, or just read this blog, and own a television...you probably know what this post is about. and you are wondering why it took me so long to do it! i've pondered what to write, and sometimes there just aren't enough words to express something. in this case...to express the level of excitement.

in case you live in a (sad and lonely) bubble, let me fill you in: saturday night, the university of south carolina gamecocks (ranked #19), BEAT alabama, the number one team in the country (and defending national champions).

here's the thing...i am a good fan. really, i am! i am not a fair-weather fan and i will support the gamecocks through their good times and their (numerous) bad times. i have suffered through the heartbreak losses and the quarterbacks that make you cringe and the plentiful bad, off-field publicity. but, i am also a realist. so here is my confession: i never, in a million years, thought we could win that game. i was just hoping we wouldn't be embarrassed. but, then there's this: while grocery shopping that morning, i picked up a bottle of champagne. i hid it in the back of our fridge and never mentioned it to a soul. later i found out matt saw it, knew why it was there and (like me) kept his mouth shut. apparently we are big believers of the *jinx* factor. when the clock hit zero on saturday night, i pulled out champagne glasses and told matt about the champagne (that he already knew was there). so...maybe, just maybe, i had a little faith in them?

the guy in the photo (#21) is devonte holliman - rock hill native!

as i sit here, typing this, thinking through the night again...i get chills. the first half was great but i kept saying (both to myself and outloud to our guests), "this is how auburn started. it's far from over". but there was something there that wasn't expected - hope. the slight possibility that we could pull this off. or that we were at least going to give them a run for their money. after halftime when garcia made a very (odd) safety, i thought "oh no. here we go." but it turned out ok (obviously). as the end got closer, it was unbelievable...we were really going to do it. and we did. wow. every gamecock fan in the country finally got the *moment* they've been waiting for...for so long. we have awesome fans. i wish i could have somehow captured the spirit of our home at that moment. spencer went absolutely ballistic. i had to sneak away at one point so my non-gamecock friends wouldn't realize that i was about to cry. it was truly awesome. i can not even imagine what it would've been like to be at williams-brice at that moment.

now, here are some important notes/highlights.

• alabama was undefeated for 19 games before we beat whooped them.
• this was the first time in school history that we beat a #1 ranked team in football.
• in 2010, carolina's baseball, basketball and football teams have beat the #1 team in the country (arizona state, kentucky and alabama, respectively). we're only the 2nd school to ever do that (the other was texas).
• a guy on espn said we played a nearly perfect game. seriously, people don't say that about us.
• we are now ranked #10 in the AP poll, #12 in the Coaches poll.
• if the BCS poll was out, we might be in the top 10. the computers didn't put us there, but some of the *experts* had us around 8th, 9th or 10th. lots of folks think we should not be ranked lower than alabama (which we are).
• marcus lattimore was 7 yards away from breaking a record
• spurrier won his 107th SEC victory, now in 2nd place to bear bryant.
• we sacked their quarterback SEVEN times
• we could actually win the SEC east. maybe, just maybe!
• we put up more points against alabama than any other team since 2007!
• mcelroy (alabama's qb) told garcia after the game that he'd see us again (implying that it will be us against them in the sec championship game!!)

i could go on, but that will have to do for now. the point is that we kicked some serious 'bama butt and i hope we get to do it again later this year. but first...we have to plow over kentucky, tennessee and vandy to clinch the sec east. we also need to bust down arkansas and get them out of the top 10!! we have a lot of work ahead of us. and for the first time in a LONG time...clemson is not what gamecock fans are looking forward to most.