Week 5 vs. Mississippi State

Kubby’s thoughts and observations …

I’m going to preface my comments as I sit in the Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans, La., awaiting the mid-day flight back to the Queen City of Charlotte, N.C., and our subsequent drive back home to Cayce, S.C., by stating that this was my first trip to the Crescent City and Baton Rouge, but it will definitely not be the last!

What a trip! Great people, super food, excellent beer, and one heckuva football atmosphere!

Many of you who are familiar with these posts throughout the years, know that I generally try to describe how a Gamecock fan tackles the special season that is college football on a weekly basis following the Garnet & Black. Well, sit back and grab a cold beverage or cup of coffee, because you are going to be here a while ?.

New Orleans Bound – We departed Cayce around 5:45 a.m., via KCock93’s Ford Explorer SportTrac, and arrived at Douglas International Airport around 7:15 for an 8:50 flight … Upon arriving in Charlotte we met up with the Watkins/Wright group traveling from Columbia on the same plane ... We encountered a slight delay on the flight from Atlanta to New Orleans and landed around 12:30 p.m., Central Time … While strolling through the airport to the rental car area, a couple of 20-something year-olds leaned over in front of us to chant, “Tiger Bait”, but in good fun and gesture … The first encounter of their “terrible fans” had surfaced, but it didn’t bother us, because at least they acknowledged the fact that we were there … After picking up a rental car at Enterprise, the little four door KIA Spectra got us to our three night destination, the Holiday Inn Express on Carondelet Street – just one block from Canal Street and the entrance to the French Quarter on Bourbon Street.

Friday Fun – We wasted little time after checking into the hotel and immediately made our way down Bourbon Street … I’ve been in some liberal areas (Las Vegas, Ybor City, several countries in Europe, etc.) and pretty much have an open mind when it comes to public society, but the first jaunt down this rue is an eye-opening experience … Apparently anything and everything is allowed in the French Quarter – and I do mean anything and everything! … Wow! … What makes it so amazing is the fact that right next door to a fine dining restaurant is a strip club or a novelty shop or bar – this place really does have something for everyone to say the least … We wanted a light lunch, so we stopped by the Red Fish Grill, one of the Brennan owned establishments, and camped up at the bar … The bartenders were great and genuinely impressed that they had already seen a number of South Carolina fans in the vicinity … We gargled down several Abita Summer Wheat brews and enjoyed the most delicious of appetizers – a dozen Barbeque oysters and a dozen Gulf oysters on the half shell … The BBQ oysters were simply outstanding! … They flash fry the oysters, which were consistently the size of the palm of my hand, and then serve them on the half shell in a hot sauce and a blue cheese dip filled in the bay of the oyster itself .. The raw oysters were just as good – cold, large, and served with a super horseradish/cocktail sauce mix … We spent about two hours at the Red Fish Grill before making our way down to meet up with W/W, who had found the Bourbon Street Blues Company and some great beverage deals … Upon walking into the place in the late afternoon, the streets had really become populated and their were Gamecocks in just about every pocket, including inside the BSBC … I walked into the place and quickly ordered a beer only to learn that they were running specials of 3-for-1 beers … The waitress took the order, popped open three Bud Light’s and then asked me to come around the corner of the bar – I couldn’t really make out what she was saying, so I moved over to the side she was standing and she then proceeded to lean my head back, drop two tubes into my mouth from hers, and I swallowed a couple of shots without even realizing what was going on … Good gosh! … I’m not a liquor drinker and didn’t even know what kind of shots they were until later – simple white liquor concoctions with sweet juice mixed in – not my preference, but not bad either … The place was certainly lively with all kinds of ‘80s music mixed in with rap songs and the entertainment generated from watching white people dance is a spectacle unto itself … One guy literally slinked down a wall 15-20 times before finally succumbing to his drunken stupor … The 3-for-1 deal was quite amazing as we all shared in buying round after round … My good buddy, K.P., arrived later in the day on another flight and he made his way down to join us … I ran into former “Cheap Seats” co-host, L.W., and it was nice chatting with him about various subjects and appreciated the round of beers he supplied us … Also met up with A.C., who strutted his stuff with a cousin of his – can’t think of her name – in good ole dancin’ fashion ... Our bartender at the BSBC was a friendly girl named Samantha and she was accompanied by a shots sales girl named Rihanna that was built like an R2D2 droid – nice girl with lots to offer, so-to-speak! … Somehow or another the day became night and we made our way to the hotel somewhere around 11 o’clock to rest up for the big game.

