Trials will make USC stronger for next round
It has been an exhilarating and, at times, exhausting two weeks of football for our university. It started with the incredible festivities of ESPN’s College GameDay on the “Shoe” and one of the finest performances of any college football team this season as we produced a convincing, wire-to-wire domination of a strong Georgia team. We celebrated our No. 3 ranking and many of us started dreaming of an undefeated season. Then, we came up two points short of defeating LSU, Saturday night at Death Valley, a feat few teams accomplish, but one that we held confidence about.
When we fell two points short, like many of you, I was crushed. But on Sunday I started receiving lots of messages from fans who reminded me that we are still in the midst of an amazing season. We control our destiny relative to the SEC East Divisional Championship and, after that, we face a world of opportunity. On Sunday, I also recalled that I tell many of you that leadership advances more from the occasional failure than from a string of victories.
Let’s hope that the Gamecock football team comes out stronger as a result of the trip to Death Valley, that the players and coaches who have led so far this season find renewed determination, and that new leaders emerge. Patricia and I, many of our trustees and a large contingent of Gamecock faithful will make the journey to The Swamp next Saturday.
We will bring the indomitable spirit and pride that Carolina is becoming famous for, and we will work to rally the team and hope to celebrate a victory. And, once again, we will return exhilarated and exhausted.
— Harris Pastides, USC President