SPORTS GROUCH

One lesson new coaches have to learn is that everyone is watching them.

The same goes for leaders of their teams. Everyone is watching how they act, what they do and say.

When The Police rock band recorded “Every Breath You Take,” they meant a jealous and possessive lover. But they could have meant a coach, quarterback or any other team leader.

Teammates, fans and opposing players are watching every move you make, every breath you take. They are watching you.

The big game

I thought about this Saturday watching the injury-riddled South Carolina Gamecocks playing at Death Valley.

They faced a superior team, nationally-ranked Clemson on a chilly night. More than 81,000 fans, most of them in orange and thousands more on TV, were watching. And were they in for a surprise. The Gamecocks took the opening kickoff, drove down the field and scored the first points. USC 7, Clemson 0.

The Tigers respond

Clemson roared back. By the 4th quarter, Clemson was ahead by 3 scores. One by one, South Carolina’s top defensive players went down and out of the game with injuries. The decimated defense could not stop Clemson’s potent offense. They could only slow it down. But, that took a lot of spunk. Many Gamecock fans have seen their teams emotionally give up. Not this time. With less than a minute to go, QB Jake Bentley was driving his team downfield and threw a first down pass with 15 seconds left. The timer should have stopped the clock as required for a first down. They didn’t and time ran out.

What this means

Bentley was trying to get his team lined up for one final pass into the end zone when jubilant Clemson fans streamed onto the field. Statistically, the game was over long before this.

But there’s an important sports – and life – lesson in this lopsided game. No matter how many lemons life hands you, no matter how many injuries you suffer, no matter how many first team players you lose, ignore the score and clock. Give it your best no matter what happens as long as you can. Clemson played a great game, but the battered Gamecocks played better. The score just didn’t show it. The dictionary defines “spunk” as courage. The Gamecocks lived up to their name. They were game. They had spunk.

The Sports Grouch and his boss welcome email at ChronicleSports@yahoo.com .