Red Stick – We had breakfast at the hotel and left for Baton Rouge via I-10 West around 9:45 a.m. … We arrived in Red Stick around 11 a.m., and meandered through the campus, which is beautiful and very clean … The campus is covered with old oak trees and shade is plentiful … There are some ponds set around the vicinity and our initial path led us by a jogging trail and scenic drive … The LSU fans, replete in their purple and yellow garb, were seemingly everywhere and had been for a good while … One thing you notice about visiting SEC schools is that outside of Vanderbilt all fans treat the football weekend as a social event … We stopped at a Quick Sack to buy a Styrofoam cooler, a case of Natural Light beer, and a couple of PowerAde’s and made our way towards the stadium to tailgate … We really lucked up and found a restaurant called the Tigris Deli – a Mediterranean style deli with Cajun flair – and ordered a large Shrimp Po Boy (which was the best I’ve ever had) and 20 hot wings with Cajun fries for tailgating … While waiting on the food, I stepped outside to get our bearings and noticed that we were just a block away from the two towers on West Chimes Street, affectionately known to the locals as The Chimes … This lets you know you are on the LSU campus and Tiger Stadium was visible from this lot … I asked the owner if he had any spots left and he told me they were sold out, but the question was heard by the guy actually parking the cars on the lot for $15 per vehicle and he made a spot for us to squeeze in … They were both openly appreciative of the fact that we had come so far to watch the football game and really made us feel welcomed … The hospitality didn’t stop there as a Zydeco band could be heard from our space just one block up the street and we made our way toward the interesting sound … The next scene was simply unbelievable … The area just outside of the campus gates is experiencing a similar boom as to the area around Williams-Brice Stadium with the opening of condominiums and apartments – nice ones, too! … We walked up to see the band and a lady waved to us to come over to their two huge tents that had a large BBQ grill going full blast … She offered us some beers and told us to help ourselves to the food, which was simply unreal – smoked sausages, BBQ chicken, BBQ, bratwurst, ribs, etc. … Unfortunately, there was no room after eating the Po Boy, but I did manage to get a chicken wing down … The lady that welcomed us to the tents told us to take a quick tour of the condos and we obliged and another woman guided us around a two bedroom flat that was in the $400,000 range – they open at $290,000 and go as high as $600,000 – and the folks inside were all very accommodating for fellow SEC fans and really knowledgeable football fans as we discussed the game on TV, Ole Miss/Florida … One constant you heard was how much they respected Steve Spurrier and how they believe that South Carolina will be able to compete for the SEC East Division as long as he is here … We made our way back outside after about 20 minutes and ran into my favorite personality of the trip, Chucky LeJeune … Big Chuck, and that’s stating the obvious if you saw him, is part owner of the Louisiana Bayou Bistro in Brusly, La., and he loved telling us about his restaurant, the food he caters, and, in general, life … As he stated in his thick Cajun accent, “food prepared by me is cooked with love from the heart” … Chucky’s brother was impossible to understand due to his dialect (all of their tongues seem to be too large for their mouths) and we just nodded along in agreement and laughed when he said something in our general direction … The duo have a patent on their self-made grill, which uses a steam process generated from water in the basin that smokes the five racks placed above – they bragged about catering several local functions, including the high school football coaches kickoff recently in Baton Rouge … When we made our way back to our parking spot we ran into some Carolina students who were enjoying themselves and soaking up the SEC atmosphere … Some other LSU students asked us to drop by their rented homes just down the street and it was a pleasant pregame experience … A lot of the Tiger fans were wearing “Nick Satan” and “Saban Sucks” T-Shirts and there was also the occasional current game T-Shirt, “Tigers Will Bear the Cocks” … On the way into the game we ran into some USC students that work in the Athletic Department in various capacities and one of the guys was covered from head to toe with “Beat LSU” stickers … Really good people that we encountered from all sides.

