Week 2 at Georgia

My thoughts and observations ...

A Little Late - This week's recap is a little late due to a full slate of activities this past weekend that culminated in tonight's Florida State at Clemson football game on ESPN ... But, I don't visit Message Boards or listen to Sports Radio shows during my "down time" and hope this is a bit fresh for anyone reading -- if not, sorry!

Tailgating - We left my house in Cayce at 2:45 p.m., on Saturday and went our normal route through Olympia -- big mistake .... After stopping by BP to get some ice for the coolers we waited on a train for 10-15 minutes (when will Columbia ever get these things to go underground?) ... Once we hit the Bluff Road area it appeared that Gamecock fans had been out their for hours, but when we arrived at the Farmers Market's watermelon shed, we found that we were one of the first to arrive around 3:15 ... Several of our regular tailgating crew showed up minutes later and let me publicly salute "Sonny G" for making the trip every home weekend that I can remember! ... He makes the haul from Kingsport, TN each home football weekend and always seems to make a road game or two as well ... His son recently graduated from USC and his daughter is currently a junior at the University of South Carolina ... He's one heckuva Gamecock fan! ... We used a Cajun theme for Louisiana-Lafayette by dining on Cajun flavored wings from D's Wings at Parkland Plaza in Cayce, Pimento Cheese sandwiches with a spread from the Ole Timey Meat Market, and knocked down a couple of Abita Brewing Company's "Turbo Dog" beers -- not the best brewsky for such a hot day (too thick and dark), but good nonetheless ... The ice chilled Natural Lights were outstanding as usual and the hot afternoon seemed to rush by with everyone catching up on their personal business ... Also, kudos to "Big Al" for supplying a great batch of boiled peanuts from the Gilbert area (Rikard's) -- delicious!

Pregame - I made it a point to be in my seat 1/2 an hour before kickoff (a rarity for me) ... I liked the introduction by Coach Spurrier and really enjoyed the opening video highlights that accompanied the opening message of "The Game is On" ... At least it made me feel like the advertising and promotions department at The Roundhouse (or where ever they are these days) is actually working to make a buck ... "2001" seemed to go off without a hitch and the stadium lights were brightly shining – more so than I can ever remember (even the LCD scoreboard and advertising runner boards seemed more electric) ... But, do you need a “Mike Man”? … What a nuisance for a college football game … The “We Are Carolina” cheer went over like a lead balloon and when you have to fabricate enthusiasm, well, it’s just not going to work … After the game a buddy of mine commented on the "commercialism" of the collegiate game, but I told him I've seen the same things at Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Clemson on a repeated basis and said that USC is kind of like the last to join in this way of marketing ... Hey, if it saves me a dime here or a dollar there, then by all means let the staff that is getting paid find some reputable ways of interjecting those financials ... I really liked the infusion of garnet colored paint even more so around Williams-Brice Stadium -- amazing what a little color can do for concrete and aluminum ... One more thing -- I made it into the stadium without a hitch (the first time in 3-4 years I can guarantee you) ... I usually take a sealed water bottle into the game and buy another at halftime, but for the past couple of years have been hounded repeatedly in the lower west deck entrance sections about taking in water (they say nothing about my headphones or seat cushion) ... Whoever is in charge of this improvement, thanks!

1^st Half - I'm sure that I wasn't the only one thinking that this game was well on its way to being a blowout when the Gamecocks raced out to a 14-0 lead ... It was great to see Andy Boyd catch that TD from Chris Smelley followed by Tommy Beecher connecting with Kenny McKinley – a very impressive start … But, ULA-LA bounced back and punched USC right in the gut and kept punching Carolina with the running duo of QB Michael Desormeaux and RB Tyrell Fenroy which gashed USC for 256 yards on the ground … Why is it that Carolina has such a hard time with run-oriented QBs? … Remember the names of Woodrow Dantzler (Clemson), Matt Jones (Arkansas), Brad Smith (Missouri), and Tyler Watts (Alabama)? … That’s just a few in recent memory who have given the Gamecocks’ defense absolute fits! … I was encouraged by USC’s late score by Cory Boyd that gave the Gamecocks a 21-14 lead at intermission.

