STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Occupy Starkville went well for the South Carolina fans gathered at Davis Wade Stadium, not as much as a protest movement but a statement: Yes, with enough breaks, the Gamecocks can participate again in the SEC Championship Game.
They proved it Saturday with a 14-12 win, though the cowbells and Bulldogs were almost too much.
A program trying to budge its way into rarefied SEC air needs every edge it can get.
In 2010, it was the pleasant confluence of Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson having losing
records while Florida struggled. Those four stars might not align again for a generation.
More good timing Saturday.
Mississippi State, seen leaving the 2010 season with a 52-14 Gator Bowl drubbing of Michigan, expected something better this year than an 0-4 Southeastern Conference start.
Very convenient, however, for No. 15 South Carolina.
The Gamecocks stunk up Davis Wade Stadium for most of the game and left with a 6-1 record.
"I give South Carolina credit," Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said. "They showed a lot of resilience. They showed why they're a top 15 team, one of the best teams in the country."
Few programs in the country over the last 22 months have been better at taking advantage of opportunities.
"When you don't play well and still come out with a victory on the road in an SEC game, down in the fourth quarter, it builds your confidence," quarterback Connor Shaw said.
Pretty insightful for a sophomore, huh?
Yes, and as the Gamecocks gained momentum in 2010 on the way to the school's first SEC East title, confidence followed.
Or vice versa.
This time it was Shaw, shaking off jitters orinexperience -- or both -- just in time to manage a 79-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
"Something like that just boosts his confidence," Wildcat quarterback Bruce Ellington said of Shaw, a veteran of three college starts. "Now, going into games, he just knows he can do it."
It helps that Shaw gets two weeks before going into Tennessee. South Carolina may not have star running back Marcus Lattimore and the Gamecock offense needs extra tweaking.
But help from outside just keeps on coming. Consider that several days ago, SEC East starting quarterbacks included Stephen Garcia at South Carolina, John Brantley at Florida and Tyler Bray at Tennessee.
Whatever adjustment problems South Carolina has with Life Without Garcia, the Gamecocks know Tennessee's 2011 hopes were firmly tied to Bray.
Mississippi State knows all about expectations.
"They thought they were going to win the SEC West this year," Spurrier said this week.
Only to get find themselves looking up from the bottom of the SEC.
Still, winning in Starkville isn't easy.
The cowbells are everywhere. The 112-by-48 video board features dramatic cowbell encouragement, just in case that one Mississippi State fan didn't get the message:
South Carolina players ran on the field Saturday behind one cheerleader waving a huge garnet flag and another waving a huge blue Palmetto State flag.
They left knowing a jump from No. 15 is coming.
In between, the Gamecocks needed every mistake Mississippi State could offer.
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