Death Valley - Nice place! … I rank the LSU experience right up there with the Florida trips in terms of atmosphere, stadium grounds, parking, etc. … Tiger Stadium is a nice structure and the only drawback I found was the lack of entrances … We sat in the USC end zone (Section 402) and though we were on Row 6, it was high enough not to be obstructed … In fact, our section stood the entire game even while it poured rain and through halftime … I liked where the LSU band was situated – corner of the end zone behind the LSU bench and up high enough where the sound can be heard across the stadium … “The Golden Band from Tigerland” is big and loud and their dancing girls, the “Golden Girls”, are to be commended – not only for how much they work during the game, but for their looks, especially … I know Ole Miss redshirts Miss Americas, but LSU’s group would give any other a run for the money! … Check out the pictures – USC @ LSU … Another convenience I found was a small restroom right by the entrance ramp into our section – it is tucked away with just five or six urinals and let you bypass the big crowd in the normal restroom down the ramp … The public address announcer informed the crowd that the game was attended by 92,530 – the fourth largest attendance figure ever at Tiger Stadium – well done Gamecock fans! … On our way out of the stadium we visited the compound known as the Tiger Habitat that is the home of Mike VI, a Bengal/Siberian mix, which arrived from Indiana just last month … Some LSU fans told us that the facility cost $1.6 million and after walking around it, I believe it – can you imagine a coop like that for some live Gamecocks outside of The W-B? … It was good to see A.C., B.M., B.C., Dan, and their friends after the game and I saw Massey and Pierce across the way, but could never get their attention.

LSU – The Tigers have as good of a defense as I’ve ever seen … The front line for the Tigers might be the best I’ve ever seen with Glenn Dorsey destined to go down as one of the top tackles ever in college football – I’ve never seen a guy with his size have such quickness … Speaking of quick, how about running back Trindon Holliday? … That guy is the fastest football player I’ve ever witnessed in person and he reminds me of former Gamecock Corey Bridges … Ali Highsmith is a stud at linebacker and safety Craig Steltz unloads on anyone coming across the middle … The other safety, Danny McCray, was all over the place – simply put, they are unbelievable! … LSU is going to have to get better quarterback play to win the National Championship – Matt Flynn isn’t in the same category as Southern Cal’s John David Booty or Florida’s Tim Tebow and you have to be impressed with the numbers that Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford is putting up so far … However, Ryan Perrilloux might be the wildcard here – Heaven knows that Les Miles pulled a Tebow on South Carolina as the sophomore seemed to run left every time (and for good yardage) … He’s got a good arm, though he didn’t get the opportunity to show it vs. USC, and seems to be reaching his potential – play that guy! … We didn’t get to see Early Doucet, but when he gets healthy that will be another dimension for that offense … Jacob Hester did a good job running the football and is tough as nails.

What Went Right – I picked the score to be 26-13 in favor of LSU and it wound up 28-16, so I wasn’t far off …Kenny McKinley, despite the fumble, hauled in six catches … Mike Davis, under utilized on the ground vs. LSU but rushed for a TD, had 77 yards in receptions and the Gamecocks longest play of the season with a 45 yard catch … Chris Smelley completed 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown … Weslye Saunders caught four passes for 32 yards … Ryan Succop averaged 45 yards per punt, hit a field goal and PAT … Chris Culliver returned a kickoff 44 yards … Eric Norwood had a sack … Chris Hampton had a pick … Emanuel Cook was all over the place and tallied 11 stops … Smelley and Blake Mitchell combined to connect on 19 completions for 244 yards – both totals are the most LSU has allowed all year … USC picked up 16 first downs (also the most allowed by LSU) … USC was 3-for-3 in the red zone and scored 16 points … I agree with the field goal that capped off an 11 play drive and covered 56 yards to cut the deficit to 28-10 – it rewarded the offensive unit for a good possession and I believe it gave USC some much needed confidence … The Gamecocks took the next drive 80 yards in 10 plays … USC outscored LSU 9-7 in the second half … Carolina ran 69 plays.