2^nd Half - USC stretched the lead to 14 points again with about five minutes left in the third quarter and I figured that Carolina would add another 10-14 points in the fourth quarter for a convincing win … A pretty ho-hum affair until “2001” blared loud and clear in the place of “Carolina Girls” at the start of the 4^th quarter … Boring wasn’t to be as USC had to come up with a goal line stand early in the final stanza … In fact, the ugly 3^rd down and long reared its ugly head for the first time in 2007 as the Ragin Cajuns were pushed from inside of the 10 yard line back to nearly the 30 only to find ULA-LA back on the 2 yard line for a critical 4^th down … A holding penalty disallowed one touchdown for Lafayette and another was nullified by Jasper Brinkley when he stopped a tackle-eligible play … Ugh!

What went right? - Mike Davis rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries … Cory Boyd had a pair of scores … Chris Smelley (10-14-1) and Tommy Beecher (11-15-0) combined for 238 yards and two touchdowns … Kenny McKinley had six catches for 44 yards and a score … Andy Boyd caught three balls for 48 yards and a TD … Jared Cook hauled in two passes for 34 yards and should have had another if not for an offensive interference call on Moe Brown (that was B.S., by the way) … Weslye Saunders had a huge reception … The offensive line gave both QBs plenty of time and opened some holes for Boyd and Davis – you don’t rack up 433 yards without good OL play -- and Carolina basically ran a dozen or so plays total (looked like sandbagging to me) … Ryan Succop kicked off great and had two good punts, but one that was absolutely poorly timed and returned for big yardage … The Brinkley’s (Jasper and Casper) were solid, but those were the only two in my opinion on the defensive side of the ball.

What went wrong? - Let’s start with the defense … Can anyone not named Brinkley stop a back 1-on-1? … It looked like the 2006 Wofford game all over with the arm tackling and chicken fighting type of defense … It was almost like the USC defenders were waiting for Lafayette’s players to run beside them and then they would try to jump on their backs and wrestle them to the ground … Not many jarring hits or solid tackles all night … I thought Carolina really missed Emanuel Cook at strong safety for the run support … Where are the stud defensive linemen? … I saw Marquee Hall wreak some havoc in the backfield on a play or two and Brandon Isaac had a nice stop behind the line of scrimmage, but where were the new recruits that were supposed to make an impact? … Defensive Coordinator Tyrone Nix better have some inspired players ready to play football at Georgia and I hope we see more of a four-man front instead of three against the Bulldogs … Also, I can’t help but mention James Thompson – does he still play at USC? … Suspended for the first 3-4 games (depending on what you hear) to start the season once again – is there really a need for him to be around these days?

Return of Blake - Here's hoping that Blake Mitchell can shake off the rust quickly in Athens and be ready to lead -- that's right, lead -- the Gamecocks ... Time for the LaGrange native to step up in the huddle and guide this team properly (no more screwups away from the gridiron) ... I have confidence in Blake on the field and hopefully he will be ready to go out of the chute!

Photos - A link to some pictures I took at the game.

Athens Bound - I'm heading to Athens on Friday for my 22nd consecutive Georgia/Carolina football game (have attended everyone home/away since '84) ... During that span, USC has tallied seven of its 13 all-time wins vs. the Dawgs, but the Gamecocks haven't defeated UGA since 2001 ... From 1984-2001, the Bulldogs held a slim 9-7 advantage in the series, but that margin has ballooned to 14-7 since Brian Scott's touchdown grab from Phil Petty "between the hedges" ... South Carolina has opened this week as a 5.5-point underdog and the last time USC faced UGA with that spread was in 2002 at Columbia, when David Pollack & Company handed the Gamecocks a 13-7 loss ... USC is 9-9 vs. Georgia against the spread since 1987 and 4-5 at Sanford Stadium ... I like South Carolina and the points (and straight-up) this Saturday in a twilight affair, 23-20.