Gamecocks' ``Golden Era'' started against Aggies

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Two years later, South Carolina tailback Ryan Brewer smiles at the memory. After all, you rarely forget your first. <br> <br> Brewer, a sophomore then, jumped and screamed with about 80,000 Gamecocks fans after the team broke its 21-game losing streak by defeating New Mexico State, 31-0. It was the first win of the Lou Holtz era and touched off celebrations not seen in the Palmetto State since the days of Secession. <br> <br> ``I think pretty much the whole team was on the field and pretty much we all got yelled at for being there, too, because we were all late coming into the locker room,&#39;&#39; Brewer said. <br> <br> Should the No. 22-ranked Gamecocks open this season Saturday by again defeating New Mexico State, the goal posts at Williams-Brice Stadium will likely stay erect and the hedges should remain in one piece. <br> <br> The Gamecocks&#39; profile has grown incredibly since defeating the Aggies on Sept. 2, 2000. They followed it up a week later with a landmark victory against then No. 9 Georgia and opened 4-0. They&#39;ve won 17 games - the best two-year stretch since South Carolina football began in 1892 - and are two-time defending champions of the Outback Bowl. <br> <br> Holtz doesn&#39;t see any changes to himself or his methods in the two years. ``I&#39;m no different. We don&#39;t practice any different. Don&#39;t act any different,&#39;&#39; the coach said. ``Expectations are a lot different. I think that&#39;s the biggest thing. The expectations of our players are lot different.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> And there&#39;s a few different players, too. <br> <br> Corey Jenkins will make his first college start at quarterback. Andrew Pinnock will be the feature back replacing dismissed star Derek Watson. George Gause will step into the defensive playmaker role held by linebacker Kalimba Edwards. <br> <br> ``One of the questions that I have with our football team is only the seniors have not gone to a bowl game every year they&#39;ve been here,&#39;&#39; Holtz said. ``Sometimes people start taking things for granted. I don&#39;t know whether we&#39;re in that situation or not.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Gamecocks certainly weren&#39;t two years ago, coming off a disastrous 0-11 season - Holtz&#39;s worst in three decades of coaching - and praying not to get beat with Georgia just ahead. <br> <br> ``They weren&#39;t confident,&#39;&#39; New Mexico State coach Tony Samuel said. ``You go 0-21, you&#39;re going to have some questions about yourself.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Defensive back Rashad Faison says the Gamecocks were edgy about the game. The team was ``anticipating what it would be like to be victorious,&#39;&#39; Faison said. ``That feeling had totally vanished from this state and the city of Columbia.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> South Carolina worked fast on gameday to get it back. <br> <br> Pinnock scored on 4-yard touchdown. Watson added a 1-yard score and the Gamecocks led 17-0 at the half. The Aggies could get nothing going against South Carolina&#39;s defense. <br> <br> New Mexico State safety Siddeqq Shabazz, a senior, remembers his team let a chance slip away. <br> <br> ``It hurts your feelings when you go down there and get beat like that,&#39;&#39; Shabazz said. ``Now we have another chance to go down there and make a statement.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Brewer, South Carolina&#39;s running back, knows his club is in a much more critical position this time. There&#39;s everything to lose and very little to gain. <br> <br> In 2000, ``the fans and everybody were just hoping we could win this one,&#39;&#39; he said. ``This year, everybody expects us to walk on this team.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> And that&#39;s a big, big change from two years ago.

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