What Went Wrong – Jasper Brinkley got hurt and is out for the year – that’s brutal! … Jared Cook started well, but got injured and missed most of the game … USC made Hester look better than he was and he accounted for 17 of LSU’s 50 rushing attempts … The USC offensive line was whipped all day until late in the game … South Carolina went with a field goal block with a little more than a minute left in the first half and paid for it by giving up the perfectly executed fake … Emanuel Cook dropped a sure interception-return-for-TD that would have cut the lead to 21-14 on the first possession of the third quarter … Carlos Thomas batted a fumble right to LSU … Moe Brown continues to find the field … Where was Mark Barnes? ... Blake Mitchell may have made his last start at USC -- his doing and no one else's ... The Gamecocks, down 21-7 with 8:30 left in the third quarter, elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 and come up short – I agreed with the decision because at the time in the stands I commented that USC would be lucky to even get the ball back that quarter and there was no way to make up the 14 points in the final 15 minutes … The spot on Saunders’ catch was pitiful … I would have kicked the PAT when USC scored late in the 4th quarter to make it 28-17 – I don’t like to “chase points” and should Carolina have recovered the onside kick, I would rather try for the two-point conversion on the next score … The Tigers rolled up 290 yards rushing and held the ball for almost 33 minutes … LSU scored three touchdowns on three red zone possessions for 21 points … I’m not one to whine about officiating, but along with the poor spot on 4th down, the spearing incident on Captain Munnerlyn, LSU’s player slapping Ryan Succop in the back of the head, and the basic lynching of Chris Smelley and then taunt – well, something should have gone South Carolina’s way, but we probably won’t hear anything about it from the SEC … Also, their play-by-play radio announcer rivaled some of the worst in the SEC – I was glad that my headset’s batteries died during the game.

Coaches – One thing I really like about Steve Spurrier is that he is in charge of every facet of the football program (head coach, offensive coordinator, fund raiser, public relations guru, etc.) … Not much happens without him knowing about it … The other thing I like about him is that he allows his coaches to coach and in a way he coaches the coaches – follow me? … When LSU tricked Carolina on the fake field goal he questioned about why USC wasn’t in field goal safe mode and went for the block … He wondered aloud after the game about the discrepancy in carries between Boyd and Davis … Spurrier’s also questioned the wide receiver rotation and the offensive line’s instability … He’s commented constantly in 2007 about the defense’s inability to stop the run … But, he continues to allow the calls to be made by those in charge of those areas … I like that because it enforces accountability from the top down … Remember the Ron Cooper incident last year at Kentucky? … No one is beyond reproach (players and coaches) and he makes sure that his assistants are not faceless people … He’s making this staff better while also seeing the big picture of where he wants to see this program go to and remain … If you want to be entertained take a look at Spurrier on the sidelines during the game – it’s almost as good as the game itself!

Where We Are – 3-1 is what I was hoping for after a third of the season and all USC fans have to be happy with that stance … 2-0 vs. non-ranked foes, 1-1 vs. ranked teams, 1-1 in the SEC … The balance of the 2007 slate unfolds over the next third of the schedule … South Carolina is going to be favored in every contest and, in my opinion, should win each of those games … However, the youth of this squad, the lack of senior leadership on both sides of the ball, and the loss of Jasper Brinkley, Nathan Pepper, and Jordin Lindsey from the defensive unit is going to take its toll somewhere this fall … However, Spurrier’s USC teams have steadily improved each of his first two years and I expect that trend to continue … UnderArmour promotes, “You must protect this house”, and for the Gamecocks to reach the eight win plateau and beyond, then it is imperative that USC take care of business the next two weeks vs. Mississippi State and Kentucky.

Point Spread - The Gamecocks have covered six of the past seven games when entering a game as a double digit underdog since 2000 and Coach Steve Spurrier is 5-1 ... Overall, USC has covered in seven of the 12 games:
W 9/25/07 @ Louisiana State +18 16-28 L
W 11/11/06 @ Florida +13.5 16-17 L
W 9/28/06 AUBURN +13.5 17-24 L
W 10/29/05 @ Tennessee +14 16-15 W
L 10/1/05 @ Auburn +14 7-48 L
W 9/10/05 @ Georgia +17.5 15-17 L
W 9/27/03 @ Tennessee +15 20-23 ot L
L 9/13/03 @ Georgia +14 7-31 L
L 11/16/02 @ Florida +14 7-28 L
L 11/10/01 FLORIDA +13 17-54 L
L 11/11/00 @ Florida +14 21-41 L
W 9/9/00 GEORGIA +10 21-10 W

Sweet 16 – South Carolina has scored 16 points twice in 2007, once in 2006, and once in 2005 … USC is 2-2 in those games – 16-28 @ LSU, 16-12 @ Georgia, 16-17 @ Florida, and 16-15 @ Tennessee … Under Lou Holtz, South Carolina scored 16 points once in 2004 (16-20 vs. Georgia), once in 2002 (16-12 @ Kentucky), and once in 2001 (16-14 @ Miss. State) for a 2-1 record – every game has been a SEC contest … The Gamecocks did not end a game with 16 points from 1992-99 and did so only twice (’91 @ West Virginia, 16-21 and ’87 @ Miami, 16-20) since 1973.

Trip Home – One thing different about LSU from other places was the rapid departure of their fans from tailgating … Maybe it was the weather or maybe that’s just how the Tigers faithful does it in Baton Rouge … We ran into long time friend, Tibs, after the game at our parking spot and later again on Bourbon St. – take care Alan and make sure those Cubs get to the playoffs in the Windy City! ... KP rode back with us to New Orleans and we listened to the postgame show – I give credit to their local sports radio affiliate because they were on the air from 9 a.m., through 9 p.m., on game day … Lots of the callers were worried about the LSU punt team and the lack of a top notch running back … Everyone seemed focused on Florida except for the lone Gamecock fan that called into the show to express his gratitude to the LSU fans and the experience in Baton Rouge – I echo those sentiments!

Saturday Night – We quickly took showers and made it back to Bourbon Street for Saturday evening … We dined at Pat O’Brien’s and no I didn’t try a Hurricane … Their food was average – the only disappointing place we found – and the wait staff acted like it was 10:15 p.m. … It did, however, give us a chance to watch the end of the Alabama/Georgia game and I was glad to see the Bulldogs pull it through – can only help USC look better in the long run … After supper we hit the Blues House/Café and took in some great jazz, blues, old rock ‘n roll, and even got to witness a New Orleans funeral procession – wow! … When they played the “Saints come marching in” that place really moved – they love their NFL franchise and everything the Black & Gold represents … We lasted until about midnight before turning in – taking in a great little ‘concert’ by some street musicians on the way back to the hotel … We polished off a couple more Abitas at a place called Dominic’s just outside our hotel and called it a night.

Sunday – With a day to play in New Orleans we took it easy until around mid-morning and journeyed over to Harrah’s casino to look for lunch and fun … Not finding a good dining spot at the casino, we went over to the river area and found the Crescent City Brewhouse – a Bavarian themed brewery with excellent food … The crab cakes with asparagus and mashed potatoes, as well as the stuffed shrimp and mixed vegetables, were just as good as the homemade brew – top notch! … Not finding any place in this NFL city to watch the Cubs/Pirates series finale, we went back to the hotel and listened to it on the laptop while watching the Braves polish off a 3-1 series win vs. the Brewers … We headed down to Bourbon St., once again for Happy Hour and dinner and when the rain fell we ducked into La Bayou – lucky us! … The Abitas flowed and after seeing all of the dinner dishes whip past us at the bar decided to eat there and the Redfish plate was outstanding while we watched the Bears/Cowboys game … It was the bartender’s birthday and he basically treated us to some ‘presents’ in the form of free draught beer and it was an evening well spent.

Monday – We had a little time to kill on Monday and drove around some of the dilapidated areas off the beaten path … In some of these areas bums weren’t even present as their was no one to “bum” from … Katrina has cut the city’s population in half and many aren’t going to return … A bulldozer and dirt would do several of these areas a lot of good to make way for development … We turned in the rental car around 10:30 and made our way to the airport for a 12:53 flight – good choice flying on Monday, because the facility was pretty much barren until the gates opened to load the plane … A good book, “Flying Finish” written by Dick Francis, accompanied my flight time and was another excellent read by the Englishman … We made it to Charlotte around 7:15 and were back home at 8:50 p.m.

Great Trip – Folks, I know this is long and it’s been delayed, but I have been swamped since getting back and have pieced this together the better part of three days … Sorry it’s so long, but I try to relay as much as I can for my friends and Gamecock fans … Thanks, Go Cocks!